In the vernacular of game lore, a "grognard" is one who plays board wargames (fn1). "Grognard-capture" came along later as an apparent dilution (and a mildly derogatory one at that) to stand for hard-core gamers in general (fn2). Perhaps the latter hijack is the better sense of capture.
I spent the last couple of weeks reminiscing (with help) about what the board wargame legacy is (or, as stated, perhaps it's obituary is premature). Personally I look to the wane of this genre of play as a symbol of the larger demise of turn-based gaming in general. Lazy RTS! [humor]. Lazy, lazy First Person! [more humor!] More seriously, I'd like to collect pointers to the recollections of others on this and related subject.
I list a number of essays/posts that I have that are in turn entry points to other resources (avoiding duplication). In general I am somewhat disappointed with the quantity of commentary that I've been able to find. I'm sure it is generational - every Tom and Sally MMORPG player is an online commentator in this age, but in that age...
I would be most glad for insight and comment from players - X or otherwise.
- Allen Varney' s introductory Escapist article "Les Grognards." December 5, 2005.
- Update: Excellent blog on tabletop gaming - Zone of Influence.
- Nate: "The Grognards" (musings on a small irony and the genre). "A Farewell to Hexes" (in part, a deferential nod to Greg Costikyan's excellent original, and Matthew Kirschenbaum's uber "I was a Teenage Grognard", also a view towards turn-based gaming).
- Wikipedia entry for Wargames contains a solid set of links and description.
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fn1.
Grognard . (Fr. “grumbler” from Fr. “grogner” 1. snarl 2. grunt 3. growl 4. grumble [râler] 5. gripe [râler] and Fr. “grognon” 1. grouch 2. curmudgeon) may mean:
Napoleon Bonaparte’s name for old veteran soldiers; specifically the Grenadiers of the Imperial Guard (Grenadiers à Pied de la Garde Impériale).
slang for someone who enjoys playing board wargames. This use is supposed to have been coined by John Young in the early 1970s while employed by Simulations Publications, Inc. Originally this term referred to the “old guard” of gamers who were playing military board games prior to 1969…
fn2.
Via Greg Costikyan: "Grognard" was a slang term for members of Napoleon's Old Guard. Hardcore board wargamers adopted it as a term for themselves. By extention, grognard capture means capture of a game style by the hardest-core and most experienced players--to the ultimate exclusion of others.
