Reaction?

[david5th]

I am intersted to know what was people e.g friend, family or colleague reactions to learning about your hobby.

I ask this as while recently at work me and a colleague poped int a GW store to shelter form the rain and i could ask for some advice. upon leavinf the store he said " it all looks complicated " before celebrating BCFC recent success.

Any & all contributions would be welcome.

[Lerra]

I mostly get blank expressions and confused looks.

My mom calls the game "Little Men," as in "Oh, my daughter likes to play with little men." Followed by, "You know, army men. She likes army men."

This has caused much confusion with my extended family. I often get asked which branch of the military my boyfriend serves in . . .

[Aldramelech]

Goodbye

[Gotthammer]

My Dad's into model trains, his dad into model ships, so most of the understands it, or at least understands the concept of it (and my brother and I were helped on the way by our Uncle giving us mini sets and paints).

My best mate plays Tau, his wife paints LoTR, and my girlfriend is very arty so while not necessarily appreciating the awesomeness of a Land Raider, appreciates the skill that goes into painting and converting the minis. And I got all of them and one of my other mates playing Heroqust... so basically my friends and family are all giant nerds.

As for work, the few people who know think it's pretty cool, though don't understand how I have the patience to do it.

[Mike X]

I mostly get blank expressions and confused looks.

My mom calls the game "Little Men," as in "Oh, my daughter likes to play with little men." Followed by, "You know, army men. She likes army men."

This has caused much confusion with my extended family. I often get asked which branch of the military my boyfriend serves in . . .

Well, at least you haven't had the FBI called on you.

Most people just give me, "Uh, okay?" looks and I have to tell them it's "kind of like chess, but you build the pieces yourself". On occasion some people become interested, but that's a rarity.

[Melissia]

Usually they're like "wow, how do you paint so many things that small?".

which makes me think they'd marvel at some of the people who actually had talent at paintin minis.

[plasticaddict]

Most people just give me, "Uh, okay?" looks and I have to tell them it's "kind of like chess, but you build the pieces yourself". On occasion some people become interested, but that's a rarity.

Same here, I've gotten a couple of them to the store with me.

[Lord Azaghul]

My wife just tells people it’s kind of like chess and risk combined. After 4 years I think my in-laws have figured out that it is not going away anytime soon. Most gamer/nerd friends (that don’t play) are interested but hesistate to jump into the game because of the cost and what not.

[LadasN]

Mostly, when people figure out I play, they give me this odd look. Kinda like "wtf is that?" Then they ask me to explain and I say its complicated but they still ask so I tell them about it.
Afterwards, some are genuinely interested (gotten a few into it this way) and others just say "wow, cool." and move on lol.

[entendre_entendre]

my reaction to when people ask me about my little plastic men is something like this:

person: "Hey, what are those things?"

me: "These things? They're used in a game. The objective is to distract the opponent just long enough so you can bash their head in with a rock. Then you can help yourself to their wallets to buy more of these things. It's quite fun really, you should try it sometime."

if the person catches on that I'm pulling their leg, they chuckle and i actually explain it. if they don't they just stare at me and walk away slowly.

[Mazelf]

i usually say: "its kinda like risk, just more involved, fun and complicated".... of course theres no comparison but most ppl are clueless, specially in mexico where i live

[LemanRussCommander]

Why do you play with toy soldiers? Grrrrrr...

[Just_Me]

My mom calls the game "Little Men," as in "Oh, my daughter likes to play with little men." Followed by, "You know, army men. She likes army men."

Replace the word "daughter" with "son" and this is just about word for word what my family says about my hobby, and it occasionally garners the same sort of bemused not-quite-sure-how-to-respond reactions from others that you describe. Depending on the day it either amuses me, or annoys me :mad:.

My immediate family all reacts in different ways:

My dad is just interested enough occasionally take a break from making fun of it to politely look at the newly painted models I shove under his nose, or wander by and pick one up, but not interested enough to really do much beyond that. I did however get him reading Abnett's books and the Horus Heresy, but given that we both read the same sci-fi/fantasy books anyway (we trade them off when we are done), this isn't really that much out of his way.

My eldest sister thinks the background is cool enough to listen when I talk to/at her about it, and only occasionally get annoyed by it. She is also artistic in the extreme, so she appreciates what I do from that angle. I actually got her a pocket-sized Eldar army a while ago, but she never really did anything with it, it just sits in a box half assembled with a basecoat. I did give her a Blood Angels jump-pack captain that I specially converted and painted from a spare Space Marine, and she liked it in part because she thinks the BAs are cool, in part because the model looks really cool, but mostly because she knows how much work I put into it.

My mom is most responsible for the "little-men" comments, and has the annoying habit of commenting offhandedly that the other models (ships, planes, spaceships) I used to scratch build from wood, or animals I would sculpt out of wax were "better." Mostly she just doesn't understand but knows that it is something I enjoy, and only complains about how much time I spend on it.

My littler sisters don't really care either way, though the youngest of them has an odd fascination with my Tyranids, or or just generally the most macabre/horrific models I have. Very strange...

I don't think my extended family (living as they do all across the States) really knows about my hobby.


Usually they're like "wow, how do you paint so many things that small?".

which makes me think they'd marvel at some of the people who actually had talent at paintin minis.

Once again, when others first see my collection this tends to be my reaction, as well as my own internal musing. If I tell them about it without their seeing it, most of them just say "oh," and move on. I have converted one of my friends over this past year, and for a while we were regularly playing (he would borrow one of the armies I brought with me to college), and I played more games that way than I have ever before. He seems intent on getting into it, even though I made sure to be very upfront with him about the expense involved (although, if you actually look at our hobby compared to other pastimes out there, we are not terribly expensive). Unfortunately he graduated before me, so I suspect I am going back to my eternal playing drought :(.

Generally people don't know about it, not because I actively keep it a secret (I have never really had any shame in the vast array of geeky things I do), but it doesn't exactly come up by chance in day-to-day conversation, and I don't see why I would want to thrust my hobbies on everyone and their brother, I generally don't care what they do with their free time...


my reaction to when people ask me about my little plastic men is something like this:

person: "Hey, what are those things?"

me: "These things? They're used in a game. The objective is to distract the opponent just long enough so you can bash their head in with a rock. Then you can help yourself to their wallets to buy more of these things. It's quite fun really, you should try it sometime."

if the person catches on that I'm pulling their leg, they chuckle and i actually explain it. if they don't they just stare at me and walk away slowly.

Best. Answer. Ever. :D

I think I will use that next time someone asks...

...And yet again I write an overly long and involved reply to a simple thread... :o

[BuFFo]

People usually don't believe I play such a nerd game when my bod is so hot.

[Mike X]

Usually they're like "wow, how do you paint so many things that small?".

I hear that a lot too. It's not really that hard to paint them, you know. Makes me wonder what my friends reactions would be if I played Epic...

[mysterex]

I don't mention it to anyone I work with - I'm in a professional environment I don't want to damage my credibility! Those people who know me well know about it but I only really discuss it with other people who play.

My partner tends to smile at me and make the "loser" symbol on her forehead from time to time as a way of having me on but is generally accepting of it and only really has an issue if it conflicts with something else she wants me to do. She has a low tolerance of walking into events venues though, she can't handle the level of b.o. and exposed "builder's cracks" that wargames events seem to attract.

[Warpath]

When i was arround 15 years old i had a couple of friends who played wargames and rpg with me, but the rest of my class mates were like... "what? aren't you a little old to play with little toy soldiers?" wich my aswer was an instant "no."

My family never questioned my hobby, they even like that i paint my minis, but the same question pops up everytime they see one of my dudes they say "WOW, did you use a magnifier to do this?" and again... my answer is "no, thanks to all that carrot you feed me when i was a kid mom".

Now im 25 years old, and some people i have met they are just surprised there exist such a game but they are really respectfull and dont say anything, when they ask and i explain they end up saying like "oh cool".

[Melissia]

Actually I'm currently talking a friend into starting one up. Mostly through getting her into the background of WFB and 40k through Dark Heresy and Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, and maybe later I can get her into the actual hobby itself. She's a big fan of Orks at the moment.

[fuzzbuket]

My family has diffrennt reactions

dad has started brothers of the snake due to meeting abnett:D
mum is intrested and plays space hulk
twin Brother(12yr old) paints model planes....
thinks that you should use enamel and decals and blending+hilights+OSL+NMM.ect are a waste of time and... he thinks he can paint better than eavy' metal:p (really i say do that planes Number freehand and he says i'ts better to use a decal!)

uncle thinks its okay

little 6yr old cousin showed intrest and moved onto football!:mad:

-Fuzz;)

[Culven]

People usually don't believe I play such a nerd game when my bod is so hot.
Interesting. For me it is the opposite. One look at my bod and they tend to say, "Yeah, I should have figured." :D

Most of my friends are gamers, so no unusual reactions from them. At least until they find out how many armies I have. :rolleyes:
My wife saw my minis in a display case the first time she visited my apartment when we were first dating. They have always been part of who I am to her. It is only the amount of money spent that bothers her. Though, she does refer to the figures as my "mean little people".
My collegues are all pretty open-minded and artistic people. Though, it seems that they older they are, the more they feel the need to try belittling the hobby.

Fortunately, I am surrounded by open-minded individuals who either appreciate some aspect of the hobby, or are indifferent. Even if I wasn't, my self-esteem isn't based on what others think of me. I admit I am a nerd, I accept it, and I find enjoyment and relaxation in all aspects of the hobby. It doesn't matter what others think, so long as I can enjoy it and it doesn't hurt anyone else.

[Subject Keyword]

People usually don't believe I play such a nerd game when my bod is so hot.

I...
I can't believe you just said that...
That kind of humanizes you a bit, BuFFo.


I've found that describing 40K as "Chess with more rules" tends to eliminate a lot of confusion.

I fully recognize that they are toys and like to make fun of people who don't.
When my roommate gets touchy about my minis eeking over to his side of the room he says something like
"Get your toys offa my desk!"
And I start hurriedly scooping them away going
"they're *snort* not TOYS! They're highly detailed wargaming miniatures!!! *snort*
That's not a "LITTLE PYRAMID TOY! IT'S A MONOLITH!!! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND ME!!! YOU'RE RUINING MY LIFE!!!!! *snort*"

My mom thinks they're cool. Provided that she never finds out how much they cost...

[BuFFo]

I...
I can't believe you just said that...
That kind of humanizes you a bit, BuFFo.

I am not going to get into describing myself too much, but, I am a body builder, and no, not the ones you see in the mags making phat cash and 'roided out. I am healthy, and people usually flock around me because of my cheery attitude and smile. I am 5'4", so you know the kind of gamer I am, the short cheery dwarf that people love to rub their hands on my head and hug me like a gnome.

Yes.... Despite what people may assume of me online, I am 'that' guy at my local store that GW informs it's stockists about. When I am active in the 40k game, I push campaigns, storylines, and over all fun games, which helps the sales of 40k in my store.... When I am out of state, like I was last year, 40k sales dipped quite a bit until I came back and sucked everyone away from magic and warmachine, and back into 40k.

What does this have to do with reactions? People usually are surprised that I play 40k, or magic, or whatever else dork hobby I do.

Plus, being hot actually gets me the nerd chicks.... from the hot gothy broads to the fat chicks.... Yeah, I don't discriminate.... I'll hit it... :eek:

[BlacknightIII]

I am not going to get into describing myself too much, but, I am a body builder, and no, not the ones you see in the mags making phat cash and 'roided out. I am healthy, and people usually flock around me because of my cheery attitude and smile. I am 5'4"

Same as above except im a foot taller.

My brother had pink necrons and while everyone thought he was gay they stopped the jokes after he kicked there butts.

My parents like that ive chosen this hobby over say... shooting heroine.

My GF wants to start orks but lacks the funds to do so.

[rkiviman]

I've done wargaming of one sort or another most of my life! Have built models since I was a little tyke. Mainly world war 2 armor. Been reading the 40k novels and shortstories for alot of years and really enjoyed. That is what has got me into 40k and it's been a blast. Started building the models first more as a collector than anything else!! Just recently started to play the game. My wife enjoys the models and their various poses and paint jobs. Her main reaction has been" How in the world can you paint something so small". My family gets kick out of the Old man found something else to build!! I definitely want encourage everyone to get into 40k it's alot of fun and will keep you busy!! Just got to save your pennies, because it's definitely not cheap!!:D

[Marshal2Crusaders]

Well, funnily enough I am roughly 8 feet tall and massivly built. My father, the king, found me in a massive crater in a desert and raised me as his son. By the age of five I was fully grown an leading his armies against the barbarians of the north. I have a natural ability to command others, so few question when I tell them about my hobby.

[fuzbuckle]

Most of my friends/co-workders just think it's a "nerdy" game that I play with my brother and friends at the game store. I also get the wow's on the minis even though I just use base colors, a quick drybrush highlight and then army painter quick shade. Every time I come home with a new model, my wife exclaims, "I don't ever want to hear you saying that you can't believe how much I spent on anything ever again!" I've tried to convert some other friends but while they have enjoyed one form of war gaming or another using my models none of them have been so taken as to buy their own armies.

[Morgrim]

My cousin knew a little about my gaming, mostly from admiring my 'very small painting' and comments on how it's cheaper than clubbing.

Then she met a collegue at work reading White Dwarf and made some offhand comment about 'I think that's what my cuz plays', and spent the next half hour attempting to ask questions. He went at it heavy handed talking about the game and only confused her. Next time she was around she ended up asking for and getting 'cliffnotes lite' version of the hobby and background; "Ok, so humans are in this rather totalitarian space empire, but unpleasant as it is they'd be a lot worse off without it. Their leaders is the Emperor, who is a demi-god, but got betrayed by the one he'd raised as a son and was almost as powerful, so now the Emperor is on life support. Guardsmen are your normal human soldiers, there are a lot of them. Space Marines are the genetically engineered super soldiers, they're the special ops and can be recognised by excessively large shoulders. Sisters of Battle are the militant branch of the church, think nuns with guns and a particular fondness for flamethrowers and they are females no sensible male would ever piss off." Which was enough background to get it to make sense.

I think I also compared the manoeuvring and attack parts of the game with some reference to a good dog and a mob of sheep, but that comes from mutual farming backgrounds. She wants to come in to the city with me some time and watch a battle.

[BuFFo]

Same as above except im a foot taller.

My brother had pink necrons and while everyone thought he was gay they stopped the jokes after he kicked there butts.

My parents like that ive chosen this hobby over say... shooting heroine.

My GF wants to start orks but lacks the funds to do so.

Yeah, sort of the same here.... When I was in the U.S. Army, while most of my battle buddies were out drinking, drugging, getting into auto accidents and contracting various forms of STDs because 'real men don't wear condoms', I was in my room, chilling with an ex and painting figures or playing Starcraft/civ2 for hours.

My dorky hobbies have been far healthier to me than the hobbies of my childhood friends. :)

In the army the reaction was that people thought I was gay, even when I was with a girlfriend. People want to create stereotypes, which is fine, but when that stereotype is proven false, they still wish to believe it. Those people are just plain stupid. I have given up caring if people accept me and my hobbies. Accept me for being the beafy dwarf that I am and move on lol. :eek: