Like most American baby boomers, boardgames were a part of my childhood -- they were advertised on prime time television in those days! But I date my days as a wargamer and a gaming hobbyist from March, 1969, when I bought, with my own limited teenager funds, a copy of Avalon Hill's Midway. Before that year was out I had a small collection of wargames and some steady opponents. By the following year I had been to a wargame convention at the Battleship Massachusetts and bought subscriptions to Strategy & Tactics and The Gemeral. I was hooked.

I've never been exclusively a wargamer, though, and I played many of Avalon Hill's nonmilitary titles over the years. Wargaming does, however, bring together many interests of mine -- history, the military, and games -- and makes up the majority of my collection.

My taste is fairly eclectic, but lately I've been trending toward simpler games such as Memoir '44 and Tide of Iron. There's still room in my collection and gaming time for heavier fare such as Harpoon4, ASL, TCS and GCACW. I am a long-time fan of Columbia's block games and until recently I counted Napoleon as my favorite game, but lately Bowen Simmons' Bonaparte at Marengo and Napoleon's Triumph have taken over the top spot. I'm also a fan of Axis & Allies War at Sea naval miniatures. I'm thrilled that Hasbro is making historically accurate model warships! And my first love, Midway, still counts among my top-ten games.

For non-military games I tend to like abstract games and cleverly designed euros with that may be thinly themed but are rich in gameplay. I also have a weakness for very silly card game series such as Munchkin, Fluxx and Nuclear War.

I've been active in the hobby, having been a member and organizer of several local wargame clubs, a contributor to The General, Fire and Movement, Strategy & Tactics, The Courier and Command magazines, and a frequent contributor to BGG. I wrote several articles covering the history fo wargaming for S&T which are also available here on BGG and on my gaming blog at http://pawnderings.blogspot.com.

I prefer playing face-to-face, but most of my games are played online these days, especially on Hexwar.com, although I also play using Vassal and Cyberboard.

In my non-game life I'm a husband and father, a journalist at a daily newspaper, and a retired Army veteran of the Cold War and the War in Iraq. My branch was Field Artillery, although I started in the Quartermaster Corps and served in a variety of posts in the U.S. and overseas. I'm a proud New Englander and fan of the Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics and UConn women's basketball, but also enjoy and appreciate a worldwide network of friends and interests -- including BGG.

My "two truths and a lie" are:

1. I've interviewed every Democratic presidential candidate since Bill Clinton.
2. I served in every component of the U.S. Army -- Active, Reserve or National Guard -- at some point in my military career.
3. I once took part in a naval wargame at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, R.I.

Let me be the first to congratulate you, wargamer55.

Here are some questions to get you started:

1. What specifically attracts you to a given game, whether a wargame or otherwise?
2. what wargames have you played that you don't like?
3. What are your favorite 5 abstracts and why?
4. What are your favorite 5 wargames and why?
5. Other than abstracts and wargames, what games do you play?
6. Whom do you most commonly play with?

Again, enjoy your week!

Congrat! Well deserved, great choice.

What is your favourite WWII Theatre?
Why do you like Blocks?
CRT or Buck of Dice?

Congrats Seth. Enjoyed your print articles on the history of wargames over the years.

what's your all time favourite SPI and AH game and why?

Great pick for GOTW, congrats Seth! One of the first people I noticed on the Geek and geekbuddied.

You have an unusual microbadge - WNBA fan. Tell us about that.

Where else have you lived other than Connecticut?

Which is more painful - spilling molasses-laden coffee milk all over your incredibly rare, valuable, long-out-of print (wargame of your choice), or having Mr T hammer your kneecaps?

Any "snatching defeat from the jaws of victory" type game stories?

Enjoy the week!

Another super GoTW selection and a Wargamer to boot!

Question:

What is your most and least favorite game mechanic and why?

Knees can heal.

Congratulations! I've been reading your blog for a while and enjoy your commentary and reviews. Great choice for Geek of the Week.

Do you have a favorite Command and Colors game, and why?

Have you had any success using the A&A Naval minis with other rules sets?

Congrats again.

Congrats, Seth! It's great to see a wargaming New Englander who's a kick-ass Bonaparte at Marengo player as GotW!

Have you played some of the newer Axis & Allies games, such as Axis & Allies: Guadalcanal? I know some of the lighter and plastic-filled wargames get less love from grognards, but they do make great short struggles.

I see you enjoy Chess, Backgammon, and other abstracts. Have you tried Go? What's do you think of it? It's the abstract that's most grabbed my attention right now. I think I prefer the patterns that grow in that game as opposed to the positional movement, such as in chess. Seeing how much I enjoy wargames, I've always found this curious and sometimes wonder what other wargamers think of both chess and go.

Are you looking forward to The Guns of Gettysburg?

Congrats again!

Whac3,

You sir are obviously a man of great taste. I must compliment you on both your tasty tasteful choice of avatar, and your insightful choice of GotW.