how long have u been a blitz member?

[Nort]

Umbro!

Great to see you still live.

Next time you are in SF, give a holler. Dinner is on me.

Cheers,

Nort

[Jim von Krieg]

Great thread...

As I go back through the message boards, this thread brings back some memories... Some very good memories... and a few not so good...

Also, it is awesome that a few of the First Ones that have wandered off stick their head in from time to time...

Hmm... You are Old School Blitz if you know of Black Wolf... You are unfortunate if you actually knew or played against Black Wolf... I'm actually foolish for even mentioning the unmentionable one... Sign of the cross to ward off Evil Spirits LOL...

My story begins as just a guy stationed in Korea looking to kill time... Wander into the Post Exchange (PX)... See something called Talonsoft's East Front on the shelf...

Now, if you've ever been in the military overseas the first rule is if you see something that interests you it is best to buy it... because it won't be there when you come back later... That great looking T34 on the box sold it too me... It was the best bang for the buck I every made with my entertainment dollar...

Leadeaters was the first internet club for me... and it taught me some real hard lessons about gaming... Namely, you have to take your lumps to gain experience... I lost my first six battles in short order, but it was the genesis of me learning to play the game well...

It also was a real disapointment when the leaders of Leadeasters moved on... the place just died over time... Players were still there, but with no positive leadership it just crashed...

It was during this that Phil came along to recruit me to help with a new endeavor... which morphed into the Blitz... Phil was the brains... Brian the money... and I was the dude to sheperd the CS flock...

Over the years, some of the faces have changed, others moved on, but there always seems to be new members wandering in and out depending on their life circumstances... On occassion, one of you will step forward from the ranks to contribute your time and effort to make this a better place... It has always amazed me the level of dedication some of you are willing to put towards this endeavor...

Due to Duty commitments, my time for club business is limited to non-existant... I've become the guy to make sure the lights stay on, but others carry the burden of keeping the place functional on a daily basis... that is the greatest strength of the club...

Whenever we as an organization has faced crisis, an individual steps forward to carry forward the effort.. It is these dedicated and selfless contributors who go the extra mile that makes the place work... We all know who they are... these are the ladder leaders... the tourney organizers... Newsletter writers... the scenario designers and testers... as long as we have those guys... things always seem to work out...

Well, I have to save the rest for later.... I'm off to Austin to pickup a Soldier, aka Son-in-Law, from the airport...

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Jim vK

[Ivan]

Interesting discussion. I can't recall when I joined, it seems a long time ago. I have memories of playing before I joined the club. I used to play with Jim Puff for a while and I even worked with him on some scenario designs prior to the Blitz. I have to say all the work was his really as he had a good knowledge of the period. I didn't know him for long but he was a really nice guy and I learned a lot from him about how wargaming should be approached. He was always fair and wanted to make the game as historical as possible. I was sad to hear he had passed away.

I remember quite few opponents over the years and a few characters. Can't say I've ever had any bad experiences here and I always come back whenever I've had time out. Everytime I try to walk away, after a few months, I start dreaming of dropping mortar shells on my opponents, it's like an addiction and I end up back here. I've been beaten so many times by Oberst it almost feels personal. He is probably the most amazing player I've encountered. There was a guy called Larry I recall too, he was great as he always attacked in a fearless way that made me chuckle. More recently I played Slawek and Doc, really great opponents. Lots of oppoents over the years and I've enjoyed all my battles.

It was really funny to read the halftrack debate again. That must be one of the longest running debates in wargaming history. Hope I'll be here for many more years to come. It's great to see the rebirth of the campaign series through Matrix. People have been writing the game off since its first incarnation but it never seems to die.

[Rustbelt]

May 2001 according to my record. I have not been playing much lately but have had some great battles.

[John Given]

I seem to recall I joined theblitz in late May or early June of '05. I had only been playing against people since feb. of '05 over at the ACG club. I was bored playing against the computer and wanted human opponents. Four good years of playing the computer allowed me to hone my skills somewhat.

I have been playing the CS since spring of 2001, and started my first true wargaming with panzer leader, panzerbltiz, arab-israeli wars, and others, in 1984.

I guess you could say my initial (quasi) wargaming all began with miniatures battles (mostly dungeons & dragons) in 1980. My brother Jeff still does the minatures thing, but I have neither the space, time, or money for that hobby. I can't seem to get him interested in wargaming though.

Fun times - and great memories! :)