Last night, I went to my Wargames club I joined recently. Started to set out for a game. Now, this chubby little fella, could have been anywhere between 9 and 13, came over, had a look at the table, and started to ask a few questions about what was what, which I answered politely.

He then gave me the benefit of his wisdom: "You're going to have trouble against those blood angels." Running through a list of options in my head (a bit like the terminator, "f*ck you arsehole" was at the top of the list) I managed to tolerantly say: "Really?"

I then did my best to ignore him and carried on setting out. When he saw my converted defiler, which has a crusher ball (from a ping pong ball) with spikes over it, with out asking he reached out and touched it. So I stare him out and he mumbles some comment about just wanting to see if it is fixed.

He then gets the message and goes off to a table of younger chaps, who I presume he recognises from school, and bugs them, which involves grabbing a land raider off the table and asking how much it costs, spilling a can of pop over some terrain, and proceeding to poke people in the neck with a tape measure extended.


Now, I know be tolerant and bring on the younger players, and all that jazz, but no one was bringing him into line. Personally, I rue the day that citadel miniatures lost their heavy lead content and the warning on the back 'not suitable for persons younger than 14 years'. I admit I was 10 when I discovered White Dwarf many years ago (in the last century) but I certainly never touched any miniatures without asking, and had a helathy respect for my elders beaten into me at school. I also always differentiate between toys, and model kits, hence I always use the term miniatures or models - never 'toy soldiers'.

How young is too young, is youth a good thing or does GW bring in seemingly ever younger generations and dumbing down rules to match affecting us all? Morally should people that young have an interest in a universe where the common denominator between the races is the urge to commit genocide on the others?