Editing Grognard

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[[Image:Cessation_of_Hostilities.png|thumb|450px|[https://www.handbookofheroes.com/archives/comic/cessation-of-hostilities The Handbook of Heroes] has an entry on the Grognard.]]
'''Grognard''', [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/grognard derived from a French word] of the same name meaning "grumbler" (someone who grumbles), is a slang term used commonly on /tg/ meaning: "a fan of a now-defunct edition of any given tabletop game who is bitterly and verbally opposed to even the slightest of changes made in subsequent editions."  They have also been known as '''Edition Warriors'''.  For these people, ''"Edition X was The Best!"'' is essentially their catchphrase.

Grognards are most associated with the roleplaying game fandom, and as such the term is most frequently used among fans of [[Dungeons & Dragons]].  During the controversies with [[D&D 4th Edition]], many grognards sprouted forth, newly born or crawling again out of the woodwork, proclaiming that: "3rd Edition (or AD&D) is the only way to play D&D!" This great grognard uprising would result in the creation of [[Pathfinder Roleplaying Game|Pathfinder 1st Edition]].  That said, the term is not restricted to TTRPG players alone, and wargames like [[Warhammer]] and [[Warhammer 40000]] definitely have their grognards as well.  /tg/ has tried on multiple occasions to create a 3rd party ruleset for 40K, most attempts [[Retroclone|adopting some mechanics lost in earlier editions]], but with mixed results each time.  With so many editions of 40K, it was inevitable that some grognards would disagree with other grognards on which edition is best edition.  Many new grognards were minted during Games Workshop's 2015 transition away from [[Warhammer Fantasy]] and into [[Age of Sigmar]], with Fantasy players bemoaning lore changes, pining for the (coincidentally) more Napoleonic style of gameplay that Fantasy offered, and even going so far as to [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plUPJ0inN4c burn their miniatures in protest].

There is also a more antiquated definition of Grognard in the tabletop community: a hardcore simulationist wargamer.  As you will see below, this definition for "grognard" also follows logically from its historical roots. [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=grognard The use of "grognard" in reference to these wargamers specifically] fell out of fashion, and while we aren't entirely sure ''why'', there are a few likely-contributing factors. One possibility is that there are simply fewer hardcore simulationist wargamers in tabletop gaming these days. Military-focused [[video games]] like ''Arma'', ''Warthunder'' and '''Hearts of Iron''' (which appeared only in recent decades) do a comparatively good job of simulating a "realistic" war game. Why spend several hours cross-referencing tables to simulate a two-minute firefight, when a computer can do it in real-time?  A second possibility is that these kinds of hardcore wargamers were always fewer in number, and thus less relevant to community discussion, than "edition warriors" or other nostalgists.

The term is taken from a French word which was first used to describe veteran soldiers, specifically referring to members of Napoleon I's Old Guard. These former soldiers were absolute die-hards for the Napoleonic cause, and as they aged and their nation changed drastically, they became dismayed with modern France; remaining unhappy living relics of an outdated nationalism never quite realized.  This characteristic of [[Old School Roleplaying|lamenting the "good old days" and scorning the newer and more original]] is quite relevant to /tg/, since editions continually come and go in various tabletop games.  Hell, with some tabletop companies releasing new rulebooks and FAQ updates between editions, perpetual debate spirals over "what was better and when" prepare plenty of fa/tg/uys to walk the long and lonely path of the grognard.


==See Also==
* [[Old School Roleplaying]]
* [[Retroclone]]s


[[Category: Gamer Slang]]