The first real wargame I ever bought (as opposed to played) was STARSOLDIER, a stab at a game of tactical man-to-man combat in The Future, what with fusion powerpacks and flying armor suits and lasers and positron bombs and whatnot. The picture is a blow-up of part of the STARSOLDIER countersheet, and considering that this was my first game, and it formed a powerful impression on me, I guess you can understand that I come by my preference for matte-finish half-inch counters bearing images of laser-armed amoebae honestly.

STARSOLDIER was not a great game. I found it difficult to find players, because my friends would read the rules and exclaim "Yikes! Math! No way!" The simultaneous movement system also required that all movement and combat be plotted in advance, and to this day I remember the way my friends would groan when they saw those green-and-cream SPI si-move plotting pads. The game was not particularly fun solitaire - after three or four tries the dinkblog scenario just flat runs out of replay value - but I still tried.

But it's still a sentimental favorite of mine, even if it does have si-move pads and laser-armed amoebae.