Olde Weird: Whatever happened to cardboard?

Hi all,

I'm back once again pondering the olden days of gaming. Over the last week, I've had the opportunity to re-visit some of the older games (namely Epic Space Marine and 40K 2nd Ed), and I've realised something- where once we were surrounded by cardboard as players, now it's all gone away!

I'm not quite sure when it actually happened (I know it became part of the GW design ethos somewhere around 40K 3rd Ed) but it now seems to apply across ALL tabletop wargames. Nowhere anymore do you see wargear cards, magic item cards, power decks for casting, order counters and so on- it has all been replaced by dice. Yes, this does mean that the tabletop is less cluttered, and as a result moves towards being more immersing (a subject on which I am guaranteed to wax lyrical about at some point), which is a good thing.

But having gone back and replayed those old editions, I do miss the satisfaction that cards and counters bring. Revealing a well-timed wargear card or special item, slapping the card down on the table, gives the moment a certain gravitas and ceremony which is missing now. Plus, I like card games- what was wrong with the old magic "power/dispel" card system? It was fun, and isn't that what the game is all about?

From the point of view of Epic scale, the order counters are an amazing way of adding tension to a game and keeping both players active in each turn. Having units act based on their orders (given in secret before being revealed, so all your plans can be spoiled) rather than en-masse based on player turn, adds a lot to a game, and removes that "Tic-Tac-Toe" feel that has been plaguing wargames over the last 5 years.

So hark, all you games designers out there- take a look at cards and counters of yesteryear- just because there are things on the tabletop that aren't models, it's not necessarily bad. After all what's next, removing dice?

Comments, as always, are welcome.