Grognard

Grognard is French for "grumbler" [http://www.wordreference.com/fren/grogner] . It is not necessarily pejorative and is sometimes used as a compliment. Historically it meant a soldier in Napoleon's army, particularly a member of the Old Guard [http://www.wordreference.com/fren/grognard] . It subsequently became an internet pop culture meme.

According to Alan Emrich [http://www.alanemrich.com/Writing_Archive_pages/grognard.htm] , "grognard" came to mean a veteran wargamer in the early 1970s. It was first used by John Young, at that time an employee of SPI, and subsequently popularised by Strategy & Tactics magazine.

From wargaming, the term moved to role-playing games where it was used to mean someone who preferred older-than-current editions of a game (for example, a person who stayed with first edition Dungeons & Dragons even after the second or third editions were released). It has subsequently broadened even further in meaning, and now some experienced wikipedia editors display a grognard tag to show they have been a member for a long period and made a substantial number of edits. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:SA-grognard]

Nowadays, in colloquial usage, particularly on the web, it refers to someone who has been involved in a hobby or pastime for a long period, particularly those involved in earlier phases of a now-popular hobby. It is still most often used with reference to wargames or role-playing games.