Wargames To Go

Mark Johnson's irregular podcast about small wargames.

Wargames To Go 25.3 Wars of Scotland (Conclusion, part 1) 04/15/2024

Wargames To Go 25.2 - SDHistCon 2023 11/14/2023

Wargames To Go 25.1 - Wars of Scotland (Intro) 10/31/2023

Wargames To Go 25.1 - Wars of Scotland (Intro) Come join the new Wargames To Go (and Boardgames To Go) discord server Guess what? This little podcast is now ten years old. I'd been doing my other one about euro boardgames even longer, and in 2013 I decided to branch off this other show about wargaming. I'd started in this hobby as a kid wargamer in 1979. I never completely left it, but my hobby in the 1980s, 90s, and early 2000s shifted more to roleplaying, Magic: the Gathering, and then euro boardgaming. It wasn't until around 2010 or so that I finally realized what countless wargamers before me did--that I could enjoy wargaming as a (mostly) solitaire hobby, getting more games to the table. I started acquiring more titles, especially magazine games, and became interested in specific topics to explore via multiple game treatments. Then I added my love of travel and movies to make my own contribution to wargame podcasts, Wargames To Go. Thanks for listening! I had plans to go see Scotland back in 2016, but those had to be cancelled. Then it was put off for a few years, a worldwide pandemic happened, yadda-yadda-yadda...and finally I got to visit this country in 2023. My wife & I enjoyed two weeks there--the first in the cities of Ediburgh & Glasgow, followed by a second week in the countryside (Strathspey and up to Orkneys). There was much to see & enjoy, from stone age settlements to whisky distilleries. And there were sites of military history. I really enjoy visiting battlefields to get a feel for the location. Sometimes the accompanying museums are good--other times not. Best of all is when there is a good guide available. Even if not, though, these days it's easy to read so much information online, to watch battlefield animation videos, and more to get a fuller sense of the historic event. On this trip we visited the sites of Bannockburn, Culloden, and from Stirling Castle I could look out over the Stirling Bridge area. I don't think anyone really knows where the Roman battle of Mons Graupius took place, but I probably drove near it. As you can tell, the topics here are not limited to one battle, one war, or even one era. I decided to dabble in all areas of Scottish military history that I could, at least as far as wars actually in Scotland. The big three eras are Roman contact, the Wars of Scottish Independence (Wallace/Bruce/Longshanks), and the Jacobite Uprising. Other periods such as the Battle of Flodden Field or the Border Reiver period are mentioned, but we'll see if I get to any of those games. This episode is a intentionally shorter than some previous ones. I'd rather post a couple smaller episodes that wait longer for a gargantuan one. I figure it's easier for listeners to follow along this way, too. As a result, I haven't yet seen all of the films nor played all of the games that I intend to. It's an introduction to the topic, and I'll return later with a conclusion. Films • • • • Books • , by Marc Morris P.S. I'll be at SDHistCon in just a few days. Look me up and say hi if you enjoy the podcast, thanks! /episode/index/show/wargamestogo/id/28473164

Wargames To Go 24 - Operation Market Garden 08/30/2023

Wargames To Go 24 - Operation Market Garden Come join the new Wargames To Go (and Boardgames To Go) discord server Times are approximate Introduction (0:30) Operation Market Garden overview (12:00) Nils Johansson transcribed/read interview (16:30) David Thompson & Michael Tiller interview (37:00) Mark's travels, movies, books, games about Market Garden (1:29:00) I'd been saving the famous battles of Operation Market Garden for when I expected to live nearby in the Netherlands. When those plans fell through, I was disappointed for some time, but eventually put that behind me and looked at the stack of Market Garden games I'd been saving. Then I lucked into a business trip into that corner of the world, and I determined to visit Hell's Highway and cover this topic. That was last December. I played a few games back then, and a few more over the subsequent months. Plus, of course, the usual books & movies. All to be discussed in this episode. Michael Tiller () Nils Johansson () David Thompson () However, something surprising happened when I was just starting this effort. Designers Nils Johansson and David Thompson publicly released a postcard game about Market Garden. Now, I say I'm interested in smaller wargames (it's in my podcast intro), but postcard games are REALLY small. I was interested in this new entry as a game, but I was especially interested in it for what it says about Minimalist Wargame Design. Not only in component count and number of rules, but with Nils' as a co-designer it would have a fascinating graphic design behind it. That absolutely interested me. Then add in the fact that the two of them utilized Michael Tiller as a volunteer helper to do some mathematical modeling (coding) of the simulation...it all added up to a fascinating glimpse into wargame design in the fullest sense, even though it was about a minimalist wargame. Oh, and it just happened to be about Market Garden! In the episode after my general intro, I launch into interviews of these creators. Nils contributed a written response, which I decided to simply read aloud on the podcast. Then I get David & Michael on the microphone to talk through their points of view about the design & development. Films • • • • Books • , by Antony Beevor • , by Scott McGaugh • , "Paratroop" P.S. I haven't been very reliable or accurate in my plans for upcoming episodes, but this time I think I'm pretty certain. I've got my first ever vacation to Scotland coming up, so I'd like to explore a few games featuring that famous country. Think Hammer of the Scots, Bannockburn, Culloden... /episode/index/show/wargamestogo/id/27804828

Wargames To Go 23.2 - Spanish-American War (part 2, with Jason Perez) 11/07/2022

Wargames To Go 23.2 - Spanish-American War (part 2, with Jason Perez) Come join the new Wargames To Go (and Boardgames To Go) discord server For a couple reasons, this episode has been my white whale, almost taking me down. I would certainly understand if any of my listeners gave up on me along the way, thinking the podcast had faded away entirely, or that I wasn't interested in wargaming any more. Not true! Listeners of my other podcast--the longstanding about family strategy boardgames--know that I've still been active. I've even kept the flame of wargaming alive, playing a title here & there, reading history, watching films, and dabbling in online communities like Twitter and Discord. I even spent a weekend with wargame designer David Thompson where he beat me in (not normally his thing, but mine!), showed me the brand-new Resist! game, and I also visited the nearby . So what was it? What has kept me from closing out this wargame topic for so many months? The first is the topic itself. What started out as a little exploration of a lesser-known, short war with Teddy Roosevelt and his charge up San Juan Hill ballooned into a wider study of America's pivot to overseas colonialism and empire. It involves US national policy, ethical debates over the nature of democracy, a technological leap in naval power, islands in multiple oceans, and millions of other peoples who were fighting for their own American-style independence from foreign empires. That's a BIG topic, and it was the inspiration for my featured interview contained in this episode. The second reason was simply personal. I've spent most of the last year thinking I was going to be making a big change in my life, relocating overseas to Europe. I put a lot of things "on hold" while I worked on that, but it has ultimately not panned out. Ok, time to pick myself up, dust myself off, and start all over again. Except that it's not really "starting all over," because I've still got my good family, home, job...and wargame podcast. To a large extent, I simply need to get this episode behind me, which will close out this topic and let me move on to the next. The nature and history of American imperialism is such an enormous topic that I'll never do it justice. It has been fascinating and important for me to learn more about this subject--one of the great joys of my wargaming hobby is how it repeatedly opens up new understandings of history. I'm just going to do the best I can to wrap this up and then get energized all over again by the next topic. Books • , by Evan Thomas • , by Clay Risen • , by Stephen Kinzer • , by Daniel Immerwahr Films • • • Jason Perez () In addition to my closing comments about the games, books, and films I encountered for this episode, I was motivated to reach out to Jason "Shelf Stories" Perez for a featured interview. Over the summer, as I was thinking about the breadth of this topic, Jason popped onto my radar screen for his work with the thoughtful retheming of the classic eurogame Puerto Rico for its 20th anniversary into Puerto Rico 1897, which keeps the award-winning gameplay but fixes the cultural ignorance of the original. Though obviously not a wargame, it IS more aware of this history into which it is set, something eurogames have not usually done well. Picking the year 1897 reveals a significance to the Sp-Am War that was just around the corner, too. Then I noticed Jason had posted some other interesting videos about the cultural awareness (or not) of wargames. I knew I wanted to interview him for this episode. As you'll hear, Jason does consider himself a wargamer, but he does call himself a fan of "history games." He's passionate about history, especially the history of peoples, and proudly identifies himself with historian/political scientist Howard Zinn and his People's History of the United States. I suspect that point-of-view isn't for everybody, but it's exactly what I wanted to hear about for this podcast. Think about it and make up your own mind. P.S. I'm not 100% certain what my next topic will be, but I think it has to be a revisit of Gettysburg...since I literally revisited the battlefield this summer with a friend and listener of this podcast! Tom took me to Gettysburg which we'd both seen before, and later I started listening to Stephen Sears' book about the campaign. I'm thinking an interesting angle is to focus on the cavalry actions of Gettysburg campaign, from Brandy Station to the screened army marches to the cav-vs-cav skirmish east of the town itself. Hmmm... /episode/index/show/wargamestogo/id/24925410

Wargames To Go 23.1 - Spanish American War (part 1, with Joe Schmidt) 03/18/2022

Wargames To Go 23.1 - Spanish American War (part 1, with Joe Schmidt) Joe Schmidt () Now I've gone back to my usual format where I explore a single topic in games, books, films, and whatever else I can find. The Spanish-American War is similar to a lot of topics I've dived into--it's something I felt like I knew something about, but not too much. Also matching the pattern, it's been a subject I thought would be rather small and self-contained...only to find out it has larger implications and resonances to today's world. I swear, that just keeps on happening. Probably like a lot of people, when I think of the SAW I think of Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders, "Remember the Maine," San Juan Hill, and Cuba. Other topics might come to me if I concentrated on it, but not as readily: the Philippines, American imperialism, Yellow Journalism, Puerto Rico, and the US Navy. I think Cuba's much longer internal struggle for independence was largely unknown to me. In this Part 1 episode, I close by giving a quick rundown of the games in my geeklist on the subject, many of which I have played or will play by the time I record Part 2 to conclude the topic. However, the beginning of this podcast features a full interview with designer Joe Schmidt. Joe caught my attention when his little game was about the Rough Riders' and Buffalo Soldiers' famous assault that was part of the Santiago campaign in the SAW. What's more, Joe won the Charles S Roberts award for the Amateur/Print-and-Play category. As you'll hear, Joe designed Kettle Hill as a PNP title during the coronavirus pandemic as a way of doing something for the hobby. I'm glad the hobby recognized him in return. Joe has a few games with a distinct aesthetic, both in small footprint and graphic design. He's also got several other projects in various stages of completion, such as his collaboration with other designers for the French Resistance game , which has already made the cut with GMT's P500 system. There's another title that will be of special interest to fans of the Levy & Campaign series that started with Nevsky. I didn't even realize it until after I switched off the recorder, but Joe was giving me a scoop for in that series! Just like when Volko gave me a scoop for Nevsky back in ! Wow, I'm a journalist! /episode/index/show/wargamestogo/id/22497680

Wargames To Go 22.2 - Summer 2021 Magazine Games (C3i and Panzerschreck) 11/28/2021

Wargames To Go 22.2 - Summer 2021 Magazine Games (C3i and Panzerschreck) Isn't it tiresome when a podcaster starts by apologizing it's been so long since their last episode? So I won't do that. Here's the next one. My plans to spend the summer (now months past!) playing contemporary magazine wargames sort of worked, just more slowly and less completely than I'd originally planned. Whatever--I'm doing this for fun! The truth is, after vaccinations we were able to see some family and do some traveling that had been unavailable during the first year of the pandemic. Wargaming took a bit of a back seat, though I still got some done. Including ON a traveling vacation. (I played two of the three Panzerschreck titles on evenings while visiting Yellowstone National Park!) This episode features me talking about multiple games in recent issues of C3i and Panzerschreck magazines. The latter is a typically obscure, niche product and series of games that most listeners probably won't know. The former, however, is almost new territory for my podcast: a contemporary release that other people are already excited about, many of them own, and a bunch will have already played. Relevance! What a concept... I'm not really too concerned about how niche-within-a-niche my hobby is. By now you should realize that about me. Just the same, it was a nice change of pace to be playing and talking about a game, designers, and publisher that others are, too. Thinking back, I don't know how much I talked about the games themselves. Definitely I don't do a full review. Instead, I talk about my experience and reaction to the game. Especially when I move on to the other titles in this episode, it got me thinking about the nature of these games, what makes some work for me, others not. The final game, most of all, prompts some deep thoughts about what is being simulated in a game, what the role of the player in it, and is it ok? I'm inclined to think almost anything is viable in a simulation game since we are learning more about important history through this medium, but The Fall of Röhm tested the limits of my conviction about that. Ok. Although I'm tying this series off before getting to a couple remaining games mentioned earlier, I still plan to work in Battles Magazine and its Storm over Madrid title sometime in my future. Whenever that happens (no promises about schedule), I'll shove it into whatever my next podcast episode is about, regardless of topic. Because Battles Magazine is really incredible and all wargamers should take notice of it. You know, there's a good hook between that game and my expected next wargame topic. The "contemporary magazines" topic was fun, but I found that I missed the chance to dig into a single historic topic over multiple games & media, as I've done before. I'm going back to that traditional WGTG format for the next episode, at least. The subject is going to the Spanish-American War, and I've already started a geeklist for it. Reference Material • Fantastic animations of the OOB, deployments, and annotated movements of the WW2 eastern front, covering the period and scale very closely matched to the C3i game • Great milhist summary of the Charge of the Light Brigade • Recommended! • , , Three different Hollywood depictions of the famous gunfight A couple mistakes/omissions when I talked about the Charge of the Light Brigade topic. Embarrassingly, I think I mentioned the Turkey on the opposing side to the Anglo-French allies. That's exactly WRONG and I should've known it. The Anglo-French were there to help Turkey oppose the Russian Empire. Second, I should've pointed out that the 1968 film I enjoyed on this topic featured some inter-scene animations in the style (drawn from?) Punch magazine. So clever! /episode/index/show/wargamestogo/id/21299063

Wargames To Go 22.1 - Summer 2021 Magazine Games (1914 Eastern Front) 05/23/2021

Wargames To Go 21.2 - Vietnam Battle of Hue 04/06/2021

Wargames To Go 21.2 - Vietnam Battle of Hue Turns out Vietnam is just too big of a subject for a pair of podcast episodes. I decided to limit part 2 to just the Battle of Huế, saving more games & history for a future exploration. There are several reasons this battle is so well-represented in wargaming. In some ways it's the Bulge/Waterloo/Gettysburg of Vietnam. By reading Bowden's book on the subject and rewatching Full Metal Jacket, I felt I had a decent understanding of the history as-examined by four smaller games. Then I came across a wonderful "then & now" YouTube doc that also helped bring everything to life. I've never had the opportunity to visit Vietnam myself, but this looks like an amazing city. As usual, no sooner did I finish recording that I realized a few mistakes and omissions. First of all, I glossed over the fighting that happened within the city of Paris. How could I do that? One of my favorite places in the world? Well, it certainly wasn't leveled or suffered too many horrors of house-to-house fighting, not like other cities in other wars. But there definitely were tanks and soldiers exchanging fire, as described in the & , Is Paris Burning? Next, I neglected to mention a couple more films about Vietnam that I watched. Sort of. I mean, I definitely watched them...they're just 'sort of' about Vietnam. I couldn't bring myself to watch Apocalypse Now again, so I watched the highly respected documentary about its creation, . Honestly, it drove me kind of crazy. I'm a cinephile and enjoy so many challenging & creative films, but the self-importance behind this film & filmmaker gets in my way. Perhaps if it didn't relate to a vital bit of military and national history (of at least two nations), I could forgive its excesses. But I can't. And then there's . Oof, more of that self-importance, combined with even less respect for the historical setting. I know it isn't ABOUT the Vietnam War, but neither is it inconsequential to the story. It's a deliberate falsification to tell an excruciating myth. I really hated this one. This year (2021) I love the films Nomadland and The Sound of Metal, both nominated for Oscar's Best Picture. So I've got no issue with tough stories of human existentialism. But spare me The Deer Hunter, ugh. One experience that was better was reading The Sympathizer. This is a completely fictional book about the Vietnam War, one that won the Pulitzer just a few years ago. It tells the story of three Vietnamese friends who grew up in that country, one who became an ardent fighter for the South, another who became a devout agent of the Communists, and one in the middle, a mole for the communists operating within the ARVN. The unnamed protagonist and source of the book's title is the third person. The story has a lot to say about America's confusion with this country and period, too. Not military story, but an amazing human lens through which to examine our shared history. Guess it won that literary award for a reason, huh? Finally, when I talked about the magazine games I was looking forward to tackling next, I thought the Vae Victis game was about Algeria. Nope, it's . Very different setting and conflict. I've got it now. Remember, these French wargame magazines have English translations of the rules, and all of their recent issues have a standardized small format of 108 diecut counters and an A3 (about 11x17") map size. Perfect for me! Lately I've been using Google Translate to read the accompanying historical article for the issue game. That's not necessary, of course--you can do just as well to read a Wikipedia article--but I like the opportunity to learn/struggle-through some French language. -Mark P.S. Here are a couple twitter videos I did for some of the Hue games I played. Books • • Movies • • (there are 6 parts) /episode/index/show/wargamestogo/id/18614417

Wargames To Go 21.1 - Vietnam War (part 1) 01/17/2021

Wargames To Go 20 - Strategic Air Command 08/31/2020

Wargames To Go 20 - Strategic Air Command It's been a long pandemic, hasn't it? We've got a ways to go, too. During this strange time I've been working from home, wearing a mask outside, and playing some solo wargames. My regular euro-style boardgaming has dried up almost completely, albeit temporarily. Sure, I play some online versions at BoardgameArena, Yucata, special apps, and others, but it's only enough to keep connections going with my friends. I've enjoyed play-by-web and other computerized versions of boardgames for years, but that's when they were a way to get in extra games during the week. Now that they're the only boardgaming I can do, they just remind me of how much I miss sitting across from my friends on a regular game night. Wargames are different for me. Though once in a while I'll play a 2-player game across a (real) tabletop, normally I enjoy my wargames solo. Purpose-designed solitaire games generally take a backseat to traditional 2-player games where I just play both sides. Which means that there shouldn't be anything slowing me down now for my wargaming during the pandemic. "Shouldn't be." And yet, it's still been a bit sluggish. Because everything is kind of a drag now, at least for me. To be sure--lots of people have it a whole lot worse that me, so I cannot complain. My job is still going fine via remote work from home, my family is doing ok now, no one is sick... So you'd better believe I'm not seriously whining about my wargaming hobby. I'm not. It's just a little slow, that's all I can muster right now, and I expect that to continue until there's a good vaccine deployment. It'll happen eventually. One thing I have managed to do during all of this is get my collection a little more organized. That meant going through all of my wargames, sorting the magazines by type, and setting aside a few mini-collections on topics I want to get into. For this episode it was the Strategic Air Command (next time will be Vietnam). As I've mentioned before on my podcast, my dad served in the USAF from 1953-57, during the heady days of the Strategic Air Command. My dad passed in 2018, and though we talked often, now that he's gone I find things I wish we'd talked more about. Like his military service, and that part of his life. I know he was a J47 engine technician for the B-47 Stratojet. He served primarily at March AFB in Riverside, California (not too far from me now--we visited it together), but once deployed to Upper Heyford AFB in the UK. The most important part for me was that plane, his beloved B-47. Sandwiched between the behemoth B-36 Peacemaker and the famous B-52 Stratofortress/BUFF, I wondered if any wargames would include the B-47. Yes, there are some! I think I've now played most of them. This is an interesting period for wargaming, because it's all alt-hist for a nuclear WW3 that thankfully never happened. I don't normally explore alt-hist, either, but for SAC, the B-47, and Dad I'd happily make an exception. There are several good movies about this period, too. Probably everyone knows Dr. Strangelove, which I've seen before and was happy to see again. But I found several other good ones, and the aptly named Strategic Air Command movie with Jimmy Stewart even featured the B-47! All in all it's been an enjoyable exploration, for the games, the military history, and a way to reconnect with my dad. Movies & Video • • • • • Books • , by Phillip Meilinger If you're not a Twitter user, but still want to see my photos and short videos about some wargames, just go to . Feedback here or there is always welcome. /episode/index/show/wargamestogo/id/15814265

Wargames To Go 19.2 - Operation Barbarossa, part 2 (with Carl Paradis) 05/07/2020

Wargames To Go 19.1 - Operation Barbarossa (part 1), with Bruce Geryk 12/23/2019

Wargames To Go 18 - Doolittle, Pavlov, and Sledgehammer 06/02/2019

Wargames To Go 18 - Doolittle, Pavlov, and Sledgehammer No episode geeklist this time, just the three games below I'll be attending Origins Game Fair this year (June 2019) in Columbus. I've been there before, but only in the 80s & 90s, so I'm sure it's substantially different now. I'll be there Thursday-Sunday, including participating on a panel of wargame podcasters/YouTubers/bloggers Sunday morning. That's listed in the program as shown below. I think it's free, and I hope any WGTG listeners still around that morning will stop by. I don't have anything else in particular planned for Origins. Just want to see the thing, play some boardgames, and enjoy some relaxation. Drop me a note on or if you like. Armchair Dragoons Presents Wargaming Media: State of Play This panel featuring wargaming media personalities will discuss the current “Golden Age” of board wargaming and what can be done to ensure its survival. Location: GCCC - Apods - A210 Date: Sunday 6/16/2019 10am (2 hours) Here's another one-off podcast. I thought last episodes exploration of solitaire games was an exception to my normal wargaming--and it is--but here I am again to discuss three different solo wargames. I swear I'll get to more WW2 East Front explorations sooner or later, but right now I wanted to drop this episode about some other games: , , and . The games are all about WW2 topics, and all solitaire systems, but in other respects they're quite different. Their solo rules are completely different, as a matter of fact. Of course, Pavlov's House, being about a location in the Battle of Stalingrad, relates to my Eastern Front exploration, albeit at a different scale. Last time I had designer David Thompson on the podcast to talk about the process of wargame design. Now I got to see how one of his games actually worked. The Doolittle Raid is different, something I heard my father & grandfather talk about growing up. They both served in the USAF/USAAF and I grew up with stories of America's famous air exploits. My buddy Brian suspected this game was right up my alley after he'd enjoyed it, so at a GMT Weekend at the Warehouse I bought a copy. As for Utmost Savagery, my interest was sparked by reading Eugene Sledge's outstanding WW2 memoir, which was adapted into the HBO series The Pacific. The Battle of Peleliu plays a central role in that narrative. A look through my collection revealed that I already owned a game on that topic, part of a dual-game within Against The Odds magazine. It all makes for an unusual collection of titles to discuss together, as well as books & films to take in. Movies & Video • • • (just the end has Doolittle's Raid) • • (episodes 5-7 are about Peleliu) • (WW2 military short film about the ) Books • , by James M. Scott • , by William Craig • , by Eugene Sledge My Twitter videos about the games • • • Other • Next I'm really going to start playing more WW2 East Front games. Besides Pavlov, I've already played and . I have many more titles to explore which are listed on a . If you're not a Twitter user (or don't follow me), but still want to see my photos and short videos about some wargames, just go to . Feedback here or there is always welcome. /episode/index/show/wargamestogo/id/10018160

Wargames To Go 17 - Long Range Desert Group (with David Thompson) 02/16/2019

Wargames To Go 17 - Long Range Desert Group (with David Thompson) Here's something I haven't done in a while: a one-off podcast. In other words, this isn't the start of a multi-episode, multi-month exploration of one battle/war. Instead, this is a single episode about (mostly) a single topic, WW2's Long Range Desert Group. I vaguely remembered hearing something about history, then earlier this year the French wargaming magazine Vae Victis featured the LRDG in their issue game. It was a small, solitaire design, and I tweeted about how I was intrigued. A friend recommended a book to read about it, and soon I discovered another solitaire game on it. That was enough for me--it sounded like the makings of a podcast episode. This episode also features an interview with wargame designer . He created and has coming up next, both published by DVG. As you'll hear, he's got some other games on the way from other publishers, too. In fact, his interview is primarily about what it's like to get a wargame published, particularly the part about pitching a project to a publisher. He's researching the LRDG himself for a project, so the interview was perfect timing. Movies & Video • • • (3 parts including Moore's March) Books • , by Ralph Alger Bagnold • , by Kuno Gross, Roberto Chiarvetto, Brendan O'Carroll • , by Steven Pressfield Discussions • Next I'm going to start playing some WW2 East Front games. It's an enormous topic, one of the centerpieces of our hobby. My knowledge about it is fairly limited, but I'm learning a bunch already. Also, I've naturally got quite a number of wargames on the topic already. With a subject this large, there are several smaller options out there, just like I prefer. I'm starting with Frank Chadwick's introductory classic, . I've started a about with these games, too. If you're not a Twitter user (or don't follow me), but still want to see my photos and short videos about some wargames, just go to . Feedback here or there is always welcome. /episode/index/show/wargamestogo/id/8667776

Wargames To Go 16.3 - D-Day (Conclusion) 11/20/2018

Wargames To Go 16.3 - D-Day (Conclusion) At long last, the interview with author and game designer, Joe Balkoski. He's been on my podcast before, when we talked about The Korean War. At that time we made plans for his return when I dove into D-Day games. Besides designing some notable games on the subject, Joe has had an entire second career (his main career, really) of writing books on the subject. It's no exaggeration to say he is the definitive expert on US 29th Infantry Division and it's actions on Omaha Beach and beyond into Normandy, the rest of France, and Europe. I had the opportunity to interview Joe, and this time it wasn't at the end of a Skype line. This time I was able to meet him at his workplace, the home of the Maryland National Guard at Baltimore's Fifth Regiment Armory. It's right there on 29th Division Street in downtown Baltimore, and you'll hear what a fortuitous role it played in Joe's life. With this episode, I'm wrapping up my drawn-out series on D-Day. After the Balkoski interview I talk about some battle games played that were "beyond the beachhead," covering the Battle of Mortain. As well as a few titles that don't have anything to do with D-Day at all: they're in here because my trip to Maryland/Virginia included some local sightseeing and inspired the play of these other games. I've had a little more time to think about what makes or breaks a good, short, small wargame. I'll share my thoughts, and would especially welcome any discussion on that subject. I think in my previous episode I toyed with the idea of stopping my podcasts. I no longer think I'm going to do that. Although future Wargames To Go episodes may no longer follow the multi-episode format for a "quarter" (or so) per topic, I'll still do something. I'm still figuring out what. Right now I know I want to play a couple different Long Range Desert Group games I've acquired. Both are solitaire titles. Then it's high time I learned some basics about the Eastern Front, and what better time to try that than in winter. Maybe I want to squeeze a Bulge game in around Christmas, too. Hmmm... If you're not a Twitter user (or don't follow me), but still want to see my photos and short videos about some wargames, just go to . Feedback is always welcome. /episode/index/show/wargamestogo/id/7626710

Wargames To Go 16.2 D-Day (Continued) 08/15/2018

Wargames To Go 16.1 - D-Day (Introduction) 05/31/2018

Wargames To Go 16.1 - D-Day (Introduction) At long last I’m getting to the D-Day episodes. It may seem long to you because I skipped last month (April). But it’s a lot longer than that. I visited the Normandy beaches on vacation back in 2014. I figured I’d record a podcast about that and play some related games soon after. Then when I went to live in France from 2016-2017, I brought a number of Normandy games with me, again thinking I’d get to them. In both cases, other things took their place, and my D-Day podcast was pushed back & back. Now, though, I’m getting to do it, and synced up with the anniversary of the battle. (I always prefer to play wargames around the anniversary of their battles, because the weather outside fits the action on the map a little closer.) In this episode I briefly mention the books & movies listed below, talk about my recent time at GMT’s Weekend at the Warehouse, then dive into the extensive geeklist of games I aspire to tackle on this subject. I never get to ALL of them, but already I’ve made more of a dent than I’d hoped. It helps that there are SO many D-Day/Normandy games to choose from. That includes some famous biggies, but also quite a number of smaller wargames, as I prefer. There’s no historical intro to the subject this time—-I’d feel silly doing that, and assume all wargamers geeky enough to seek out my podcast already know plenty about this famous battle. I did, too, but have been very pleased to learn a lot more details that previously escaped me. Especially about the fighting in Normandy to expand the beachhead and create the breakout. Operations Goodwood, Spring, and Cobra are exciting parts of the story I knew less about before this podcast. Movies • • • (episodes Day of Days and Carentan) • Books • , by Anthony Beevor • , by David Kenyon Webster • , by John Keegan • , by Joe Balkoski Remember to follow along & chime in on my ) for all of my Korean War explorations. If you're a wargamer on social media, follow me on Twitter (). Feedback is always welcome. /episode/index/show/wargamestogo/id/6654919

Wargames To Go 15.3 - Korean War (Conclusion) 03/31/2018

Wargames To Go 15.2 - The Korean War (Joe Balkoski interview) 02/28/2018

Wargames To Go 15.2 - The Korean War (Joe Balkoski interview) This quarter I finally get to tackle a subject that's been on my to-do list for years: the Korean War. I wanted to this topic because of a connection to my father, and because I previously knew so little about it. Several years ago, when I was just getting back into wargaming after a long hiatus, the military history book club run by Hungadunga here on BGG read The Coldest Winter, by David Halberstam. I was blown away by the story. As the nickname goes, the Korean War was kind of The Forgotten War for me. Except that I'd never really learned much about it in the beginning to forget. Thanks to the book and discussion here at BGG, I learned a great deal. My dad passed away one month ago, as of the date I'm writing this blog. He didn't share my love of wargames, but he DID instill my interest in military history. We watched many PBS and History Channel programs together, as well as war movies. We talked about history and politics. The Korean War was from his era, when he served as jet engine mechanic for B-47 Stratojets in the USAF. No, those jets didn't fly in that war. They came just after. They were the United States first strategic jet bomber. The momentous first year of the Korean War coincided with my dad's senior year in high school. I'm sure he & his buddies were thinking about their futures as they heard and watched news stories about the retreat, advances, more retreats, and bitter winter fighting for the Army and Marines. A separate USAF was itself only three years old when the Korean War broke out. He went to college for a couple years, then enlisted in that new Air Force. My dad went through basic training during the war's final months, and the armistice was signed shortly after. That makes him a veteran of the Korean War era, rather than the war itself. Instead, he & his generation were the first "cold warriors" of General Curtis LeMay's Strategic Air Command. My dad, Dale Johnson (1933-2018). Served in USAF 1953-57.[/center] Consequently, besides a long list of games that cover the ground and air war in Korea, I'll also be exploring a couple titles that include the B-47. It was never deployed in combat--good thing since it had been designed for a nuclear WW3--yet there are some alt-hist games that include it. Doing that is a nice way to still include my dad in my hobby, and even share him a little with my listeners. Many of you have probably gone through something like this. In our case, we are fortunate in that it was a peaceful passing, and we had many good years together. I sure miss him, though. The Korean War is hardly forgotten when it comes to wargames and movies, I'm finding. Although there are far fewer games on it than WW2, Napoleonics, or the ACW, there are still many great choices for me to investigate. Besides big games that I won't get to, there are smaller games covering the entire conflict, or individual battles. There are others about the air war overhead. Of course, there are several treatments of MacArthur's brilliant Inchon invasion, as well as his misjudged provocation of Communist Chinese forces. As for movies...well, this is one subject where I cannot even watch all of the choices. There are too many! At the end of February, I plan to feature an interview with designer Joe Balkoski. I'm also starting to think about who I might get for the final Korean War episode in March. Suggestions are welcome. Remember to follow along & chime in on my ) for all of my Korean War explorations. If you're a wargamer on social media, follow me on Twitter (). Feedback is always welcome. /episode/index/show/wargamestogo/id/6312914

Wargames To Go 15.1 - Korean War (Introduction) 01/31/2018

Wargames To Go 14.3 - French & Indian War (Martin Wallace interview) 12/31/2017

Wargames To Go 14.3 - French & Indian War (Martin Wallace interview) This month's episode brings my French & Indian War topic to a close. As always, it's been very rewarding to dig a bit deeper into a piece of history I thought I knew something about...only to find more layers and connections to the past & present. Even though my time living in Paris is six months behind me, I knew that picking this topic would be a great transition from my somewhat deliberate French-focused outlook of 2016-2017 into the broader world again. That's exactly how it worked. In learning about the F&I War, I chose to focus on the New France part of that story, particular the two centuries of history that came before the Fall of Quebec. I guess you could say I was focusing the "F" in the F&I War. I only scratched the surface of the "I" part. Not surprisingly, the political and cultural history of the native peoples in this region--and their ever-adapting interaction with the arriving Europeans--is a topic all unto itself. Frankly, that's the sort of story that can sometimes be told better by a sophisticated euro, since it involves so much more than military subjects. As far as I know, there isn't a game on that topic, though may be the closest. I own that, and look forward to playing it sometime. The Victory of Montcalm's Troops at Carillon by Henry Alexander Ogden (images from Wikipedia) As for the military history, though, there are many good games on the topic. Typically, I played only a fraction of what I considered when I constructed this episode's geeklist. That's ok--I enjoyed the ones I got to, and will have future opportunities to play some that I missed. (I still wish there was a playably short version of the Battle of Quiberon Bay, though.) The Battle of Quiberon Bay, 20 November 1759 by Dominic Serres (images from Wikipedia) A feature of this episode is my interview with designer Martin Wallace. Probably best known for Age of Steam, Brass, and London, you can tell right there that he's not your average eurogame designer. He's his own thing. Martin's games have always had a heavy dose of history, often political and economic history. It should be no surprise that his designer's eye looks over topics of military history, too. He's now designed a fair number of wargames, all of them innovative and worth a look. His designs don't come from a hex & counter system, a COIN system, or indeed any established system at all. A few of them share common rule systems, but most are unique. Though it's a problematic term (because no one knows exactly what it means), they are often euro-wargame hybrids. Which is right up my alley. When Martin's A Few Acres of Snow was released in 2011, it took a new game design mechanism called deckbuilding and applied to a very specific subject, the French & Indian War. For me, it was love at first sight, and I've never looked back. What a thrill to be able to talk to Martin about it, as well as his general thoughts about wargaming. Sculptures of James Wolfe and Marquis de Montcalm by Louis-Philippe Hébert in front of Parliament Building (Quebec) (images from Wikipedia) Since this is the final episode in the series, I wrap up by talking about the F&I War games I actually played, books, podcasts, and movies. Then it's time to move on to the subject for the next quarter, and planned three monthly episodes: the Korean War. Movies • • • more about Robert's Rangers than the passage Books • , by James Thomas Flexner • , edited by George M. Wrong, H. H. Langton • by Francis Parkman • by Nathaniel Philbrick Other • • • Remember to follow along & chime in on my ) for all of my French & Indian War explorations. If you're a wargamer on social media, follow me on Twitter (). Feedback is always welcome. And if you want to anticipate my next podcast series on the Korean War, check out its own . /episode/index/show/wargamestogo/id/6103012

Wargames To Go 14.2 - French & Indian War (Volko Ruhnke interview) 11/30/2017

Wargames To Go 14.2 - French & Indian War (Volko Ruhnke interview) Two months in and I'm really liking this new schedule of a quarter per topic. Those 90 days feel like enough time to dig into a subject, but also to keep moving so that I get to explore several throughout the year. I'll stick with this for the foreseeable future, and in this episode I share what some of my future topics will likely be. Plan of Fort Carillon in 1758 The main feature of this episode is another interview with designer Volko Ruhnke. I say "another" because he was on my podcast a year ago to talk about Alesia, while this time he's on to talk about the French & Indian War. Though he's probably best known now as the originator of the COIN system, Volko's first published design was a CDG, Wilderness War. We get to talk about that, as well as an entirely new game system he's working on. I don't know if this is a "scoop" or what because I had not heard of this before, and cannot find anything else about it online. Enjoy! Volko tells about this new system in the context of describing the time he had playtesting games at San Diego's wargaming convention, SDHistCon. I missed going this year...maybe I should make it a priority in 2018? Wargaming at BGG.con One of the reasons I didn't make it was that I went to another gaming convention in November, Boardgamegeek's BGGcon. This was my fourth time, having been to the very first (2005), and then three of the past few years (just missed when I lived in France--2016). Although primarily a eurogame event, I'd say perhaps 10% of the gaming is wargaming. Since BGGcon is such a large event (2500+ people over 4+ days), even 10% is quite a bit of wargaming. I did some of that this time, too. A plan of Fort William Henry, published in 1765 I've got one more designer interview planned for the final F&I War episode, next month in December. At that time I'll also recap the games & movies I've enjoyed. Then we'll put a bow on 2017 and look forward to the new year. Fort Oswego Remember to follow along & chime in on my ) for all of my French & Indian War explorations. If you're a wargamer on social media, follow me on Twitter (). Feedback is always welcome. /episode/index/show/wargamestogo/id/5994476

Wargames To Go 14.1 - French & Indian War (Introduction) 10/26/2017

Wargames To Go 14.1 - French & Indian War (Introduction) In the final quarter of 2017 I'm concentrating on the French & Indian War. This first episode is an introduction, giving me a chance to take my listeners along for this ride in history. Perhaps you'll jump onboard and experience some of these games or movies with me. Hand-drawn map by George Washington, accompanying a printing of the journal he kept of his 1753 expedition into the Ohio Country. I realize that what I'm calling the French & Indian War is really the North American theater of the Seven Years War (sometimes nicknamed World War Zero), when France and England battled for global dominance throughout the newly expanding colonial world. There were conflicts in mainland Europe, too. I'm not exploring those--I'm just looking at the conflicts of Quebec, Fort William Henry, the forks of the Ohio, the siege of Louisbourg, and so on. However, my reading about the French & Indian WAR (singular) has quickly reminded me that this conflict from 1754-1763 was preceded by a few other wars between roughly the same sides: English colonies versus the French & Indian-allied forces. I have a suspicion I'll be looking into those, too. One thing that jumped out at me when I created this subject's is how many good light/short/hybrid wargames there are on it. From Quebec 1759 (Columbia's first block wargame in 1972!) to A Few Acres of Snow or 1754 Conquest (published in 2011 & 2017, respectively), there are a bunch of great choices for wargamers like me that prefer the lighter end of our hobby. I'm still curious about larger hexmap wargames, and the famous CDG on this topic, too. Map of Louisbourg and its artillery batteries in 1751. In the podcast I get to talk about the games I saw & played at the recent GMT Weekend at the Warehouse event, too. This is practically in my back yard (a 3-hour drive), so I hope to continue to go to this event once or twice per year. Next month I'll also be going to BGGcon in Dallas, where I'll be playing both wargames and euros. Hope to see you there! Say hi and ask for a podcast button to display proudly! This 1797 engraving is based on a sketch made by Hervey Smyth, General Wolfe's aide-de-camp during the siege of Quebec. A view of the taking of Quebec, 13th September 1759. Movies • • • more about Robert's Rangers than the passage • I think this is on YouTube • I know this is European Seven Year War, but it's also Kubrick Remember to follow along & chime in on my ) for all of my French & Indian War explorations. If you're a wargamer on social media, follow me on Twitter (). Feedback is always welcome. /episode/index/show/wargamestogo/id/5878469

Wargames To Go 13.2 - Franco-Prussian War (Conclusion, with Charles Vasey) 09/30/2017

Wargames To Go 13.2 - Franco-Prussian War (Conclusion, with Charles Vasey) It's been an interesting couple months, delving into the Franco-Prussian War, including the events the led to it, and the after effects. It definitely feels like a historical pivot that transformed the Europe of Napoleon's time into the European political landscape that we still know today...and one that had such tragedy awaiting it in the 20th century. However, it wasn't a World War. It wasn't even a war that engulfed most of Europe as the Napoleonic ones had. This was contained, with neutrality and borders respected. I have the pleasure to interview again for this episode. He designed a game about one of the war's most famous battles--but one that's tricky to treat with traditional wargame design & play thinking. Although now it's easy to find , in the 1990s it was , back when those took more work to find, acquire, and enjoy. Before its time! It was a great opportunity to speak with Charles about his game, and more generally about innovation in wargame design. As usual, my ambitions to play many games on a topic exceeded my available time. That's ok. Some I played all the way through, others I set up and studied the rules, and some others I merely purchased (or already had)! I remind myself that this is my hobby, not my job. While it would be fun to keep exploring this topic, there are so many wargaming subjects I've yet to explore that I have to move on. Charles mentioned that there didn't used to be very much literature about the FP War in the English language, but this has changed in the past twenty years. That has enabled a flowering of good games on the subject, too. As for the film, though, the pickings are still slim. On the other hand, that obscurity led me to find different films & formats that were interesting discoveries in themselves. I think you'll hear in this episode how I'm coming to embrace the fact that the games themselves are a jumping-off point for me for a topic. It was where I started, and the hobby remains the core of my historical interest. However, as I've gotten back into wargaming for the past several years, I'm realizing that I'm energized by learning and thinking about these topics for a few months, exploring them through various "media" (wargames, movies), considering their impact on world history, and then moving on to another subject. Very rewarding. P.S. The first weekend in October I'll be at event in Hanford, California. Later in November I'm returning to BGGcon in Dallas, Texas. If any listeners go to either of these events, too, please track me down and let me know. I'd love to hear what you think. (I may be part of a podcaster panel discussion at BGGcon, too. Details are still being worked out.) I'll have buttons/badges for both of my podcasts that you can pin to your shirt, game bag, or whatever. Movies (as listed before, plus...) • (also on ) Books • by David Ascoli Jump onto my geeklist/discussion) for the next subject of my podcast, the French & Indian War. If you're a wargamer on social media, follow me on Twitter (). Feedback is always welcome. /episode/index/show/wargamestogo/id/5793745

Wargames To Go 13.1 - Franco-Prussian War (Introduction) 08/17/2017

Wargames To Go 13.1 - Franco-Prussian War (Introduction) Now that I'm back for good and getting a handle on things, I want to try returning to an earlier "format" I had for the podcast. That is, a small series of shorter episodes on each topic while I'm exploring it. That way, I don't excite my listeners about a topic just as I'm leaving it behind (the way it happens with those longer, mega-episodes). I did this a few times before, and I'm trying it again. I'd appreciate feedback on this approach. My one "leftover" topic from my time living in France is the Franco-Prussian War. Twelve months ago I took several games on this topic with me overseas, but I didn't get to them until I moved back home. That's not to say that I didn't see a few sites that relate to the war in some way, or didn't think about it while I was there. I did. However, the games I'm just getting to. The FP War is one of those topics I only had the slimmest of notions about before I became a historical wargamer. I knew the approximate time period, that it led to German taking the territory, and that this also led to the hostilities of World War One. I supposed I'd heard of the Paris Commune, but its connection to the FP War was very fuzzy in my mind. Well, as I always love about this hobby & podcast project, I'm now learning a lot more. Peeling back another layer of the onion of history, since there are always so many connections to events before & after. The games I'm just getting to, and there are several good ones (large & small) that you may want to explore with me. Books, magazines, podcasts are well underway. Movies...well that's a tough one. In my podcast I forgot to mention Fall of Eagles, a BBC miniseries(?) from the 1970s that includes some of the important diplomatic events. But films that actually cover the war are proving nearly impossible to identify and locate. If you've got suggestions, please let me know. Movies • (also on ) • • not even FP War, but the Second Schleswig War between Prussia & Denmark is pretty close • just discovered this is on Amazon Prime • silent from from Soviet Union, available on YouTube • A historical artifact in itself! An 1897 one-minute silent from from Georges Méliès • I'm also still looking for more and as identified on Wikipedia. Books • by Alistair Horne Remember to follow along & chime in on my ) for all of my FP War explorations. If you're a wargamer on social media, follow me on Twitter (). Feedback is always welcome. /episode/index/show/wargamestogo/id/5650683

Wargames To Go 12 - Hundred Years War 07/18/2017

Wargames To Go 12 - Hundred Years War While living & working in France I tried to do a couple things with this podcast. One was to focus on topics that were most relevant to my new surroundings. The other was to post smaller shows every month. Well, I succeeded at one of those goals. This episode is long overdue, but it's most assuredly about a French topic: the Hundred Years War fought across much of the country against the Kingdom of England during the years 1337-1453. Over two months ago my assignment in France came to an end, and my wife & I returned to our home in Southern California. It was a wonderful, fantastic experience & opportunity to live over there. I had a day job, sure (one that got pretty intense near the end, which is part of why this episode is late). I had almost all weekends off, though, and we made the most of them. We went on lots of day-trips and a few overnight trips. Lots of them naturally radiated out from Paris where we lived, and that happened to correspond to the "northern theater" for the Hundred Years War. Joan of Arc is a historic figure whose path we crossed more than once. What a perfect topic for an episode! I knew very little about the topic before this exploration, and you know how drawn I am to that aspect of our hobby: learning history through wargames. As always, the episode is a medley of discussions about the historic period, games I played about, books & movies, and famous sites visited. When another expat wargamer coincidentally tweeted that he was also playing the obscure(?) Against The Odds magazine game about the naval battle that opened the war...the same one I had on my table...I asked him to be my interview subject. Casey Nedry is an American wargamer living in another country, too, only his country is on the opposite side of the world--Japan. Learning my lesson from the previous episode, I begin this one with a quick summary about the historic event. (In fact, I may later go back to my Spanish Civil War episode and record its own historic intro/overview.) To be honest, I'd feel a little foolish & inadequate doing this about something as well known as the Battle of the Bulge, but perhaps I should try anyway. It's good practice to boil down all of my reading & other research into a few paragraphs, and it helps to catch all of us up to the same understanding. Of course, if you think I've missed something in my overview, please let me know in the comments. The Hundred Years War was a big deal for western civilization. It took place during (perhaps caused) a societal transformation from warlord-like feudal states and limited warfare into the earliest forms of nationalism and professional armies since the Roman era. It's part of what made England England, and it's definitely what made France France! Joan of Arc (or Jeanne d'Arc) is a fascinating historic figure all by herself. I admit to having only a vague notion of her before this topic. I think I understood that she was a real person with real facts about her life, not so legendary as...say...Robin Hood. But I didn't really get how much of the exploits in her brief life were definitely documented. That was an eye-opener. At times it felt like our times in 2016-2017 France were crisscrossing those "The Maid of Orléans" nearly six hundred years earlier. Amazing. P.S. If you want to get started on my next topic, it will be the . Movies • with Laurence Olivier • with Kenneth Branaugh • • • with Ingrid Bergman • • • • Books • by Barbara Tuchman • by Anne Curry • by Robin Neillands Podcast • Discussion Threads • • Remember to follow along & chime in on my ) for all of my 100YW explorations. If you're a wargamer on social media, follow me on Twitter (). Feedback is always welcome. /episode/index/show/wargamestogo/id/5550421

Wargames To Go 11 - Spanish Civil War (with Javier Romero & David Gómez Relloso) 02/21/2017

Wargames To Go 11 - Spanish Civil War (with Javier Romero & David Gómez Relloso) Javier Romero David Gómez Relloso I've been trying to get these episodes out every month, knowing that it's a bit too much for me. Finally the dam burst in January, making this episode a bit late. I'm still going to keep pushing, in order to fit in as many topics as I can while temporarily living in France. But this may happen again. Originally the topic for January was going to be something else, a location I thought I'd visit around the Christmas holidays. That fell through, which was disappointing. Then my son in his twenties started talking to me about Homage To Catalonia, and the light bulb went on. By shifting my topic to the Spanish Civil War, I could learn about another important European event in world history, as well as have some great conversations with my son about that amazing book's observations. A win-win! The only downside is that my current schedule hasn't allowed me to go visit any of the battlefields or other locations of this period in Spanish history. Perhaps someday. As usual, my ambition for the project outstripped my available time. I've since decided that these monthly topics are going to focus on one film, one book, and one game. I will hopefully go beyond that in most months, but this is a more realistic goal for me. I'll still identify more games on the geeklist, because listeners may wish to hear about other titles. Even better, you may tell me about your experiences playing the ones I;m unable to get to. Most of all, I want to keep up the pattern of featuring an interview in each podcast. I find these really fascinating, and I bet they make for better listening than my voice alone the entire time. Plus, I'm usually able to hear from wargamers who are much more knowledgeable about the current topic. I already knew I had some Spanish followers on Twitter, and in record time they set me up with a joint interview of two Spanish wargame designers--Javier Romero & David Gómez Relloso--with written input from a third (Niko Eskubi, who I promise to have on a future episode, too). You'll hear in the episode that my own explorations of the topic were complicated. I'll avoid the hyperbole of saying that my own country is veering toward fascism now. I don't actually believe that. However, it IS true that recent events have given me more cause to study this subject than ever before. Regardless of our political differences, I'm certain that all Americans want to avoid authoritarianism. We pride ourselves as a country that benefited from a clean slate from which Enlightenment thinkers were able to craft a government. Part & parcel of that Enlightenment founding is an informed population--one that reads, debates, and thinks independently. For my own part, I've felt the need to study the roots of fascism and authoritarianism, to understand why something that ends up so universally abhorred can start slowly and attract followers who simply want more order and a growing economy...but fall victim to false promises and scapegoating. It's been an important topic, as well as one I'm happy to take a break from. I suspect I will return to it later in life. P.S. If you want to get started on my next topic, it will be the . Movies • • • Books • by George Orwell Remember to follow along & chime in on my ) for all of my SCW explorations. If you're a wargamer on social media, follow me on Twitter (). Feedback is always welcome. /episode/index/show/wargamestogo/id/5103847

Wargames To Go 10 - Battle of the Bulge (John Butterfield interview) 12/22/2016

Wargames To Go 10 - Battle of the Bulge (John Butterfield interview) M10 Tank Destroyer at Bastogne's Mardasson Memorial John Butterfield When it comes to this podcast, December means two things: a desire to replay the Bulge, and holiday busy-ness. It happens every year. This time, in 2016, I'm just as busy as ever, but the podcast commitment meant I pushed forward to play some Bulge games. Not as many as I would've liked, but enough for the episode. Besides, you've heard how the real focus of my podcasts nowadays are the interviews. I'm learning that the fast, one-month pace I'm keeping for these episodes always compresses my gaming time, but I can still get the podcast out on-time by relying on the interview. It's working. Knowing December would probably not allow me to visit a historic location, I also picked Bulge because it's a place I've visited previously. Back in 2012 I went on a father-son trip before my son went to college, and we visited Bastogne, spent the night in Luxembourg, went to a top Bulge museum, and even saw that cheesy movie. At the time I wasn't doing a wargame podcast, but I included a whole lot about that trip in my longstanding eurogame podcast. You might want to check that out, too. This time, though, I can still talk about another film or two, some light games I've played, and--most of all--feature an interview with designer . In our discussion I had a focus on his famous digital game from Shenandoah/Slitherine called Battle of the Bulge, the one that launched the Crisis in Command series. I've played a ton of it, and have enjoyed jumping back in again. Besides that title, John talks about the Bulge in general, his Enemy Action Ardennes game, and some other stories from his extensive history in the hobby. I know you'll like it. There are a few books I've read on this venerable topic, notably Antony Beevor's Ardennes 1944. Some of the best material I read came from Strategy & Tactics magazine, along with World at War. I learned about the Premium library subscription offered by Decision Games, which lets me access the entire library of SPI/Decision's magazines (no games). Wow! What a goldmine. Along with the article index, I can quickly find which issues contain articles on Bulge/Ardennes, and read those. Danny Parker's extensive articles from 1978 were fantastic. Movies • • episodes 6 and 7 focus on the Bulge • • • • • Books • by Antony Beevor The steep review valleys of the Ardennes . . . and a display at Diekirch's National Museum of Military History Remember to follow along & chime in on my ) for all of my Bulge explorations. If you're a wargamer on social media, follow me on Twitter (). Feedback is always welcome. P.S. If you want to get started on my next topic, it will be the . /episode/index/show/wargamestogo/id/4936162

Wargames To Go 9 - Alesia 11/29/2016

Wargames To Go 9 - Alesia Another month, another podcast! More important, another famous subject of military history. I'm planning to get through one topic per month to maximize my subjects to study & visit during my year in Europe. I have to say, though--this month illustrated that it doesn't me dive in as deeply as I'd like. As with most of you, I don't have a ton of time to get wargames on the table, especially during the week. Even with my focus on the small titles, they still take time. Especially if they require print & play preparations, and you feel the need to round counter corners. Volko Ruhnke Am I supposed to root for the Gauls? As an American of Swedish ancestry, who can say? As an engineer, though, I am in awe of the Roman army. I picked Alesia for a few reasons. I didn't want to fall into the trap of focusing exclusively on WW2 battles while living here. Going all the way back to Ancients is a good cure for that. Sure enough, I quickly found the subject as fascinating as any from WW2. There was a whole lot to learn here, as much about the Gallic society as the Roman army and one particular battle. Some of my reading was about the individual battle, and some was about the entire Gallic War. There's a hot game right now that covers that broader conflict. Though I knew I wouldn't get to it myself just now, I was pleased to interview designer and hear some of the design features and objectives of Falling Sky. Alesia Frédéric Bey also offered me a chance to see the battlefield. At least, where we THINK the battle took place. I got to see the museum there, the reconstructions of Roman fortifications, and take in the view from the hilltop where Vercingetorix may have once stood in the oppidum of Alesia. There are some competing theories among historians for the location, though, so one wargame designer made a second title with the most prominent alternative. That designer is my other interview subject for the podcast, . Movies Ugh, are you sure you want to look at these? I didn't--they look terrible. • • • (Ok, not history, but any Frenchman will remember Asterix if you bring up Alesia) • (a "History Channel documentary," but a pretty good one) Books • by Julius Caesar • by Nic Fields • by Stephen Dando-Collins Remember to follow along & chime in on my ) for all of my Dunkirk & explorations. If you're a wargamer on social media, follow me on Twitter (). Feedback is always welcome. P.S. If you want to get started on my next topic, it will be . /episode/index/show/wargamestogo/id/4869780

Wargames To Go

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