Wargame Calendar Challenge

“Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe.”

— H.G. Wells

One of the perks of my time working at West End Games was going along with the sales director to the GAMA trade shows to promote our game lines, notably the Star Wars Roleplaying Game. The trade show has changed a great deal over the years, but way back then exhibitors often chummed around with each other (also promoting their games) and traded product or gave away promotional items. Much of the “loot” I brought back I shared with colleagues (primarily dice), but a few I kept. On one trip to the GAMA trade show Osprey Publishing was celebrating its 25th anniversary; the promotional item staff gave out was a gorgeous, hardcover Osprey Illustrated Military Diary 1997. I never wrote in it. But it inspired me to explore historical periods and conflicts beyond what interested me at the time...and, as my wargaming hobby has expanded over the years, it’s tempted me with a historical game challenge: to run a game every week associated with a timely event.I have long admired the amazing graphic design behind the Osprey military history books. They often rely on primary photographs and original maps, but the highlight for me comes from the amazing original artwork depicting combatants, their equipment and uniforms, and the actions they fought. They’ve informed several of my historically based roleplaying game projects and have helped me research numerous elements for miniature wargames.

Imagination Sourcebooks

 “Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.”

— Albert Einstein

Early efforts at creating my own
roleplaying game material.

I recently culled a few roleplaying books from my collection to trade for credit with Noble Knight Games. Some were predictable titles I once desired but have since decided just didn’t interest me anymore for a variety of reasons: my attitudes toward genres changing, noting I’d not played them, or realizing I’d never really put them to use either as inspiration or at the game table. Better to trade them for other game items that engage me at this moment. Reflecting on what to release from my library reminded me how roleplaying games ultimately rely on our imaginations. Beyond a core rule book and perhaps a few remarkable sourcebooks for a game line, we could ostensibly run a lifetime of campaigns based off our own creativity within the scope of a familiar game world...devising in one form or another a kind of “imagination sourcebook” for our version of a particular game. And while it’s sometimes nice to have “official” source material or a scenario to guide us, ultimately what plays out at the game table relies on our own imaginations to bring the setting to life.

Gaming Great Bridge V: Alternate Rules

 “For me, it is always important that I go through all the possible options for a decision.”

— Angela Merkel

My Battle of Great Bridge set-up on site.

This past weekend I displayed and ran my Battle of Great Bridge wargame demo at a commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the mustering of the Culpeper Minutemen in the very field where they assembled...before they marhced off to Williamsburg and ultimately Great Bridge. Despite cool but sunny weather (quite nice for autumn in central Virginia), the attendance and participation was less than I had hoped, but it was still a positive day. Everyone who stopped by to admire the diorama, play the game, or discuss the battle brought their intelligent curiosity and interest in history. I ran the game twice with young but extremely bright participants and spent much of the day discussing the Battle of Great Bridge with folks, some of whom had never heard of it despite attending an event commemorating a unit which played a pivotal role — and gained its fame — in the engagement. I learned a bit, too, talking with those extremely familiar with the battle and the terrain.

Event Game Repertoire

 “Happiness is a choice that requires effort at times.”

— Aeschylus

German troops await a charge from
U.S. Marines at Belleau Wood.

We had a great time earlier this month attending the Call to Arms tabletop gaming convention in Williamsburg, VA. It’s a small event as cons go, but it’s a busy, friendly, and welcome weekend getaway. (And we bookended the convention with some time at our favorite sites at Colonial Williamsburg.) My son and I ran a Skirmish Kids game, “A Slice of Belleau Wood,” and I ran a D6 System Pulp Egypt roleplaying game scenario for a fantastic group of players. As we were packing, my son paged through one of the stand-up sign folios I use to promote my games at the table while I’m setting up and during play. I create a one-page promo with title, illustration, and description for each game. After a con I forget about them, leaving them in the folio until the next time. As my son paged through and recalled past games, I realized I have a fairly solid repertoire of historical and fantasy/sci-fi miniatures games I’m ready to run for events (and I’m not even touching all the roleplaying game scenarios I’ve hosted over the years).

Watch Read Play: The Battle of Britain

 “I have promised the Führer that we will clear the skies and completely destroy the RAF. I expect my orders to be obeyed!”

— Hermann Göring, Battle of Britain (1969)

Few episodes in history, let alone World War II, embody the determination and victory of the underdog quite like the Battle of Britain. Fought in the aftermath of France’s fall to Nazi armies in June 1940 and the escape of British forces at the “Miracle at Dunkirk,” the Royal Air Force’s stand against the Luftwaffe turned into a rallying point a war many thought already lost. Iconic images from the battle still resonate among history aficionados: Spitfires and Hurricanes, Stukas, the tall metal towers of the Chain Home radar stations, lines of contrails and smoke in the skies above southern England, the faces of weary pilots, the London Blitz. Immersing ourselves in the Battle of Britain can help us relate to that struggle, a small island nation standing up to a continent dominated by Nazi might, a handful of pilots and a steady stream of aircraft production against clouds of Lufwaffe bombers and fighters, the last free people of Europe holding out against cruel dictatorship. Our cultural history has mythologized much of that campaign, but on a closer look, watching films, reading books, and playing games, we can learn more about the real-life struggles people faced and better appreciate the historical events those people survived.

Historical Games

 “Your library is your paradise.”

— Erasmus

French Regency style chess pieces
and box, early 20th century.

I have among my collection several historical games; not games with historical themes, but actual games played throughout history. My library also includes a small section with books about historical games. These foundational basics of ludic entertainment, some surviving for millennia, often remained a luxury of the privileged classes, though over time many have become more accessible to the general populace to occupy and divert their occasional leisure time. Some artifacts in my collection have particular personal significance, others I’ve acquired years later as I explored my interest in this branch of gaming sometimes overlooked by the 21st century adventure gaming hobby. They’re telling artifacts from a time when games remained accessible pastimes and not niche-market products in a capitalistic society.

The Convention Game Gamble

 “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”

— T. S. Eliot

Middle-earth 54mm miniatures game, with
player aid card and "burning" buildings.

I like running convention games; I’ve been hosting them for more than 30 years. These days they present one of the few opportunities I have to play games with a broader audience. Yet they usually require a great deal of investment...and risk. I’m preparing to run two events at an upcoming convention (Call to Arms in Williamsburg, VA) and I’m feeling the exhilarating excitement and anxious dread I typically experience beforehand. I love running these games, sharing my enthusiasm for a period, genre, and game system, often introducing newcomers to my particular corner of the hobby, and seeing where the combination of a given scenario and a diverse assemblage of players takes a game. But it also comes with a great deal of anxiety. Will I get many or any players? What kind of players will join? Will the game make a generally positive impression with attendees? These come on top of typical convention concerns like logistics regarding table size, hotel arrangements, scheduling accuracy, promotion (or lack thereof), and navigating an often overpacked gaming floor. It all emphasizes the gamble we take hosting games at conventions...often at our own expense.