A New Game Store in Town

 “Old friends pass away, new friends appear. It is just like the days. An old day passes, a new day arrives. The important thing is to make it meaningful: a meaningful friend — or a meaningful day.”

— Dalai Lama

During the Thanksgiving holiday, as local merchants sought to promote business for the gift-giving season, my wife discovered a new game store in town. BrickHammer Hobbies apparently just opened that week and was still pulling things together, but took advantage of the crowds of holiday shoppers wandering Culpeper’s quaint main retail street that Thanksgiving weekend dominated by Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday. I’m encouraged, of course, but wary; since moving to Culpeper 20 years ago (I still can’t believe it’s been that long), two other game stores have opened and met their inglorious demise...though we’ve recently had some gaming-adjacent stores open. I stopped by to check out BrickHammer Hobies and make a small purchase...and it started me thinking how I might support the store beyond simply being an occasional customer.

Beginner’s Intro to History Gaming

 “I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience.”

— Patrick Henry

Painting by Glenn Moore depicting
the British attack on the American
breastworks at the Battle of Great Bridge.

This past weekend I participated in the City of Chesapeake’s re-enactment for the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Great Bridge. Astute readers might recall I designed a very basic game — suitable for kids and newcomers to the adventure gaming hobby — for a smaller event in October commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Culpeper Minutemen mustering in response to the call to oppose British military action in the region of Hampton Roads. Some contacts I made there put me in touch with the Great Bridge event organizers...which resulted in my displaying and demonstrating my game and board at the re-enactment. I spent both days busy running many games, meeting some wonderful people, using the board to outline the battle, and discussing how one might explore history through games. On the drive home some of those discussions started me thinking (yet again) about good games newcomers might use to indulge their investigations into historical conflicts. One might follow a logical progression from entry-level battlegames to gridded-style games that can ultimately inspire even newcomers to devise their own historical simulations.

Holiday Game Gift Recommendations

We are well into the uncontrolled spiral into the holiday season. Plans for gatherings. Shopping and preparing for feasts. Hauling out the house and yard decorations (if we haven’t done so already). And the inevitable hand-wringing over finding gifts for people who matter in our lives. As the blog focuses on the adventure gaming hobby, I limit myself to recommending games that might engage people on readers’ gift lists. It’s been a while since I wrote a game-oriented holiday gift piece. “Holiday Gift Ideas for Non-Gamers & Kids” (2016) and “Themed Gaming Gift Ideas for Non-Gamers” (2017) still offer some solid advice; however, thanks to the nature of our capitalist markets and short attention spans, many titles on those lists have long since become out-of-print collectors items, though one can possibly find them on the secondary market. This year I offer a short list of quick ideas useful for those last-minute purchases and generally available at most game stores and even some larger retailers.

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.

Gaming Great Bridge IV: Playtesting Insights

 “Nine-tenths of tactics are certain, and taught in books: but the irrational tenth is like the kingfisher flashing across the pool, and that is the test of generals.”

— T. E. Lawrence

I’ve been spending time writing down the rules for processes discussed earlier, with an eye to producing both a rulebook for a board wargame and a streamlined player aid format of rules for the event where I expect to run the Battle of Great Bridge game demo. Once I had some firm rules down as a baseline for game play, I devised a gridded map, found some generic pieces to use, and started some self-play testing (with me taking turns running both sides), given my general lack of local players. I made a few adjustments, but overall it seems to deliver the experience I’d hoped to offer: basic rules with player choices, short play time, and all taking into account some historical considerations.

Game with Friends or Strangers?

 “There are no strangers here; only friends you haven't yet met.”

— William Butler Yeats

Friends with pizza, dice, games...
and an otherworldly stranger.

Recently someone on my social media feed asked if folks preferred gaming with friends or strangers. It’s an interesting question, with the answer often depending on our own gaming preferences, social circumstances, and personalities. I’ve been gaming more than 40 years and have done my share at tables with friends and strangers. Both experiences gave me headaches and drama...and both provided amazingly fulfilling moments. Each forced me to take a closer look at how we interact over roleplaying games as players and gamemasters, examining what worked and what didn’t, determining how best to prepare, and considering how what happens at the table — how we interact with each other — makes everyone feel.

Culling the Game Collection

 “Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.”

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

The West End Games Star Wars Roleplaying Game shelf.

I am a pack rat. I hate sorting through my stuff and deciding to get rid of any of it, whether to trade, donate, recycle, or trash. Especially books and games, which hold an almost sacred significance for me. But lately, for various reasons, I’ve found myself more closely examining books and games acquired over the years. Many still have sentimental meaning; many still provide a sense of wonder and joy when revisiting them; many remain relevant to my writing and game design interests as inspiration and reference material. Yet some, probably more than I’m willing to admit, do not. Their luster has faded, my interests have moved along, or I’ve kept them despite their never really having measured up to my expectations or needs. So this year I’ve reluctantly embarked on a campaign to cull my book and game collections...for which I have outlined a general rationale; nothing hard-and-fast, but some flexible conditions under which I’m willing to part with items in my collection.

Nouns & Scenario Design

 “It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something.”

— Franklin D. Roosevelt

I’m enjoying a spate of adventure design and writing as I prepare a Pulp Egypt scenario for an upcoming convention game. I haven’t run a roleplaying game session in a while; it’s been a few years since I penned one (and that’s still not seen publication). But I’ve wanted to run a new Pulp Egypt adventure for a while and this idea had been percolating in the back of my head for a while. I’d thought of writing it as a D6 System solitaire adventure (much like Trapped in the Museum, but a bit longer), with the character pursuing a mystery around notable locations in Cairo, but I wasn’t ready for another fully involved programmed adventure. So when friends asked me to run something at this upcoming convention, I started putting ideas on the page. It all proved an opportunity to try something different with my scenario design and writing process.

History & RPG Settings

 “History is a set of lies agreed upon.”

— Napoleon Bonaparte

The author in Landsknecht
regalia sweating it out
at the VA Renfaire.

I began my adventure gaming hobby journey more than 40 years ago with fantasy roleplaying games, but along the way I’ve also cultivated a growing interest in historical wargames linked to my enthusiasm for various historical periods. I have, on occasion, tried to merge the two, setting roleplaying game adventures in historical periods. These entertainments used historical elements as a backdrop for more cinematic action where the player’s heroes had the freedom to go anywhere and do anything, often beyond the historical and cultural norms, a core concept roleplaying games pioneered in the field of play (as highlighted in Jon Peterson’s groundbreaking work Playing at the World, expressed as the idea that “anything can be attempted”). Certainly there’s room for occasional — and often one-shot — historical roleplaying game experiences where accuracy enhances an exploration of more serious intellectual and emotional themes. But more frequently historical accuracy plays second fiddle (at best) to roleplaying game expedients placing the focus on the characters and their actions (and consequences) in the context of an engaging plot. It’s using history as window dressing for an entertaining story. Historical settings can tap players’ enthusiasm for various periods and provide environments based in some commonly understood reality, they work best in roleplaying games when infused with fantastic elements.

Gaming Great Bridge III: Interaction Factors

 “Principles and rules are intended to provide a thinking man with a frame of reference.”

— Carl von Clausewitz

Painting by Glenn Moore depicting
the British attack on the American
breastworks at the Battle of Great Bridge.

Now I’ve transposed the historical battle to the game board, the real challenge begins: determining how players interact with pieces and the map to simulate the engagement. All while keeping my original parameters in mind. In my past talks about historical strategy games I summarized core game processes as “Move, Attack, Morale.” Relying on my earlier research, I set out to define when and how players would command their forces within the framework of a turn sequence...my first design choice challenge.

Inspiration from Adventure Gaming Magazine

 “I have always believed, and I still believe, that whatever good or bad fortune may come our way we can always give it meaning and transform it into something of value.”

— Hermann Hesse

As much as I have rambled on over the years about missing print magazines like TSR’s Dragon, that periodical was not the very first adventure gaming hobby magazine to which I was exposed. Way back in 1982 I’d just finished eighth grade in junior high school. A few months earlier I’d received the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set as an Easter present and immersed myself in the game. But now school was out for the summer. I took my hoarded allowance and biked down to the Branchville Hobby Shop to purchase the D&D Expert Set to fuel my summertime gaming exploits. After I paid, the clerk tossed an old issue of Adventure Gaming magazine into the bag. My first experience with a print gaming magazine was purely by chance, a “wandering monster” kind of encounter that gave me a new avenue through which to explore the hobby...one that started me down a road into writing and publishing.

Remembering Al Leonardi

 “A single conversation across the table with a wise man is better than ten years mere study of books.”

— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Al Leonardi, from his interview
in Adventure Gaming #4, Oct. 1981,
a few years before I met him.

Last week we learned Alfred Leonardi passed away on July 12, 2025. He was a history teacher who used games to engage his students, yet among gamers is perhaps best known for his innovative “combat picture book games” like Ace of Aces and the Lost Worlds series. Leonardi’s obituary celebrates a man who loved teaching, loved games, and loved bringing history to life through games. He reminds me how a passion for teaching and learning can manifest itself through games to both entertain and educate. I met him back in 1985 at my first-ever game convention. Leonardi took the time to talk with a socially awkward teenager who exhibited near-uncontained exuberance for the adventure gaming hobby at the time. I only met him that once, far too briefly, yet in his own way Leonardi’s enthusiasm lurked in the back of my years of hobby activity. His dedication to games and education has been lurking in my subconscious ever since, quietly reminding me that using games remains an entertaining and effective method for learning.

Games in Magazines

 “Time is a sort of river of passing events, and strong is its current; no sooner is a thing brought to sight than it is swept by and another takes its place, and this too will be swept away.”

— Marcus Aurelius

On a recent trip to the local used book store I found several issues of Game Fix magazine, a slim wargaming periodical published in the mid 1990s. Every cover sported a banner declaring “Complete Game Included!” And indeed every issue contained a wargame, many hex-and-chit-style games, but some including card sheets to cut apart. Nothing huge like the old Avalon Hill bookcase games, but satisfying morsels on a variety of historical topics. They reminded me both of the much-lamented heyday of gaming magazines in the late 20th century as well as the early practice of including scenarios and games in those publications. Both trends have since disappeared in the electronic onslaught of the 21st century’s Internet Age — with a deluge of similar material currently available for free online, if you know where to find it — but my wistful nostalgia still pines for those days...and celebrates when I find artifacts of that lost gaming culture.

Museum Gift Shop Games

 “Many a trip continues long after movement in time and space have ceased.”

— John Steinbeck

At the NASM in 2023 with my
favorite Grumman G-21 Gooose.

Summertime in our family always means trips to museums and historical sites. My parents frequently tried to expand our horizons and engage our interests on day trips and week-long vacations. As a parent myself I’ve tried to nurture curiosity in my son with similar excursions as best we’re able, notably weekly day trips during the summer months. Our visits often end in the gift shop seeking some souvenir of our experience...or more often books and other materials to help us explore a topic on our own at home. Related games, however, remain extremely rare finds in gift shops. Although I know other places to look to find games exploring topics found at museums and historical sites, other people might benefit from easy, affordable ludic introductions in expanding their horizons.*

Revisiting the Battle of Ridgefield

 “On the 27th in the morning the troops quitted Danbury, and met with little opposition until they came near to Ridgefield, which was occupied by Gen. Arnold.”

— General William Howe

James Sharp's "A Skirmish
in America" (1780).

It’s summertime, which means I give myself a little indulgence to miss a week’s posting or two, or three (as evidenced by my blog archive in the sidebar). Sometimes I just need time to recharge, as many of us do in the summer months. Other times we’re so busy with various activities I don’t have time for thoughtful reflection and writing about adventure game hobby issues. Yet I still manage to find some inspiration, whether through rest or exploration, I can channel into Hobby Games Recce. We recently returned from a trip visiting family and friends in New England, including a stop at my favorite independent bookshop, Books on the Common in Ridgefield, CT, where I picked up the most recent book about my hometown’s RevolutionaryWar battle; inspiration for my wargaming exploration of this small yet influential engagement.

Gaming Great Bridge II: Battle into Game

 “History is the interpretation of the significance that the past has for us.”

— Johan Huizinga

My whiteboard notes on the battle.

With some key considerations to bear in mind I started thinking how to abstract the battle’s historical elements into familiar game forms to simulate the engagement: a board representing the terrain; pieces for military units; and dice, with relevant rules, to adjudicate attack success. I made some general assumptions to make the experience easier for players to understand and enjoy. To do this, however, requires a large degree of abstraction that, with some framing for participants, can help immerse them in commanding forces in the historical battle.

Sources

I have a basic understanding of the Battle of Great Bridge, having lived in Culpeper some 20 years and seen (and read) material about the Culpeper Minutemen. But in designing a streamlined game about it, I needed to ask some questions to adapt the history into a game framework. Most pertain to nearly any battle one seeks to simulate. What did the terrain and troop deployment look like? (Useful for determining the board arrangement.) What forces were involved and how did they compare proportionately in size, number, and capabilities? (Necessary in figuring how many unit pieces to include and ruling how they move and attack.) What ranges and accuracy did Revolutionary war muskets and rifled muskets have? (At the battle the Culpeper Minutemen sent flanking fire into the British from beyond musket range because, as essentially frontier fighters, they used more accurate rifled muskets.)

Advice & Inspiration for Gaming Andor

“There will be times when the struggle seems impossible.”

— Nemik’s Manifesto

Watching the Star Wars series Andor has me thinking about running a D6 Star Wars Roleplaying Game campaign again (assuming I had any interested players...). Back in my younger years, toward the end of the 20th century, I would have hoped to see a specific roleplaying game sourcebook covering all elements we saw in Andor: planets, weapons, characters, locations, vehicles, starships, organizations, character templates, and gamemaster advice But after 30 years, multiple versions of an official Star Wars roleplaying game, and a flood of Star Wars media I’m encouraged I — and maybe the hobby overall — have grown from focusing on formally published game supplements to embracing the wealth of media resources available in today’s information landscape so fans can create their own do-it-yourself roleplaying game experiences in their favorite settings. So I’m re-watching the media, browsing through relevant sources (and eyeing new ones), and, in reflecting on the kinds of stories in a resistance-driven “Dawn of Rebellion” era, looking to similar, adjacent resources for knowledge and inspiration.

Gaming Great Bridge

 “I set little value upon my health, when put in competition with my duty to my country, and the glorious cause we are engaged in.”

— Lt. Colonel Charles Scott

I am developing a game about the Battle of Great Bridge from the American War of Independence (AWI) and decided I’d keep a design journal, both for my own reference and for others interested in the process I follow in researching and creating a game with specific parameters in mind. I have volunteered to design and run a short participation game at an event this October commemorating the 250th anniversary of the mustering of the Culpeper Minutemen. I’m working under several parameters for this activity as well as bearing in mind a few key issues in the Patriots’ success in the engagement. Although I plan on running the event using a small, wargaming-style diorama map with paper miniatures, I expect I’ll playtest it as a board wargame...and later make it more easily available in that format as a PDF.

So Much Star Wars

 “What if we could go anywhere we want in the whole galaxy?”

— Wim, Skeleton Crew

Despite detesting many indignities the 21st century has thus far forced upon us, I revel in the resurgence of Star Wars media. Where once fans had just three films — viewed repeatedly on VHS — now we have entire constellations of streaming content, live-action and cartoon, episodic television and movies. And that doesn’t even touch the subsidiary media of novels, comics, and games. Geek media in general has flourished as a result of greater societal acceptance and more methods for disseminating both professional and non-professional work. But Star Wars — with its long provenance and years of fans grasping at any content to satisfy their dearth of official film releases — has not only filled the market again but pushed the boundaries of the franchise into new directions, expanding the scope and emotional power of our favorite galaxy far, far away. Star Wars media found new life embracing an adage pioneered by West End Games’ Star Wars Roleplaying Game, where players didn’t simply focus on the core heroes from the films, but sought new adventures “just off screen,” exploring different characters, ordinary people caught up in the Rebellion, folks from other worlds and cultures, each with their own story to tell. And it made the Star Wars galaxy richer.

Attack Wing & Armada

 “Size matters not.”

— Yoda

My son and I have been playing some Star Trek: Attack Wing scenarios recently, part of his exploration of the wide-ranging Star Trek franchise. In our past gaming endeavors we’ve indulged in Star Wars gaming, too (yet another franchise we love), including the X-wing Miniatures Game and Star Wars: Armada. Over the years we’ve managed to acquire fleets for those games to play engagements that catered to our interests as fans. While X-wing deals with fighter squadrons, Attack Wing and Armada feature massive capital ships. Although based on the foundations of the “FligthPath” system used in X-wing (and licensed for Attack Wing), the capital ships games play very differently from each other. While Attack Wing sticks closer to X-wing, Armada makes many adaptations to accommodate the larger ships, becoming a different game with similarities to its forebear. They’re both enjoyable games with solid systems for commanding capital ships in their respective fictional universes. After playing each for a while — and more recently enjoying our exploits with Attack Wing — I find, in the long term, I like Attack Wing more.

WEG Memoirs: Rejection Letters

 “Correction does much, but encouragement does more.”

— Goethe

West End Games headquarters, a warehouse
in the middle of nowhere, around 1993.

These days I’m thinking more about my time as the Star Wars Adventure Journal editor at West End Games back in the mid 1990s, before the company went bankrupt in the summer of 1998. Right now I’m still stumbling through a job search in various fields, rather unsuccessfully, and managing the discouragement one feels in today’s impersonal job market dominated by algorithms and artificial intelligence reviewing applicant qualifications. Maybe I’m too sensitive, having applied a more personal touch in my former editorial duties and having focused on customer service in various part-time, face-to-face office support jobs since. I’m sure many folks seeking jobs could have benefited from having an actual human offering guidance, advice, and encouragement. Personal interaction seems secondary to displacing whatever tasks we can onto computers...a trajectory I don’t see improving as we careen carelessly further into the 21st century. But I take some small solace remembering some of the care I took back at West End Games, working with potential authors, reviewing and critiquing their work, all with the ultimate goal of publishing good Star Wars Roleplaying Game source material.

Exploring Star Trek Again

 “It is possible to commit no errors and still lose. That is not a weakness. That is life.”

— Captain Jean-Luc Picard

Kirk and Khan pass nearby, trading shots,
in a Star Trek: Attack Wing game.

We’re a fandom family. Even so, our enthusiasm has limits; like most fans, we have our favorite films, books, and television/streaming shows. It’s not comprehensive. Even within a genre we can’t watch and read everything, nor must we like one thing because we happen to enjoy another, similar thing. Some past media fades as our interests change (and sometimes as the media changes). But overall we enjoy immersing ourselves in fantastic fictional universes that cater to our tastes. Star Trek remains perhaps one of the oldest fandoms among science fiction aficionados. And yet I suppose I’d characterize my activities regarding Star Trek over the years as “dabbling.” But now my teenage son’s getting interested in it after seeing Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan on the big screen (after a viewing of the classic Trek episode “Space Seed” that introduces Khan). So we as a family are exploring it (again, for some of us) and we’re enjoying some father-son Star Trek gaming, too.

Thoughts on Star Wars: Battle of Hoth

 “My lord, there are so many uncharted settlements. It could be smugglers, it could be....”

— Admiral Ozzel

Last week, on its Facebook page, Days of Wonder released information and photos about a Star Wars: Battle of Hoth board game based on Richard Borg’s venerable Commands & Colors (C&C) game system. The news rapidly spread across the adventure gaming hobby internet landscape. Although stodgy old former reporters like myself might prefer to wait for some official press release on a website, I could not ignore this news (though one might argue such announcements on social media are now more acceptable or reliable than any official communication on something so antiquated as a corporate website). My production manager at West End Games uttered some colorful sayings in appropriate circumstances. The buzz surrounding this announcement brings one to mind: “Opinions are like [DELETED]; everybody has one.” (You can fill in “[DELETED]” with your imagined appropriately common and arguably vulgar body part.) I’m sure everyone concerned will debate the game with every teased bit of news until well after it’s released. Normally I wouldn’t wade into forum discussions — and I won’t — but I thought readers might care for my opinion with some perspective from a longtime Star Wars fan, a veteran gamer, and a gamer dad, all in the context of the business of making money in these uncertain financial times. I’m very excited about Star Wars: Battle of Hoth, but, like any game consumer, I take into account many factors, including personal ones, when considering whether I would ultimately purchase the game. For those few who wonder or care, I’m still undecided, but leaning toward passing on this one.

Emulation as Inspiration Strategy

 “Originality is nothing but judicious imitation. The most original writers borrowed one from another.”

— Voltaire

We find inspiration in many forms, whether for our game endeavors or other aspects in our lives. Emulating things we admire is one step along the path we take creating something new. We often look to similar sources for inspiration on our immediate projects. How does one game handle this kind of mechanic? How does another simulate a particular situation or dynamic? I’ve encountered emulation as inspiration strategy throughout my creative life, even as a teenager newly immersed in roleplaying games...and inspired to create my own fanzine based on the industry publication, Dragon magazine, I admired. This strategy works for our developing games in both form and function. We look to other games to see what graphic and component elements we might adapt to our own designs. We also draw on our exposure to mechanics when developing our own games, whether roleplaying games, board games, or wargames. Having a familiarity with numerous game systems can help us in designing our own, offering inspiration from a wide field of experience to create a more accurate game simulation experience.

Multiple Cardplay Choices

 “Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but of playing a poor hand well.”

— Robert Louis Stevenson

I’m thankful my son and I have found the time and motivation recently to (sometimes) resume our Thursday after-dinner “game night.” I’ll admit I occasionally cajole him into a weekend afternoon game (when I’m not outside engaged in the Sisyphean task of yard work on numerous fronts) in an effort to disengage him from his electronic devices. My task becomes easier when I have a menu of games to suggest, titles we’ve played before he particularly enjoys. Lately most of our favorite games rely on card mechanics; they’re not all card games per se, but board games where cards determine how one can manipulate the pieces and conditions on the board. More often than not this pleasantly complicates the decisions players face. Do I use a card for its stated effect — usually something bending the rules to my advantage — or do I spend it to take some kind of “standard” action? This kind of cardplay dilemma expands the decision space an extra level without adding too much complexity in learning the game.

“Prep Is Play”

 “It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech.”

— Mark Twain

I haven’t engaged with roleplaying games in a while, owing to a lack of interested players and time. Gathering multiple friends for any regular game session these days has become a common meme trope for the adult gamer generations. So I’m exploring a solitaire roleplaying game to engage my urge to return to that form...and immerse myself in some much-needed gaming escapism to deal with an onslaught of personal stress and <waves hand> all this nonsense going on in the world. My game of choice? Ironsworn: Starforged by Shawn Tomkin. I backed it in Kickstarter and, though I’ve read it and explored its numerous oracle tables, I’ve not yet sat down to play it. I’ve been developing a character in the back of my mind, along with an initial contact and a sector with some locations, but otherwise I’ve relied on the random table “oracles” to guide my sector set-up and other bits for which I’ve no immediate inspiration. I’m having fun determining the elements for my future adventures, even though I’m not actually playing the game. Or am I? Starforged includes a heading I think all roleplaying gamers can take to heart: “Prep Is Play.”

A Pilgrimage with Game Diversions

 “The Road goes ever on and on / Out from the door where it began. / Now far ahead the Road has gone, / Let others follow it who can!”

— Bilbo Baggins, The Return of the King

This past week I made a pilgrimage from my home in Virginia to Indianapolis, IN, to attend the funeral of a beloved uncle...and to spend time with family members mourning his passing and celebrating his extraordinary life and the inspirational impact he had on so many lives. Along the way I distracted myself stopping at two game stores to pick up a few small diversions to feed my and my family’s gaming interests. Now that I’m back home I’m busy unpacking, doing laundry, resuming tasks I left off last week, taking a break to examine my gaming goodies, and getting back into some sense of routine...and spending a little time to reflect on a long four-day trip.

Perspective “In This Moment”

 “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Five years ago the covid-19 pandemic hit America hard. School and businesses started to close. News stories speculated about infection methods. Toilet paper and other essentials started disappearing from store shelves. People worked from home when they could. Masks. Social distancing. People dying in droves. Everything changed. Nobody quite knew where it was going...or how it might end. It was a moment in history for those of us used to reading about, studying, or even gaming with history. Suddenly we weren’t just looking back on some distant event with full knowledge of its aftermath. Our immediate perspective offered little insight how the crisis might play out. For once we occupied the position of people throughout history, experiencing history at that moment, unable to see where it was all going, with only future uncertainty ahead. Like playing a constantly changing game, we could only “estimate the situation” to the best of our knowledge and proceed with what seemed at the time as a suitable course of action

Short Games, Multiple Plays

 “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.”

— Vincent Van Gogh

Over the years my taste in games has skewed more toward more concise games that don’t consume vast periods of time yet still deliver meaningful play experiences. I certainly don’t mind spending an occasional weekend afternoon with a more involved game, but more often I find occasions for something that won’t keep us up all night while still delivering a satisfying evening’s entertainment: our occasional weekday, post-dinner “Game Night,” casual gatherings with friends curious about games, or more educational demonstrations showing how games can enhance learning. (I defer to “short” games because it emphasizes the time involved, although “concise” probably conveys a better sense of both time and quality.) Shorter games have their place in the vast adventure game hobby landscape, suitable environments where they best satisfy the host’s intentions, audience needs, and other contextual constraints (such as time). A well-designed short game encourages more streamlined rules comprehension, multiple plays, and time afterward for discussion...all key elements in both enjoying and learning from games. Many games that fit this “concise” profile prove excellent teaching tools when thoughtfully employed as games for learning.

Watch Read Play: Battle of the River Plate

 “My policy with three cruisers in company versus one pocket battleship — attack at once by day or night.”

— Commodore Henry Harwood

Last summer I proposed a learning rationale called “Watch Read Play” (or WRP) encouraging people to explore interests by first watching media, then reading, and finally playing a game about a topic, usually historical, that might engage them. I haven’t had much of a chance to try it myself, but over time I managed to achieve that trifecta for the Battle of the River Plate. That clash was the first major naval battle of World War II, when the German pocket battleship Graf Spee — after preying on Allied merchant shipping — encountered a British cruiser squadron hunting the commerce raider across the vast spaces of the south Atlantic. The severely damaged Graf Spee sought refuge in Montevideo, Uruguay, and, after some diplomatic controversies with the British cruisers lurking in international waters, the crew scuttled the ship. I explored the battle through a variety of media, including the 1956 film The Battle of the River Plate, two books, and the latest game on the subject, The Hunt. Each offers a different perspective to experience.

The Cycle of Estimation & Action

 “War itself has been declared to be a game, and rightly so, for it has the game characteristic of the presence of an antagonist.”

— Captain W. McCarty Little, USN

I believe games of all kinds can teach us about ourselves and the world around us. Playing them can inform our lives, adjust our perspectives, and broaden our experiences. I’m also encouraged by the increasing trend of using games for learning — notably in professional military education, government consulting institutions, and even universities — and am sometimes dismayed when they aren’t used for learning in environments where they might inspire young people (such as libraries, museums, historical sites, and secondary education). The value of “estimating the situation” (and all that entails) remains one of the most important lessons games can teach us. It’s a phrase pioneered at the U.S. Naval War College that succinctly summarizes the process a player uses — knowingly or subconsciously — when making decisions in any game. It also applies to how we might make decisions in real life, though far too often we stumble along simply reacting to the flood of challenges inflicted upon us with little time for anything but reflexive instinct. We rarely have the time or clarity to step back in our hectic lives, consider immediate events or even the big picture, and rationally reflect on our situation and what we can do to affect it in our favor. We can take time to estimate the situation and form a course of action in a game; the more we do so, the more we train ourselves to use that approach to our benefit in everyday life.