Wargames To Go

By: Mark Johnson
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  • Summary

  • Mark Johnson's irregular podcast about small wargames.
    (c) 2013 by Mark Johnson
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Episodes
  • Wargames To Go 26.2 - First Contact Games (Conclusion)

    Wargames To Go 26.2 - First Contact Games (Conclusion)
    Mar 24 2025
    As has happened before, my subject for this podcast episode sort of grew to be larger & more challenging than I was prepared for. As a result, I'm bringing this subject to a "close" before I'm actually finished with the topic. Of course we never really finish a topic in history, but some are more digestible than others. The entire scope of "first contact" between different peoples of the world was not so digestible! Even when limiting it to "New World" interactions in the Americas, it's a never-ending socio-historical challenge. We are still learning, still discovering, still understanding. I haven't learned everything, but I've learned a lot. It's been rewarding. It's something I will come back to in the future, possibly when there are more sophisticated history games that aid my understanding. That's my hope. During this exploration, I was on two YouTube shows by other hosts--one was Joe Byer's What Does THAT Piece Do? show, the other Fred Serval's Homo Ludens show. For this "conclusion," Joe returns the favor by coming onto my podcast to discuss the topic some more. This discussion is the first part of the episode, and I hope you enjoy it. Be sure to check out the Geeklist of games for this topic. Afterward, I continue on by myself to describe the movies, books, and games that were part of my exploration. Then I conclude by sharing my plans to aim for smaller topics, single episodes about each, and hopefully closer to a quarterly schedule. That means the end of one show (this one) will include a look ahead for what the next one will focus upon. This time, you'll hear me wrap up with some plans for learning about the German invasion of Norway in WW2. I've already got a geeklist with some games listed, and I've recently watched Number 24 on Netflix about the Norwegian Resistance. Pretty soon I've got a vacation planned to Norway where I may learn some more, too. I have a geeklist for this Norwegian topic, too. -Mark
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    1 hr and 45 mins
  • Wargames To Go 26.1 - First Contact Wargames (Introduction)

    Wargames To Go 26.1 - First Contact Wargames (Introduction)
    Oct 15 2024
    Come join the new Wargames To Go (and Boardgames To Go) discord server https://discord.gg/vxEG9bMPdx Once multiple games about conquistadors in the new world had landed in my collection, I had a dilemma. On the one hand, the 15th-16th century contact between the two halves of our world was one of its most pivotal events. That cannot be denied. On the other hand, the depiction of those events--in history, in entertainment, in culture--has been one-sided and morally suspect (or worse) for the longest time. Could wargaming be any better on this topic? How could that be possible? Be sure to check out the Geeklist of games for this topic. For a few years, I just avoided the topic. However, I know that I have a lot to learn, and this could be my opportunity to do so. Once I read a couple recommended books and had wargame youtuber Joe Byer agree to partner with me, that was enough to dive into the topic. A key modification was my attempt to shift the focus to "first contact" between the Old World and the New. As early as it was, that's not really what's happening in any games about Cortes or Pizarro. In fact, almost ALL of the games in my episode geeklist are actually depicting armed conflict that occurred several years or even a full human generation after first contact. Oh well, that's the limitation of the hobby, at least as it currently stands. Some of the books (and a couple of the movies) do a better job with "first contact." Bluesky link YouTube playlist However, like everything in history, it's all connected. Learning about what happened with the conquistadors or King Philip's War in New England inevitably requires you to back up in order to understand the context. That can back the story up to first contact. It does in the literature...can wargames (or more properly history games) be far behind? I'm seeing new designers, publishers, and perspectives enter the hobby, giving me some hope about that. Also check out Joe Byer's YouTube show, What Does That Piece Do? where he & I discussed this topic. As well as a Teach & Play video I did with Fred Serval for one of these games on his Homo Ludens youtube channel. In this introductory episode, I explain why I'm interested in the topic, what game titles I've found so far, and something about the books and movies that are relevant. As you'll see (and hear), I'm willing to really stretch the definitions of First Contact in order to bring in some movies. After all, this podcast has always been a "multi-media" exploration. I wouldn't have been brave enough to include the science fiction film Prey on my list, but after talking with some Native American friends at work I'm emboldened to channel their own enthusiasm for a wider depiction of their culture and topics in films. So why not? What’s next for this podcast? Well, I’m going to take a delicate dive into the challenging topic of anthropological “first contact” in history games. As much as possible, I want to explore what happened when Europeans & the indigenous people of the New World first encountered each other. I don’t really mean the Indian Wars of the plains. Instead, I’m after what happened when the first ships arrived and people “discovered” each other. This is an area where history games and wargames have not made much progress, but that’s also why the subject is interesting. -Mark
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • Wargames To Go 25.4 Wars of Scotland (Conclusion, part 2 plus GMT Weekend at the Warehouse)

    Wargames To Go 25.4 Wars of Scotland (Conclusion, part 2 plus GMT Weekend at the Warehouse)
    May 25 2024
    Come join the new Wargames To Go (and Boardgames To Go) discord server https://discord.gg/vxEG9bMPdx [If you aren’t particularly interested in the Wars of Scotland, you may be interested in the wargame open house/convention event known as GMT’s Weekend at the Warehouse. I went last month and spend the first part of the podcast talking about that time & games played. THEN it’s on to my specific historical topic.] Ok, now I’m really finished with Scotland. Like everything I explore for my wargame podcast, these deep dives take over my gaming for a while. That’s enjoyable, but since I don’t notch wargame opportunities and completions frequently, it means these subjects take me a while. Since I’m eager to explore other topics, too, eventually I have to move along. However, just as with Vietnam, Waterloo, or Market-Garden, I will have learned so much that it will be easier to dabble with similar wargames (or even return to some favorites) in the future. For this topic, I used my vacation to Scotland last September to prompt a lot of learning about that country’s military history. Though I should say it wasn’t limited to when Scotland was a country—-there’s a lot of history when it was a kingdom, and also earlier when it was tribal territory. Part of the joy was beginning to understand this history in more of its rich complexity than I understood from watching Braveheart alone. ;-) Since I’d already dabbled in the War for Scottish Independence, with William Wallace, Robert the Bruce, and a couple King Edwards . . . plus the early history of Roman expansion against the Caledonians, the major chapter in his history that still remained were the Jacobite rebellions. There are movies and wargames about this period, but not as many as might be expected. I’d seen the interesting faux documentary Culloden earlier, and this time I watched Rob Roy. There are a few films and other stories about this legendary+historic figure. The more recent (1990s) film with Liam Neeson, Jessica Lange, and Tim Roth does not make for accurate history, but it’s a decent film that can get someone like me reading about the real history of this person. As much as we can untangle, anyway. What’s next for this podcast? Well, I’m going to take a delicate dive into the challenging topic of anthropological “first contact” in history games. As much as possible, I want to explore what happened when Europeans & the indigenous people of the New World first encountered each other. I don’t really mean the Indian Wars of the plains. Instead, I’m after what happened when the first ships arrived and people “discovered” each other. This is an area where history games and wargames have not made much progress, but that’s also why the subject is interesting. -Mark
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    1 hr and 20 mins

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