Ran a game of Sink the Graf Spee tonight at the Call to Arms game convention in Williamsburg, VA. Graf Spee totally pastes HMS Ajax at way-too-close range, though Ajax and Achilles get some solid hits on the German pocket battleship. Gridded Naval Wargames rules from Bob Cordery.

#HobbyGamesRecce #WingspanPocket brought us back to the family gaming table with its concise format, plenty of strategic choices, and amazingly illustrated bird cards. A good way to introduce newcomers to modern tabletop gaming. #Tabletop #BoardGames #CardGames #FamilyGames

Wingspan Pocket Just the Right Size

“ Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but of playing a poor hand well.” — Robert Louis Stevenson I recently picked up Elizabeth...

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Before I sign off for a while it’s worth noting my son and I will be running games at the Call to Arms game convention in Williamsburg, VA, Oct. 9-11. Battle of the River Plate, Lord of the Rings 54mm Dragon Rampant, and a Pulp Egypt scenario. Hope to see you there. www.calltoarmsva.com

Excited to return to the Battle of Great Bridge reenactment event Dec. 5-6, 2026. Once again I’ll outline the #history, discuss adapting it to an easy #wargame, and guide participants re-fighting the battle on a terrain diorama. #GamesForLearning www.cityofchesapeake.net/810/Battle-o...

#GriffonPublishingStudio Finished uploading my catalog of #TTRPG offerings to @rpgtrader.bsky.social. Pulp Egypt and Heroes of Rura-Tonga setting supplements and free scenarios. A few solo gamebooks. Useful odds and ends. Interested to see how another e-storefront does for me. Share and enjoy!

Griffon Publishing Studio on RPG Trader

Veteran game designer, writer, and editor Peter Schweighofer founded Griffon Publishing Studio as a platform to publish his own sourcebooks and games for adventure gaming enthusiasts, including rolepl...

rpg-trader.com

#HobbyGamesRecce I fear I am giving in to the common stereotype of the gamer who tinkers and rewrites rules to suit his own urges. Am I justified in wanting to design yet another miniature #wargame rule set to encourage kids and newcomers to use #GamesForLearning about #history?

Rules Tinkering & Redesign

“ History is the interpretation of the significance that the past has for us.” — Johan Huizinga Papercraft Romans awaiting a playtest bat...

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#HobbyGamesRecce I deployed my craft-store sailing ships to give Feral Wizard’s Battle Box: Age of Sail rules a try in a slightly larger format than offered in the Kickstarter. The rules rely on some basics but add a satisfying tactical depth suitable for kids or casual fans of naval #wargames.

Playing with Battle Box: Age of Sail

“ If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable.” — Seneca I’ve dabbled in many historical wargaming periods ...

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A belated #Caturday photo I took last week when I noticed Hera alert at the back door, looking intently at something on the deck: a skink out sunning itself in the bright summer heat.

For #Caturday my wife and I played #WingspanPocket, two games, each of us winning once. Had a little help from a margarita and our cat, Jago (Hera took a turn later batting at the tantalizing egg tokens). Just bought it yesterday at Huzzah! Hobbies, so we took our time learning the rules.

#HobbyGamesRecce Wargames remain abstracted representations of reality...even the geo-political reality of near-future confrontations. Our adversaries are playing our #wargames, but what do our civilian games reveal about our capabilities and assumptions...and do they reveal useful intelligence?

What Do Games Tell Our Adversaries?

“ In our leisure we reveal what kind of people we are.” — Ovid Members of the Chinese PLA Navy play Sebastian Bae ’ s Littoral Commander:...

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Took a day trip out to southern Maryland and had lunch at Capt’ Billy’s Crab House on the Potomac River waterfront. View of the docks and birds, tasty shrimp and crab. A relaxing moment among the incessant turbulence. captbillys.com

#HobbyGamesRecce Craft stores supply materials for a variety of adventure gaming activities, whether prototyping a #boardgame or crafting miniature #wargame terrain, but their selection has dwindled over the years as prices rise, fads dictate inventory, and tariffs limit variety.

Craft Store Lament

“ The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative min...

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Good reminder in The Guardian about the Kindertransport, an event often overlooked in American history classes and our overall cultural memory of #WW2.

‘I’ll probably feel emotional’: Kindertransport centenarian prepares to revisit site of family separation

North Shields’ Gabriele Keenaghan was 12 when she was evacuated from Nazi Austria in 1939. She remembers the shock of leaving her family at Westbahnhof station

theguardian.com

Wife caught our 8 month-old cat Jago “splooting” on the bookshelf by the front window, probably checking out the birds under the watchful eye of #Godzilla, both appropriately positioned above shelves of #BoardGames, several of which are cat- or bird-themed (and one kaiju-themed). #Caturday

Still hoping to hear from anyone on this subject, but so far the impenetrable Iron Curtain has not yielded any #WarsawPact Cold War tabletop #wargaming exercise intelligence…. May comment further in a future #HobbyGamesRecce blog post.

Peter Schweighofer@schweigbskysocial.bsky.social · 2mo ago

I’m curious if anyone, especially in former communist European countries, recalls #WarsawPact institutions ever using #wargames to explore a possible invasion of West Germany? #WestEndGames classics like Air & Armor and Air Cav come to mind, though I know other titles exist in this genre.

I’m curious if anyone, especially in former communist European countries, recalls #WarsawPact institutions ever using #wargames to explore a possible invasion of West Germany? #WestEndGames classics like Air & Armor and Air Cav come to mind, though I know other titles exist in this genre.

#HobbyGamesRecce We fear change...but it’s time for me to remove the comment function from the blog. Too much spam drowning out quality engagement, even when moderated. Here’s hoping comments and discussion moves to my social media presence. Which you’ve already found here. Hope to hear from you….

Farewell to Comments

“ We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” — Epictetus Frequent readers know I’ve often wondere...

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Popular Science featured the Civil War Tails diorama museum; we just visited them while in Gettysburg in July. Amazing battle dioramas with tiny cat soldiers, detailed terrain, including the 11-foot long Little Round Top diorama. A must for #AmericanCivilWar #history buffs and #cat lovers.

10,033 tiny clay cats reenact the Civil War at a Gettysburg museum

Fort Sumter, ironclad ships, and more come alive at the Civil War Tails at the Homestead Diorama Museum.

popsci.com

My son, a high school junior, just dropped his “Algebra III” torment nexus class to take a class called “Discreet Math.” Which, of course, inspired me to wonder if they offer an “Indiscreet Math” class.

#HobbyGamesRecce Our recent summer travels reminded me how much I enjoy exploring the #history of the French and Indian War through film, books, and, of course, #wargames. #GamesForLearning

Watch, Read, Play: French & Indian War

“ Fathers, both you and the English are white, we live in a Country between; therefore the Land belongs to neither one nor  t’ other.” — C...

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Spent a relaxing afternoon lounging at our favorite local #winery, 5 minutes from our house. They were making pizzas with fresh ingredients from their garden, plus celebrating their 10th anniversary. I also enjoyed a pear cider and Irish red ale. www.mountainrunwinery.com

Caught our youngest, Jago, lounging on a living room chair rather languidly last week, taking a break from VA’s oppressive heat and humidity. #Caturday

This long-awaited gem arrived in yesterday’s post. Congrats to @jeremycorbyn.bsky.social Before I knew it I’d already started flipping through it and reading the opening chapter!. Filled with inspiring ideas for teachers and students designing #GamesForLearning. www.routledge.com/Designing-Hi...

#HobbyGamesRecce Hot and humid August is back-to-school time here in backwoods Virginia, when we return to academic routines and I assess where I stand with game projects requiring my attention. Some #history and #GamesForLearning development when my other obligations allow.

Back-to-School Estimation

“ I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught.” — Winston Churchill My son returned to public school today, a ...

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If you want to honor those who served in the #WarsawUprising (Aug. 1 – Oct. 2, 1944) in #WW2 I strongly recommend following @ww2girl1944.bsky.social who's been posting daily photos and stories of those who died. A solemn remembrance of personal sacrifice in the context of larger historical events.

Listened to this day-by-day podcast when it premiered two years ago. Heartrending. Inspiring. Heroic. History many in America rarely heard. The overall story and individual experiences. From three amazing experts. Listen to just one episode a day for the full, prolonged effect. #WW2 #history

Alina Nowobilska@ww2girl1944.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Want to know more about the Uprising? Then check out the awesome day by day podcast I put together back in 2024! Search for "Moments in Time: WW2 Edition Podcast". Available on all streaming platforms!! #History #podcasts #ww2

It was #OTD at 5pm in 1944 that the brave citizens of Warsaw rose up against their oppressors. Thousands of men, women and children took up arms to free their city from German hands.

Clear, concise intro demonstrating a sample matrix game turn and the processes involved. Good pre-game briefing and a starting point for those interested in designing/running matrix games. #MatrixGames #GamesForLearning #Wargames #SimulationGames

How to Play a Matrix Game – An Introduction (video)

This short video on how to play a matrix game was developed by members of the wargaming team at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Honolulu, HI.

paxsims.wordpress.com

#HobbyGamesRecce Younger folks seem to prefer #PhysicalMedia, a trend I understand as a crabby old relic of the last century. The internet gives us access to such wonders, yet can withhold them and inflict a price for them. Our physical media is always at hand when we need its comfort the most.

The Comfort of Physical Media

“ Your library is your paradise.” — Erasmus JRR Tolkien's painting of Smaug on his gold, with  “ invisible ”  Bilbo. A host of recent news...

hobbygamesrecce.blogspot.com

“This is an administration that stumbled into a war showing less acumen than that of a boy playing at war with cardboard soldiers.” An interesting look at how an old #wargame demonstrated strategic reality...and how hubris and ignorance turned its back on that reality.

The Strait of Hormuz Was on Page 8‑L

As I think about this unmitigated disaster that is Donald Trump’s illegal war of choice with Iran, one thing above all others keeps stunni...

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