Wednesday War Stories ~ Iron Ships & Iron Men at the Battle of Hampton Roads

"In some ways the game was frustrating; how could it not produce a clearly superior victor?" RockyMountainNavy, in Armchair Dragoons, has an interesting discussion of the classic "Monitor versus Merrimac" clash, and how that applies to wargaming. Check out what conclusion he reaches, reinforced by the comment: "No better description of the impact of the Battle of Hampton Roads on naval warfare exists than the response of the Royal Navy upon hearing of the battle."

Poster: Doug Holt
Post Date: 3/14/2025

The Vietnam War Miniatures Collection (video)

The Dusted Game Shelf dusts off his proud collection of miniatures suitable for table top Vietnam War battles.

Poster: Pat L.
Post Date: 3/1/2025

Rebellion in the Colonies (American Revolution, #1)

America's "...humble beginnings – as a collection of colonies in strife with their British metropolitan government." Clio, in Inside GMT Games, begins a series on the American Revolution, in honor of the upcoming 250th anniversary of its founding.

Poster: Doug Holt
Post Date: 2/21/2025

Castiglione 1796

Jeff Berry, in Obscure Battles, takes an insightful look at a battle that "...has been analyzed as the prototype that Bonaparte used for his ultimate winning formula for many of his future big battles...", which Jeff dubs the "Sucker Punch"!

Poster: Doug Holt
Post Date: 2/19/2025

John Hill (game designer)

Here is a reference page for John Hill, a war game designer, who designed games in the early 1970’s including Bar-Lev and Squad Leader.

Poster: Pat L.
Post Date: 2/15/2025

My top anticipated wargames of 2025

"It is a pretty broad selection, containing solitaire, two-player and multiplayer titles, recent conflicts or very ancient ones." Michal, in The Boardgames Chronicle, takes his annual look at his most anticipated new titles. Check out which game has him concluding "I simply could not pass on this."

Poster: Doug Holt
Post Date: 2/5/2025

RBM Studio Update: The Palisades Fire

Rodger MacGowan has seen his home and RBM Studio facility destroyed in the Palisades fire in California. His son Steven has set up a gofundme account where you can learn what happened and offer recovery help if you wish.

Poster: Doug Holt
Post Date: 1/24/2025

PE TANG 1900 Q&A with Marco Campari

Some Q & A between myself and Marco Campari, designer of Pe Tang 1900 from Lumaca Games.

PE TANG 1900 Strategy Tips

This is the strategy I developed after playing Pe Tang 1900 from Lumaca Games.

PE TANG 1900 Optional Line of Sight Table

Here is an optional table to make it a little more difficult to eliminate the Boxer artillery.

PE TANG 1900 Introductory War Game Review

My review for this great introductory war game concerning an obscure siege of a cathedral during the Boxer Rebellion. Use this game to recruit new war game players.