Afleveringen
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Plenty of miniature games for air combat exist--Check Your Six and Wings of Glory are played in our club--but they do have their limitations. Something both of those rule sets share in common (along with most others) is that they are dogfighting games. As a player, you control a plane. Maybe two or three at most. You're in the cockpit trying to out-turn, out-dive, and out-maneuver your opponents in the sky.
Today, we're joined by Mark and Carl of Mark's Game Room to talk about a new air combat miniature game with a very different spin. Their new game, Fire in the Sky, doesn't have a few planes zipping around--it features dozens of fighters flying as entire squadrons. This is a much higher level scope than your typical miniature game. Greg sits down with Mark and Carl to discuss air combat on the tabletop and some of the innate challenges of gaming dynamic dogfights in miniature. We hope you enjoy the discussion about all things air combat! There's even a bit of chatter about the new Masters of the Air series on Apple Plus. What do each of these guys think of the series? Stick around and find out.
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Today on Little Wars FM, we interview a legendary American game designer, Frank Chadwick. Frank's wargaming roots go back decades and include major titles like Volley & Bayonet and Command Decision. He remains very active developing new games, including an operational World War 2 game he's finishing now. Greg talks to Frank about that new project, his design philosophy, and how he writes wargames. Specifically, there is a focus on Volley & Bayonet, which we used for tabletop battle resolution in our 1813 campaign.
Visit Little Wars TV on YouTube to watch our 3-part Napoleonic campaign and see Volley & Bayonet in action! Frank Chadwick and Greg Novak originally released this classic big battle system in 1994. Our club plays Volley & Bayonet for multiple horse and musket conflicts, including Napoleonics and the American Civil War. You can learn more about the game and find free downloads on the official blog:
https://volleyandbayonet.wordpress.com/introduction/
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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With the Little Wars TV 1813 campaign concluded, we check in with two expert Napoleonic historians for their reaction. Who won our campaign? Would Napoleon's tactical and operational success change history and keep him on the French throne? Professor Alexander Mikaberidze and Dr. Zack White offer a surprising take on our game, blending historical insight with wargaming for a fascinating chat. They also talk about the historical 1813 campaign and why Napoleon allowed himself to be boxed in at Leipzig.
We want to thank both of our guest historians. You can find Professor Mikaberidze's latest book on Field Marshal Kutuzov on Amazon, among other vendors. And you can listen to great historical analysis from Dr. Zack White on his podcast, The Napoleonic Wars Podcast. Check it out at the link below:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-napoleonic-wars-podcast-aka-the-napoleonicist/id1503208643
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In the aftermath of our Spring 1813 Napoleonic campaign, Napoleon and Tsar Alexander meet for a heated negotiation. Many issues are on the table as both sides jockey for advantage in the Fall. Will any cities be swapped? Will Napoleon evacuate his stranded fortress garrisons? Can the French tempt Austria into remaining neutral? What about the lesser German states and the Saxons? To mediate our talks, we're joined by two expert Napoleonic historians. Professor Alexander Mikaberidze and Dr. Zack White join the show to lend historical background and take an active role mediating our wargame.
Be sure to join us on YouTube in the weeks ahead for the conclusion of the 1813 campaign to see how our version of events unfolds in the Fall season! Napoleon may have suffered a major defeat historically, but our wargame is not destined to follow the same path. Subscribe and join us!
We also want to thank both of our guest historians. You can find Professor Mikaberidze's latest book on Field Marshal Kutuzov on Amazon, among other vendors. And you can listen to great historical analysis from Dr. Zack White on his podcast, The Napoleonic Wars Podcast. Check it out!
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Little Wars FM is the companion podcast to our YouTube channel, Little Wars TV, which we started over 5 years ago! A lot has changed on YouTube since then. What's it like to start a new wargaming channel now, in 2023? Our friends at Mark's Game Room are finding out! Mark and his crew have appeared on our channel in the past and we're thrilled their club decided to take the plunge and start a historical wargaming channel. Today we talk to Mark and Carl about the process, their strategy, and what they see as the future. If you like what you hear, be sure to pay them a visit and subscribe to YouTube's newest wargaming channel! We wish these guys nothing but success sharing their love for the hobby.
Today's episode aired on June 6, 2023 as a Patreon exclusive for our supporters. If you want early access to our entire podcast library, visit us at http://www.patreon.com/littlewarstv
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This week on Little Wars FM, we return to the topic of wargaming campaigns. In Part 1 we talked about linear, or "ladder style" campaign systems. Today we tackle map-based campaigning like you saw in our YouTube Pyrrhic War campaign. Miles, Tony and Greg reminisce over some of the club's most successful map based campaigns...and some of the least successful. What are the pitfalls to avoid? What unique challenges and exciting opportunities do "open sandbox" map campaigns present for miniature wargaming?
In the second half of this podcast, we interview Mark Backhouse from across the Atlantic about some of his campaigning experience. You may know Mark from his prolific articles in Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy magazine or as the author of the recent ancients rules Strength & Honour.
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In Part 1 of our series "How to Design Wargaming Campaigns," we talked to Henry Hyde. You'd be hard-pressed to find a more knowledgeable historian of our miniature tabletop hobby than Henry! In Part 1, you heard just a few brief segments of our much-longer and wider-ranging chat with him. As promised in that episode, we're releasing the full version of the conversation between Miles, Greg, and Henry.
If you're interested in running a campaign of any sort with your friends, it's a conversation we think you'll find most interesting! The timing of this topic was great for Henry, because he only recently completed a massive book on this exact subject. Several of us own copies here in the club. You'll hear more about the book, what it includes, and how it's organized throughout today's extended podcast.
We'll be back in the near future with Part 2 of our campaign series to talk in detail about map-based campaigns. We've had a lot of experience running those in our club....sometimes with great success. Other times...not so much. We'll talk about lessons learned and how you can avoid some of our worst campaign pitfalls in that upcoming podcast. Finally, we'd be remiss not to offer one final THANK YOU to Henry Hyde for being such a fantastic guest. You can keep up to date with his latest wargaming adventures at Battlegames.
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This week on Little Wars FM, we dive into a juicy topic--miniature wargaming campaigns. Our Pyrrhic War campaign this summer was a huge success, both within the club and on YouTube. But if we're being totally honest...we've had our fair share of duds when it comes to tabletop campaigning. It's not easy to design a good campaign experience that's balanced, winnable for both sides, and can be played to a satisfying end.
We're thrilled to welcome Henry Hyde of Battlegames (and the recent tome, "Wargaming Campaigns") and Travis of Tabletop CP. We suspect you all know Travis's YouTube channel quite well! We talk about specific case studies, examples of past campaigns, and what lessons you can implement to avoid our mistakes. Today's podcast episode focuses on a specific style of campaign--the "ladder" or linear campaign. In this format, tabletop battles progress in a scripted (or somewhat planned) path. This links your tabletop encounters together in a string of battles, where each influences the next. This style of campaign is a lot easier to play (and design) than the open sandbox of a map campaign like the Pyrrhic War. Next time on the podcast, we'll turn our attention to map-based campaigning.
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This week on Little Wars FM, Josh and Dieter review "Fistful of Lead: Reloaded" from Wiley Games. The first edition of this Wild West skirmish game debuted almost 20 years ago but the "Reloaded" update appeared in 2016. The Old West rule review round up will continue in future podcasts, as Josh and Dieter continue their hunt for the perfect Wild West shootout game. They compare multiple systems, discuss pros and cons, and give you all the information you'll need to draw your own conclusions about which game is right for your group.
If you'd like early access to all LWFM podcasts, as well as exclusive episodes not available publicly, join us on Patreon at www.patreon.com/littlewarstv.
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This week on Little Wars FM, Josh and Dieter review Gunfighter's Ball from Knuckleduster Miniatures. This is a Wild West skirmish game written by Forrest Harris and Brian Martin in 2018. And it's just the first of several stops we have coming on our Old West rule review tour! In future podcasts Josh and Dieter will return to compare other popular tabletop miniature systems. Grab your six shooter, put five beans in the wheel, and let's ride into the West!
If you'd like early access to all LWFM podcasts, as well as exclusive episodes not available publicly, join us on Patreon at www.patreon.com/littlewarstv.
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Do you remember the early days of COVID lockdowns, when there was a sudden surge of interest in virtual tabletop gaming? Tabletop Simulator, Vassal, Roll20, and old-fashioned web cams suddenly felt indispensable. Even conventions tried to adapt with new virtual formats.
That was two years ago, which makes this a good time to ask, "What happened?" Are those virtual platforms still popular? Are you using them as much as you used to? What will virtual tabletop gaming look like in 5 or 10 years? Today we're talking to an expert in the field--Jim Owczarski of Armchair Dragoons. Jim is a prolific scenario designer for Tabletop Simulator, adapting all manner of traditional miniatures games, including several you've seen on Little Wars TV.
After you listen to today's podcast, we encourage you to check out Jim's active blog updates on Armchair Dragoons and see photos and video of some virtual games!
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If you listened to our 6-part series on designing homebrew rules, you heard Tom and Greg reference Andy Callan's name many times as the original designer of "Loose Files and American Scramble" back in the 1980s. Loose Files served as the inspiration and jumping off point for what would eventually become British Grenadier and own own modern spin, Live Free or Die. But Andy has been writing games for decades and is STILL developing new creations.
His latest game, Nevermind the Billhooks, has been very well received and comes up frequently in this podcast. Let's talk to Andy Callan about his philosophy of rule design, spanning more than three decades as a wargamer!
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It's been a long journey, and today our homebrew rules writing guide takes its final steps. This is the last chapter in our exhaustive, multi-part podcast series on how to write a wargame. Months ago we started back at the brainstorming phase and several hours of podcasting later, Tom & Greg make it to the finish line. In this episode we talk to Dave Taylor, a freelance graphic designer with a deep background in the tabletop hobby. Dave shares some great insights and practical tips for how to take your Microsoft WORD document and transform it into a professional, polished product. To bring our journey full circle, be sure to stick around until the end of the episode for a surprise guest we've talked about--but never talked to--throughout the entire series. And if you missed any of the earlier parts in this six-part series, we encourage you to go back and start with Part 1!
To purchase a print or PDF copy of "Live Free or Die," visit us at http://www.LittleWarsTV.com.
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In the fifth chapter of our multi-part series "How to Write a Wargame," we approach the finish line. Now that you have a fun game refined through playtesting, you may start to wonder about next steps. Is this a homebrew game you'll keep on the shelf for you and your friends? Or is this a game you should consider publishing? Tom & Greg weigh the considerations in publishing and debate final game adjustments from a major playtest session. If you missed any of the earlier parts in this series, we do encourage you to go back and start with Part 1!
Spoiler alert--we DID ultimately decide to publish "Live Free or Die" and to donate half the proceeds to one of our favorite charities, the American Battlefield Trust. You can visit the Trust to learn more about their mission of battlefield preservation at http://www.battlefields.org. To purchase a print or PDF copy of "Live Free or Die," visit us at http://www.LittleWarsTV.com.
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In the fourth chapter of our multi-part series "How to Write a Wargame," we discuss the role of play-testing. This is an absolutely critical part of the development process and we'll share some real-time feedback from our first round of play-testing at the club. Then, Tom & Greg head back to the drawing board to assess the necessary adjustments for further rounds of testing. Part 4 is a long one, folks! We're going deep into the weeds on the mechanics of game design and showing you how the sausage gets made. If you missed any of the earlier parts in this series, we do encourage you to go back and start with Part 1!
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After a lost year due to COVID, tabletop wargaming conventions and events are back! Today we're talking to the organizer of the largest single-day historical gaming show in the world, Salute. The Salute show is put on by the South London Warlords and was rescheduled for November 2021 this year. How will this year's event be different and what are the challenges to putting on a convention of this scope? Let's find out!
You can find information about attending Salute at their official homepage: http://www.salute.co.uk/salute/salute-2020/
Learn more about HISTORICON 2021: https://www.hmgs.org/mpage/HconHome
Learn more about MilleniumCon 2021: https://www.millenniumcon.info
Learn more about Texas Broadside 2021: http://www.beerandpretzelwargaming.com/texas-broadside.html
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In this third installment of our "How to Write a Wargame" series, Tom & Greg delve into the heart of game design. Today's episode is a long, detailed discussion between two veteran designers on how to structure the turn sequence and how the mechanics of play should unfold. This discussion touches on movement, firing, combat, morale, and every aspect of a wargame. For most developers, this is the most enjoyable and creative part of designing a game! If you missed part 1 or 2 in this series, we'd recommend you go back and listen to those to bring yourself up to speed on how this process plays out in real time.
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In part two of our homebrew rule series, Greg seeks out a hobby expert to offer insight on the American War of Independence. Jim Purkey of Fife & Drum Miniatures joins the show to help! What role did artillery play in this conflict? How common were skirmishers? Why were causalities in the battles so low when compared to the later Napoleonic Wars? These are just a few of the questions discussed in this episode! Research for a new game can take many forms, but reaching out to other gamers who may be able to lend some ideas is always a great place to start. If you've ever written a game or dabbled in homebrew rules, this podcast series is for you!
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Writing your own wargame is a time honored tradition in this hobby. Maybe you have a brand new idea for something innovative, or maybe you and your friends have been adding innocent "house rules" to tweak an existing game. Eventually, those house rules could evolve into something very different from the original. In this multi-part podcast series, we follow two veteran game designers on a journey through the life cycle of a wargame. Tom & Greg from Little Wars TV recorded a series of conversations in real time as they developed a fast-playing, grand tactical game for the American War of Independence. If you've ever written a game or dabbled in homebrew rules, this podcast series is for you! In Part 1, Tom & Greg describe the origins of their latest project, the challenges ahead, and take the first steps toward writing a homebrew system.
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Little Wars FM is joined today by Troy, who you probably know as "Sonic Sledgehammer Studio." We have a fantastic chat about his miniature painting YouTube channel. Why is he called Sonic Sledgehammer and how has the channel grown so quickly? We ask Troy about his painting process and how his style has evolved both as a painter and a YouTube video editor. We talk about his favorite scale to paint, what new ideas he has bubbling, and we penetrate his deepest, darkest secrets...like, what sits atop his mountain of old, unpainted miniature lead? It's a wonderful discussion with one of our favorite painters on YouTube today, who is fresh off a victory in the inaugural Caesar Awards! Our thanks to Troy for joining the show today!
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