Little Wars FM – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Greg talks to author and game designer Mark Backhouse about a 2013 article written in WSS Magazine called "Hail Agrippa." That article is freely available here, from WSS. A decade ago, Mark turned to Warlord Games' "Hail Caesar" rules when seeking out a mass battle, ancient naval system. With a few modifications, he turned the popular land-battle system into a trireme-smashing, quinquereme good time!

In this interview, Mark talks about how he modified an existing game and what philosophy he brings to projects like this. He also discusses his own rule development and what he's working on next! Mark is very active posting wargaming content to social media and is also a prolific author in Wargames, Soldiers, & Strategy. You can find more "Hail Agrippa" coverage in the latest summer issue of the magazine, where Mark & Greg co-authored a 6-part ancient naval campaign for the Philippi Campaign. 

We hope you enjoy Episode #51 of Little Wars FM! And if you missed our Actium wargame on YouTube, be sure to visit Little Wars TV and watch the tabletop game. Did Antony and Cleopatra rewrite history? You'll find out!

Little Wars FM officially turns 50! Our Patreon fans voted on the topic for our 50th podcast, and here it is. Miles and Ed chat with the International Kriegsspiel Society about all things Kriegsspiel. They'll go into the origins of the game, which was first released in 1824 by a Prussian staff officer, and track the evolution of the rules since the 1800s. Today, members of the society run Kriegsspiel events online. This enables players from around the world to join, as well as providing modern tools for fog of war and limited communication. If you want to see a short recap of an event that Miles and Ed both played, there's a YouTube AAR available. The IKS YouTube channel also has much longer videos, like this complete playthrough of Perryville (it's well over 2 hours long).

We've talked about the possibility of filming a Kriegsspiel for the channel one day. Is that something you'd find interesting? There are no miniatures or gorgeous 3D terrain...it's just maps and blocks! But the fog of war element makes these events exciting every time. Have you played in a Kriegsspiel-style game in person or online? And are you interested in joining one of the IKS events sometime? If so, we'll leave a link to those fine folks right here! We hope you enjoy episode #50 of Little Wars FM!

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. 

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. 

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!

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! 

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.

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.

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!

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