Wargames To Go

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?

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