The Canadian Wargamer

<Blows dust, taps mic> Hello, is this thing on? Does it still work? Yes, in the spirit of all things Easter, this podcast has risen, or at least, roused itself from its slumber. In this catch-up issue, James and Mike get together on air for the first time since last October. No interesting guest, just us. In a little over an hour, we talk about: Hot Lead, which took place jus

I'm embarrassed to say that James and I recorded this chat on August 10, and then I totally forgot about uploading it in the business of my day job. So here we are, two whole months later and I owe big apologies to James and to you dear listeners, all two of you. I vaguely recall that we talked about James' Quar fixation, the forthcoming Napoleon movie, and God knows what else. So

Wendy de Wolfe is a Canadian Armed Forces veteran, fine artist and freelance graphic designer, and wargamer with a particular interest in kriegspiels. For the past year, she's ben running a large Napoleonic kriegspiel set in 1806 in which James and I were among the players, only to recently discover that James was the Prussian CinC. It was terrific fun. In this Now It Can Be Told e

Our blue ribboned panel of veteran HotLead game-masters and ne'er do wells, Keith Burnett, Dan Hutter, Don Perrin and Brian Hall join Mike and James in a shamelessly self-congratulatory chat about what we did, saw, and liked about HotLead, Ontario's premiere miniatures gaming event. In the back third of the episode, the podcast morphs into a bit of a 2024 planning committee meeting

In this episode, we detour from miniatures to chat to Marc Rodrigue, Montreal-based designer of the award-winning French and Indian Wars boardgame, Bayonets and Tomahawks, published by GMT Games. We talk about Marc's abiding interest in the French and Indian War, and the design process that led to his game. Marc's also a FIW reenactor, and has some interesting insights to the perio

Mike and James chat with Roger Chrysler, a wargamer whose family history led him to a deep dive in early Ontario history and the War of 1812. Roger tells us about his family and their involvement in the war, and we do our own deep dive into the many gaming possibilities (figures, rules, scenarios, books) that this fascinating but poorly known war offers. If you aren't itching to re

Not a lot to say about this one except to wish a very Merry Christmas to our listeners, and hoping to have more for you in the new year. Cheers from Mike and James.

In Episode 20, Mike and James speak with Glenn Pearce, the Dean of Canadian Napoleonic Wargaming. Glenn is the mastermind behind what may be the oldest Napoleonic miniature wargaming group in the world, based out of Toronto, Ontario. Glenn describes how he and his group made a big decision to go small and only game with 6mm figures. We also discuss Glenn's work with Baccus as a rul

After a two month absence, which is explained in tedious detail, CWP is back. No guest this month, just Mike and James having a long overdue natter and catchup. We talk about the Amazon pseudo-Silmarillion series Rings of Power, and whether it will have any influence on wargaming in Middle Earth. Those who know James will know that he has strong opinions. Will Games Workshop offer

In the first and longest part of the podcast, Mike speaks with Dr. Robert C. Engen, a Canadian military historian and educator with a passion for wargames. I spoke with Robert while he's between jobs. Until recently, he used wargames to teach operational process and planning to mid-career officers at the Canadian Forces Staff College in Toronto, and will be soon be on his way to te