Mentioned In Dispatches

7 February 2025 ~ click to really enlarge Brant & Mike are joined by Ardwulf, and Bill is back again, to talk about the classic quadrigames from SPI, and their later evolutions through TSR and Decision Games, as well as other emulations of the form by Compass Games, GMT, and others. We talk about the history of the games and the designers who were ‘trained’ on quads

31 January 2025 ~ Kicking off our 14th season with episode 164! Brant is joined by Keith Tracton and Tim Densham, a pair of designers who were also GMs for our most recent ArmChair Dragoons Digital Convention (The ACDC). We talk about how this year’s ACDC shook out and what they enjoyed during the show and what could’ve been improved. We compare digital conventions to i

6 December 2024 ~ Brant & Mike are joined by Jim & Bill to talk about all the things for which we are thankful in the world of wargaming and our wider hobby ecosphere. Let’s talk about conventions, content creators, how technology has changed wargaming, and more. Chime in below, or in our forums, and let us know what you are thankful for in the wargaming world!  

29 November 2024 ~ Over Veteran’s Day weekend, a bunch of wargamers gathered in San Diego, where they started each morning by scraping 3 inches of sunshine off their windshields before cruising over to the Portuguese Hall for several full days of games, panels, interviews, special events, and other general frivolity at SDHISTCON. So join Brant has he chats with Grant from Pus

22 November 2024 ~ It’s time to blast off to the outer reaches of strategy gaming as we spend some time discussing 4X games that are set in space. Brant & Mike are joined by Sam and a different Mike to talk about gameplay in 4X games, classic tropes, processor power, and more Sam’s also been playing the latest DLC for Distant Worlds 2 from Slitherine Games – R

15 November 2024 ~ We’re back to computer wargaming, as we pick up where we left off and start shifting up in echelon away from tactical to operational and strategic level games. This isn’t some “all-time top 10” or anything; it’s just games we’ve enjoyed over the years and some commentary on them, from ancients to modern, and everywhere in betwe

8 November 2024 ~ Ian and Mike2 join Brant to talk about the ‘aha!’ moments of wargaming in military classrooms, what games they’ve used for different purposes, and wargame interfaces, among plenty of other things. Some links & Info Ian’s #ManeuverWarfare and the essay he references in the episode Lessons learned from playtesting at Origins Orange Crush

1 November 2024 ~ Let’s talk digits! Bryan and Gus join the show to talk about some of their favorite computer games over the past 20-25 years, with a focus on this show starting at the tactical level and drifting slightly into the operational level of combat. We cover a lot of different ground as we tackle Battletech and the Russo-Japanese War and vampires and WW2 and the Al

25 October 2024 ~ Is there a positive word for “browbeating”? How mad should your opponents be when you blow up the city block that they’re occupying? How much table space is too much, too little, or just right? Brant & Mike are joined by Fall Assembly attendees Rocky and Bill to talk about what they enjoyed, what needs improvement, and what they learned. You

18 October 2024 ~ Brant, Mike, Bryan, and not Gary talk about things that contribute FOMO in wargaming, and how FOMO has applied to their own gaming acquisitions. Which companies create that “fear of missing out” among their customers? How does crowdfunding contribute? Where are there games that are perpetually available and never really create any sort of FOMO? What ab