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Your hosts James and Mike, with the occasional guest, look at the Canadian wargames scene. We're interested in miniature wargaming, board (hex and counter) games, and how Canadian military history inspires some of our projects. We hope to help tell the stories of a small but dynamic hobby scene in a big country.
Episodes
Saturday Apr 13, 2024
Saturday Apr 13, 2024
<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 just before Easter and of which James is justifiably proud of his team. You can find his wrap-up of this year’s show at his blog: https://rabbitsinmybasement.blogspot.com/2024/03/hot-lead-2024-lots-of-pictures-and-video.html
Some further Hot Lead bits in this segment:
We talk about naval wargaming, and the new WW1 rules by local boy Andrew Dobbie: https://www.dobbieshobbies.net/
Model Builders Supply was not at Hot Lead this year but they sell great terrain (I love their trees) and you could buy the business! Check it out: https://modelbuilderssupply.com/
Also thanks to Hot Lead we got morbid and talked about war-games estate sales, since you can’t take it with you: http://madpadrewargames.blogspot.com/2024/03/an-estate-sale-rules-haul-and-bit-of.html
In the middle of the podcast, we talk about 18th century wargaming, starting off with Mike’s report on his first attempts with Henry Hyde’s horse and musket rules, Shot, Steel and Stone. For more on Mike’s thoughts, see: http://madpadrewargames.blogspot.com/2024/03/first-thoughts-on-henry-hydes-shot.html
We also discussed other 18th century rules we want to play more of, including Keith Flint’s Honours of War which gets good reviews from everyone who’s played it: https://www.ospreypublishing.com/ca/honours-of-war-9781472808097/
As well as Twilight of the Soldier Kings which I think is available for purchase on Amazon.
If you have thoughts about these rules, let us know please.
We also talk about ancient Romans, books vs PDFs (James is a print guy), James’ charming obsession with the Quar and Mike’s eagerness to try General D’Armee 2 from Reisswitz Press.
Finally we look ahead to some upcoming war-games shows in Ontario:
Ragnarok is more RPG and SF focused than Hot Lead but it’s in nearby Kitchener and worth supporting, April 20 and 21. See https://www.ragnarokxp.com/
Our friends in Hamilton are organizing a more war-games oriented event in Niagara Fallson Saturday May 4: https://allevents.in/niagara falls/dice-days-at-the-niagara-military-museum/200026103613028#google_vignette
We leave you with a quiz:
Who is the best movie Napoleon?
Is it:
Ian Holm (Time Bandits)
Ian Holm (Time Bandits)
OR
Ian Holm (Time Bandits)
Cheers and thanks for listening.
Write to us:
Mike: madpadre@gmail.com
James: jamesmanto@gmail.com
Blogs:
www.madpadrewargames.blogspot.com
www.rabbitsinmybasment.blogspot.com
On Bluesky:
Sunday Oct 15, 2023
Sunday Oct 15, 2023
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 I'll be as surprised listening to this as you will be. Hopefully we all enjoy it.
Thursday Jun 29, 2023
Thursday Jun 29, 2023
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 episode, James and I had a terrific time chatting with Wendy about this particular game, what we didn't know at the time, and how the game went. Wendy talks about managing a game of this scale as the referee, and offers some thoughts on what how to run a KS for those interested in such a venture. She also discusses her experience as a combat veteran and how her military service has influenced her gaming and game design.
Notes About Our Guest:
http://wendydewolfe.blogspot.com/
Wendy's report on her KS game:
James' report on Wendy's KS game: http://rabbitsinmybasement.blogspot.com/2023/06/rabbitman-lost-in-fog-of-war.html
Wendy's Contributions to the CWP Virtual Library:
Donald E Graves, Redcoats and Grey Jackets, The Battle of Chippawa (Dundurn Press, 1966)
Marc Milner, Stopping the Panzers (University Press of Kansas, 2017)
Other Things What We Mentioned:
Andrew Field, Grouchy's Waterloo: The Battles of Ligny and Wavre (Pen and Sword 2017)
Zombiesmith and Quar: https://zombiesmith.com/
All Things Quar: https://rhyfler.com/
Ottomans by The Assailt Group: https://theassaultgroup.co.uk/product-category/renaissance/ottoman/
Event Horizons hobby store, Midland, ON: https://www.eventhorizonhobbies.com/
Warlord Games, Black Powder: https://us.warlordgames.com/collections/rules-books/black-powder
Warlord Games, Hail Caesar: https://us.warlordgames.com/collections/rules-books/hail-caesar
Upcoming Gaming Events in Ontario: https://mustcontainminis.com/ontario-miniature-gaming-conventions
Our Guest Wendy's Choice for PlayOut Music: Light of Foot, Dismounted March of the Royal Canadian Dragoons: https://youtu.be/9f_HaWp_llk
Tuesday Apr 11, 2023
Tuesday Apr 11, 2023
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, but Lord knows who's still listening by then!
Friday Mar 17, 2023
Friday Mar 17, 2023
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 period from portraying a soldier of the Franche de la marine. Marc's current projects include an interesting looking WW2 armour game, reflecting his love of tanks, and some other fascinating projects.
After we said au revoir to Marc, James and I chatted about the ups and downs (and legalities) of 3D printing, getting ready for Hot Lead in less than two week's time, playing Napoleon in a tactical game, James' initial thoughts on Osprey's new SF rules, Xenos Rampant, and an early look at Sam Mustafa's Nimitz, along with some opinions as to why destroyers are cool.
Links to things we discussed:
Marc
Bayonets and Tomahawks: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-978-bayonets-tomahawks-2nd-printing.aspx
B&T on BGG: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/206509/bayonets-tomahawks
Academy Games: 1754 FIW game: https://www.academygames.com/pages/1754
FIW reenactors in Montreal: https://atmmontreal.com/en/who-are-we/
Other Stuff:
Nimitz by Sam Mustafa: https://sammustafa.com/nimitz
Xenos Rampant by Osprey Publishing: https://ospreypublishing.com/ca/xenos-rampant-9781472852366/
Marc's Book Contributions to the CWP Virtual Library:
Peter McLeod, Backs to the Wall: the Battle of Sainte-Foy and the Conquest of Canada, https://www.amazon.ca/Backs-Wall-Battle-Sainte-Foy-Conquest-ebook/dp/B01LX5EN7P/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1PVU4K375ZT6A&keywords=backs+to+the+wall+the+siege+of+quebec&qid=1679105042&s=digital-text&sprefix=backs+to+the+wall+the+siege+of+quebec%2Cdigital-text%2C76&sr=1-1
Peter MacLeod: Northern Armageddon: the Battle of the Plains of Abraham and the Making of the American Revolution ,https://www.amazon.ca/Northern-Armageddon-Peter-MacLeod-author/dp/1101973501
Fred Anderson: Crucible of War: The Seven Years and the Fate of Empire in British North America, 1754-1766, https://www.amazon.ca/Crucible-War-British-America-1754-1766/dp/0375706364
David Preston: Braddock's Defeat: The Battle of the Monongahela and the Road to Revolution, https://www.amazon.ca/Braddocks-Defeat-Battle-Monongahela-Revolution/dp/0190658517
Closing Music: Aupres de ma blonde, sung by Olivia Chaney, https://youtu.be/lY2izR3fN_U
Contact Us (We Love Hearing From You!):
Canadian Wargamer Podcast Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/canadianwargamerpodcast
Mike: madpadre@gmail.com
@MarshalLuigi
www.madpadrewargames.blogspot.com
James:
@JamesManto4
www.rabbitsinmybasement.blogspot.com
Wednesday Jan 18, 2023
Wednesday Jan 18, 2023
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 refight Queenston Heights or Lundy's Lane after listening to this, we don't know what's wrong with you.
Also, we chat with Kevin Jacobi, one of the partners behind Six Squared Studios in St. Catherines, ON. Started as a labour of love, these guys cut their teeth cutting and selling MDF bases and slowly built a business that now includes a well thought out bricks and mortar store. Did someone say road trip? It's wine country, so the wife should approve ...
Six Squared Studios:
https://6-squared-studios.shoplightspeed.com
Board Game Maniacs interview with Six Squared:
Stuff We Mentioned
Hamilton area gaming stores:
Hamilton Hobby Specialties, Kenilworth Ave. Tistaminis, Parkdale Avenue,
Black Knight Games Mohawk and Upper Ottawa, Dundas Valley Hobbies, King Street Dundas.
Roger's Books for the CWP Virtual Library:
Novel : The Bloody Boy, Doug Thomas, Keltoi Publishing, 2001. 49th Light Company soldier, Queenston, York, Stoney Creek, Beaver Dams, Crysler’s Farm.
Field of Glory, Donald E Graves, Robin Brass Studios, Chateauguay and Crysler’s Farm. 1999
The Civil War of 1812. American Citizens, British Subjects, Irish Rebels, & Indian Allies. Alan Taylor, Vintage Books. 2010
The Gun, Death to the French (Rifleman Dodd) C.S. Forrester
Contact Us (We Love Hearing From You!):
Canadian Wargamer Podcast Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/canadianwargamerpodcast
Mike: madpadre@gmail.com
@MarshalLuigi
www.madpadrewargames.blogspot.com
James:
@JamesManto4
www.rabbitsinmybasement.blogspot.com
Friday Dec 23, 2022
Friday Dec 23, 2022
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.
Monday Dec 12, 2022
Monday Dec 12, 2022
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 rules writer, with one set (Ruse de Guerre) published and another on WW2 divisional plus battles in the early stages. In the second half, James and I talk about a new Napoleonic STL Kickstarter, as well as how darn needy Austrian armies can be.
Our Guest:
Glenn Pearce, Napoleonic Miniatures War-game Society of Toronto:
https://www.facebook.com/Napoleonic-Miniatures-Wargame-Society-of-Toronto-100470888212245/
Glenn's Ruse de Guerre rules:
https://www.facebook.com/Napoleonic-Miniatures-Wargame-Society-of-Toronto-100470888212245/
https://www.wargamevault.com/product/206835/Polemos-Ruse-de-Guerre
George Jeffreys, Variable Length Bound Wargaming:
Glenn's Contributions to Our Virtual Library:
Cowpens 1781: Turning Point of the American Revolution, by Ed and Catherine Gilbert https://www.amazon.ca/Cowpens-1781-Turning-American-Revolution/dp/1472807464/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3EGB5647J9VO1&keywords=cowpens+ed+and+catherine+gilbert&qid=1670877727&s=books&sprefix=cowpens+ed+and+catherine+gilbert%2Cstripbooks%2C88&sr=1-1
Jon Hodgson backdrops:
https://www.patreon.com/jonhodgsonmaps
Lucas Luber, Alps Aflame Kickstarter:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/pianowargames/the-alps-aflame
Piano Wargames:
https://pianowargames.de
Closing Music:
Blue Bonnets Over the Border (Quick March of the Toronto Scottish Regiment)
https://youtu.be/j-gaPwPAU7g
Contact Us (We Love Hearing From You!):
Canadian Wargamer Podcast Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/canadianwargamerpodcast
Mike: madpadre@gmail.com
@MarshalLuigi
www.madpadrewargames.blogspot.com
James:
@JamesManto4
www.rabbitsinmybasement.blogspot.com
Monday Oct 31, 2022
Monday Oct 31, 2022
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 Rings of Power, oooops, sorry, Second Age figures? No matter, gamers have tons of options for ME suitable figures. James talks about his new Conqueror dwarves like Durin exulting over mithril, and some of his newest recruits (Oathmark, etc) in his Host of the Rohirrim. Jams also offers some thoughts on Lion Rampant 2nd Ed.
Mike talks about his move and a new job, a hobby slump, and maybe starting a gaming group in a new town from scratch. Mike hasn't painted much lately, but has backed some SYW 3D Kickstarters from our friends at Tundra Works and Henry Turner.
We spend the last third of the podcast chatting about the books we've read lately, and James anticipates his trip to LardEh 3 in Hamilton which is long in the past by the time this is published. From what we've seen of James' Twitter feed since then, it was a good time.
Stuff we reference:
Conqueror Models Dwarves: https://conquerormodels.com/product-category/28mm-fantasy/dwarfs/
Lion Rampant Version 2 Rules: https://ospreypublishing.com/lion-rampant-second-edition?___store=osprey_ca
Books:
James D. Hornfischer, Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors, https://www.amazon.ca/Last-Stand-Tin-Sailors-Extraordinary/dp/0553381482
James Holland, Brothers in Arms: One Legendary Tank Regiment's Bloody War From D-Day to VE-Day https://www.amazon.ca/Brothers-Arms-James-Holland/dp/0802159087/ref=sr_1_1?gclid=Cj0KCQjwnvOaBhDTARIsAJf8eVM7hxW5cF3nyo0PMpm-bo9dveH7aJxN5hT8JiqXvRoJQPG20ViAEo8aAvWYEALw_wcB&hvadid=549311616473&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9000890&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=925040391481924233&hvtargid=kwd-1438570923992&hydadcr=13567_9588741&keywords=brothers+in+arms+james+holland&qid=1667091767&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjg3IiwicXNhIjoiMC43MCIsInFzcCI6IjAuNTkifQ%3D%3D&sr=8-1
Andrew Field, Grouchy’s Waterloo: The Battles of Ligny and Wavre https://www.amazon.ca/Grouchys-Waterloo-Battles-Ligny-Wavre-ebook/dp/B0727LVGBL
Humphrey Carpenter, J. R. R. Tolkien: A Biography https://www.amazon.ca/J-R-Tolkien-Biography/dp/0008207771
Contact Us (We Love Hearing From You!):
Canadian Wargamer Podcast Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/canadianwargamerpodcast
Mike: madpadre@gmail.com
@MarshalLuigi
www.madpadrewargames.blogspot.com
James:
@JamesManto4
www.rabbitsinmybasement.blogspot.com
Sunday Aug 14, 2022
Sunday Aug 14, 2022
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 teach the same thing to the Australian military. The same job, Robert tells me, only upside down.
Robert and I had a wide-ranging discussion about hobby wargaming (he is one of us!) and wargames used as part of Professional Military Education, both in the history of Canada's military and today. We talked about the similarities and differences between hobby and professional wargames, as well as whether war-games are predictive (often they're not) or better used to teach decision making and process. Our conversation included the classic game Diplomacy, Operation Husky (Sicily 1943), Taiwan, and the current war in Ukraine. We didn't even get to Robert's considerable body of work on the Canadian Army in World War Two, so we'll have to invite him back to discuss that.
In the Canadian Content Corner, James and I speak with Morgan Drawson of Tundra Works, a Canadian miniatures producer whose Kickstarter just went live today. Tundra Works offers an interesting line of 18mm Lace Wars figures, and their project is connected to a wider project of introducing campus gamers to historical miniatures (we discussed that project with Cynthia Jing some months ago). It's an ambitious project, we we wish them luck. Their KS info is below.
Our Guest Dr. Robert C. Engen
Dr. Engen's Website: http://robertengen.ca
Dr. Engen's Books:
Canadians Under Fire: Infantry Effectiveness in the Second World War (McGill Queens 2009): https://www.amazon.ca/Canadians-Under-Fire-Infantry-Effectiveness/dp/0773536264/ref=sr_1_1?crid=23HUU3VZA2YX2&keywords=robert+engen&qid=1660443658&sprefix=robert+engen%2Caps%2C215&sr=8-1
Strangers in Arms: Combat Motivation in the Canadian Army, 1943-1945 (McGill Queens 2016).
With Matthew Barrett:
Through Their Eyes: A Graphic History of Hill 70 and Canada's First World War (McGill Queens 2022).
Our Guest Morgan Drawson
TundraWorks Lace Wars Kickstarter:
Also Mentioned:
6 Squared Studios: https://6squaredstudios.ca
6 Squared on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/6squaredstudios/
Contact Us (We Love Hearing From You!):
Canadian Wargamer Podcast Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/canadianwargamerpodcast
Mike: madpadre@gmail.com
@MarshalLuigi
www.madpadrewargames.blogspot.com
James:
@JamesManto4
www.rabbitsinmybasement.blogspot.com