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Episodes
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
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
Sunday Jul 17, 2022
Sunday Jul 17, 2022
We're back for Episode 17 of CWP and we're chuffed that we are now over 5000 downloads. Of course, we have no idea how many of those downloads led to people wiping their hard drives after listening to us for a few minutes, but 5k is 5k, and we'll take it. Our gratitude to all of you who listen to the podcast and who tell their friends about us.
In this Episode, James and I managed despite a spotty Zoom connection to speak with Thomas Moore whose out in Whiterock, near Vancouver, British Columbia. Thomas' Twitter bio describes him as "Amateur Historian, Wargamer, Painter, Mpdeller, Voracious Reader, RCN Vet, NFL Seattle Seahawks Fan". All of those things are true. We would add that Thomas is possibly the nicest guy on wargaming Twitter, always a voice of encouragement and enthusiasm, and never a snarky or sarcastic word from his keyboard. We could all learn from him. OK, we could. Well, James, mostly.
We talked about Thomas' time in the Royal Canadian Navy as Cadet and Reservist, back when they let cadets do fun and really dangerous things, and about his wargaming career. Thomas had us salivating as he described the gaming group of true grognards he plays with in Whiterock, British Columbia, and we were both considering emigrating there before the end of the interview. Yes, he did say that one member of his group has 100,000 figures!
Also, have you ever valued your wargames and mini collection? No? Well, you should, because Thomas talks about how he and his wife Rita put their lives, and his hobby, back together after a fire in their apartment building. It's a sobering story, and on we could all learn from.
In the Canadian Content Corner, we speak with Thomas about his Twitter project of documenting Canadian military history in WW2 through his choosing photographs from the National Library. This salon is reason to follow his Twitter feed. Also in the CCC, as we're now calling it, we talk about finding, identifying, and laying to rest Canadian soldiers of the Great War, as well as long overdue honours to the African-Canadians of No. 2 Construction Battalion.
Our Guest
Thomas on Twitter: @Medical_Int
Mentioned: Wargamer's Terrain webstore: http://www.wargamersterrain.com
Thomas' Book Choices for our Virtual Library:
Brent Nosworthy: The Bloody Crucible of Courage: Fighting Methods and Combat Experience of the American Civil War. https://www.amazon.ca/Bloody-Crucible-Courage-Fighting-Experience-ebook/dp/B00359EV94/ref=sr_1_2?crid=7ODVTWKXCWC3&keywords=brent+nosworthy+american+civil+war&qid=1658021779&sprefix=brent+nosworthy+american+civil+war%2Caps%2C99&sr=8-2
James Holland, Brothers in Arms: One Legendary Tank Regiment's Bloody War from D-Day to VE Day. https://www.amazon.ca/Brothers-Arms-Legendary-Regiments-V-ebook/dp/B08YS123SZ/ref=sr_1_1?gclid=CjwKCAjww8mWBhABEiwAl6-2Rbfv2LB1MddqquSvCBt7AFMSZUd5AW8Tt4DDD6VJju4TS1EtuZwdzRoCAqIQAvD_BwE&hvadid=549311616473&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9000801&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=9174794733792679732&hvtargid=kwd-1438570923992&hydadcr=13567_9588741&keywords=brothers+in+arms+james+holland&qid=1658021686&sr=8-1
John English, The Canadian Army in the Normandy Campaign, A Study of Failure in High Command (1991).
Our Closing March:
In honour of our guest, Heart of Oak from the Naden Band of the Royal Canadian Navy.
Canadian Content Corner
Pte John Lambert (The Newfoundland Regiment) identified and buried with military honours: https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/services/military-history/history-heritage/casualty-identification-military/Private-John-Lambert.html
Burial Service of Unidentified Member of the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles, Loos Commonwealth Cemetery: https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/events/burial-service-for-an-unknown-soldier-of-the-5th-canadian-mounted-rifles-and-two-unknown-soldiers-of-unknown-regiments-will-be-held-at-cwgc-s-loos-british-cemetery-france/
Dr. Sarah Lockyer on Twitter: @S_Lockyer
No. 2 Construction Battalion National Apology: https://youtu.be/RDLetn8eRAA
No 2 Construction Battalion History: https://www.no2-cef.ca/history/
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 Jun 15, 2022
Wednesday Jun 15, 2022
In the first half, we convene a bona fide panel of some of our favourite grognards to talk about a burning question, why are there so many Napoleonic rules sets out there, with more arriving every year, and why are they still being written?
The conversation focuses on Naps, but could easily be ported to a discussion about ancients, WW2, etc. At the very least, what should we legitimately expect of a new rules set? Is it a vanity project, published by someone who simply doesn't like other peoples' games, or does it offer some new mechanism or insight? Should wargames authors at the very least have to tell us what are the assumptions behind their rules? It's a fascinating, lively and wide ranging conversation.
In the second half, James and Mike natter about Napoleonic wagon and artillery parks and how logistics never goes out of style, DBA as a guide to understanding the ancient world, and some of the great games to be seen at LardEh in May.
Our Guests:
Tom Castanos, Anything But a One Podcast: https://www.podbean.com/podcast-detail/nax6w-dfdf2/Anything-But-a-One%21-Adventures-in-Historical-Miniature-Wargaming-Podcast
Jim Owczarski ( @TheGascon )
https://www.armchairdragoons.com/podcast/
Jim's YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP6hA1_EvjQQGYdlMGLoYfA
Glenn Pearce, Napoleonic Miniatures War-game Society of Toronto:
https://www.facebook.com/Napoleonic-Miniatures-Wargame-Society-of-Toronto-100470888212245/
Don Perrin:
Books Mentioned:
Nigel Stillman and Nigel Tallis, Armies of the Ancient Near East, 3000 BC - 539 BC, WRG 1984 (OOP)
Arthur W. Gullachsen, An Army of Never-Ending Strength: Reinforcing the Canadians in NW Europe, 1944-45. UBC Press, 2021.
Our Closing March:
The Great Little Army (Quick March of the Canadian Army).
https://youtu.be/SVPj_yBLw1M
Contact Us:
Canadian Wargamer Podcast Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/canadianwargamerpodcast
Mike: madpadre@gmail.com
@MarshalLuigi
www.madpadrewargames.blogspot.com
James:
@JamesManto4
Tuesday May 10, 2022
Tuesday May 10, 2022
It's been over a month since we published Ep 14, so here's TWO AND A HALF HOURS of nonsense and yakking to make up for our absence.
In the first half, we talk to Montreal-based gamer Pierre-Yves Troel, who wowed us all in March at HotLead with his participation game of What a Cowboy, a much-anticipated western gunfight game soon to be published (we hope) from Too Fat Lardies. P-Y (Mike totally mangled his name and variously called him Y-P, P-J, and God knows what else, though our guest was too polite to say anything) talks about his gaming career, discovering the TFL community through online gaming, and his growing expertise in 3D printing. We also talked about the gaming scene in La Belle Province of Quebec.
In the second half, during our Canadian Content Corner (CCC), friend of the podcast Chris Robinson checks in to give us a update on LardEh, Canuckistan's TFL-themed gaming day returning to Hamilton, Ontario on 28 March. Chris also tells us about what he and Big Rich chatted about when Chris was a guest of the TFL Oddcast. Rounding out the CCC, Mike reports on what he's learned about how the Canadian Army faced a massive challenge training an NCO Corps from scratch in WW2. We also chat about about the Guadalcanal Campaign, about gaming WW3, James' WW3 Imaginations (Mantovia and Borduria), Mike's discovery of DBA (talk about coming late to the party) and how many figures a horse and musket unit really needs. It's a wide ranging convo, good for an extra-long painting session.
Our Guest:
Pierre-Yves on Twitter: @iwouldlike2rage
P-Y's minis and painting website: http://www.iwouldliketorage.com
P-Y's contributions to the CWP Virtual Library:
Churchill's Secret Warriors: The Explosive True Story of the Special Forces Desperadoes of WW2 by Damien Lewis. Quercus Publishing, 2014.
https://www.amazon.ca/Churchills-Secret-Warriors-Explosive-Desperadoes/dp/1848668554
Behind Japanese Lines: With the OSS in Burma by Richard Dunlop. Skyhorse Publishing, 2014.
https://www.amazon.ca/Behind-Japanese-Lines-OSS-Burma/dp/1626365385
Other Subjects Mentioned In This Podcast:
Events:
LardEh, Hamilton, May 28: https://twothreesixmm.blogspot.com/2022/03/lardehs-game-day-ii.html?fbclid=IwAR03DIVymyCg_GqCWmHkxIwb7LcUEUCQhJuLZOZg6bzh5Z4Kq-w1HGTYBm0
Frozen Lard Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/frozenlard
Books Mentioned:
Battlegroup! The Lessons of the Unfought Battles of the Cold War, by Jim Storr (Hellion, 2021).
https://www.helion.co.uk/military-history-books/battlegroup-the-lessons-of-the-unfought-battles-of-the-cold-war.php
Neptune's Inferno: The US Navy at Guadalcanal, by James D. Hornfishcher. (Bantam, 2012).
Building the Army's Backbone: Canadian Non-Commissioned Officers in the Second World War, by Andrew L. Brown (UBC Press, 2021).
https://www.ubcpress.ca/building-the-armys-backbone
George MacDonald Frazer, Quartered Safe Out There. (2007)
DBA 3.0 Rules, by Phil Barker (WRG).
https://www.amazon.ca/Bellis-Antiquitatis-Version-3-0/dp/024469768X
Our Closing March:
The Meeting of the Waters (Quick March of the Rocky Mountain Rangers), played by the band of the Royal Highland Fusiliers:
Contest:
Listen closely to the podcast for details on how to win some of Bob Murch's fabulous Cossack miniatures, proceeds go to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Fund for Ukraine.
Contact Us:
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