Little Wars FM

In this third installment of our "How to Write a Wargame" series, Tom & Greg delve into the heart of game design. Today's episode is a long, detailed discussion between two veteran designers on how to structure the turn sequence and how the mechanics of play should unfold. This discussion touches on movement, firing, combat, morale, and every aspect of a wargame. For most developers, this is the m...

In part two of our homebrew rule series, Greg seeks out a hobby expert to offer insight on the American War of Independence. Jim Purkey of Fife & Drum Miniatures joins the show to help! What role did artillery play in this conflict? How common were skirmishers? Why were causalities in the battles so low when compared to the later Napoleonic Wars? These are just a few of the questions discussed in...

Writing your own wargame is a time honored tradition in this hobby. Maybe you have a brand new idea for something innovative, or maybe you and your friends have been adding innocent "house rules" to tweak an existing game. Eventually, those house rules could evolve into something very different from the original. In this multi-part podcast series, we follow two veteran game designers on a journey...

Little Wars FM is joined today by Troy, who you probably know as "Sonic Sledgehammer Studio." We have a fantastic chat about his miniature painting YouTube channel. Why is he called Sonic Sledgehammer and how has the channel grown so quickly? We ask Troy about his painting process and how his style has evolved both as a painter and a YouTube video editor. We talk about his favorite scale to paint,...

In this episode of Little Wars FM, Tom & Greg talk about the challenge of designing historical scenarios. These battles are rarely "equal" or fair, which presents a scenario designer with a variety of problems to solve. How to you make a lopsided historical engagement like Antietam fun and winnable for both sides? Tom & Greg go through a series of case studies to discuss examples where a certain s...

This week on Little Wars FM, Tom and Greg sit down with legendary game designer Volko Ruhnke. Published by GMT Games, his innovative COIN series includes popular titles Fire in the Lake, Andean Abyss, and many more. We talk about inspiration for new project, his rule design process, and what he's working on next. Then we ask Volko to look into his crystal ball and forecast future trends in board g...

Little Wars FM talks to the creator of an annual, international painting event--the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge. Curt Campbell shares the origins of the idea, how it works, and why some playful peer pressure might just be the motivation we all need to tackle the mountain of unpainted miniatures on our desks. But even if you don't want to join in the event yourself, you can still go to the...

Today on Little Wars FM Greg interviews Matthew from Miniwargaming, one of the oldest and largest miniature tabletop gaming channels on YouTube. Back in 2007 when Matthew and Dave started their channel, YouTube was in its infancy and their decision to build a professional business around video content for wargaming was a huge leap of faith. Over a decade later, they've grown exponentially and blaz...

It's a "back to school special" in the latest episode of Little Wars FM as Steve sits down to talk with high school history teacher Jared Fishman of the Hackley School! Jared is a long-time wargamer who integrates historical wargaming, simulations and role-playing into his own curriculum and sees colleagues increasingly doing the same. Now, with the support of the Historical Miniature Gaming Socie...

We talk to Phil Smith, the head of Osprey Games, about the future of wargaming and how he sees the tabletop hobby evolving. How does Osprey develop new games? Why are there so many skirmish wargames these days? What's his favorite Osprey Game that doesn't get enough attention? In ten years will all rule books be "digital only?" We explore all these topics in more with Phil Smith. Enjoy the show! ...

In this quick introduction to the show, we'll briefly explain why we started Little Wars FM, what you can expect to hear on the show, and how frequently new episodes will air. This is a premium podcast supported by our patrons. and if you enjoy the sampling of episodes we make public, we encourage you to visit us on Patreon for access to every episode available! This show is a companion podcast to...