Homo Ludens Podcast

Don't call it a comeback 'cause they've always been here, the boys are finally starting 1863! This episode the lads dive into the Civil War's longest battle, playing 2022's Give Us Victories, an Italian design courtesy of Sergio Schiavi. What will they think of this bespoke take on Chancellorsville, how will it compare to their previous outing in Rebel Fury, and will Stuart man...

After a hiatus where Stuart took up his new position as Homo Lodens Eastern Correspondent, we're back with another installment of We Intend to Move on Your Works! This episode the gang are reaching back in time to the distant past of the mid-1990s to play the John Prados' design Army of the Heartland. We're also jumping back in the narrative of the podcast to pick up where we left off...

The gang has finally reached the end of 1862 (in Virginia at least) with Ambrose Burnside's ill fated turn at the head of the Army of the Potomac, as depicted in the new hotness that is Mark Herman's Rebel Fury. It promises dynamic movement and a new take on ACW combat, all in a simple quick playing ruleset. As fans of the C3i game Gettysburg that Rebel Fury builds on, will Pierre and Stuart enjoy...

In this episode of the Homo Ludens podcast, we bring you a collective review of Plantagenet , the latest game in Volko Ruhnke's Levy & Campaign Series, designed by Francisco Gradaille and published by GMT Games. Our Discord server members—supporters of the show—learned and played this intricate medieval wargame and now share their thoughts on the strategies, historical depth, and gameplay expe...

We’re Back to Berg baby! After a mixed experience crossing the mountains, the boys are trying one of Berg’s takes on Antietam, arguably the most influential battle of the American Civil War. Originally published in 1995, the same year as the first GMT edition of Three Days of Gettysburg which would spawn the modern era of GBACW, and substantially revised in 2002, Glory is a light hex and counter f...

Stonewall Jackson has had his way, and now, thanks to the recovery of some lost orders, the boys are in Maryland fighting over a couple of gaps in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Can Stuart break through the rebel lines or will he suffer the ignominious fate of performing worse than McClellan did? Listen on to hear what they think about this John Poniske design on the Battle of South Mountain, its Rick...

This episode the gang are headed back to Manassas along Stonewall Jackson's Way (2), part of the venerable Great Campaigns of the American Civil War. Will they roll high enough to get there? Can they manage their fatigue? And most of all, do they like it enough to pay the cost? Listen to find out!

Having finally reached the end of the second day, the gang emerges from the woods of Shiloh battered but miraculously still alive. For the second time they pushed some blocks around and rolled some dice, and compare Columbia's take on Shiloh with the games they have played before. Do wooden components make for the best woods? Which Shiloh game did Pierre and Stuart like best? Answers to these...

It is once again April 1862 and Pierre and Stuart are lost in the woods near Shiloh Church. This time it is with the far less complex Shiloh 1862 from Worthington Publishing. How will they fair with naught but eight pages of rules to guide them? Will Stuart get extremely angry about the woods again? Was Albert Sidney Johnston's death a turning point in the war? Listen to find out as the deep d...

The boys decided to take a break from their chronological playthrough and mark the 160th anniversary of Gettysburg with a game about James Longstreet. Unfortunately, they got a little carried away and are still recovering from their wounds - Pierre insists the amputation was unnecessary but this podcast adheres to only the highest standards of historical accuracy. After some delay, please enjoy ou...

In this episode things heat up as the team takes an extra spicy look at the venerable giant of American Civil War gaming: Great Battles of the American Civil War. The discussion centers primarily on the latest entry in the series, Into the Woods, which covers the Battle of Shiloh in early 1862, but addresses many parts of the series as a whole (at least in its most recent incarnation). Includes fr...

Episode 4: Montreal's Revenge sees the return of Alexandre as host while the boys discuss Amabel Holland's intriguing hex and counter game, Seven Pines; or, Fair Oaks. Amabel brings her trademark creativity and love of brittle design to this treatment to the largest battle in the Virginia theater to date, and the one that would unintentionally give Robert E. Lee his command. There's ob...

In this spin-off series, a southerner and two Frenchmen play through the American Civil War in approximately chronological order, discussing the Lost Cause and how wargames have chosen to portray what is arguably the United States' most significant war as they play each game. For this episode we're keeping things operational with the Late Unpleasantness by Steve Ruwe. Pierre and Stuart pla...

A Homo Ludens podcast exclusive episode where we talk about somewhat historical board games related stuff we read, watched and play in April 2023 and collectively review our game of the month: Polis, an intriguing euro-wargame on the Peloponnesian War. Part 1: 00:00 - cultural debrief with Joe Dewhurst. Watched: White Noise, Banshees of Inisherin, The first Cow, Aloners etc... Played: Frosthaven,...

In this new series, a southerner and two Frenchmen play through the American Civil War in approximately chronological order, discussing the Lost Cause and how wargames have chosen to portray what is arguably the United States' most significant war as they play each game. Joined by Fred, Original Flavour, Stuart and Pierre journey to scenic western Virginia to replay Thomas "Stonewall&quot...

In this new series, a southerner and two Anglo-Frenchmen play through the American Civil War in approximately chronological order, discussing the Lost Cause and how wargames have chosen to portray what is arguably the United States' most significant war as they play each game. For the fist episode, Stuart and Pierre will talk about Manassas, a board game created by Rick Britton and published b...

A Homo Ludens podcast exclusive episode where we talk about somewhat wargame related stuff we read, watched and play in December 2022. Part 1: 00:00 - cultural debrief with Joe Dewhurst. Watched: Jason Part 2, Glass Onion, The Green Knight, The Menu... Played: Brian Boru, Baltic Empires, Mind MGMT, Nicaea, War Chest...  Interlude: 42:03 Friday the 13th Part II Theme Part 2: 43:43 - Collective...

A Homo Ludens podcast exclusive episode where we talk about somewhat wargame related stuff we did in October and November 2022. Part 1: 00:00 - discussion about things we watched, read and played for those two months, with Joe Dewhurst. Watched: Glitch, Wednesday, Pinocchio, Andor... Played: John Company, SpaceCorp, The British Way, Unmatched... Interlude: 01:00:25 Jazz Emu - The True Meaning of t...

A Homo Ludens podcast exclusive episode where we talk about somewhat wargame related stuff we did this September of 2022. Part 1: 00:00 - discussion about things we watched, read and played in September with Joe Dewhurst.  Movies discussed: Split Second, Pierrot le fou... Games discussed: People Power, Here I Stand, CONSIM Game Jam, Star Wars Rebellion, Die Macher. Interlude: 51:22 MF Doom -...

A Homo Ludens podcast exclusive episode where we talk about wargame related stuff we did in summer of 2022. Part 1: 00:00 - Summer debrief discussion about things we watched, read and played with Joe Dewhurst Games discussed: Bayonets & Tomahawks, Wilderness Wars, Brian Boru, Combat Commander, Ahoy, Pax Pamir, Pax Viking, Pax Renaissance, Turncoats Interlude: 54:26 Georges Delerue - Capri Part...

Podcast exclusive episode where we talk about wargame related stuff that we did in June. Part 1: 00:00 - June debrief discussion about the channel's content past and future, things we watched, read and played with Joe Dewhurst Games discussed: Iron Storm, Watergate, Crescent Moon, Caesar!, The British Way, Heroes of Normandy, Interlude: 40:02 Derrick (Theme) - Orchester Les Humphries Part 2: 46:31...

Podcast exclusive episode where we talk about wargame related stuff that we did in May. Part 1: 00:00 - May debrief discussion about the channel, things we watched, read and played with Joe Dewhurst Games discussed: Arcs, Sovereign of Discord, Triumph & Tragedy, Conquest & Consequence, Baltic Empires, Nevsky, And an update about Consim Game Jam! Interlude: 43:56 MC5 - Kickout the Jam Part...

First podcast exclusive episode where we talk about wargame related stuff that we did in April. Part 1: 00:00 - April log about the channel, things we watched, read and played With Joe Dewhurst Games discussed: Le jeu de le guerre Fire in the Lake Hands in the sea 1960 making of a president The Great Zimbabwe Shores of Tripoli Root and the new expansion Interlude: 35:30 George Washington - TheReal...

Second part of the discussion about Card Driven Games, one of the most popular modern families of wargames, with legendary designers: - Mark Herman: CDG pioneer, designer of Empire of The Sun, Churchill, and so many more - Jason Matthews: making CDGs go beyond traditional wargames with games such as Twilight Struggle or 1960 Making of a President - Volko Ruhnke: known for his COIN series but also...

Card Driven Games is one of the most popular modern families of wargames. From We The People to Twilight Struggle, those games cover a wide range of scales and historical situations. I invited 3 of the most influential designer of CDGs to discuss the history of CDG, its current state and the future that they see for those games.   - Mark Herman: CDG pioneer, designer of Empire of The Sun, Chu...