Chestnut Lodge Wargames Group
A film review by Richard Hands A discussion about the 2010 Russell Crowe Robin Hood came up at Virtual Chestnut on June 14th 2022, and Jim Wallman mentioned he’d just very recently seen the film, and was ‘interested’ in my perspective on it. The implication was that he hadn’t thought highly of it. I must […]
Our pre-meeting gathering on 4 June 2022 included an organ recital: problems with double vision and teeth extractions (and that was just the presenters), and the drama of turning 60 and having your students realise you are old enough to be their grandad (not applicable to either of the presenters who are now well pass […]
Just wondered how others might view this new offering on ‘experiences’: https://www.virginexperiencedays.co.uk/product/gunpowder-plot-experience-for-two-adults-two-children-peak?utm_campaign=1142818_2022-05-20_bau_gunpowder_plot&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Acorne%20Limited%20T%2FA%20Virgin%20Experience%20Days&dm_i=4SXJ,OHSY,2EZT8J,2ZVF9,1 I suppose as someone long interested in mass slaughter (i.e. warfare) I am perhaps least morally able to comment, but it does seem a bit bloody bizarre! At least it comes with a ‘Family Package’… What next, though – ‘The 9-11 Day Out […]
A few thoughts on aspects I’d be considering if I were designing a game on this topic. I’m wondering whether this needs to be a ‘gamey’ approach, not ‘real life’ – we could argue forever about the current state of play and how and why we got here and whether it’s good or bad. When […]
1300s Hundred Years’ War 1337-1453 Henry V (1989 Branagh version) (Philip Middleton) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097499/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0 During the Hundred Years War, the young King Henry V of England () embarks on the conquest of France in 1415. Henry V (1944 Olivier version) (Philip Middleton) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036910/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_8 During the Hundred Years War, the young King Henry V of […]
Jim presented The Quiet Battlefield, via an online CLWG session. He was inspired to make this game after playing The Quiet Year a game we played at the December CLWG Hybrid session. The Quiet Year is not a wargame, or a boardgame. It is perhaps more of a role-playing game, though the players do not […]
by Jim Wallman Our second year of pandemic saw quite a few attempts at replicating the CLWG experience using on-line tools and the relaxation of lockdown saw us experimenting with hybrid meetings – a non-trivial undertaking! As in real life CLWG remained somewhat chaotic, though like 2020 the year gave us multiple opportunities to learn […]
by Jim Wallman Onside report on the second CLWG Hybrid session. So for the couple of people (Jaap, Peter and Terry) who tried to join us on Sunday 7th November, thank you for your patience and apologies for the loss of contact. Having been lulled into a false sense of security at the first effort […]
I recently watched The Forgotten Battle on Netflix – a film about the Battle of the Scheldt in 1944, and we can certainly say that the title is well chosen – this battle could do with more attention, even in the Netherlands; so even if the film itself is rather forgettable (on which more later), […]
In the continuing series of games dealing with the what-if scenario where the French don’t surrender in 1940, this was a committee game dealing with the German reaction to the French continuing the war. In preparing this game, I reread a large part of Karl-Heinz Friesers’ Blitzkrieg-Legende, and I was struck again by how much […]