Chestnut Lodge Wargames Group

Fires Were Started

From Jim Wallman For our September 2023 session I monopolised everyone to take part in my operational 1940 game set in the London Blitz.  We were also pleased to have the attendance of famous board game designer Brian Train who travelled all the way from Vancourer, Canada just to play this game! The rules have […]

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Can you game serious subjects today?

Comment by Terry Martin I am talking about recreational gaming, not professional or academic gaming. Nor am I talking about the iniquities of the Netanyahu regime, the horror of the attacks on October 7, or the tragedy that has resulted in Gaza. That’s not a reason to feel depressed, it’s a reason to feel much […]

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Thai-Sho on Deck – Game by Evan D’Alessandro

Offside Report by Nick Luft Thai-Sho’s Leaving Party In no particular order, and in no particular organised way the ad hoc committee met to decide on the organisation of the Q7 Joint Allied Commander’s leaving service. It was decided. Gift A suitable deactivated Exterminator Artefact encased in transparent perspex to be encased by a transparent […]

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What is a good game designer? A CLWG Hive-Mind Response

Bees in a hive

Last week, Jim Wallman posed a question to the CLWG Hive-Mind: What, in your opinion, are the three (or four) top characteristics of a good game designer?What did the Hive-Mind decide? Contributors: Dave Boundy (DB), Rex Brynen (RB), Brian Cameron (BC), Nick Luft (NL), Peter Merritt (PM), John Rutherford (JR), Deborah Southwell (DS) A GOOD […]

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Connections UK 2023

In 2023, Connections UK, the conference for wargaming professionals, was held at Sandhurst Military Academy on 5-7 September. Due to Covid-19 lockdowns and restrictions, this was the first time I was able to attend. Needless to say, I was as excited to see and explore the building as I was to listen and participate in […]

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Women in War (Part 2)

World War I Vera Brittain Terry Martin alerted me to the World War I writings of Vera Brittain Terry tells me ‘Her WW1 writings are, I think, quite superb in both her writing and the sense of her own personal growing up as part of the ‘lost generation’. I thought I would also mention the […]

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Women in War (Part 1)

I was recently startled to hear someone say there were no effective women warriors. I thought they would at least have heard of Boudica of the Iceni, the widowed queen who became a rebel warrior leading 100,000 against the Romans in Britain so successfully that they nearly lost control of the province.So I have enjoyed […]

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Birds and Wolves: The Western Approaches Tactical Unit (WATU) wargame

Shipping Wargame Pieces

1942WATU, a newly created wargaming unit of the British Royal Navy, is tasked with developing and disseminating new tactics that would counter the successful attacks of German U-boats on trans-Atlantic merchant shipping convoys seeking to bring essential supplies to Britain. Naval escorts were provided by the British and US navies, but still, they could not […]

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Last People On Earth

onside report by Jim Wallman It has been more than 20 years since I ran a full version of Crisis in Britannia.  Much has changed since then, both in terms of the archeology and literature on the period, and my experience of game design. As part of a programme of megagames we ran for UCL […]

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Salute 50: ‘the biggest and best event they’ve ever had’

Panel of women wargamers

Over 5000 people bought tickets to help celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Salute, a venture still run by the same, small, non-profit club that started it over 50 years ago, the South London Warlords. In 1972, the first Salute was held at the Surrey Tavern at the Kennington Oval Cricket ground. Last Saturday 22 April […]

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