Guess what? This little podcast is now ten years old. I'd been doing my other one about euro boardgames even longer, and in 2013 I decided to branch off this other show about wargaming. I'd started in this hobby as a kid wargamer in 1979. I never completely left it, but my hobby in the 1980s, 90s, and early 2000s shifted more to roleplaying, Magic: the Gathering, and then euro boardgaming. It wasn't until around 2010 or so that I finally realized what countless wargamers before me did--that I could enjoy wargaming as a (mostly) solitaire hobby, getting more games to the table. I started acquiring more titles, especially magazine games, and became interested in specific topics to explore via multiple game treatments. Then I added my love of travel and movies to make my own contribution to wargame podcasts, Wargames To Go. Thanks for listening!
I had plans to go see Scotland back in 2016, but those had to be cancelled. Then it was put off for a few years, a worldwide pandemic happened, yadda-yadda-yadda...and finally I got to visit this country in 2023. My wife & I enjoyed two weeks there--the first in the cities of Ediburgh & Glasgow, followed by a second week in the countryside (Strathspey and up to Orkneys). There was much to see & enjoy, from stone age settlements to whisky distilleries.
And there were sites of military history. I really enjoy visiting battlefields to get a feel for the location. Sometimes the accompanying museums are good--other times not. Best of all is when there is a good guide available. Even if not, though, these days it's easy to read so much information online, to watch battlefield animation videos, and more to get a fuller sense of the historic event. On this trip we visited the sites of Bannockburn, Culloden, and from Stirling Castle I could look out over the Stirling Bridge area. I don't think anyone really knows where the Roman battle of Mons Graupius took place, but I probably drove near it.
As you can tell, the topics here are not limited to one battle, one war, or even one era. I decided to dabble in all areas of Scottish military history that I could, at least as far as wars actually in Scotland. The big three eras are Roman contact, the Wars of Scottish Independence (Wallace/Bruce/Longshanks), and the Jacobite Uprising. Other periods such as the Battle of Flodden Field or the Border Reiver period are mentioned, but we'll see if I get to any of those games.
This episode is a intentionally shorter than some previous ones. I'd rather post a couple smaller episodes that wait longer for a gargantuan one. I figure it's easier for listeners to follow along this way, too. As a result, I haven't yet seen all of the films nor played all of the games that I intend to. It's an introduction to the topic, and I'll return later with a conclusion.
Films
• Braveheart
• Culloden
• Rob Roy
• Outlaw King
Books
• A Great and Terrible King: Edward I and the Forging of Britain, by Marc Morris
-Mark
P.S. I'll be at SDHistCon in just a few days. Look me up and say hi if you enjoy the podcast, thanks!
Wargames To Go 25.3 Wars of Scotland (Conclusion, part 1)
Wargames To Go 25.2 - SDHistCon 2023
Wargames To Go 24 - Operation Market Garden
Wargames To Go 23.2 - Spanish-American War (part 2, with Jason Perez)
Wargames To Go 23.1 - Spanish American War (part 1, with Joe Schmidt)
Wargames To Go 22.2 - Summer 2021 Magazine Games (C3i and Panzerschreck)
Wargames To Go 22.1 - Summer 2021 Magazine Games (1914 Eastern Front)
Wargames To Go 21.2 - Vietnam Battle of Hue
Wargames To Go 21.1 - Vietnam War (part 1)
Wargames To Go 20 - Strategic Air Command
Wargames To Go 19.2 - Operation Barbarossa, part 2 (with Carl Paradis)
Wargames To Go 19.1 - Operation Barbarossa (part 1), with Bruce Geryk
Wargames To Go 18 - Doolittle, Pavlov, and Sledgehammer
Wargames To Go 17 - Long Range Desert Group (with David Thompson)
Wargames To Go 16.3 - D-Day (Conclusion)
Wargames To Go 16.2 D-Day (Continued)
Wargames To Go 16.1 - D-Day (Introduction)
Wargames To Go 15.3 - Korean War (Conclusion)
Wargames To Go 15.2 - The Korean War (Joe Balkoski interview)
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