In the first and longest part of the podcast, Mike speaks with Dr. Robert C. Engen, a Canadian military historian and educator with a passion for wargames. I spoke with Robert while he's between jobs. Until recently, he used wargames to teach operational process and planning to mid-career officers at the Canadian Forces Staff College in Toronto, and will be soon be on his way to teach the same thing to the Australian military. The same job, Robert tells me, only upside down.
Robert and I had a wide-ranging discussion about hobby wargaming (he is one of us!) and wargames used as part of Professional Military Education, both in the history of Canada's military and today. We talked about the similarities and differences between hobby and professional wargames, as well as whether war-games are predictive (often they're not) or better used to teach decision making and process. Our conversation included the classic game Diplomacy, Operation Husky (Sicily 1943), Taiwan, and the current war in Ukraine. We didn't even get to Robert's considerable body of work on the Canadian Army in World War Two, so we'll have to invite him back to discuss that.
In the Canadian Content Corner, James and I speak with Morgan Drawson of Tundra Works, a Canadian miniatures producer whose Kickstarter just went live today. Tundra Works offers an interesting line of 18mm Lace Wars figures, and their project is connected to a wider project of introducing campus gamers to historical miniatures (we discussed that project with Cynthia Jing some months ago). It's an ambitious project, we we wish them luck. Their KS info is below.
Our Guest Dr. Robert C. Engen
Dr. Engen's Website: http://robertengen.ca
Dr. Engen's Books:
Canadians Under Fire: Infantry Effectiveness in the Second World War (McGill Queens 2009): https://www.amazon.ca/Canadians-Under-Fire-Infantry-Effectiveness/dp/0773536264/ref=sr_1_1?crid=23HUU3VZA2YX2&keywords=robert+engen&qid=1660443658&sprefix=robert+engen%2Caps%2C215&sr=8-1
Strangers in Arms: Combat Motivation in the Canadian Army, 1943-1945 (McGill Queens 2016).
https://www.amazon.ca/Strangers-Arms-Motivation-Canadian-1943-1945-ebook/dp/B01E0MXIR0/ref=sr_1_2?crid=23HUU3VZA2YX2&keywords=robert+engen&qid=1660443658&sprefix=robert+engen%2Caps%2C215&sr=8-2
With Matthew Barrett:
Through Their Eyes: A Graphic History of Hill 70 and Canada's First World War (McGill Queens 2022).
https://www.amazon.ca/Through-Their-Eyes-Graphic-History/dp/0228010578/ref=sr_1_3?crid=23HUU3VZA2YX2&keywords=robert+engen&qid=1660443658&sprefix=robert+engen%2Caps%2C215&sr=8-3
Our Guest Morgan Drawson
TundraWorks Lace Wars Kickstarter:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tundraworks/tundraworks-miniatures-lace-wars?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=tundraworks
Also Mentioned:
6 Squared Studios: https://6squaredstudios.ca
6 Squared on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/6squaredstudios/
Contact Us (We Love Hearing From You!):
Canadian Wargamer Podcast Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/canadianwargamerpodcast
Mike: madpadre@gmail.com
@MarshalLuigi
www.madpadrewargames.blogspot.com
James:
jamesmanto@gmail.com
@JamesManto4
www.rabbitsinmybasement.blogspot.com
The Canadian Wargamer Podcast Episode 26: Is This Thing Still A Thing?
Canadian Wargamer Podcast Episode 25: Just Mike and James Nattering
Canadian Wargamer Podcast Episode 24: Talking Kriegspiels With Our Guest Wendy de Wolfe
Canadian Wargamer Podcast Episode 23: HotLead 2023 Postgame
The Canadian Wargamer Podcast, Episode 22, With Our Guest, Marc Rodrigue, Designer of GMT’s Bayonets and Tomahawks
Episode 21 With Our Guests, Roger Chrysler on Gaming the War of 1812, and Kevin Jacobi of Six Squared Studios
It’s the Second Annual Canadian Wargamer Podcast Christmas Party!
The Canadian Wargamer Podcast Episode 20 With Our Guest, Glenn Pearce
The Canadian Wargamer Podcast Episode 19:No Guest, Just a Natter
The Canadian Wargamer Podcast Episode 17 With Our Guest, Thomas Moore.
The Canadian Wargamer Podcast, Episode 16 with our Special Guest Panel and Topic: Why Another Set of Napoleonics Rules?
The Canadian Wargamer Podcast Episode 15, With Our Guest, Pierre-Yves Troel, Canadian Lard Ambassador
The Canadian Wargamer Podcast Episode 14, with our guest, Shawn Taylor of Great War Spearhead
The Canadian Wargamer Podcast Episode 13: The Hotlead 2022 Blue Ribbon Panel Wrap-up
The Canadian Wargamer Podcast Episode 12 With Our Guest, Cynthia Jing of the Laurentian Tabletop Gaming Organization
The Canadian Wargamer Podcast Episode 11 With Our Guest Joe Saunders of Miniature Landscape Hobbies
The Canadian Wargamer Podcast Episode 10 With Our Guest Jason Weiser of Military Miniature Magazine
Episode Nine: The Christmas Special
The Canadian Wargamer Podcast Episode 8 With Guest Brad St. Croix of On This Day in Canadian Military History
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