The Canadian Wargamer Podcast Episode 18 with Our Guests, Dr. Robert Engen, and Morgan Drawson of TundraWorks

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