Homo Ludens Podcast

We did it everyone, we reached the end of 1862, and what better way to celebrate than by playing our first strategic game on the American Civil War? Like true connoisseurs, Pierre and Stuart have decided to pursue the Cult of the New and play a game that is only a decade old but has still acquired quite the distinguished reputation: Mark Simonitch’s The US Civil War. What will we think about strategic level ACW? Is there a lengthy discussion of a niche topic of Civil War memory? Did we use the Advanced Naval Rules? What about that rumor of a Top 5 Games list? The answer to these questions and much more can be found within this episode, so what are you waiting for?

After a hiatus where Stuart took up his new position as Homo Lodens Eastern Correspondent, we're back with another installment of We Intend to Move on Your Works! This episode the gang are reaching back in time to the distant past of the mid-1990s to play the John Prados' design Army of the Heartland. We're also jumping back in the narrative of the podcast to pick up where we left off after Shiloh in the western theater to spend some time with everyone's favorite incompetent Confederate: Braxton Bragg. Army of the Heartland is a big ol' operational game by one of wargaming's most unique designers and published by Clash of Arms. Featuring gorgeous Rick Barber maps, several fistfuls of systems, and more battle flags than a 1930s Cake Walk, what will the boys make of it all?

The gang has finally reached the end of 1862 (in Virginia at least) with Ambrose Burnside's ill fated turn at the head of the Army of the Potomac, as depicted in the new hotness that is Mark Herman's Rebel Fury. It promises dynamic movement and a new take on ACW combat, all in a simple quick playing ruleset. As fans of the C3i game Gettysburg that Rebel Fury builds on, will Pierre and Stuart enjoy this new entry from a much beloved designer or will it go the way of Burnside and be demoted and shipped off to fight on another table?

In this episode of the Homo Ludens podcast, we bring you a collective review of Plantagenet, the latest game in Volko Ruhnke's Levy & Campaign Series, designed by Francisco Gradaille and published by GMT Games. Our Discord server members—supporters of the show—learned and played this intricate medieval wargame and now share their thoughts on the strategies, historical depth, and gameplay experience. Set during the Wars of the Roses, Plantagenet adds layers of political intrigue and shifting loyalties to the familiar Levy & Campaign system. To join future game reviews and support the show, head over to our Ko-Fi page: https://ko-fi.com/homoludens1871. A special thanks to GMT Games for providing a review copy of the game!

We’re Back to Berg baby! After a mixed experience crossing the mountains, the boys are trying one of Berg’s takes on Antietam, arguably the most influential battle of the American Civil War. Originally published in 1995, the same year as the first GMT edition of Three Days of Gettysburg which would spawn the modern era of GBACW, and substantially revised in 2002, Glory is a light hex and counter from one of our favorite designers. Will we like it more than GBACW? You can probably already guess!

Stonewall Jackson has had his way, and now, thanks to the recovery of some lost orders, the boys are in Maryland fighting over a couple of gaps in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Can Stuart break through the rebel lines or will he suffer the ignominious fate of performing worse than McClellan did? Listen on to hear what they think about this John Poniske design on the Battle of South Mountain, its Rick Barber map, and the beginnings of the Maryland Campaign.

This episode the gang are headed back to Manassas along Stonewall Jackson's Way (2), part of the venerable Great Campaigns of the American Civil War. Will they roll high enough to get there? Can they manage their fatigue? And most of all, do they like it enough to pay the cost? Listen to find out!

Having finally reached the end of the second day, the gang emerges from the woods of Shiloh battered but miraculously still alive. For the second time they pushed some blocks around and rolled some dice, and compare Columbia's take on Shiloh with the games they have played before. Do wooden components make for the best woods? Which Shiloh game did Pierre and Stuart like best? Answers to these questions and more lie within the final episode of Season 1 of We Intend to Move on Your Works.

It is once again April 1862 and Pierre and Stuart are lost in the woods near Shiloh Church. This time it is with the far less complex Shiloh 1862 from Worthington Publishing. How will they fair with naught but eight pages of rules to guide them? Will Stuart get extremely angry about the woods again? Was Albert Sidney Johnston's death a turning point in the war? Listen to find out as the deep dive into the Battle of Shiloh continues!

The boys decided to take a break from their chronological playthrough and mark the 160th anniversary of Gettysburg with a game about James Longstreet. Unfortunately, they got a little carried away and are still recovering from their wounds - Pierre insists the amputation was unnecessary but this podcast adheres to only the highest standards of historical accuracy. After some delay, please enjoy our thoughts on Hermann Luttmann's Blind Swords system and what it has to say about the second day of the Civil War's most famous battle.