PODCAST · leisure
Little Wars FM
by Little Wars TV
Join us as we explore historical wargames, interview game designers, and occasionally sip a dram of fine Scotch! Little Wars FM is a premium podcast supported by the patrons of Little Wars TV, the largest historical wargaming channel on YouTube. To listen to every episode of the show, join us on Patreon!
Episodes
-
15 Questions with Midgard's James Morris
Our classic "15 Questions" interview format returns with game designer James Morris, the author of Midgard Heroic Battles (2024). You saw us play this game in the recent Battle of Bosworth episode, but we've been enjoying Midgard here in the club for about a year now. In this interview, James…
more -
A Knife's Edge at Stalingrad with Prit Buttar
Today on Little Wars FM, Greg interviews Dr. Prit Buttar to learn about the critical period of late November through December 1942. Dr. Buttar is a prolific historian with many published books, but today's conversation focuses on his 2018 book "On a Knife's Edge," which details the fall of...
-
The Thomas Hill Wargamers
Little Wars FM returns with two new guests--Adam and Dave of the Thomas Hill Wargame Club. If the name sounds familiar, it may be because you've seen their award-winning games at Historicon. Or, it may be because you watched their award-winning Quick Strike AAR, "Rommel v. Tolkien!" These guys…
more -
Northern Exile Talks Games Workshop
If you listened to our podcast conversation with legendary game designer Rick Priestley, you heard him suggest the reason Warmaster failed to take off may have been because the retail staff weren't interested in promoting it. Today Greg accepts Rick's challenge and tracks down someone with...
-
Rick Priestley Talks Warmaster
Games Workshop released Warmaster in 2000 as its first epic scale, mass battle game set in the Warhammer Fantasy universe. But did you know Warmaster was supposed to be released two years earlier? Or that the inspiration for Warmaster's iconic command and control system came from a trip Rick...
-
How to Film Board Games
Today on Little Wars FM we're joined by Gary Blevins of Board Game Nation. Last year Gary produced a viral YouTube sensation with his multi-part video series recapping the 2023 Axis & Allies World Championship. Not only did he film and edit a series, he played in the championship and advanced to...
-
15 Questions with Eric Farrington
For our club-versus-club Thermopylae wargame against Mark's Game Room, we used Men of Bronze as the rules for our land battle. Today, the author joins Little Wars FM for an in-depth discussion. Eric Farrington is the author of multiple game systems and he talks to Greg about his past and future...
-
Hail Agrippa! (feat. Mark Backhouse)
Greg talks to author and game designer Mark Backhouse about a 2013 article written in WSS Magazine called "Hail Agrippa." That article is freely available here, from WSS. A decade ago, Mark turned to Warlord Games' "Hail Caesar" rules when seeking out a mass battle, ancient naval system. With a…
more -
The International Kriegsspiel Society
Little Wars FM officially turns 50! Our Patreon fans voted on the topic for our 50th podcast, and here it is. Miles and Ed chat with the International Kriegsspiel Society about all things Kriegsspiel. They'll go into the origins of the game, which was first released in 1824 by a Prussian staff...
-
Is Miniature Air Combat Boring?
Plenty of miniature games for air combat exist--Check Your Six and Wings of Glory are played in our club--but they do have their limitations. Something both of those rule sets share in common (along with most others) is that they are dogfighting games. As a player, you control a plane. Maybe two…
more -
15 Questions with Frank Chadwick
Today on Little Wars FM, we interview a legendary American game designer, Frank Chadwick. Frank's wargaming roots go back decades and include major titles like Volley & Bayonet and Command Decision. He remains very active developing new games, including an operational World War 2 game he's...
-
1813 Campaign Consequences...Who Won?
With the Little Wars TV 1813 campaign concluded, we check in with two expert Napoleonic historians for their reaction. Who won our campaign? Would Napoleon's tactical and operational success change history and keep him on the French throne? Professor Alexander Mikaberidze and Dr. Zack White offer…
more -
1813 Campaign Summer Negotiation
In the aftermath of our Spring 1813 Napoleonic campaign, Napoleon and Tsar Alexander meet for a heated negotiation. Many issues are on the table as both sides jockey for advantage in the Fall. Will any cities be swapped? Will Napoleon evacuate his stranded fortress garrisons? Can the French tempt...
-
Starting a Channel in 2023: Mark’s Game Room
Little Wars FM is the companion podcast to our YouTube channel, Little Wars TV, which we started over 5 years ago! A lot has changed on YouTube since then. What's it like to start a new wargaming channel now, in 2023? Our friends at Mark's Game Room are finding out! Mark and his crew have…
more -
How to Design a Great Campaign (Part 2)
This week on Little Wars FM, we return to the topic of wargaming campaigns. In Part 1 we talked about linear, or "ladder style" campaign systems. Today we tackle map-based campaigning like you saw in our YouTube Pyrrhic War campaign. Miles, Tony and Greg reminisce over some of the club's most...
-
Wargaming Campaigns with Henry Hyde
In Part 1 of our series "How to Design Wargaming Campaigns," we talked to Henry Hyde. You'd be hard-pressed to find a more knowledgeable historian of our miniature tabletop hobby than Henry! In Part 1, you heard just a few brief segments of our much-longer and wider-ranging chat with him. As...
-
How to Design a Great Campaign
This week on Little Wars FM, we dive into a juicy topic--miniature wargaming campaigns. Our Pyrrhic War campaign this summer was a huge success, both within the club and on YouTube. But if we're being totally honest...we've had our fair share of duds when it comes to tabletop campaigning. It's…
more -
”Fistful of Lead Reloaded” Rule Review
This week on Little Wars FM, Josh and Dieter review "Fistful of Lead: Reloaded" from Wiley Games. The first edition of this Wild West skirmish game debuted almost 20 years ago but the "Reloaded" update appeared in 2016. The Old West rule review round up will continue in future podcasts, as Josh…
more -
Gunfighter’s Ball Rule Review
This week on Little Wars FM, Josh and Dieter review Gunfighter's Ball from Knuckleduster Miniatures. This is a Wild West skirmish game written by Forrest Harris and Brian Martin in 2018. And it's just the first of several stops we have coming on our Old West rule review tour! In future podcasts...
-
The Future of Virtual Tabletop Wargaming
Do you remember the early days of COVID lockdowns, when there was a sudden surge of interest in virtual tabletop gaming? Tabletop Simulator, Vassal, Roll20, and old-fashioned web cams suddenly felt indispensable. Even conventions tried to adapt with new virtual formats. That was two years ago,...
-
15 Questions with Andy Callan
If you listened to our 6-part series on designing homebrew rules, you heard Tom and Greg reference Andy Callan's name many times as the original designer of "Loose Files and American Scramble" back in the 1980s. Loose Files served as the inspiration and jumping off point for what would eventually...
-
How to Write a Wargame (Part 6: Final Steps)
It's been a long journey, and today our homebrew rules writing guide takes its final steps. This is the last chapter in our exhaustive, multi-part podcast series on how to write a wargame. Months ago we started back at the brainstorming phase and several hours of podcasting later, Tom & Greg make...
-
How to Write a Wargame (Part 5: Publishing?)
In the fifth chapter of our multi-part series "How to Write a Wargame," we approach the finish line. Now that you have a fun game refined through playtesting, you may start to wonder about next steps. Is this a homebrew game you'll keep on the shelf for you and your friends? Or is this a game you...
-
How to Write a Wargame (Part 4: Playtesting)
In the fourth chapter of our multi-part series "How to Write a Wargame," we discuss the role of play-testing. This is an absolutely critical part of the development process and we'll share some real-time feedback from our first round of play-testing at the club. Then, Tom & Greg head back to the...
-
Salute 2021: Organizing the World‘s Largest Wargaming Show
After a lost year due to COVID, tabletop wargaming conventions and events are back! Today we're talking to the organizer of the largest single-day historical gaming show in the world, Salute. The Salute show is put on by the South London Warlords and was rescheduled for November 2021 this year.…
more -
How to Write a Wargame (3: Developing Mechanics)
In this third installment of our "How to Write a Wargame" series, Tom & Greg delve into the heart of game design. Today's episode is a long, detailed discussion between two veteran designers on how to structure the turn sequence and how the mechanics of play should unfold. This discussion touches...
-
How to Write a Wargame (Part 2: Research)
In part two of our homebrew rule series, Greg seeks out a hobby expert to offer insight on the American War of Independence. Jim Purkey of Fife & Drum Miniatures joins the show to help! What role did artillery play in this conflict? How common were skirmishers? Why were causalities in the battles...
-
How to Write a Wargame (Part 1: First Steps)
Writing your own wargame is a time honored tradition in this hobby. Maybe you have a brand new idea for something innovative, or maybe you and your friends have been adding innocent "house rules" to tweak an existing game. Eventually, those house rules could evolve into something very different...
-
Painting Miniatures with Sonic Sledgehammer!
Little Wars FM is joined today by Troy, who you probably know as "Sonic Sledgehammer Studio." We have a fantastic chat about his miniature painting YouTube channel. Why is he called Sonic Sledgehammer and how has the channel grown so quickly? We ask Troy about his painting process and how his…
more -
How to Design Historical Wargame Scenarios
In this episode of Little Wars FM, Tom & Greg talk about the challenge of designing historical scenarios. These battles are rarely "equal" or fair, which presents a scenario designer with a variety of problems to solve. How to you make a lopsided historical engagement like Antietam fun and…
more -
Board Game Design with Volko Ruhnke
This week on Little Wars FM, Tom and Greg sit down with legendary game designer Volko Ruhnke. Published by GMT Games, his innovative COIN series includes popular titles Fire in the Lake, Andean Abyss, and many more. We talk about inspiration for new project, his rule design process, and what he's...
-
The Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge
Little Wars FM talks to the creator of an annual, international painting event--the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge. Curt Campbell shares the origins of the idea, how it works, and why some playful peer pressure might just be the motivation we all need to tackle the mountain of unpainted...
-
Miniwargaming: A YouTube Trailblazer
Today on Little Wars FM Greg interviews Matthew from Miniwargaming, one of the oldest and largest miniature tabletop gaming channels on YouTube. Back in 2007 when Matthew and Dave started their channel, YouTube was in its infancy and their decision to build a professional business around video...
-
Bringing Wargaming to the Classroom
It's a "back to school special" in the latest episode of Little Wars FM as Steve sits down to talk with high school history teacher Jared Fishman of the Hackley School! Jared is a long-time wargamer who integrates historical wargaming, simulations and role-playing into his own curriculum and sees...
-
The Future of Wargaming (according to Osprey Games)
We talk to Phil Smith, the head of Osprey Games, about the future of wargaming and how he sees the tabletop hobby evolving. How does Osprey develop new games? Why are there so many skirmish wargames these days? What's his favorite Osprey Game that doesn't get enough attention? In ten years will…
more -
Welcome to Little Wars FM!
In this quick introduction to the show, we'll briefly explain why we started Little Wars FM, what you can expect to hear on the show, and how frequently new episodes will air. This is a premium podcast supported by our patrons. and if you enjoy the sampling of episodes we make public, we…
more
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
ABOUT THIS SHOW
Join us as we explore historical wargames, interview game designers, and occasionally sip a dram of fine Scotch! Little Wars FM is a premium podcast supported by the patrons of Little Wars TV, the largest historical wargaming channel on YouTube. To listen to every episode of the show, join us on Patreon!
HOSTED BY
Little Wars TV
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Little Wars FM have?
Little Wars FM currently has 36 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Little Wars FM about?
Join us as we explore historical wargames, interview game designers, and occasionally sip a dram of fine Scotch! Little Wars FM is a premium podcast supported by the patrons of Little Wars TV, the largest historical wargaming channel on YouTube. To listen to every episode of the show, join us on...
How often does Little Wars FM release new episodes?
Little Wars FM has 36 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Little Wars FM?
You can listen to Little Wars FM on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Little Wars FM?
Little Wars FM is created and hosted by Little Wars TV.
URL copied to clipboard!