Episode 232: How the Women of the British Navy Won WWII With Tabletop Wargaming, With Simon Parkin

Simon Parkin, writer for The New Yorker and The Guardian, joins the show to discuss his new book "A Game of Birds and Wolves," a fascinating history of the women of the British Navy who developed a massive war game (much like the Warhammer and tactics games of modern day) to help win WWII, creating a strategy to combat German U-Boats, which routinely decimated shipping and combat vessels in the Atlantic. Joe and Simon dive into the band of misfits that were the Wrens, a special all-women division of the British military, how Captain Gilbert Roberts used his wargaming experience to guide the British Navy in developing invaluable counter-manuevers, and the roots of wargaming that have influenced games like Warhammer, Total War, Final Fantasy Tactics, and more.

BUY A GAME OF BIRDS AND WOLVES on Amazon or other major booksellers: https://www.amazon.com/Game-Birds-Wolves-Secret-that/dp/1529353033/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3H0KXX6LSTR0F&keywords=a+game+of+birds+and+wolves&qid=1581447207&sprefix=a+game+of+birds+and%2Caps%2C-1&sr=8-2

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Simon will also be hosting a talk about A Game of Birds and Wolves at this year's Game Developers Conference. If you're attending, don't miss it!