Referencing the award-winning musical, Dear Evan Hansen, Jonathan shares how chronic depression, anxiety, and grief caused Jonathan to feel like a sinking ship with no land in sight.
That is until Jonathan rediscovered a love of LEGO.  LEGO is more than a building toy.  It can even be used for tabletop gaming.  Listen to this episode to hear the tale.  You’ll also find out about some upcoming podcast guests and topics.
“Dear Jonathan, today is going to be a good day and here’s why…..”
If you, or someone you know, is with depression, anxiety, and/or grief please consider looking at Harvard Medical School’s “Ways to support someone who is grieving” or reach out to a friend or therapist (you can find trained therapists, counselors, psychiatrists, and support groups through Psychology Today’s website).  You are not alone.
Seeking help is NOT weakness.  Sometimes we all need help and that is ok. IF YOU ARE IN CRISIS, PLEASE USE THE EMERGENCY NUMBER FOR THE AREA YOU ARE IN (911 IN THE US, 999 IN THE UK, ETC…)

You can contact Wargaming Recon using the following:

Facebook
Twitter
Email


Support Wargaming Recon through Patreon. It costs as little as $1 per per month. That is less than a cup of coffee. You’ll get episodes before non-members.


Credits
“Downtown” by Matthew Ebel is our theme song.  Peter Bryant designed our podcast logo.  Joshua Shoobridge hosted the episode and edited the audio.  Jonathan J. Reinhart wrote the show notes for this episode.
This recording is licensed under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 license.
Disclosure
This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship. I may receive commissions or bonuses from your actions on such links.

Wargaming Recon is dedicated to the memory of long time listener Andrew who helped to give the show its name. I ask all listeners to join me in a moment of silence in Andrew’s honor.
Wargaming Recon is mourning the loss of long time co-host Adrian. Please take a moment of silence for Adrian.

Grief, LEGO, and Gaming – Wargaming Recon #275

Longest-running tabletop wargaming podcast on the planet!

Society & Culture

Personal Journals

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

Technology

Tech News

Podcasting

Gadgets

Software How-To

Games & Hobbies

Video Games

Other Games

Hobbies

Automotive

Aviation

Jay Parker and Jonathan recorded this episode LIVE in the seminar room at TotalCon 2024.  Jay Parker was on Episode 291 where they talked about AI Art.
This time the pair discuss Jay’s new cyperpunk themed RPG called Katana-Ra.
Jay explains how his game mechanics are different from others on the market.  He gives an example of a sample turn for us to better understand how the system works. Jay also covers the always important character creation and advancement. Along with how you can customize your character after you have created them.
The cyberpunk setting is filled with fantastic cybernetics and technology to use, while at the same time having the overbearing corporations and challenging players with moral and ethical dilemmas of a dystopian society.
Jay covers some of the corporations and organizations in the world as well as some of the challenges and obstacles that the players will encounter in their adventures.
They move on to talking about the playtesting and how the feedback impacted the games development before talking about the mixed reviews the game has received so far. Even the one star reviews compliment the worldbuilding and the setting overall.  The main drawbacks brought up are system and dice rolling itself, Jay talks about the critiques and how he thinks people might be misunderstanding the rules and system.

You can contact Wargaming Recon using the following:

Facebook
Twitter
Reddit


Join our Patreon community and provide support to Wargaming Recon starting from just $1 per month, which is less than a paintbrush.


Credits
Our theme song is “Downtown” by Matthew Ebel. The podcast logo was created by Peter Bryant. Audio editing was done by the incomparable Joshua Shoobridge. Show notes for this episode were written by Robert Dunn.
This recording is licensed under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 license.
Disclosure
This post may contain affiliate links, and I may receive commissions or bonuses from your interactions with those links.

Wargaming Recon pays tribute to Andrew, a cherished listener whose invaluable support inspired the show’s name. Let us observe a collective moment of silence to honor Andrew’s memory.
We deeply mourn the loss of Adrian, a longstanding co-host of Wargaming Recon. Please join us in a moment of silence as we remember Adrian’s contributions and the impact he had on the show.

Katana-Ra RPG Game Design – Wargaming Recon #301

Peter Saloom and Jonathan recorded this episode LIVE in the seminar room at TotalCon 2024.  The two of them have over 50 combined years of gaming experience & decades of running games at conventions.
Peter published his first licensed adventure.  It is Shadows of the Sacred Hills for the RPG system Savage Worlds.  Buy Shadows of the Sacred Hills (affiliate link).
Tips

Be prepared
Be welcoming
Engage the players
Make the game visually appealing
Be kind
Know the rules (or at least the core rules)
Be succinct with initial explanations (say what the players need to get going, leave everything else for when or if the situation arises during the game)
Adhere to the time slot times
Playtest your game at least once
Provide enough player aids for each player
Have helpers/assistant GMs if needed
Practice good hygiene
Make sure players have something to do at all times
Take breaks
Let players know they can leave the game at any time if it isn’t for them





You can contact Wargaming Recon using the following:

Facebook
Twitter
Reddit


Join our Patreon community and provide support to Wargaming Recon starting from just $1 per month, which is less than a paintbrush.


Credits
Our theme song is “Downtown” by Matthew Ebel. The podcast logo was created by Peter Bryant. Audio editing was done by the incomparable Joshua Shoobridge. Show notes for this episode were written by Jonathan J. Reinhart.
This recording is licensed under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 license.
Disclosure
This post may contain affiliate links, and I may receive commissions or bonuses from your interactions with those links.

Wargaming Recon pays tribute to Andrew, a cherished listener whose invaluable support inspired the show’s name. Let us observe a collective moment of silence to honor Andrew’s memory.
We deeply mourn the loss of Adrian, a longstanding co-host of Wargaming Recon. Please join us in a moment of silence as we remember Adrian’s contributions and the impact he had on the show.

GM Secrets of Successful Convention Games – Wargaming Recon #300

This contains the fixed podcast episode.  Use THIS one, and not the old one.  Apologies for the error and inconvenience.
 
Peter Saloom kicks off the episode with his 2024 goals for tabletop gaming.  Jonathan discusses using the SMART criteria.  SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-based.  Jonathan’s goals serve as starting points to engage with larger change.
Pete’s Goal

Double the number of hours spent gaming in 2024.

Jonathan’s Goals

Find a good home for the Yamashiro Mountain Fort terrain (by Things from the Basement) by the end of 2024.  If you’re interested in it, contact Jonathan.

Jonathan wants to divest of tabletop gaming items that aren’t used or won’t be used.  This will clear physical and mental space so that other projects can be accomplished.


Bring my family to one gaming convention by June 2024.

Jonathan’s girls are getting to be of the age where they’re interested in what their Dad does when Dad goes out to gaming events.  This is an opportunity to expose them to new places, people, and hobbies that may be of interest to them.  It also fits a core value of the podcast by attempting to grow the hobby.


Play 1 solo wargame by Thanksgiving 2024.

Jonathan has multiple GMT games still in shrink wrap.  Many are from the P500 program.  Instead of constantly purchasing new games, Jonathan wishes to play what Jonathan already has.




You can contact Wargaming Recon using the following:

Facebook
Twitter
Reddit


Join our Patreon community and provide support to Wargaming Recon starting from just $1 per month, which is less than a paintbrush.


Credits
Our theme song is “Downtown” by Matthew Ebel. The podcast logo was created by Peter Bryant. Audio editing was done by Joshua Shoobridge. Show notes for this episode were written by Jonathan J. Reinhart.
This recording is licensed under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 license.
Disclosure
This post may contain affiliate links, and I may receive commissions or bonuses from your interactions with those links.

Wargaming Recon pays tribute to Andrew, a cherished listener whose invaluable support inspired the show’s name. Let us observe a collective moment of silence to honor Andrew’s memory.
We deeply mourn the loss of Adrian, a longstanding co-host of Wargaming Recon. Please join us in a moment of silence as we remember Adrian’s contributions and the impact he had on the show.

[FIXED] Gaming Goals for 2024 – Wargaming Recon #299

This contains the BROKEN podcast episode.  Click HERE for the fixed one.Apologies for the error and inconvenience.
Peter Saloom kicks off the episode with his 2024 goals for tabletop gaming.  Jonathan discusses using the SMART criteria.  SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-based.  Jonathan’s goals serve as starting points to engage with larger change.
Pete’s Goal

Double the number of hours spent gaming in 2024.

Jonathan’s Goals

Find a good home for the Yamashiro Mountain Fort terrain (by Things from the Basement) by the end of 2024.  If you’re interested in it, contact Jonathan.

Jonathan wants to divest of tabletop gaming items that aren’t used or won’t be used.  This will clear physical and mental space so that other projects can be accomplished.


Bring my family to one gaming convention by June 2024.

Jonathan’s girls are getting to be of the age where they’re interested in what their Dad does when Dad goes out to gaming events.  This is an opportunity to expose them to new places, people, and hobbies that may be of interest to them.  It also fits a core value of the podcast by attempting to grow the hobby.


Play 1 solo wargame by Thanksgiving 2024.

Jonathan has multiple GMT games still in shrink wrap.  Many are from the P500 program.  Instead of constantly purchasing new games, Jonathan wishes to play what Jonathan already has.




You can contact Wargaming Recon using the following:

Facebook
Twitter
Reddit


Join our Patreon community and provide support to Wargaming Recon starting from just $1 per month, which is less than a paintbrush.


Credits
Our theme song is “Downtown” by Matthew Ebel. The podcast logo was created by Peter Bryant. Audio editing was done by Joshua Shoobridge. Show notes for this episode were written by Jonathan J. Reinhart.
This recording is licensed under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 license.
Disclosure
This post may contain affiliate links, and I may receive commissions or bonuses from your interactions with those links.

Wargaming Recon pays tribute to Andrew, a cherished listener whose invaluable support inspired the show’s name. Let us observe a collective moment of silence to honor Andrew’s memory.
We deeply mourn the loss of Adrian, a longstanding co-host of Wargaming Recon. Please join us in a moment of silence as we remember Adrian’s contributions and the impact he had on the show.

[BROKEN] Gaming Goals for 2024 – Wargaming Recon #299

In this episode Jonathan is joined by Peter Saloom to talk about Carnage 26. Carnage was held Oct 27-29, 2023 at Killington Grand resort in Killington Vt. Jonathan, Robert Dunn, and Peter Saloom all attended Carnage on behalf of Wargaming Recon.  Jonathan & Peter discuss the games played by all three people.
Robert:

Fri 1:00 PM: Learn to Play Star Wars Shatterpoint
Sat 1:00 PM: Alpha Strike, Battle at Caph
Sat 7:00 PM: Blade Runner RPG: Electric Dreams. Run by Jake Babineau
Sun 8:00 AM: Pathfinder Society RPG

Jonathan:

Sat 1:00 PM: Carnage in San Miguel. Run by Mark McKinley and played on side of the witches.
Sat 7:00 PM: Capt. Benson vs Hanghai Raiders, run by Mike Paine.

Peter:

Friday 1:00 PM and 7:00 PM: Ran 2 games of Shadow of the Sacred Hills adventure in in the Deadlands setting.
Saturday 1:00 PM: Carnage in San Miguel. Run by Mark McKinley and played on side of the witch hunters. (Yes, against Jonathan)
Saturday 7:00 PM: 13th Annual Dominion Tournament.  (Buy Dominion from this affiliate link)

There was a live recording on Saturday morning of Wargaming Recon. If you have not listened to our last episode, then you can listen to episode 297 here.
Everyone stayed onsite at Killington Grand Resort.  We talk about the hotel experience and how it compares to other convention hotels.
There is even a general discussion of favorite and least favorite parts of the convention.
If you have any thoughts about this years Carnage, we would love to hear from you at jonathan@wargamingrecon.com, or you can reach out through any other our social media.
If you want to see any of the Wargaming Recon crew, they can be found at TotalCon 2024 on Feb 22-25 at the Best Western Royal Plaza in Marlboro, Mass.
The next Redemption Con Game Night will be 6pm EST December 21, 2023 at Redemption Rock Brewery.

You can contact Wargaming Recon using the following:

Facebook
Twitter
Reddit


Join our Patreon community and provide support to Wargaming Recon starting from just $1 per month, which is less than a paintbrush.


Credits
Our theme song is “Downtown” by Matthew Ebel. The podcast logo was created by Peter Bryant. Audio editing was done by Joshua Shoobridge. Show notes for this episode were written by Robert Dunn.
This recording is licensed under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 license.
Disclosure
This post may contain affiliate links, and I may receive commissions or bonuses from your interactions with those links.

Wargaming Recon pays tribute to Andrew, a cherished listener whose invaluable support inspired the show’s name. Let us observe a collective moment of silence to honor Andrew’s memory.
We deeply mourn the loss of Adrian, a longstanding co-host of Wargaming Recon. Please join us in a moment of silence as we remember Adrian’s contributions and the impact he had on the show.

Grief, LEGO, and Gaming – Wargaming Recon #275

Download our free app to listen on your phone