7 February 2025 ~

Brant & Mike are joined by Ardwulf, and Bill is back again, to talk about the classic quadrigames from SPI, and their later evolutions through TSR and Decision Games, as well as other emulations of the form by Compass Games, GMT, and others.

We talk about the history of the games and the designers who were ‘trained’ on quads, and the underlying ‘schtick’ of fast-playing, quick-learning, low-overhead, small(er)-footprint combo packs.  We also cover some of our favorites, some recent multi-pack games that fit the “quad” ethos, and the fifth-wheel games later published in S&T.  Are series wargames more of a thing now than back then?  And which quads showed up in single packs, as well?

All of this is leading up to this year’s Buckeye Game Fest 3, where we’ll be sponsoring/participating in Quad Fest!  In partnership with Ardwulf’s Lair and My Own Worst Enemy, we’re putting 6 classic SPI quads on the table in The War Room at BGF, from Wednesday through Saturday (with Friday as the main day).  There’s even room for more GMs to add a couple of Quad Fest events – just get in touch with us about scheduling so we don’t overlap each other!

What are your thoughts on the old quad games?  Any particular favorites, or ones you hated?

What about Quad Fest?  Is that enough to get you to come join us / game with us at Buckeye Game Fest?  Is there a game you want to see added, or one you’re willing to come join as a GM?  Sound off below, or tell us in our forums!

We love your feedback, over on the iTunes page for our podcast or on Spotify, or even Amazon or Castro, drop us a rating and let us know what you think.  Thanks!

Thank you for visiting the Regiment of Strategy Gaming and riding with The Armchair Dragoons.

31 January 2025 ~

Kicking off our 14th season with episode 164!  Brant is joined by Keith Tracton and Tim Densham, a pair of designers who were also GMs for our most recent ArmChair Dragoons Digital Convention (The ACDC).

We talk about how this year’s ACDC shook out and what they enjoyed during the show and what could’ve been improved.  We compare digital conventions to in-person ones, too – what are the dis/advantages of digital setup & prep vs in-person teaching of games.  What’s different with an in-person presentation vs a digital broadcast on-line?  And whatever happened to that guy the city watch hauled off for going through the dead guy’s pockets back in 2018?

More shenanigans to come as this season unfolds!  For now, rejoice and be happy, as Mentioned in Dispatches with The Armchair Dragoons returns

The 2025 ACDC ––  ORIGINAL OPORD ~ REGISTRATION ~  LIVESTREAM ARCHIVE ~ AAR ~ PODCAST

We love your feedback, over on the iTunes page for our podcast or on Spotify, or even Amazon or Castro, drop us a rating and let us know what you think.  Thanks!

Thank you for visiting the Regiment of Strategy Gaming and riding with The Armchair Dragoons.

6 December 2024 ~

Brant & Mike are joined by Jim & Bill to talk about all the things for which we are thankful in the world of wargaming and our wider hobby ecosphere.

Let’s talk about conventions, content creators, how technology has changed wargaming, and more.  Chime in below, or in our forums, and let us know what you are thankful for in the wargaming world!

We love your feedback, over on the iTunes page for our podcast or on Spotify, or even Amazon or Castro, drop us a rating and let us know what you think.  Thanks!

Thank you for visiting The Armchair Dragoons and mounting up with the Regiment of Strategy Gaming.

29 November 2024 ~

Over Veteran’s Day weekend, a bunch of wargamers gathered in San Diego, where they started each morning by scraping 3 inches of sunshine off their windshields before cruising over to the Portuguese Hall for several full days of games, panels, interviews, special events, and other general frivolity at SDHISTCON.

So join Brant has he chats with Grant from Pushing Cardboard, Liz from Beyond Solitaire, and our buddy Ardwulf, about what they played, who they met & chatted with, and most importantly, about the outstanding food they ate while there.

We love your feedback, over on the iTunes page for our podcast or on Spotify, or even Amazon or Castro, drop us a rating and let us know what you think.  Thanks!

Thank you for visiting The Armchair Dragoons and mounting up with the Regiment of Strategy Gaming.

22 November 2024 ~

It’s time to blast off to the outer reaches of strategy gaming as we spend some time discussing 4X games that are set in space.  Brant & Mike are joined by Sam and a different Mike to talk about gameplay in 4X games, classic tropes, processor power, and more

Sam’s also been playing the latest DLC for Distant Worlds 2 from Slitherine Games – Return of the Shakturi, and he gives us his initial impressions of the content as well as his overall thoughts after 2 years of continued improvements for DW2.  Of course we make fun of how late the Stellaris board game is running, but we also spend a few minutes on other 4X board games, too, like Stellar Horizons and Space Empires 4X.  Enjoy!

We love your feedback, over on the iTunes page for our podcast or on Spotify, or even Amazon or Castro, drop us a rating and let us know what you think.  Thanks!

Thank you for visiting The Armchair Dragoons and mounting up with the Regiment of Strategy Gaming.

15 November 2024 ~

We’re back to computer wargaming, as we pick up where we left off and start shifting up in echelon away from tactical to operational and strategic level games.  This isn’t some “all-time top 10” or anything; it’s just games we’ve enjoyed over the years and some commentary on them, from ancients to modern, and everywhere in between.

So join Brant, Bryan, and Cyrano for a rambling romp through our digital wargaming as we call out some of the better games we’ve played over the years.  And no, Bryan is not from Ohio, but still likes adding a “s” on all the titles anyway.

Here are some of the other episodes referenced in this discussion, too

We love your feedback, over on the iTunes page for our podcast or on Spotify, or even Amazon or Castro, drop us a rating and let us know what you think.  Thanks!

Thank you for visiting The Armchair Dragoons and mounting up with the Regiment of Strategy Gaming.

8 November 2024 ~

Ian and Mike4 join Brant to talk about the ‘aha!’ moments of wargaming in military classrooms, what games they’ve used for different purposes, and wargame interfaces, among plenty of other things.

Some links & Info

We love your feedback, over on the iTunes page for our podcast or on Spotify, or even Amazon or Castro, drop us a rating and let us know what you think.  Thanks!

Thank you for visiting The Armchair Dragoons and mounting up with the Regiment of Strategy Gaming.

1 November 2024 ~

Let’s talk digits!  Bryan and Gus join the show to talk about some of their favorite computer games over the past 20-25 years, with a focus on this show starting at the tactical level and drifting slightly into the operational level of combat.

We cover a lot of different ground as we tackle Battletech and the Russo-Japanese War and vampires and WW2 and the Aliens universe, all in one show.  There’s bemoaning of bad DRM decisions and nostalgia for turn-based games back when that was all the computers could handle.  We talk about some favorite media licenses and game worlds, and some not-so-favorite sales practices.  And plenty of other babbling.

We love your feedback, over on the iTunes page for our podcast or on Spotify, or even Amazon or Castro, drop us a rating and let us know what you think.  Thanks!

Thank you for visiting The Armchair Dragoons and mounting up with the Regiment of Strategy Gaming.

25 October 2024 ~

Is there a positive word for “browbeating”?  How mad should your opponents be when you blow up the city block that they’re occupying?  How much table space is too much, too little, or just right?

Brant & Mike are joined by Fall Assembly attendees Rocky and Bill to talk about what they enjoyed, what needs improvement, and what they learned.  You can also read our AAR here and keep up with the playlist of videos from the convention5.  As you’re doing all of this, you can start planning now for next 10-12 October, and whether you’re going to attend for 2 days, 3 days, or the full weekend plus the Thursday night social!

On this episode, we talk about the overall convention, but also about a couple of particular games we played as well:

We love your feedback, over on the iTunes page for our podcast or on Spotify, or even Amazon or Castro, drop us a rating and let us know what you think.  Thanks!

Thank you for visiting The Armchair Dragoons and mounting up with the Regiment of Strategy Gaming.

18 October 2024 ~

Brant, Mike, Bryan, and not Gary talk about things that contribute FOMO in wargaming, and how FOMO has applied to their own gaming acquisitions.  Which companies create that “fear of missing out” among their customers?  How does crowdfunding contribute?  Where are there games that are perpetually available and never really create any sort of FOMO?

What about you, dear audience?  What contributes to any FOMO for you, and how do you6 combat it?

We love your feedback, over on the iTunes page for our podcast or on Spotify, or even Amazon or Castro, drop us a rating and let us know what you think.  Thanks!

Thank you for visiting The Armchair Dragoons and mounting up with the Regiment of Strategy Gaming.