Tales & Tactics

From dugouts and playbooks to stat sheets and dice rolls, this Beyond the Book episode dives into the world of tabletop sports simulation. We look at how designers have tried to capture the drama and strategy of real world sport without requiring players to throw a single punch or swing a real bat. From classic replay games to modern fast play designs, we explore what makes a sports sim feel authentic, what gets abstracted away, and why these games have such a dedicated following. If you have ever wondered how a tabletop game can recreate the tension of a full season or a crucial fourth down, this episode is for you.

In this episode of Rules as Written, we step up to the plate with Deadball by W.M. Akers, a fast, elegant tabletop baseball game that turns statistics, scorekeeping, and a handful of dice into a tense pennant race drama. We dig into the history behind the term Deadball, explore the real life Deadball Era of baseball, and look at how Akers translates that low scoring, small ball style into tabletop form. Along the way, we break down the game’s core mechanics, its evolving editions, the charm of the fictional Southern Circuit, and how it compares to other tabletop baseball classics. If you love sports history, clever design, or games that capture the feeling of their subject with surprising precision, this one’s for you.

In this episode of Tales & Tactics, our Beyond the Book series turns to hidden information and randomness as design tools in tabletop gaming. We explore how fog of war and hidden unit mechanics in board wargames create authentic battlefield uncertainty, forcing decisions under incomplete information, and how random tables and GM driven dice outcomes in RPGs produce genuinely surprising results that no amount of preparation could script. Across both genres, the throughline is the same; well designed uncertainty doesn’t undermine player agency, it deepens it.

In this episode of Tales & Tactics, we take a close look at Modern Tactics: Afghanistan from VUCA Simulations, a hex and counter wargame designed by Shayne Logan covering Coalition operations in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2021. We walk through the game’s core systems, including its alternating impulse structure, terrain and movement rules, and the unique challenges of fighting through walled compounds, grape fields, and wadis. We also break down the game’s asymmetric unit roster, examining how fanatics through to recruits force coalition players to approach each scenario very differently than a conventional wargame. With 20 scenarios spanning Canadian and American operations, and a design philosophy built around snap decisions, civilian presence, and rules of engagement, Modern Tactics: Afghanistan makes a compelling case for being one of the most tactically authentic modern warfare games on the market.

This week on Beyond the Book, we zoom out to explore the world of superhero tabletop RPGs as a genre, tracing their evolution from early simulation heavy designs to modern narrative driven approaches, and asking what it actually means to play a superhero at the table. We examine how different systems handle power scaling, team dynamics, and comic book logic, while digging into the tension between crunchy mechanics and cinematic storytelling, all to answer a core question: can any RPG truly capture the feel of superhero fiction, or are they all solving different parts of the same impossible problem?

This week on Tales & Tactics: Rules as Written, we dive into the Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game to examine how Marvel built its own superhero RPG from the ground up and shaped it into a system focused on accessibility, structure, and brand consistency; we break down the d616 resolution system and explore Rank based power scaling, character creation through Powers and Traits. All while asking a central question: does this system truly deliver comic book action at the table, or does its tightly controlled design limit player agency in favor of maintaining the integrity of the Marvel universe?

In this episode of Tales & Tactics: Beyond the Book, we step back from individual rulebooks to explore how games represent movement and space on the tabletop in an episode we call “On the Grid.” From square and hex grids to broader area movement and point to point networks, we discuss the different ways designers structure how units and characters move through a game world. Looking at examples from classic board games and tabletop wargames, we consider how each approach shapes decision making, battlefield tactics, and the overall feel of play. Whether measuring careful hex by hex advances, maneuvering across defined regions, or navigating connected nodes on a map, this discussion examines how the structure of a game’s movement system quietly defines the strategy that unfolds across the table.

In this episode of Tales & Tactics: Rules as Written, we turn our attention to Commands & Colors: Samurai Battles, focusing on the second printing of this feudal Japan themed entry in the long running Commands & Colors system designed by Richard Borg. Drawing on several playthroughs, we discuss how the game captures the feel of battlefield command while remaining approachable and fast to learn. Its streamlined mechanics, distinctive unit abilities, and strong thematic focus on the wars of feudal Japan create an experience that is both tactically engaging and welcoming to newcomers. In our review we reflect on why Samurai Battles stands out as one of the most accessible entry points into the series, offering a lightweight yet elegant system that still delivers meaningful battlefield decisions.

In this episode of Beyond the Book, we crack open the Cold War file cabinet and examine the golden age of espionage RPGs, from the procedural tension of Top Secret to the tactical grit of Mercenaries, Spies & Private Eyes and the cinematic brilliance of James Bond 007. Why did the early 1980s produce so many spy games at once, and how Game Masters might solve the core design challenge of espionage: information, pacing, and mission structure? We compare percentile skills versus quality ratings, gear catalogs versus narrative control, and ask what makes a spy game feel like Bond, Le Carré, or a black ops thriller. If you care about mission frameworks, and how design supports tension without breaking immersion, this one’s for you.

In this episode of Rules as Written, we dive into James Bond 007: Role Playing In Her Majesty’s Secret Service by Victory Games and examine how a 1983 licensed RPG mechanically captures cinematic espionage without relying on GM improvisation or narrative hand waving. We break down the Quality Rating system and its graded success structure, explore why the chase rules are the true engine of tension in the game, and analyze how Hero Points function as a controlled survival mechanic rather than a storytelling override. Is Bond cinematic because the GM is told to be cinematic, or because the procedures enforce competence, escalation, and consequence? Join us as we explore the text and see how this early espionage classic builds genre through rules rather than vibe.