Sometimes a last minute topic change actually goes somewhere. Troy,

Tom and Bruce have a long and detailed conversation about the

challenges wargame and strategy game designers face when they try to

capture the essence of an historical moment. How do you model

insurgency? What makes WW2 the default combat model if not the default

topic? Why are Tom and Bruce still scarred by Combat Mission Shock Force? Also a discussion of reading material, how Twilight Struggle works, and whether Balance of Power is a terrible game.

Troy also manages to confuse two Middle East themed games. (Here’s the one Tom was talking about, here the one Troy was thinking of.)

Then a long update on Dominions 3 and why Bruce is afraid.

Norm Koger’s current project

The new version of Dragoon

Battlefront

GDW’s Assault

Tom’s Call of Duty 4 review