Brushes & Bayonets Podcast

Interviewing Chris McDowall on Wargames & RPGs

Edward and Josh are ecstatic to be joined by Chris McDowall, RPG & Wargame designer to talk about his new game MAC Attack along with the intersection of playing and designing both wargames and RPGs. We discuss how GMs have made their way into wargames, designing for theme or mechanics first, and where to interject chance vs resource management into games. 

Wargame Terrain & "Walking the Ground"

Josh and Edward recorded this episode a bit later than usual... as Edward was traveling to see the Gettysburg and Antietam battlefields. Today on the show, the hosts discuss how terrain matters to wargames, a bit about how the travel experience influenced Edward's thoughts on grand tactical battles, and some techniques for setting up terrain for both historical an ahistorical battles. 

"Bathtubbing" in Historical Wargames

On today's episode, Josh and Edward dive into the topic of "Bathtubbing," or when a scenario designer changes the scale of a historical wargame to fit the battle they wish to portray. Your hosts discuss when bathtubbing works well, when it should be avoided, and a different way to think about the wargames rules on your shelf. 

Tips & Tricks for Convention Games with LWTV Miles

Join Edward and Josh in learning from Miles of Little Wars TV as he shares his secrets to running a great convention game and how to put on an unforgettable wargaming experience. 

Running Discord Wargame Campaigns

Today on the Brushes & Bayonets podcast Josh and Edward are joined by Evan and Patrick, two expert wargaming GMs who together have run the Race to the Dan and Overland campaigns for members of the Little Wars TV discord. Edward and Josh who played in both campaigns peer behind the curtain to figure out how hard it really is to run a campaign, how the listener can start, and learn a bit about what makes this style of campaign so unique among wargaming. 

Army Characteristics in Wargames

Today on the podcast, Edward and Josh dive into army or national characteristics in wargames. They discuss their uses, merits, and different historical periods that do or do not benefit from their inclusion.

Building Wargaming Communities

Disclaimer: This episode was recorded just before the new year, but Edward got busy with his MBA program and forgot to edit - direct all complaints to him!
In today's episode of Brushes and Bayonets, Edward and Josh discuss three different types of wargaming groups they have been a part of, along with how to grow the hobby and bring in new folks to wargaming.

Napoleonic Wargaming - Overview of an Era

Today Edward and Josh begin a new series where they talk about different periods and how to get into wargaming for them. First up is the venerable Napoleonic period, where they talk about why they love the period, what to look out for, what scales to try, and a few rules to consider when jumping in.  

Discussing the Multiplayer Gettysburg Campaign

Today on the podcast, it’s our pleasure to welcome Chris on the show, the host of the Gettysburg Campaign which was run on the Little Wars TV discord. Josh interviews him about the rules he came up with to create a full multiplayer campaign with fog of war, lost messages, big battles, and more. 

A Discussion on Scale

Today on Brushes & Bayonets, Edward and Josh broach a forbidden subject in miniature wargaming - our thoughts on scales and which we subjectively like best for certain periods. We go from 28mm to 2mm and for each major scale talk about what kind of game we think that size miniatures is best used for.