Friends- Join 20SG for a chat with Alex Sotheran, architect of "Storm of Steel", a Youtube channel dedicated to all things wargaming. Alex and I chatted about his show, love of wargaming, and a bit about his life as an archaeologist. I was particularly intrigued by his WW1 battlefield excavations. In a way, Alex is like a real like Dr. Indiana Jones! Please enjoy the show! Expect to see Alex on again sometime in the fall! Here is a link to his channel- check it out ASAP! https://www.youtube.com/...
Jul 04, 2025•1 hr 21 min•Season 2Ep. 103
Friends- the title of this episode says it all. Sam Mustafa, in my humble opinion, is one of the most important wargame designers of our era. If you've never played one of his games before, or read one of his rulesets, his impact is undeniable on the wargaming world. Here is Sam's bio, courtesy of wikipedia: Sam Ali Mustafa (born 1965) is an American author and historian, and professor of history in the School of Humanities and Global Studies at Ramapo College of New Jersey. Receiving his B.S. a...
Jun 20, 2025•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 102
Friends- as I get ready to depart for Edinburgh, Scotland, for a little teaching/podcasting excursion, I hope that you'll enjoy my conversation with Dr. Stephen Henderson. He is the author of the following text on games and education: Ninja Teaching: Pedagogical Contraband and the Secret to Engaging Social Studies Instruction Paperback – September 9, 2024 We had a lovely conversation. Any time my NASAGA friends reach out and say, "hey, you should talk to this guy", it's a go! Here is Stephen's b...
Jun 06, 2025•54 min•Season 2Ep. 101
Friends- please enjoy and celebrate 20SG's 100th Episode with us! While part of this episode is some good ole' banter between Cory, Kelly and I about making it to 100, we also interview Kevin Krause, who has a popular youtube channel focusing on "The Krause Collection". He owns the world's largest collection of 15mm figures, spanning all of history, from Sumerians to the 1980s. Cory, Kelly and I connected with Kevin almost immediately, and it was lovely hearing his story of getting into the hobb...
May 23, 2025•1 hr 25 min•Season 1Ep. 100
Friends- for the first time in the history of the 20SG Podcast, we get to hear from a former student gamer- someone who was gaming throughout his time in school, and who was directly impacted by the work of HMGS Next Gen, Inc: historian, author, and wargamer, Yuhan Kim. I first met Yuhan while running events for Yale's Military History Club, alongside John Spiess and other HMGS folks. Yuhan is bright, savvy, dedicated, and a superb gamer. At the moment, Yuhan is working through law school, and w...
May 09, 2025•59 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Folks- this was a special one for me, as I've admired Alessio Cavatore's work for 25+ years! We get into all things Alessio- his start in gaming, his role at Games Workshop, his love for Lord of the Rings, and his current career as a freelance wargames designer. Matt co-hosted the show with me, as we just finished up our own discussion of Red Jungle. Matt couldn't resist the chance to ask Alessio some questions! It was a lovely conversation, and quite insightful when it comes to effective game d...
Apr 25, 2025•1 hr 20 min•Season 1Ep. 99
Podcast Friends! Please enjoy my recent conversation with friend Matt Rendar, owner of Battle Tribe. Throughout the episode, we discuss Matt's recent endeavor- a skirmish game called "Red Jungle", which is in the process of being released. Matt went into depth on the world he's developing, what his inspirations were, and what his goals are with the game. While we talked about plenty of other topics, this was our primary focus. I hope you enjoy the show! Also, see the link below to Matt's youtube...
Apr 11, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 98
Listeners- if you like Napoleonic wargaming, or continue to search for that campaign system that actually WORKS- you're in luck! Check out our latest episode with author Russ Lockwood, who designed the wonderful set of wargames rules, Snappy Nappy! He's been featured all over the place, including on the incomparable Little Wars TV, and his games are played all over the place both domestically and internationally. More than anything- Snappy Nappy, which I've both played and run myself, gives a fe...
Mar 28, 2025•1 hr 21 min•Season 1Ep. 97
Podcast fans- I hope you are well on this Thursday evening! A few weeks ago, Kelly, Brian and I had the privilege to interview three remarkable people- renowned game designer Alessio Cavatore (Mordheim, Warmaster, Kings of War, to name a few) and Christopher McEleron and Neal Wilkinson from the american vicarious. Together, they created a project which is in part art installation, in part a LARP like theater, in part performance art, and in part one of the largest wargame style games you'll ever...
Mar 14, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 96
Friends- this is a very special episode, as we're previewing and showcasing the work of Mark Fastoso of Mark's Game Room. He's put together a great video- in some ways, a prototype of where he sees his channel going in the future. I don't wanna ruin the surprise, but the movie "Glory", starring Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, Cary Elwes and others features prominently in the episode, as well as a miniature wargaming and a little bit of travel! Thanks to Mark for coming on the show to showcase...
Feb 28, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 95
Friends- please enjoy our conversation with Uwe Eickert of Academy Games, publisher of some of the the finest historical board games on the market today. I absolutely love some of their titles, including Vikings 878 and 1775, the American Revolution. These games are perfect for the classroom, as their design philosophy prioritizes decision making with simple game mechanics. The conversation we had was pretty natural, and both Kelly and I agreed that we could have talked for hours longer. Have fu...
Feb 14, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 94
Friends- for our second posting of January, we have our friend Mark Backhouse returning to the 20SG studio! Mark is a wonderful guy and an equally capable rules author, historian, teacher, and wargamer. This episode was recorded very, very early this past weekend while I supervised my MUN team at YMUN. We had a blast chatting. While we covered a number of different topics, our main focus was his new supplement for his popular game, "Strength and Honour". Please enjoy! 20 Sided Gamified Listeners...
Jan 31, 2025•1 hr 17 min•Season 1Ep. 93
Friends- Happy New Year from 20SG and the Tuesday Night Game Group! Please enjoy this discussion of the classic board game Shogun, also known as Samurai Swords and Ikusa. We had a ton of fun playing it, and we hope you get something out of the discussion. Huge thanks to Kelly, Chris, and Brian for taking the time to chat. Keep an eye out for more episodes of TGGS! 20 Sided Gamified Listeners- if you’re a fan of this show and want access to 12 exclusive episodes that drop on the 30th of each mont...
Jan 03, 2025•56 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Please enjoy the 2024 20SG Holiday episode! I'm joined by Kelly (fresh off his trip to PAX) and the "Big Dog", Titch White, who is always raring to go for a pod. We chatted about all sorts of topics- Gladiator 2, PAX, historical board gaming, and many more. Please enjoy the show, and keep a lookout for the next pod which will drop in January 2025! 20 Sided Gamified Listeners- if you’re a fan of this show and want access to 12 exclusive episodes that drop on the 30th of each month- shows that are...
Dec 20, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Season 1Ep. 92
Friends- please enjoy this episode featuring Mark Fastoso, multi-time, Emmy award winning producer from PBS and host of the popular youtube channel Mark's Game Room! In addition, Mark is an accomplished author, having written Fireball Forward (WW2 wargaming ruleset) and other popular titles! Kelly and I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with him, and we'll certainly connect with him in the future for another episode. Have with this one, and check out the link below which will take you directly to Mark...
Nov 29, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Season 1Ep. 91
Friends- please enjoy this interview with Matt Fisher of Your Hobby Place, with 3 locations in VA and WV. This is one of the premier game stores in the Northeast, with a significant presence at most large scale gaming conventions including HMGS Historicon, Nova, etc. In addition, Matt is an uber-gamer, who also operates a company called Slayer Games, and wrote the RPG "DragonSlayer". Matt and I had a lot in common, which made for a great conversation. Please check out the links below, that way y...
Nov 22, 2024•1 hr 20 min•Season 1Ep. 90
Friends- please enjoy this Friendcast recorded with none other than Titch White! You all know that when it comes to chemistry, it's not really a "friendcast" without the big dog. We got into all sorts of topics- American politics (how can we not?), what happens when you get into the "rut" with a wargaming project, and the fun of making late night purchases to satisfy all of our gaming needs. Please enjoy the show! 20 Sided Gamified Listeners- if you’re a fan of this show and want access to 12 ex...
Nov 15, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Friends- please enjoy our conversation with Jim Dietz of the Dietz Foundation. Jim was great to talk to- former teacher, hall of fame college volleyball coach, big time gamer, and president of a non-profit called the Dietz Foundation. I will put a link to the foundation's bio below, but ultimately, Jim is all about bringing games to as many teachers as possible, and has tons of contacts within the world of gaming. I met Jim at Historicon and noticed all of the cool games he had, including "1979"...
Nov 08, 2024•1 hr 28 min•Season 1Ep. 89
Friends- please enjoy my interview of Richard Garfield + Skaff Elias! Their contributions to the gaming hobby are many, and almost too numerous to mention here. That being said, if you Google either of these gentlemen, here is what will stand out: Richard is the designer of Magic the Gathering, the genre defining, innovator of innovator type games that is the backbone behind collectible card games. Skaff was with him through every step, and an integral component to the history of the game. All o...
Nov 01, 2024•1 hr 28 min•Season 1Ep. 88
Friends- please enjoy our discussion of "The Sword and the Flame", one of most enduring sets of wargaming rules in the history of wargaming! Kelly and I sat down with longtime enthusiast Jenni Paperman, whom I met over the summer at Historicon. Jenni has been a fixture in the Albany area wargaming scene for years, and is well versed in the hobby, which includes running numerous gaming conventions in the Schenectady area. Also worth pointing out- she and her family (who all wargame) have a ridicu...
Oct 25, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 87
Friends- "The Game Group Spoketh" is a new podcasting addition to the 20SG lineup, fitting nicely alongside our regular episodes and "Friendcasts". As many of you know, I've had a fairly consistent game group since 2009, when I first met Brian (@nuklearangel on Instagram) that summer. Since that point, Brian and I have gone through many iterations of our Tuesday club, with people coming in and out for a variety of reasons. These episodes are dedicated to exploring different topics related to gam...
Oct 18, 2024•1 hr 31 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Friends- please enjoy my chat with Steve Kling from the Historical Game Company, LLC. Steve was an absolute delight to have on the show. Not only is he an accomplished lawyer, but he is also a magnificent game designer (link below), an author and historian in every sense of the word, the subject of a documentary on warfare around St Louis during the American Revolution, and a multi-time moderator of a successful conference on the American Revolution. He was a warm, intelligent, personable guest-...
Oct 11, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 86
When Kelly told me about the fact he was working alongside historian Todd Braisted, I used my overlord type power to demand an interview! Thankfully, Kelly obliged. If you like history and the kind of research that goes into putting together a scenario or oob, this is the episode for you! See Todd's bio below. Enjoy the episode!!! Todd Braisted is an author and researcher of Loyalist military studies. His primary focus is on Loyalist military personnel, infrastructure and campaigns throughout No...
Oct 04, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 85
Friends- please enjoy this Friendcast in which the gang talks all things Alien and Sci-Fi wargaming! Given how we all like the Aliens universe in so many different ways, Kelly walked us through a discussion of the newest film (Alien: Romulus), as well as great game of Aliens the board game from Gale Force 9. We had an absolute blast chatting with one another, which includes team members Brian Dewhurst and Matt Rendar from Battle Tribe. Please enjoy the show! 20 Sided Gamified Listeners- if you’r...
Oct 04, 2024•1 hr 21 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Friends- what happens when you pit two NEW YORK wargamers head to head in the same Zoom space? a great episode- that's what! If you've never heard of Ethan Reiff, here is the low down- He's been wargaming since the 1970s, and moved out to LA to work in Hollywood a number of years ago. His pseudonym on The Miniatures Page, and on is own blogs/pages is the "Mad Guru", a nod to the famous Gunga Din movie from back in the day. On the wargaming front, his blog, "Maiwand Day", is one of the most well ...
Sep 27, 2024•1 hr 46 min•Season 1Ep. 84
Friends- I hope the week is treating you well! Last weekend, Kelly and I had a lovely conversation with Paul "Pandy" Howells of the UK. He is the owner (along with his wife) of a small indie wargames company called Pandyman Entertainment, which has put out two titles thus far- "Trench Offensive" and "Threat Level: Emergency Response". We connected with Paul at Salute, and based on what we saw from the company, decided that he'd be a good fit for the show. This turned out to be the understatement...
Sep 20, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 83
Friends- we've all been long overdue for a Friendcast! Please enjoy the conversation between Jared, Kelly, Adam, and James Morris! The impetus for the show was a few kind words from Adam (thomashillwargamers) about James Morris, and a request to get him on the show. A quick glance at James' contribution to the wargaming world- numerous articles for various wargames' magazines, author of Midgard Heroic Battles, several publications with Warhammer Historical, an awesome blog and website at www.mog...
Sep 13, 2024•1 hr 35 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Friends- If you ever wanted to see wargaming work at the highest and most critical level, then you're going to enjoy this episode quite a bit. Gian Gentile is the associate director of RAND Arroyo Center, the United States Army's sole federally funded research and development center for studies and analysis. Gentile is also a senior historian at the RAND Corporation. His research focuses on U.S. Army total force policy, military doctrine and organization, history, innovation and transformation, ...
Sep 06, 2024•1 hr 46 min•Season 1Ep. 82
Friends- to celebrate of another school year (my 21st), my interview with fellow NASAGAn (North American Simulations and Games Association) JS Bragg will drop at 11:59pm on September 2nd. This was a lovely conversation that ranged from our collective love of NASAGA, Blood on the Clocktower (a truly awesome game), and all the game related work JS has done with his own school, Miami University in Ohio. JS is a longtime educator and went in depth about their experience in the field of Student Engag...
Sep 03, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 81
Friends- Aaron Pace is a Student Support Officer (and I'd argue, a teacher!!!!) from the HopeTown School in Wyong, New South Wales. I met him quite awhile ago through HMGS Next Gen, Inc, as he was asking for a little advice in building a game program. Now- I've had many of these types of conversations in the past, but it's rare that I get to see the finished product! Needless to say, Aaron reached out to me over the summer and the work he has done is simply put- remarkable. If you've ever wanted...
Aug 30, 2024•1 hr 34 min•Season 1Ep. 80
