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The People vs. Fred Serval - A Board Gaming Tribunal | 9K subs Special

✇Homo Ludens
Von: Homo Ludens

💾

To celebrate 9,000 subscribers, the Homo Ludens community has decided that the time has come for me to answer for my crimes against board gaming.

Over the past week, the Homo Ludens Discord community has been compiling my worst takes, most questionable game ratings, and generally suspicious opinions. Following a thoroughly democratic process, the most egregious offences have been selected for public examination.

In this special Revolutionary Tribunal, I’ll be confronted with the charges and given an opportunity to defend myself. Expect heated arguments, questionable justifications, plenty of board game discussion, and absolutely no guarantee of a fair trial.

Thank you all for your support!

Support Homo Ludens and join the revolutionary tribunal on Discord:
https://ko-fi.com/homoludens1871
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Iskra (3CG) - Teach and Play of an East Front chit-pull Wargame

✇Homo Ludens
Von: Homo Ludens

💾

In this teach & play of Iskra: Spark of Victory, I’m joined by Jim McNaughton, a new developer with 3CG, for a rolling introduction to the game as we play through its first round.

Rather than separating rules explanation from gameplay, Jim teaches the system as situations come up on the map, giving us a practical look at how the game handles operations, combat, command and the wider pressures of the campaign. Along the way, we also chat about some of 3CG’s recent and upcoming releases, Jim’s role as a developer, and the historical context behind the 4th Sinyavino Offensive represented in Iskra.

BGG:
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/386775/iskra-spark-of-victory-4th-sinjavino-offensive

Support Homo Ludens and join our Discord community:
https://ko-fi.com/homoludens1871

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:32 About the Publisher 3CG
05:40 Game Overview
06:35 Historical context
08:10 Game starts
10:30 Event & Bombardment Phase
23:45 Command Phase
1:23:30 Supply & Pontoon Phase
1:24:50 Reinforcement Phase
1:28:33 Victory conditions
1:31:00 Debrief

Photo credit from thumbnail : Jose Bernal (BGG)
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An Infamous Traffic 2nd Edition - The History Behind Cole Wehrle’s Opium Trade Game

✇Homo Ludens
Von: Homo Ludens

💾

In this stream, I’m joined by Cole Wehrle to take a deep dive into An Infamous Traffic, now returning in a substantially reworked Second Edition.

Originally one of Cole’s earliest designs, An Infamous Traffic examines the nineteenth-century opium trade in Qing China through a vicious economic game of commerce, collaboration, imperialism, and social ambition. We’ll discuss the history behind the game, the research that informed it, and what Cole wanted the design to say about the structures and consequences of imperial trade.

We’ll also look at how his approach has evolved over the decade since the original release, what has changed mechanically in this new edition, and what players can expect from the new production.

The Kickstarter campaign will be live during the stream:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/colewehrle/an-infamous-traffic-second-edition

Support Homo Ludens and join our Discord community:
https://ko-fi.com/homoludens1871

0:00 Introduction to Infamous Traffic
6:38 Historical context of opium trade
14:08 Core game mechanics overview
21:11 Turn structure and actions
29:33 Winning the game: London season
33:24 Design philosophy and agency
40:30 Taiping Rebellion and system changes
49:23 Table talk and historical gaming
55:36 Production, books, and future projects
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OFJH 2026 - Wargames, Prototypes et Nouveautés à Bordeaux

✇Homo Ludens
Von: Homo Ludens

💾

Dans cette vidéo, je vous emmène à l’Open de France des Jeux d’Histoire (OFJH), à Bordeaux-Mérignac, pour faire le tour de la convention, rencontrer les organisateurs et découvrir ce que préparent les éditeurs présents. L’OFJH rassemble chaque année joueurs, auteurs et éditeurs autour du wargame et du jeu d’histoire.

Je passe notamment voir Nuts! Publishing, Shakos, Les Trois Zouaves, Historic’One et Fellowship of Simulations, qui nous présentent leurs jeux en démonstration, leurs prochaines sorties et surtout de nombreux prototypes encore en développement. Une bonne occasion de prendre le pouls de la scène francophone, de découvrir les projets à venir et de voir ce qui pourrait arriver sur nos tables dans les prochains mois.

Plus d’informations sur l’OFJH :
https://www.ofjh.fr

Soutenez Homo Ludens et rejoignez la communauté Discord :
https://ko-fi.com/homoludens1871

Crédit Photo Thumbnail : https://strategeek.net

Chapitres :
00:00 Intro
00:15 Tour de la convention
02:15 Nuts! Publishing
04:35 Shakos
06:44 Fellowship of Simulations
08:32 Les Trois Zouaves
11:08 Historic'One
13:45 Des Tranchées Aux Barricades
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The Guerrilla Generation: Resisting Reagan with Stephen Rangazas – Campaign Playthrough | Part 2

✇Homo Ludens
Von: Homo Ludens

💾

In Part 2 of our Resisting Reagan campaign, Joe Dewhurst and I return to The Guerrilla Generation: Cold War Insurgencies in Latin America — this time joined by the game’s designer, Stephen Rangazas.

As the campaign develops, Stephen will help us dig deeper into the historical context behind the scenarios, the political and military dynamics the game is trying to capture, and some of the design choices behind the system. Meanwhile, Joe brings the developer’s perspective, and I’ll continue doing my best not to sabotage the revolution through questionable strategic decisions.

Expect more insurgency, counterinsurgency, Cold War politics, and plenty of discussion about how the game translates the history of Latin America onto the table.

Support Homo Ludens and join our Discord community:
https://ko-fi.com/homoludens1871

Part 1 :
https://youtube.com/live/VvERhDj4pbY
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Top 5 Block Wargames – With Volko Ruhnke, Candice Harris & Stuart Ellis-Gorman

✇Homo Ludens
Von: Homo Ludens

💾

What are the best block wargames ever made? For this stream, I’m joined by Volko Ruhnke, Candice M. Harris, and Stuart Ellis-Gorman as each of us brings our own personal Top 5 to the table.

Rather than trying to establish some definitive ranking, we’ll use our picks to talk about what makes block games such a distinctive corner of wargaming: hidden information, fog of war, uncertainty, elegant representations of unit strength, and the simple tactile pleasure of pushing chunks of wood around a map. Expect classics, personal favorites, a few disagreements, and probably considerably more than twenty recommendations by the time we’re finished.

Come along, share your own Top 5 in the chat, and tell us which essential block game we inevitably forgot.

Support Homo Ludens and join our Discord community:
https://ko-fi.com/homoludens1871
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Ambush at Nui Le – Playing Combat Commander: Vietnam with Joe Dewhurst

✇Homo Ludens
Von: Homo Ludens

💾

For this impromptu stream, I’m joined by my friend Joe Dewhurst (who also happens to be the developer of the game ) for a playthrough of Scenario 18 from the upcoming Combat Commander: Vietnam from GMT Games.

The scenario takes us to Nui Le, South Vietnam, September 1971, during Operation Ivanhoe, the last major Australian operation of the war. As 11 Platoon, D Company, 4 RAR/NZ Battalion patrols near the Courtenay rubber plantation in search of an NVA bunker complex, a platoon of North Vietnamese regulars launches an ambush. With Joe on hand, we’ll play through the scenario while also talking about the system, the development process, and how Combat Commander has been adapted to the Vietnam War.

Support Homo Ludens and join the Discord community:
https://ko-fi.com/homoludens1871

0:00 Introduction and setup
1:04 Scenario context and overview
3:24 Starting the combat engagement
6:12 Initial gameplay and connection issues
12:44 Resuming the match
16:26 Fire support and early combat
22:51 Tactical maneuvering
33:40 Escalation and reinforcement
45:58 Intense firefights and artillery
57:42 Mid-game tactical developments
1:10:08 Late game attrition
1:24:10 Final tactical maneuvers
1:43:05 Conclusion and wrap-up
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Operation Overlord (VUCA) - Playthrough

✇Homo Ludens
Von: Homo Ludens

💾

In this teach and play session, I’m joined by Clem Seurat, designer of Operation Overlord, published by VUCA Simulations. The game covers the Normandy campaign from the June 1944 landings through the Allied breakout, with a strong focus on operational planning, logistics, fog of war, and the very different challenges facing the Allied and German commands.

Rather than playing a full scenario, Clem and I go through the first round step by step, using it to explain the sequence of play, the activation system, planning, supply, intelligence, and combat. If you’re curious about how Operation Overlord works before tackling one of its larger scenarios or the full campaign, this is a good place to start.

Support Homo Ludens and join the Discord community:
https://ko-fi.com/homoludens1871

Chapters:
0:00 Project origin and design
3:20 Game board and mechanics
8:30 Planning operations
17:00 Weekly turn sequence
24:00 Initial unit deployment
33:50 First combat activation
48:45 Executing tactical moves
1:21:00 End of week resolution
1:26:42 Turn transition and future
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Napoleon 1870 - Kickstarter Preview of the new Wargame by Shakos

✇Homo Ludens
Von: Homo Ludens

💾

In this video, I take a first look at Napoleon 1870: The Collapse of the Second French Empire, the game I co-designed with Brian Asklev, soon to be released by Shakos.

Rather than simply adapting a Napoleonic system to a later conflict, we wanted the design to reflect what made the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 fundamentally different: changing command structures, new operational realities, and above all the contrast between the warfare of Napoleon I and the very different military doctrine and political system inherited by Napoleon III. I’ll walk through the core system, explain what makes this entry unique, and discuss some of the historical and mechanical choices that shaped the design.

The Kickstarter campaign launches on September 22:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/shakos/napoleon-1870-the-collapse-of-the-second-french-empire

BGG page:
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/473376/napoleon-1870

Support Homo Ludens and join our Discord community:
https://ko-fi.com/homoludens1871

00:00 Intro
00:50 System Overview
05:43 Why did we deign this
08:09 What makes this entry special
11:48 Q&A - The Russ Segment
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Top 5 Wargames for Beginners – The Best Games to Start Historical Wargaming

✇Homo Ludens
Von: Homo Ludens

💾

This Sunday, I’m joined by my friend and designer Brian Asklev for a stream all about one question: what are the best games to start with if you want to get into wargaming?

We’ll each bring five recommendations, not as a strict ranking, but as a series of very subjective categories: the best introduction to card-driven games, block wargames, hex-and-counter systems, lighter historical games, and more. The goal is to offer different entry points depending on your tastes, your experience, and how deep you want to go. Expect plenty of discussion, disagreement, and extra recommendations along the way.

Support Homo Ludens and join the Discord community:
https://ko-fi.com/homoludens1871

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
03:01 Brian's intro to block wargames
07:45 Fred's intro to Commands & Colors
13:04 Brians intro to CDGs
18:59 Fred's intro to CDGs
26:02 Brian's intro to Tactical wargames
31:36 Fred's intro to Tactical wargames
36:58 Brian's intro to Commands & Colors
44:58 Fred's intro to Hex & Counter
51:52 Brian's Honorable Mention
56:12 Fred's Honorable Mention
01:02:06 Brians intro to Multiplayer wargames
01:08:44 Fred's intro to the COIN series
01:20:58 Outro and additional pics
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The Guerrilla Generation: Resisting Reagan – Campaign Playthrough | Part 1

✇Homo Ludens
Von: Homo Ludens

💾

Joe Dewhurst and I dive into Resisting Reagan, the campaign from The Guerrilla Generation: Cold War Insurgencies in Latin America, designed by Stephen Rangazas, developed by Joe, and published by GMT Games. The wider multipack explores four Cold War insurgencies in Uruguay, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Peru.

Over the next two or three episodes, we’ll play through the campaign while Joe gives us a developer’s-eye view of the system, its historical ideas, and the decisions behind the design. Expect revolution, counterinsurgency, questionable strategic choices, and rather a lot of Reagan.

Support Homo Ludens and join our Discord community:
https://ko-fi.com/homoludens1871
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Wargame News, Gen Con & Gossip while playing Julius Caesar – Play & Chat with Liz

✇Homo Ludens
Von: Homo Ludens

💾

This Sunday, Liz from Beyond Solitaire and I are back for a relaxed Play & Chat session: catching up on what’s new in historical gaming, hearing all about Liz’s adventures at Gen Con, and inevitably indulging in a bit of wargame gossip along the way.

While we talk, we’ll be playing Julius Caesar on Rally the Troops — because apparently discussing the hobby is more fun when there’s also a civil war happening in the background.

Support Homo Ludens and join the Discord community:
https://ko-fi.com/homoludens1871
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Ayar - The History behind the Boardgame

✇Homo Ludens
Von: Homo Ludens

💾

In this video, I sit down with designers Fabio Lopiano and Mandela Fernandez-Grandon to explore the history behind Ayar: Children of the Sun, their 2025 release from Osprey Games. The game draws on the Inca origin myth of the Ayar siblings, who journey through the Andes before the foundation of Tawantinsuyu, the Inca Empire.

Rather than focusing only on how the game plays, we dig into the research and design process behind it: how Fabio and Mandela approached Inca history and mythology, how historical material was translated into mechanisms, what had to be abstracted or adapted, and how they navigated the challenge of representing a culture that is still too rarely explored in board games. We also discuss the relationship between theme and mechanics, and what they wanted players to understand (or at least become curious about) after playing Ayar.

Support Homo Ludens and join our Discord community:
https://ko-fi.com/homoludens1871
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Battle Box - Age of Sail Preview - Naval Wargame in a tinbox

✇Homo Ludens
Von: Homo Ludens

💾

A few months ago, Adrian released Battle Box: Napoleonic Wars, a clever little travel-friendly wargame with charming wooden components, variable battlefields, and a very accessible ruleset. I enjoyed the format a lot, even if the rules felt closer to a classic miniatures wargame than to some of the more elegant board wargame designs I personally gravitate toward.

But Age of Sail feels like a real step up. In a very small box, it manages to deliver a surprisingly rich naval wargame experience: four ships, tight manoeuvring, combat, scenario-driven asymmetry, and a smart card system that gives ships different statuses, damage effects, and special traits. It is compact, affordable, and much deeper than its tiny footprint suggests.

The Kickstarter campaign is in its final days, and I highly recommend checking it out.

Battle Box: Age of Sail on Kickstarter:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/feralwizard/battle-box-age-of-sail

Support Homo Ludens on Ko-fi and join the community Discord:
https://ko-fi.com/homoludens1871
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PunchedCon 26 - Wargame Convention Debrief

✇Homo Ludens
Von: Homo Ludens

💾

It’s time for the annual PunchedCon debrief, and this year’s edition is a special one. I’m joined by an incredible panel of guests to unpack our experiences at the Coventry wargame convention, the games we played, and the ideas they sparked.

Around the table:
- Candice M. Harris, friend of the show and host of Kickin’ It Creative
- Pierre Vagneur-Jones, co-host of We Intend to Move on Your Works and designer of Ermine (next entry in the Men of Iron series)
- Eric Vulgaris, legendary online game master
- Joe Dewhurst, partner in crime, developer and designer (The Pure Land, Resisting Revolution)
- Adam Blinkinsop, developer and designer (Echo from the Dark, upcoming ICS title from GMT)

Together, we revisit the convention: what stood out, what surprised us, and what made this year’s PunchedCon such a great space for wargames, historical games, and creative experimentation.

We talk about a wide range of titles — from classics to curiosities:
Onward Christian Soldier (Berg megagame), the surprise hit from VUCA Imperial Elegy, the unusual The Man Who Was Thursday, Pacts from DVC Games, the classic A House Divided, recent releases like Guerrilla Generation and Baltic Empires, and oddities ranging from Guerrilla (a 90s COIN-like card game) to Fleeced (yes, the Wallace & Gromit game) and many more...

Links:
Kickin’ It Creative: https://www.youtube.com/@kickinitcreative
Eric Vulgaris: https://www.youtube.com/@EricVulgaris

Support the channel on Ko-fi and join the community on Discord:
https://ko-fi.com/homoludens1871

Chapters:
Intro - 00:00
Guerilla Generation - 00:48
Onward Christian Soldier - 01:01
Baltic Empires - 02:19
Desert Duel - 03:12
Imperial Elegy - 04:18
Pacts - 05:46
Echo from the dark - 06:18
Supremacy 2050 - 09:07
The Man Who Was Thursday - 11:17
Fleeced - 12:03
Northern Pacific - 12:49
Candice's finds - 13:21
Guerilla - 13:48
A House Divided - 15:02
Love for Joe Dewhurst - 17:12
Outro - 18:15
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French Wargaming at Cannes International Boardgame Festival 2026

✇Homo Ludens
Von: Homo Ludens

💾

Welcome back to Homo Ludens! Join me on the sunny shores of the French Riviera for the 2026 Cannes International Boardgame Festival. In this video, we take a deep dive into the Carré Histoire, the dedicated heart of historical gaming at the festival, to see what the vibrant French wargaming scene has in store for us this year.

Whether you're a fan of grand strategy, tactical skirmishes, or innovative deck-building, the French scene is pushing the boundaries of the "playable history" we love. We’re sitting down with three of the most exciting publishers in the hobby to look at their latest releases and upcoming prototypes.

Shakos Games
We explore their diverse lineup of beautifully produced historical titles, including:
- Rex Britanorum: High-stakes Arthurian conflict.
- Breizh 1341: The War of the Breton Succession brought to the tabletop.
- Napoleon 1870: A fresh look at the Franco-Prussian War through the Shakos lens.

Les Trois Zouaves
The Zouaves are back with tactical depth and historical flavor:
- Austerlitz: The newest entry in the acclaimed Time for Heroes series.
- L'Envol de l'Aigle: A fascinating look at an upcoming deck-building game focused on Napoleon's daring escape from St Hélène.

Nuts! Publishing
We wrap up with a look at the newest addition to their Combat Ration series:
- Guerre Éclair: A fast-paced, tense depiction of the 1940 German invasion of France.

Your support not only keeps the lights on but also grants you access to our private Discord server, where we discuss history, design, and our favorite games.

☕ Support me here: https://ko-fi.com/homoludens1871
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Review de Meltwater - Un jeu de plateau anti-Guerre ? (avec Polgara)

✇Homo Ludens
Von: Homo Ludens

💾

Dans cette vidéo, je retrouve Polgara (https://www.lepointdepolgara.fr
) pour une discussion approfondie autour de Meltwater, un jeu aussi radical dans sa proposition ludique que dans son propos.

À travers cette review, nous nous interrogeons sur ce que peut être un jeu de société aujourd’hui : est-il un simple produit de divertissement, ou peut-il proposer une véritable expérience esthétique et philosophique ? Meltwater nous sert ici de point de départ pour explorer les limites du médium, la manière dont ses mécaniques peuvent être détournées ou mises en tension, et ce que cela implique pour les joueuses.

Dans ce monde post-apocalyptique où les survivants s’affrontent sur les glaces de l’Antarctique après une guerre nucléaire, le jeu propose une expérience dépouillée, brutale, presque inconfortable, qui questionne directement notre rapport à la guerre, à la stratégie, et à la victoire.

Meltwater est-il un jeu “anti-guerre” ? Ou simplement une autre manière de représenter le conflit ? C’est ce que nous essayons de démêler dans cette discussion.

Si ce type de contenu vous intéresse, vous pouvez soutenir la chaîne sur Ko-fi et rejoindre notre communauté Discord :
https://ko-fi.com/homoludens1871
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Baltic Empires - Unboxing of Brian Asklev's upcoming wargame with GMT

✇Homo Ludens
Von: Homo Ludens

💾

In this video, I unbox Baltic Empires, a new strategic-level wargame set in the early modern Baltic region. But this isn’t your typical unboxing ! As a developer on the project, I take the opportunity to go beyond the components and share insights into the design choices, development process, and production decisions that shaped the final game.

Baltic Empires is an approachable 2–5 player wargame where Denmark-Norway, Sweden, Russia, Poland-Lithuania, and Prussia compete for dominance through a mix of economic development, political maneuvering, and warfare. With asymmetric objectives and a strong focus on state-building, the game explores a transformative period marked by religious conflict, shifting alliances, and the rise of modern power structures.

As I go through the box, I’ll talk about how the system evolved, what we tried to achieve in terms of accessibility and historical framing, and some of the challenges we faced along the way.

If you enjoy this kind of behind-the-scenes content, consider supporting the channel on Ko-fi, it helps keep Homo Ludens independent and ad-free, and gives you access to our Discord community:
https://ko-fi.com/homoludens1871
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Best boardgames and wargames of 2025 and a channel update

✇Homo Ludens
Von: Homo Ludens

💾

In this video I go over the best boardgames and historical games that were new to me in 2025 and provide a channel updat eon what to expect in 2026.

Chapters :
Intro 00:00
Best boardgames of 2025 00:31
Channel update 04:46
Best Historical boardgames of 2025 12:08
Preview of 2026 18:04

Support the channel on Ko-Fi and join the Discord server : https://ko-fi.com/homoludens1871
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