The Wargaming Scribe
@wargamingscribe.bsky.social
Started as "all the computer strategy games in chronological order". Now a bit more.
https://zeitgame.net/
https://zeitgame.net/
I am finally covering The Lords of Midnight, one of the few games not superseded by later efforts in its niche [Heroes of M&M with a first person view].
I am playing the "modernized" version from GOG.com: It's free and it's still outstanding.
AAR: zeitgame.net/archives/36556 but play it yourself!
I am playing the "modernized" version from GOG.com: It's free and it's still outstanding.
AAR: zeitgame.net/archives/36556 but play it yourself!
October 2, 2026 at 7:58 AM
I am finally covering The Lords of Midnight, one of the few games not superseded by later efforts in its niche [Heroes of M&M with a first person view].
I am playing the "modernized" version from GOG.com: It's free and it's still outstanding.
AAR: zeitgame.net/archives/36556 but play it yourself!
I am playing the "modernized" version from GOG.com: It's free and it's still outstanding.
AAR: zeitgame.net/archives/36556 but play it yourself!
Decision in the Desert (1985) - the third strategy game by Sir Meier, though in this case his main contribution was the engine.
IMHO inferior to Crusade in Europe. Read more here:
zeitgame.net/archives/35709
I attached the stats it gives to the generals of the Desert War. Do you agree with them?
IMHO inferior to Crusade in Europe. Read more here:
zeitgame.net/archives/35709
I attached the stats it gives to the generals of the Desert War. Do you agree with them?
September 16, 2026 at 11:59 AM
Decision in the Desert (1985) - the third strategy game by Sir Meier, though in this case his main contribution was the engine.
IMHO inferior to Crusade in Europe. Read more here:
zeitgame.net/archives/35709
I attached the stats it gives to the generals of the Desert War. Do you agree with them?
IMHO inferior to Crusade in Europe. Read more here:
zeitgame.net/archives/35709
I attached the stats it gives to the generals of the Desert War. Do you agree with them?
Update on my daughters and Opera:
- Huge failure of Platée to interest them
- The 6 yo is not interested in anything outside of Carmen // Oftenbach
- The 4 yo is still really into it. Today, she played Don Giovanni at school... specifically the commander stabbing scene (dagger= wood chip)... (1/2)
- Huge failure of Platée to interest them
- The 6 yo is not interested in anything outside of Carmen // Oftenbach
- The 4 yo is still really into it. Today, she played Don Giovanni at school... specifically the commander stabbing scene (dagger= wood chip)... (1/2)
September 9, 2026 at 10:18 AM
Update on my daughters and Opera:
- Huge failure of Platée to interest them
- The 6 yo is not interested in anything outside of Carmen // Oftenbach
- The 4 yo is still really into it. Today, she played Don Giovanni at school... specifically the commander stabbing scene (dagger= wood chip)... (1/2)
- Huge failure of Platée to interest them
- The 6 yo is not interested in anything outside of Carmen // Oftenbach
- The 4 yo is still really into it. Today, she played Don Giovanni at school... specifically the commander stabbing scene (dagger= wood chip)... (1/2)
Hodgson’s Waterloo (1985), now on BBC Micro - Lothlorien made the baffling decision of releasing the same year 2 games of the same name.
It’s a bad game, but multiplayer and real-time. Also, I rarely cover forgotten side-project of people with a long wikipedia page
zeitgame.net/archives/33797
It’s a bad game, but multiplayer and real-time. Also, I rarely cover forgotten side-project of people with a long wikipedia page
zeitgame.net/archives/33797
September 6, 2026 at 4:21 PM
Hodgson’s Waterloo (1985), now on BBC Micro - Lothlorien made the baffling decision of releasing the same year 2 games of the same name.
It’s a bad game, but multiplayer and real-time. Also, I rarely cover forgotten side-project of people with a long wikipedia page
zeitgame.net/archives/33797
It’s a bad game, but multiplayer and real-time. Also, I rarely cover forgotten side-project of people with a long wikipedia page
zeitgame.net/archives/33797
I just saw Cristian Mungiu’s Fjord. I will know officially judge people based on their interpretation of the movie.
Problem: not so many people will see it. I will have to postpone judging people until they see it.
In any case, Mungiu confirmed once again that he is my favourite European director.
Problem: not so many people will see it. I will have to postpone judging people until they see it.
In any case, Mungiu confirmed once again that he is my favourite European director.
August 31, 2026 at 7:49 PM
I just saw Cristian Mungiu’s Fjord. I will know officially judge people based on their interpretation of the movie.
Problem: not so many people will see it. I will have to postpone judging people until they see it.
In any case, Mungiu confirmed once again that he is my favourite European director.
Problem: not so many people will see it. I will have to postpone judging people until they see it.
In any case, Mungiu confirmed once again that he is my favourite European director.
Continuing with my daughters’ journey into Opera, we moved to Don Giovanni because I thought they would like the Commander scene. They loved it, so I explained the story [they know “seduction” from Carmen].
The 4yo then asked: “did he seduce Carmen?” I said they didn’t met. “OK, but could he?”
The 4yo then asked: “did he seduce Carmen?” I said they didn’t met. “OK, but could he?”
August 24, 2026 at 8:02 PM
Continuing with my daughters’ journey into Opera, we moved to Don Giovanni because I thought they would like the Commander scene. They loved it, so I explained the story [they know “seduction” from Carmen].
The 4yo then asked: “did he seduce Carmen?” I said they didn’t met. “OK, but could he?”
The 4yo then asked: “did he seduce Carmen?” I said they didn’t met. “OK, but could he?”
Reposted by The Wargaming Scribe
The Odyssey of Magellan is now available on Amazon: amzn.to/4h2bqzw. Honest reviews do a lot for sales, so they are enormously appreciated if you happen to have the time. You can also become an Analog Antiquarian patron to get all the ebooks for free: www.patreon.com/AnalogAntiqu....
The Odyssey of Magellan (A Wonders of the World Book)
Amazon.com: The Odyssey of Magellan (A Wonders of the World Book) eBook : Maher, Jimmy: Kindle Store
amzn.to
October 8, 2025 at 2:12 PM
The Odyssey of Magellan is now available on Amazon: amzn.to/4h2bqzw. Honest reviews do a lot for sales, so they are enormously appreciated if you happen to have the time. You can also become an Analog Antiquarian patron to get all the ebooks for free: www.patreon.com/AnalogAntiqu....
Austerlitz (1984) and Waterloo (1985) are two more early Napoleonic games to add to the pile - and two more proofs that making good Napoleonic games is HARD.
It has ONE good idea poorly executed [independant Marshal command] and otherwise a terrible ruleset.
Read more: zeitgame.net/archives/32950
It has ONE good idea poorly executed [independant Marshal command] and otherwise a terrible ruleset.
Read more: zeitgame.net/archives/32950
August 24, 2026 at 11:01 AM
Austerlitz (1984) and Waterloo (1985) are two more early Napoleonic games to add to the pile - and two more proofs that making good Napoleonic games is HARD.
It has ONE good idea poorly executed [independant Marshal command] and otherwise a terrible ruleset.
Read more: zeitgame.net/archives/32950
It has ONE good idea poorly executed [independant Marshal command] and otherwise a terrible ruleset.
Read more: zeitgame.net/archives/32950
Crusade in Europe (1985) is the return of Sid Meir to wargaming and features 5 scenarios, including one spanning from Normandy to the Ruhr - in real-time.
I discussed it with co-designer with co-designer and historian Ed bever, and AAR'ed the main campaign.
Read more:
zeitgame.net/archives/32787
I discussed it with co-designer with co-designer and historian Ed bever, and AAR'ed the main campaign.
Read more:
zeitgame.net/archives/32787
August 15, 2026 at 12:29 PM
Crusade in Europe (1985) is the return of Sid Meir to wargaming and features 5 scenarios, including one spanning from Normandy to the Ruhr - in real-time.
I discussed it with co-designer with co-designer and historian Ed bever, and AAR'ed the main campaign.
Read more:
zeitgame.net/archives/32787
I discussed it with co-designer with co-designer and historian Ed bever, and AAR'ed the main campaign.
Read more:
zeitgame.net/archives/32787
I am blessed with two daughters (4 and 6) who love 3 operettas (La Belle Helene [entry point], Orphée aux Enfers, the Grande Duchesse) and Carmen. I never let them see the end of Carmen, despite the 4 yo begging.
When bored, they request Carmen (either the movie or the Garanca version) 1/3
When bored, they request Carmen (either the movie or the Garanca version) 1/3
August 10, 2026 at 7:41 PM
I am blessed with two daughters (4 and 6) who love 3 operettas (La Belle Helene [entry point], Orphée aux Enfers, the Grande Duchesse) and Carmen. I never let them see the end of Carmen, despite the 4 yo begging.
When bored, they request Carmen (either the movie or the Garanca version) 1/3
When bored, they request Carmen (either the movie or the Garanca version) 1/3
Some of my commenters went above and beyond to run Beacon Star Wars (1984), an undocumented type-in game by the excellent designer Ron Potkin.
Alas, the result is disappointing. You can still read about it here:
zeitgame.net/archives/32757
Alas, the result is disappointing. You can still read about it here:
zeitgame.net/archives/32757
August 7, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Some of my commenters went above and beyond to run Beacon Star Wars (1984), an undocumented type-in game by the excellent designer Ron Potkin.
Alas, the result is disappointing. You can still read about it here:
zeitgame.net/archives/32757
Alas, the result is disappointing. You can still read about it here:
zeitgame.net/archives/32757
NATO Alert by CCS (1985) - a tame "Cold War Gone Hot" scenario that is clunky, buggy, gamey with dated UX and terrible AI.
I quite liked it.
Fun fact: It put Algeria and Morocco on the same side. No French/Spanish designer would have made this mistake.
Full review: zeitgame.net/archives/29469
I quite liked it.
Fun fact: It put Algeria and Morocco on the same side. No French/Spanish designer would have made this mistake.
Full review: zeitgame.net/archives/29469
July 31, 2026 at 11:37 AM
NATO Alert by CCS (1985) - a tame "Cold War Gone Hot" scenario that is clunky, buggy, gamey with dated UX and terrible AI.
I quite liked it.
Fun fact: It put Algeria and Morocco on the same side. No French/Spanish designer would have made this mistake.
Full review: zeitgame.net/archives/29469
I quite liked it.
Fun fact: It put Algeria and Morocco on the same side. No French/Spanish designer would have made this mistake.
Full review: zeitgame.net/archives/29469
Fighter Command by SSI [1983], an early wargame combining computer and map&tokens.
The level of attention to [historical] details is incredible. Example: among the ca. 1000 British planes or so, the game tracks the useless <10 Gladiators of squadron #247.
Full review: zeitgame.net/archives/32593
The level of attention to [historical] details is incredible. Example: among the ca. 1000 British planes or so, the game tracks the useless <10 Gladiators of squadron #247.
Full review: zeitgame.net/archives/32593
July 31, 2026 at 11:31 AM
Fighter Command by SSI [1983], an early wargame combining computer and map&tokens.
The level of attention to [historical] details is incredible. Example: among the ca. 1000 British planes or so, the game tracks the useless <10 Gladiators of squadron #247.
Full review: zeitgame.net/archives/32593
The level of attention to [historical] details is incredible. Example: among the ca. 1000 British planes or so, the game tracks the useless <10 Gladiators of squadron #247.
Full review: zeitgame.net/archives/32593
Small history meets History: the first gaming Kickstarter (for a proto-wargame in 1779!) stated: "The subscribers will be listed [...] as its kind patrons." One of them is Colonel von Speth of the Ducal Brunswick Troops in Canada. Hmm - what was he doing there? @cedricmas.bsky.social See alt text.
![Kickstarter announcement Der teutsche merkur: "The figures and machines belonging to the game, the procuring of which costs little, shall be described in it so exactly that everyone may have them made to that pattern in his own locality. Whoever pays in advance, by the coming Braunschweig Winter Fair, a half pistole — or 2 thalers 12 good groschen in convention coin — shall receive a copy on good writing paper, neatly bound, with illuminated [hand-coloured] plans engraved on copper. The work will appear with certainty at the coming Leipzig Easter Fair. The gentlemen subscribers will be listed at the front of the work as its kind patrons. Whoever sends in a subscription for 9 copies receives the tenth free. I ask that money and letters be sent to me carriage-paid ; in return I will deliver the copies as far as Berlin, Leipzig, Nuremberg, and Frankfurt am Main. The game may be inspected at my house any day, and instruction in it given on request. Braunschweig, 2 July 1779"](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:vbyos4ly2hmqqx5vbwzom2g4/bafkreihhnttyvhdrddsncuskzi35huqiqatqiqvmc5guvbofmqtxqboavi)
June 30, 2026 at 12:27 PM
Small history meets History: the first gaming Kickstarter (for a proto-wargame in 1779!) stated: "The subscribers will be listed [...] as its kind patrons." One of them is Colonel von Speth of the Ducal Brunswick Troops in Canada. Hmm - what was he doing there? @cedricmas.bsky.social See alt text.
Kriegsspiel (i1824) considered to be the first modern, by convention more than by consensus - scholarly works as far back as 1966 (the furthest one I checked) mention earlier wargames, with the consensus being distributed between Holwig’s game (1780), Vinturinus’ (1795) and Opiz (1806) [1/x]
May 31, 2026 at 3:40 PM
Kriegsspiel (i1824) considered to be the first modern, by convention more than by consensus - scholarly works as far back as 1966 (the furthest one I checked) mention earlier wargames, with the consensus being distributed between Holwig’s game (1780), Vinturinus’ (1795) and Opiz (1806) [1/x]
Underreported impact of AI in office: I connect late in the evening to burn one more “refresh” of tokens… but then I leave earlier in the day because what am I gonna do late afternoon without tokens :).
And yes I could buy a new account or extra tokens, but haven’t passed that threshold yet.
And yes I could buy a new account or extra tokens, but haven’t passed that threshold yet.
May 26, 2026 at 9:30 AM
Underreported impact of AI in office: I connect late in the evening to burn one more “refresh” of tokens… but then I leave earlier in the day because what am I gonna do late afternoon without tokens :).
And yes I could buy a new account or extra tokens, but haven’t passed that threshold yet.
And yes I could buy a new account or extra tokens, but haven’t passed that threshold yet.
Reposted by The Wargaming Scribe
May 7, 2026 at 10:31 AM
New article: The Ancient Art of War (1985) - the first "modern" computer wargame of history and by far the best one I have played so far for my project. Ancient Art of War has received phenomenal acclaims at release, sold 100K+ and 40 years later it is still fun to play!
zeitgame.net/archives/20165
zeitgame.net/archives/20165
February 14, 2026 at 11:46 PM
New article: The Ancient Art of War (1985) - the first "modern" computer wargame of history and by far the best one I have played so far for my project. Ancient Art of War has received phenomenal acclaims at release, sold 100K+ and 40 years later it is still fun to play!
zeitgame.net/archives/20165
zeitgame.net/archives/20165
A bit out of character, but one of the key reasons I still browse Twitter is to keep myself updated with AI progress (+ follow Effective Altruism news). I don't feel a lot of discussion on the topic happen on BlueSky. Well, be the change you want to see:
1/2
1/2
February 10, 2026 at 8:45 AM
A bit out of character, but one of the key reasons I still browse Twitter is to keep myself updated with AI progress (+ follow Effective Altruism news). I don't feel a lot of discussion on the topic happen on BlueSky. Well, be the change you want to see:
1/2
1/2
Reposted by The Wargaming Scribe
This week on The Digital Antiquarian: Ultima IX www.filfre.net/2026/02/ulti...
» Ultima IX The Digital Antiquarian
www.filfre.net
February 6, 2026 at 5:10 PM
This week on The Digital Antiquarian: Ultima IX www.filfre.net/2026/02/ulti...
The three models of treaties:
- Pre-1648 sovereign-to-sovereign treaty. Ends when the sovereign dies.
- The post-1648 nation-to-nation treaty. Ends according to rules set in the treaty or in IPL
- The post-2024 Trump-to-anyone treaty. Ends when Trump received what he wanted in the first place.
- Pre-1648 sovereign-to-sovereign treaty. Ends when the sovereign dies.
- The post-1648 nation-to-nation treaty. Ends according to rules set in the treaty or in IPL
- The post-2024 Trump-to-anyone treaty. Ends when Trump received what he wanted in the first place.
January 20, 2026 at 7:32 PM
The three models of treaties:
- Pre-1648 sovereign-to-sovereign treaty. Ends when the sovereign dies.
- The post-1648 nation-to-nation treaty. Ends according to rules set in the treaty or in IPL
- The post-2024 Trump-to-anyone treaty. Ends when Trump received what he wanted in the first place.
- Pre-1648 sovereign-to-sovereign treaty. Ends when the sovereign dies.
- The post-1648 nation-to-nation treaty. Ends according to rules set in the treaty or in IPL
- The post-2024 Trump-to-anyone treaty. Ends when Trump received what he wanted in the first place.
My latest article is on Game Designers' Workshop first cwargame: The Battle of Chickagauma (a battle also known as "random Civil War Battle #7 in Europe"). Chickagauma is relatively deep game that manages to remain easy to play... but IMO not very fun. Why? Read:
zeitgame.net/archives/19938
zeitgame.net/archives/19938
January 14, 2026 at 8:45 AM
My latest article is on Game Designers' Workshop first cwargame: The Battle of Chickagauma (a battle also known as "random Civil War Battle #7 in Europe"). Chickagauma is relatively deep game that manages to remain easy to play... but IMO not very fun. Why? Read:
zeitgame.net/archives/19938
zeitgame.net/archives/19938
Reposted by The Wargaming Scribe
Too many platforms: the beginnings of French computer gaming – The Wargaming Scribe
zeitgame.net
January 1, 2026 at 11:22 AM
Post-War France caught back the "Anglo-Saxons" in all fields. All? No! One field stubbornly resisted all attempts to break through: computing. I'll cover the history of this failure, starting with the 10 years lost as the CNRS thought they knew better than Von Neumann.
zeitgame.net/archives/19485
zeitgame.net/archives/19485
November 14, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Post-War France caught back the "Anglo-Saxons" in all fields. All? No! One field stubbornly resisted all attempts to break through: computing. I'll cover the history of this failure, starting with the 10 years lost as the CNRS thought they knew better than Von Neumann.
zeitgame.net/archives/19485
zeitgame.net/archives/19485
Si vous avez aimé lire sur cette machine méconnue de 1977, j’ai aussi commencé une série (en Anglais) sur le début de l’informatique en France et comment on s’est largement raté. Première partie sur le débâcle de la machine de Couffignal.
zeitgame.net/archives/19485
zeitgame.net/archives/19485
November 14, 2025 at 10:27 AM
Si vous avez aimé lire sur cette machine méconnue de 1977, j’ai aussi commencé une série (en Anglais) sur le début de l’informatique en France et comment on s’est largement raté. Première partie sur le débâcle de la machine de Couffignal.
zeitgame.net/archives/19485
zeitgame.net/archives/19485