I love history and strategy. This is a blog about playing historical strategy games and talking about the history. I am notoriously bad at strategy games. Stick around, you will see it is true.
Why blog, why Strategic Buffoonery?
I like complicated games and simulations. I like figuring out how they work. I like ascertaining the themes, theories and stories the developers are sharing through their design decisions. I like learning about the history that is uncovered through the study and play of a complicated strategy or tactical game. A well designed game can approximate the challenges faced by notable historical figures and create a depth of understanding unachievable by other mediums. It can put you in the shoes of extraordinary people in tumultuous circumstances.
Conflict simulations also appeal in other ways that are both difficult and uncomfortable to articulate. Aspects of the hobby that are not easily explained or rationalized. We are, after all, playing at war with all of its inherent ugliness; it is perhaps the darkest human activity. Why then the fascination with it? Do some humans possess a murky predisposition that draws them towards interest in violence and conflict? Has the task of survival on this sometimes chaotic planet led people to have morbid fascination with violence and conflict? I think perhaps this too plays a part in the interest I have with war games; similar to the way a true-crime murder mystery can titillate millions of readers. It is important to note that my interest in the topic warfare does not make me a proponent of its employment. I would argue that knowledge derived from these interest has had the opposite effect.
As a child I was deeply fascinated by tanks, warplanes and combat ships. As a pre-digital child I waged endless wars with plastic soldiers and built badly constructed models. I have always had an interest in these things. As I have grown older and wiser these interests have not abated. The fascination has changed form to works of military history, board and digital games that simulate political and military conflict. I am at a point where my obligations have subsided and my free time increased and can indulge in these long held interests.
Hobby Wargaming, however, can be a solitary interest. The games are often complicated and require levels of time, dedication and attention few people have to spare. While at the same time, like most things, the hobby is better when shared with others who have a similar passion and interest. I am blessed on occasion to get to play and share my interest with others but frequently its a single person operation. I think this is a common circumstance for wargamers.
It is my hope that blogging about my passion will serve as a creative outlet. I have also found that writing about a new game helps me to learn better how to play it. Therefore, I thought that I would start this blog to write about my interests. Perhaps a few people will read and benefit from that things I have to share, more likely this will mainly serve as personal creative catharsis.
If you have stumbled your way to this blog somehow and find anything here valuable that will for me be a bonus pleasure. I welcome any respectful comments, thoughts and corrections. Be warned, while I am deeply interested in history and strategy, that does not mean I am an expert at any of it. Indeed, I am more likely to play ten different games than a single game ten times. This is not the blog to read if your looking for advice on how to win a tournament. There is a reason for the title as you will probably soon see if you stick around. I often learn best by making horrendous miscalculations and poor decisions on the paper and digital battlefields. You have been warned.
Strategic Buffoonery 