Wargames To Go

About Wargames To Go

Mark Johnson's irregular podcast about small wargames.

Publisher

Mark Johnson

Category

history · leisure

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

2 Oct 2013

Latest episode

6 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

2 of 51 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   6 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Wargames To Go 30 - Charlemagne and the Carolingians

   Host Mark explores Charlemagne and the Carolingians, examining their empire, renaissance, and impact on modern European history.

2. 

   21 May 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Wargames To Go 29 - Postwar Germany

   Host Mark explores the socio-political history of postwar Germany through the game Wir sind das Volk, offering insights into national reconciliation.

3. 

   6 Feb 2026

   Wargames To Go 28 - Operation Torch

   Join the Wargames To Go (and Boardgames To Go) discord server https://discord.gg/vxEG9bMPdx (https://discord.gg/vxEG9bMPdx) I'm taking the win. For a while now I've been wishing I could do these episodes more often, study more topics, play more wargames, read more books, see more movies… This time, it worked. I didn't play that many games, but I played a few while digging into a new topic: the American entry into WW2's ETO through Operation Torch. The combined American-British amphibious invasion of the western half of North Africa was something I knew a little about, but—as always happens with me—I learn a lot more through this experience. I learn some more details about what happened, and a lot more context. That's the part of history that I find most fascinating. (https://boardgamegeek.com/image/7985229) In this case, the wider context had a lot to do with Vichy France and its colonies. The formation of this new, odd government, who was responsible, how it operated, and America's complicated, troublesome relationship to it. One book really brought that home, but it showed up in everything, including podcasts, movies, and the games themselves (at least somewhat). Films • Patton • The Big Red One • Casablanca Books • When France Fell (Neiberg) • Patton: A Biography (Axelrod) • An Army at Dawn (Atkinson) • No Ordinary Time (Goodwin) Travel No, I didn't make it to Morocco, Algeria, or Tunisia to see this places in-person. That would be amazing. I'd love to see the Atlas Mountains and sunset from there that Churchill insisted that FDR see during their famous conference. The closest I've come is getting to see the US Army Desert Training Center that Patton himself picked out from his knowledge of the American Southwest, and trained troops that would later be part of Operation Torch. To be honest, it's now a pretty run-down place. Clearly the modern army trains elsewhere. Yet it's still an interesting part of history, and what wargamer doesn't enjoy seeing some tired, old tanks? (https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9392753) -Mark Charlemagne will be my next topic. I'm not sure how many games there are about him and this period, but it ties in to my trip to Aachen, I'd like to learn more, and want to take a break from WW2. Here's a geeklist with my preliminary ideas about it.

Inside a recent episode

Wargames To Go 30 - Charlemagne and the Carolingians

Published 6 Sept 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] I knew that... there was an earlier period with the Franks, which isn't to say France, but more what later becomes France, Germany, and the low countries. There was a Merovingians period, which was earlier still than what I'm talking about. So now I suppose we're talking year, what, 500, 600, something like that. And, or maybe even 700. And then there is the transition to the Carolingians that happens in the late 700s. And then Charlemagne himself, um, uh, It's his grandfather that is part of that transition to the Carolingians. And we have the stopping of the Muslim invasion of Western Europe up through France at the Battle of Tours. […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.5 / 5

41 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 50 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

64

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

92

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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