Discussing historical and New England gaming. A proud member of the Troll in the Corner Podcast Network.

In this episode of Wargaming Recon, Peter Bryant takes the helm and is joined by Robert Dunn as a guest host to tackle listener-submitted questions from our Facebook page while our usual host, Jonathan, is on break. We engage in vibrant discussions sparked by questions from contributors like Brian Butler, debating the merits of different dice types, particularly the classic D6 compared to the D10. The conversation shifts to miniature painting tools, where we discuss the advantages of natural versus synthetic brushes, drawing from Robert's experiences as he prepares for an upcoming skirmish game. We reminisce about fond early gaming memories and reflect on the dynamics of player interactions in tabletop settings. Additionally, we explore logistics for wargaming events and share tips for organizing and transporting miniatures effectively. As we conclude, we emphasize the communal spirit of our audience and invite ongoing input for future discussions, promising to continue exploring diverse topics in the gaming world. In this episode of Wargaming Recon, Peter Bryant step in as host alongside Robert Dunn as we navigate through listener-submitted questions gathered from our Facebook page. Jonathan, our usual host, has taken a break, and we make the most of this opportunity to engage with our audience by addressing their curiosities and thoughts about the gaming world. While the question pool isn't vast, we decide to maximize the engagement by discussing each query thoroughly. Our first round of questions comes from frequent contributor Brian Butler, whose inquiries spark lively conversations. We dive deep into the debate of dice types, favoring D6s for their iconic status and versatility, followed by a friendly rivalry between the D6 and D10. Robert shares fond memories of rolling heaps of D6s in early games, asserting the classic familiarity they bring compared to more contemporary dice. We then shift to a more hands-on topic: brushes for miniature painting. With Robert's love for wargaming and painting, we debate the merits of natural versus synthetic brushes. Through our banter, we touch upon personal experiences with painting miniatures, the differences in functionality of brush types, and the inevitable challenge of maintaining them during a creative session. As Robert prepares for an upcoming skirmish game called Moar Blood, he details the excitement of using specialized tools like dry brushes, indicating how they can streamline the painting process for repeated terrain features. Leading up to our next series of questions, Robert initiates discussions on various gaming themes and practices, segueing into a nostalgic reflection on his early gaming experiences. We reminisce about unforgettable moments, from crafting scenes for armies of miniature figures to the thrill of adventuring through beloved games like BattleTech and Car Wars. Here, Robert vividly recounts a particularly creative endeavor in his youth—transforming plastic army figures into a dramatic battle scene after a memorable shooting session. As we continue to engage with listeners' inquiries, we explore varied topics such as player dynamics in tabletop settings, the shifts in gaming popularity over the years, and modern game mechanics that reflect evolving trends in the gaming community. Our discussions touch upon the joys and frustrations of waiting for turns in multi-player games amid interactions with less experienced players, illustrating the balance of patience and enthusiasm that characterizes the gaming culture. We also address intriguing questions regarding logistics and feasibility for wargaming events, including the most effective strategies for transporting materials and miniatures. Robert shares innovative approaches to packaging and organizing gaming gear, which enhances the experience of participating in conventions and gaming sessions. As we wrap up the episode, we look forward to expanding upon these discussions in future installments. With Jonathan's return on the horizon, we encourage listeners to continue submitting their questions and topics of interest. Throughout the episode, our dialogue serves as a reminder of the vibrant community that surrounds us, rooted in shared passions and experiences in the world of wargaming. Stay tuned as we plan to delve into more unique perspectives and insights in upcoming episodes, keeping the spirit of gaming alive and accessible to all. You can contact Wargaming Recon using the following: Facebook Instagram Join our Patreon community and provide support to Wargaming Recon starting from just $1 per month, which is less than a paintbrush. Credits Our theme song is “Downtown” by Matthew Ebel. The podcast logo was created by Peter Bryant. Audio editing was done by Jonathan J. Reinhart. Show notes for this episode were written by Jonathan J. Reinhart. This recording is licensed under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 license. Disclosure This post may contain affiliate links, and I may receive commissions or bonuses from your interactions with those links. Wargaming Recon pays tribute to Andrew, a cherished listener whose invaluable support inspired the show's name. Let us observe a collective moment of silence to honor Andrew's memory. We deeply mourn the loss of Adrian, a longstanding co-host of Wargaming Recon. Please join us in a moment of silence as we remember Adrian's contributions and the impact he had on the show.

In this episode Jonathan and Peter Bryant discuss a budget gaming makeover for Peter. They also talk about the recent New England Tabletop Gaming Flea Market in Uxbridge, Massachusetts. The pair start talking about how Peter would spend $20 on … Continue reading →

In this episode Jonathan is joined by Robert Dunn and they discuss everything about conventions besides the games you can play. The pair talk about what to look for when deciding if they are going to attend a convention. There … Continue reading →

In this episode of Wargaming Recon, host Jonathan J. Reinhart welcomes Brian Butler, president of the Maine Historical Wargamers Association and chief organizer of the Huzzah convention. They discuss Brian’s experiences organizing Huzzah, which drew over 300 attendees this year … Continue reading →

In this episode of Wargaming Recon, host Jonathan J. Reinhart is joined by co-host Peter Bryant, who returns to share their experiences from the recent Rising Phoenix convention. They reminisce about their excitement to reconnect, albeit briefly, amidst the busy … Continue reading →

In this episode of Wargaming Recon, host Jonathan J. Reinhart is joined by co-host Peter Bryant and special guest Nathan, who brings a wealth of experience and perspective on classic war gaming to the discussion. They delve into a variety … Continue reading →

In this episode of Wargaming Recon, hosts Jonathan J. Reinhart and Pete Bryant dive into an exciting discussion about potential travel destinations that cater specifically to war gamers. As April 2025 approaches, they recognize that many within the gaming community … Continue reading →

In this episode Jonathan is joined by Peter Bryant. They recently attended TotalCon 39 in Marlborough, Ma over the weekend of February 20-23 2025. The pair talk about the games they played in and the games they ran. Then they … Continue reading →

In this episode Jonathan is joined by Robert Dunn and the pair goes through recent questions from social media. The questions range from food to wargames. You will be amazed by all of our insights on many topics and our … Continue reading →

In this episode of Wargaming Recon, host Jonathan J. Reinhart and co-host Peter Bryant unveil the Golden Fez Awards, created to honor their late friend James Carpio. They discuss the awards' origins, whimsical categories like the "Holy Hand Grenade Award," and the focus on indie games to promote accessibility. Peter shares insights on community collaboration and outreach efforts, including a partnership with Total Con. The duo reflects on the camaraderie within the gaming community and encourages listeners to celebrate their own gaming journeys while remembering the friendships that inspire them. Continue reading →

In this episode of Wargaming Recon, host Jonathan J. Reinhart and co-host Peter Bryant share practical tips for newcomers to the wargaming hobby. They discuss community connections, cost-effective strategies like using paper miniatures, and offer advice on miniature preparation and … Continue reading →

[1:02] Welcome to Wargaming Recon. I am your host, Jonathan J. Reinhart. I am so excited to welcome you back to a new episode of the podcast. It is 2025, everybody. Here we are, you, me, our friends, and everybody … Continue reading →

In this episode Jonathan is joined by co-host Peter Bryant of Solarian Games. The pair discuss how someone can game on the cheap. Normally this can be an expensive hobby, but there are many ways that you can make it much cheaper. This will not be an exhaustive list, but… Read More»

Game designers Peter Bryant of Solarian Games and Peter Saloom of Pear Tree Studio join Jonathan to discuss designing an adventure for roleplaying games (RPGs). This is done by examining The Iselion Hybrid sci-fi adventure using the Savage Worlds system. The adventure was created by Peter Saloom and Jonathan was… Read More»

In this episode, I, Jonathan, share my live recording from Huzzah! 2024 in South Portland, Maine, post-pandemic. I’m joined by Joerg Bender of Things from the Basement. The convention was a huge success with increased attendance, thanks to vendors like WeeWolf Miniatures, Bloody Scotsmen Games, and Trilaterum, who showcased top-notch… Read More»

Jonathan and Peter discuss Jonathan's journey from adversity to podcasting, highlighting community, collaboration, and sustainability. They express gratitude to listeners and encourage creativity with perseverance and joy.

Today on Wargaming Recon, we are joined by Andrea Morton, who represents Boston Gaymers, an organization founded by Matt in 2017 with a mission to provide inclusive gaming spaces for the LGBTQ+ community. Boston Gaymers, boasting nearly 3,000 members on Discord, focuses on fostering relationships and inclusivity within the gaming… Read More»

Peter Saloom and Jonathan share their experiences at Rising Phoenix Game Convention 2024. Peter spent all three days in the gaming halls running RPGs (roleplaying games). Jonathan explored the convention for the very first time. Rising Phoenix Game Convention is a friendly, inclusive, and fun tabletop gaming convention focused on… Read More»

Jay Parker and Jonathan recorded this episode LIVE in the seminar room at TotalCon 2024. Jay Parker was on Episode 291 where they talked about AI Art. This time the pair discuss Jay’s new cyperpunk themed RPG called Katana-Ra. Jay explains how his game mechanics are different from others on… Read More»

Peter Saloom and Jonathan recorded this episode LIVE in the seminar room at TotalCon 2024. The two of them have over 50 combined years of gaming experience & decades of running games at conventions. Peter published his first licensed adventure. It is Shadows of the Sacred Hills for the RPG… Read More»

This contains the fixed podcast episode. Use THIS one, and not the old one. Apologies for the error and inconvenience. Peter Saloom kicks off the episode with his 2024 goals for tabletop gaming. Jonathan discusses using the SMART criteria. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-based. Jonathan’s… Read More»

This contains the BROKEN podcast episode. Click HERE for the fixed one.Apologies for the error and inconvenience. Peter Saloom kicks off the episode with his 2024 goals for tabletop gaming. Jonathan discusses using the SMART criteria. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-based. Jonathan’s goals serve as starting… Read More»

In this episode Jonathan is joined by Peter Saloom to talk about Carnage 26. Carnage was held Oct 27-29, 2023 at Killington Grand resort in Killington Vt. Jonathan, Robert Dunn, and Peter Saloom all attended Carnage on behalf of Wargaming Recon. Jonathan & Peter discuss the games played by all… Read More»

This episode was recorded LIVE at Carnage 2023 in Killington, Vermont. Jonathan is joined by co-hosts Robert Dunn and Peter Saloom. The trio sit down and talk about miniatures agnostic gaming. Peter and Robert begin by defining what minis agnostic gaming is. We talk about our thoughts about this type… Read More»

In this episode Jonathan is joined by co-host Robert Dunn. Robert writes the show notes. He has been on the podcast before and travels with Jonathan to conventions. Jonathan and Robert get into a very long talk about what they think about the multitude of eras available in our wargame… Read More»

In this episode Jonathan is joined by Peter Saloom to talk about two recent 1-Day gaming events called Leveled Up and the Hobby Bunker Games Day. Leveled Up is part of Redemption Con and might sound familiar to our listeners. Peter talks about about the turn out and the games… Read More»

In this episode Jonathan is joined by Peter Saloom. You might remember Peter since he was on recently and was talking about growing community at Redemption Rock Brewing in Worcester, Massachusetts. Peter is a published writer with the Stingers & Spores setting in the Savage Worlds RPG ruleset. Peter starts… Read More»

In this episode Jonathan is joined by counselor, author and professor; Dr. Allan Hunter. He has written 12 books including The Sanity Manual (affiliate link), Life Passages: Writing Exercises for Your Life Journey (affiliate link), and From Coastal Command to Captivity: The Memoir of a Second World War Airman (affiliate… Read More»

In this episode Jonathan is joined by Robert Dunn to talk about Huzzah! Con 2023. Huzzah was held in South Portland, Maine during the weekend of May 19-21, 2023. Robert writes the show notes for each episode over the past few years. He is an invaluable member of the team… Read More»

This week Jonathan is joined by Kos, the CEO of W.R.K.S. Games. W.R.K.S Games is the publisher of Jordenheim, and now Katana-Ra. The pair jump right in to talking about their new game Katana-Ra and what it is; and the development behind it. Katana-Ra is a Japanese inspired cyberpunk RPG… Read More»

In this episode Jonathan is joined by Peter Saloom. Peter helped found a gaming community at Redemption Rock Brewing in Worchester, Massachusetts; and he is also the president of a 2nd generation family business. Peter talks about his gaming origins and how it has led him to building his local… Read More»

This is the second of two live episodes recorded at TotalCon 2023. In this episode Jonathan is joined by Joerg Bender. Joerg is the owner of Things From the Basement; the company that makes beautiful MDF tabletop wargaming terrain. The Plan Joerg is given the $5,000 extreme gaming makeover challenge.… Read More»

This episode was recorded live at TotalCon 37 on February 25, 2023. Jonathan was joined by Peter Bryant for this live recording. Peter is the co-owner of Solarian Games and the game designer behind the new Razer RPG system. Jonathan quizzes Peter on his gaming origins and why this makes… Read More»

In this episode Jonathan is joined by Alex Berner and Chase Harris of Pocket Bard. Alex is the composer and CEO of Pocket Bard. Chase is the Lead Developer and Interactive Audio Lead. The trio talk about what Pocket Bard is and how it can enhance your own RPG or… Read More»

In this episode Jonathan is joined by Andrew Hartland. Andrew is the Gaming Coordinator for CaptainCon and a NASA engineer. Andrew talks about what he does as the Gaming Coordinator before talking about CaptainCon itself. CaptainCon is February 3-5, 2023 in Warwick, RI and is full of RPG’s, Miniatures and… Read More»

In this episode Jonathan is joined by Dave Valentine of Bloody Scotsman Games. Bloody Scotsman Games is the maker of Devil in the Wilderness and the expansion Devil In Sleepy Hollow. (You can even find Jonathan and Adrian in the game as characters.) Dave had a vendor booth at the… Read More» The post ArmourCon 2022 w/ Dave Valentine – Wargaming Recon #285 appeared first on Wargaming Recon.

This week Jonathan is joined by Peter Bryant. Peter is a Co-Owner of Solarian Games. He is a gamer designer who created Cube of Death. Jonathan gets Peter to go through what his personal extreme gaming makeover would entail. The idea behind the Extreme Gaming Makeover is to see how… Read More» The post Extreme Gaming Makeover – Wargaming Recon #284 appeared first on Wargaming Recon.

In this episode we are joined by Cory Ring. He is the co-owner, content manager, editor, and gamer guru for Cigar Box Battle. If you are not aware Cigar Box Battle has 143 different designs for their tabletop gaming mats. 24 of them are 36″x36″. Two of them are massive… Read More» The post Cigar Box Battle with Cory Ring- Wargaming Recon #283 appeared first on Wargaming Recon.

This week Jonathan is joined by the esteemed Henry Hyde. Henry is the best-selling author of Wargaming Campaigns (affiliate link) and The Wargaming Compendium (affiliate link) books. Many consider The Wargaming Compendium to be the definitive wargaming tome of our generation. Jonathan and Henry discuss why Henry decided to take… Read More» The post Wargaming Campaigns with Henry Hyde – Wargaming Recon #282 appeared first on Wargaming Recon.

This week, Jonathan is joined by special quest Anthony from Brickify. The pair talk about the online auction site Whatnot; they explain what it is and it can benefit you. The 5 tips for buyers that the pair discuss are as follows: Be selective Be careful from whom you buy… Read More» The post 5 Tips for Whatnot Buyers – Wargaming Recon #281 appeared first on Wargaming Recon.

Joerg Bender is the owner of Things From the Basement. He comes on to discuss what’s happening with their MDF terrain. Things from the Basement has 13 main lines of MDF terrain and tabletop gaming accessories. Jonathan and Joerg talk specifically about the Exploratory Submarine USS Adrian Benson. The USS… Read More» The post USS Adrian Benson – Wargaming Recon #280 appeared first on Wargaming Recon.

In this episode, Jonathan is joined by Alex Tabb. Alex is a long time friend of Adrian Benson and a fellow gamer. The two travel into old school wargaming as they swap memories of gaming with Adrian. Adrian and Alex met at The Compleat Strategist in King Of Prussia PA,… Read More» The post Adrian’s Gaming Requiem – Wargaming Recon #279 appeared first on Wargaming Recon.

In this episode, Jonathan talks about how he is joining his loves of Star Wars, LEGO, and wargaming. Jonathan is working on developing a convention game for the Battle of Hoth using his LEGO kits. He covers his dilemma with either using the Star Wars Legion rules or using a… Read More» The post Wargaming with LEGO – Wargaming Recon #278 appeared first on Wargaming Recon.

In episode #277 I am joined by Joshua Shoobridge. Joshua is a podcaster, wargamer dad, 3D printing enthusiast and our audio editor. We start off talking about what games and hobby tasks that he is enjoying currently. We also discuss how COVID has impacted gaming. Joshua talks about his local… Read More» The post Australian Gaming Con 2022: Wargaming Recon #277 appeared first on Wargaming Recon.

In this episode, we are joined by games designer Peter Bryant. Peter has quite a resume, he is a game designer, former podcaster, dad, science nerd, TotalCon Industry guest and co-owner of Solarian Games. We briefly talk about how TSR had change names to become Solarian Games. Wargaming Recon used… Read More» The post Solarian Games Rises: Wargaming Recon #276 appeared first on Wargaming Recon.

Referencing the award-winning musical, Dear Evan Hansen, Jonathan shares how chronic depression, anxiety, and grief caused Jonathan to feel like a sinking ship with no land in sight. That is until Jonathan rediscovered a love of LEGO. LEGO is more than a building toy. It can even be used for… Read More» The post Grief, LEGO, and Gaming – Wargaming Recon #275 appeared first on Wargaming Recon.

Kicking off the 2022 season with some lessons Jonathan has learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. Jonathan shares a few lessons that apply to the tabletop battlefield and everyday life. The global pandemic has impacted many individuals in a variety of ways. If you, or someone you know, is mourning a… Read More» The post Lessons From Pandemic – Wargaming Recon #274 appeared first on Wargaming Recon.

In this episode Joshua talks about Oathmark by Joseph A. McCullough. Joshua gives a review of the game and covers the mechanics. He explains how to build your units and the different miniatures you can use. Joseph’s bio can be found here. The Oathmark rulebook can be found here. Additional resources… Read More» The post Oathmark – Wargaming Recon #273 appeared first on Wargaming Recon.

Australia is in lockdown because of COVID-19. While many may think this means gaming isn’t possible, Joshua Shoobridge shares why that isn’t true. He discusses his gaming and hobby experiences during lockdown. They cover everything from painting minis, trying new painting techniques, and even a dive into 3D printing. As… Read More» The post Gaming During Australian COVID-19 Lockdown – Wargaming Recon #272 appeared first on Wargaming Recon.

Joshua Shoobridge hosts this episode featuring long time gamer, Bob Yates. Bob can be seen in the award-winning documentary Word From a Gamer directed by Steven Wollett (award-winning director and friend of the show). He has been gaming since his early childhood. Although he considers himself more of an RPG… Read More» The post Gaming Time Capsule with Bob Yates – Wargaming Recon #271 appeared first on Wargaming Recon.

Alyssa Faden returns in a live recording from the virtual con “Hold The Line.” This is the virtual convention put on by the Maine Historical Wargamers Association in 2021. Alyssa is the owner of Alyssa Faden Cartography. You can watch her streams on YouTube Monday – Wednesday. On her YouTube… Read More» The post Alyssa Faden LIVE – Wargaming Recon #270 appeared first on Wargaming Recon.