Is There Such a Thing as "Too Soon" in Wargaming? In this video, I revisit a question from the Joy of Six 2025 panel: When is it too soon to wargame a historical or current conflict? It’s a topic that sits at the crossroads of ethics, storytelling, and historical accuracy in our hobby. From civilian casualties and sensitive subject matter to the level of public visibility, I explore why context and audience matter more than ever in how we represent the past on the tabletop.
Whether you see wargaming as entertainment, education, or a bit of both, we can’t ignore the tough questions. Should we include war crimes? What about modern conflicts still in the headlines? Is historical wargaming at risk of becoming too sanitised?
I also reflect on my experience at the Joy of Six show, including a surprise appearance on the discussion panel alongside Peter Berry, Per Broden, and Heretical Wargaming.
Join me for a thoughtful dive into how we balance respect, realism, and storytelling—and let me know where you draw the line.
Great to see you at Joy of Six π For us the Cold War Commanders chaps we don't like to play anything past 1985 for our Cold War games. Definitely not interested in gaming Ukraine etc
ReplyDeleteInteresting and thought-provoking as always. Some recent conflicts are still raw and attract strong emotions, which makes them difficult to treat as a game without causing offence, but of course others are too recent for us to really know what went on. There are aspects of drone technology and IED-clearance that remain sensitive for reasons of operational security, even if we could get a good estimate of how many were used.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post Lee and in complete agreement with your points.
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