Articles by Sean Stevenson
Posted on Oct 2, 2015 in Books and Movies
Richard III: A Ruler And His Reputation. David Horspool. Bloomsbury Press, December 2015. 320 pages. Hardcover. $30.00. Richard The Third. Is there a greater villain in English history? Even Guy Fawkes, a man who wanted to blow up over two hundred members of Parliament and impose a Spanish Inquisition styled theocracy over England, gets parades. Poor Richard gets only calumny, memorialized as a deceitful child-killing hunchback who seized the throne and tyrannized his people. But hold on now, declares eminent historian David Horspool, how much of this is true and how much of the story is Shakespearean myth? With that in focus the author plunges into a biography as deep as it is rehabilitative. Richard III: A Ruler And His Reputation is a scholarly yet readable work of a fascinating period of history. As an American, everything I know about The Wars Of The Roses is this; a bunch of guys, all named either Henry or Edward, kept stealing the throne from one another in a half-century of civil war. Because...
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Posted on Jul 28, 2015 in Books and Movies
‘Becoming Men Of Some Consequence’ is a needed look at the “grassroots” of the American Revolution, through the eyes of the men who joined the Continental Army over the war’s eight years.
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Posted on May 19, 2015 in Boardgames, Front Page Features
‘Blue Cross, White Ensign’ focuses on the Imperial Russian Navy’s battles with its Swedish and Turkish opponents. John Paul Jones would have played this game—and so should you.
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Posted on Feb 24, 2015 in Boardgames, Front Page Features
The rulebooks for GMT’s ‘Next War – Taiwan’ can appear daunting but offer basic and advanced versions so players can choose the level they want.
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Posted on Jan 26, 2015 in Boardgames, Front Page Features
Special “Iron Will” rules make the Prussians a powerful addition to the “Command and Colors: Napoleonic” series.
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Posted on Dec 12, 2014 in Boardgames, Front Page Features
When Milton Bradley released the GameMaster Series in 1984 it was more than a new product line – it marked a sea change in wargame design.
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Posted on Oct 27, 2014 in Books and Movies
Leon Panetta’s “Worthy Fights” covers a broad spectrum, including how government operates, complexities of modern international relations and Pentagon planning, and insider information on the war against terrorism.
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Posted on Sep 22, 2014 in Boardgames, Front Page Features
“Age of Dante” is the first in a promised “Battles of the Middle Ages” series from HFD Games. It’s a good start, with some nifty mechanics, but it needs more chrome and bigger maps.
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Posted on Aug 18, 2014 in Books and Movies
In “The Return of George Washington” historian Edward J. Larson disproves the myth that Washington only reluctantly returned to public life to become president of the new country.
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Posted on Aug 11, 2014 in Boardgames, Front Page Features
“Hoplite” brings changes to the venerable “The Great Battles of History” rules.
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Posted on Feb 24, 2014 in Boardgames, Front Page Features
Block in the West offers a solid system that provides both strategic and tactical nuances, but the rules book definitely needs better editing.
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Posted on Feb 17, 2014 in Boardgames, Front Page Features
The Austrian Army Expansion is a much-needed addition to Command & Colors: Napoleonics; unfortunately, its scenarios are limited to the period 1805–1809.
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Posted on Dec 23, 2013 in Books and Movies
“Journal of the American Revolution, Volume 1” is a wonderful treat for students of the American War for Independence, bringing a wealth of information.
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Posted on Nov 4, 2013 in Boardgames
“War of the Ring” boardgame, 2nd edition, manages the finesse of staying honest to the source material without being slavish to the minutiae, and the “Lords of Middle Earth” expansion adds to the strategic possibilities.
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Posted on Oct 11, 2013 in Books and Movies
“The Last Battle” tells the true story of a group of French political prisoners, some American tankers with a single tank, two Austrian resistance fighters, an SS colonel, and a Werhmacht unit fighting together to stave off repeated SS assaults.
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Posted on Sep 23, 2013 in Books and Movies
The author of “Wargaming World War II” doesn’t lack for enthusiasm about both WW2 and wargaming, and parts of the book are useful even for grognards, but it suffers from too much generality.
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Posted on Jul 8, 2013 in Books and Movies
In ‘Civil War Pittsburgh’ author Len Barcousky weaves selected articles from the city’s Civil War-era newspapers to let readers see the course of the war through the eyes of the people in a single Northern city, one that was a major weapons manufacturer for the Union cause.
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Posted on Apr 24, 2013 in Boardgames
GMT’s “Commands & Colors Napoleonics: Russian Army” expansion features 20 battles, from the 1806 battle over Poland at Czarnowo to Napoleon’s twilight, Craonne, in 1814.
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Posted on Feb 28, 2013 in Boardgames
“Mr. Madison’s War: The Incredible War of 1812” from GMT is a quick-playing, faithful simulation of the period, and the rules don’t get in the way.
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Posted on Jan 30, 2013 in Boardgames
Since the 1970s, a multitude of games have been based on “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings,” the novels of J.R.R. Tolkien. This extensive overview covers the good, the bad and the ugly in 40 years of Tolkien-themed games.
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Posted on Jan 9, 2013 in Books and Movies
“Playing at the World” is a scholar’s look at the gaming hobby, a heavy read but well worth the effort for those who want to learn the history of wargaming and roleplaying.
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Posted on Dec 10, 2012 in Boardgames
‘Crown Of Roses’ is a blend of strategic wargame and political game. It is a fine simulation of the period of the War of the Roses.
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Posted on Nov 29, 2012 in Boardgames
The boardgame ‘Fortress America’ is back, with most of what made it a classic still intact, plus some new rules and playing pieces. Instead of an all-night marathon, the game is now a 10-turn sprint to control cities.
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Posted on Nov 5, 2012 in Books and Movies
‘Desperate Sons: Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, John Hancock and the Secret band of Radicals Who Led the Colonies to War’ examines the rise and activities of the Sons Of Liberty and much more besides.
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Posted on Oct 5, 2012 in Boardgames
The boardgame ‘Red Winter: The Soviet Attack at Tolvajärvi, Finland, December 8-12, 1939’ is unusual in that it is a tactical-level game about the Russo-Finnish War. It’s a refreshing change from the tank-charge tactics of other WWII games.
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Posted on Aug 8, 2012 in Boardgames
‘Amateurs To Arms!’ is a card-play game that is also a solid simulation of the strategic military, economic, and political factors of the War of 1812. Over 100 event cards give it fantastic replay value.
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Posted on Jun 29, 2012 in Boardgames
The boardgame ‘Nuklear Winter ’68’ pits NATO, Nazis and mutants against each other in post – nuclear war Europe. There is a solid, innovative wargame behind the science-fiction theme.
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Posted on Jun 18, 2012 in Boardgames
‘Washington’s Crossing,’ a boardgame of the New Jersey winter campaign of 1776-1777, has some nifty design elements but also contains some misfired muskets.
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Posted on May 18, 2012 in Boardgames
The first expansion set for ‘Command and Colors Napoleonics’ is the Spanish Army. Almost as big as the original game, there’s not much to complain about in this expansion – but it is still the Peninsula War.
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Posted on Apr 12, 2012 in Boardgames
‘Guns of August’ is a good game based on the opening weeks of World War I, but it needed more rules editing and better quality control on the map printing.
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Posted on Jun 15, 2011 in Boardgames
Offering tactical depth and deep strategy, Age of Conan is about as good as boardgames get.
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Posted on Apr 14, 2011 in Boardgames
A fast-moving game of the quick draw, Cowboys: Way of the Gun is a beer and pretzels boardgame of the Old West.
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Posted on Mar 16, 2011 in Boardgames
Germantown: Washington Strikes back is a boardgame of the battle that that led French to give serious consideration an alliance with the American colonists in their rebellion against Great Britain.
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Posted on Mar 8, 2011 in Boardgames
Despite the flaws in the Commands & Colors System, the Napoleonics version of the game system scores an A grade.
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Posted on Feb 18, 2011 in Boardgames
Another great game using the Commands and Colors system, ‘Battlelore’ can be played as a historical game or as fantasy.
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Posted on Jan 28, 2011 in Boardgames
Coral Sea debuted Avalanche Press’ new Second World War at Sea gaming system. Overall it is a good introductory wargame, but suffers from overly complicated combat rules.
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Posted on Oct 15, 2010 in Boardgames
In the board wargame Kawanakajima 1561, chit draws provide thick fog of war, and the game offers players a wide choice of tactics, according to this ArmchairGeneral.com review.
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Posted on Aug 6, 2010 in Boardgames
This reviewer found the August 1914 boardgame from Avalanche Press to be a solid entry in the World War I game field, reflecting the more mobile small-unit tactics of the opening months of the war in the East.
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Posted on Mar 19, 2010 in Boardgames
This review calls Serpents of the Seas a beautiful-looking game of naval warfare from the Seven Years War to the War of 1812, a welcome addition to the genre although it is a bit chart-heavy.
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