BOARDGAMES
Games are fun! They can also be "paper time machines" in James Dunnigan's famous words, encouraging us to think about history in fresh ways and from startling new perspectives.
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I'm drawn to topics that merge my love of history with my interest in emergent narrative. I try to create entertaining, emotionally-involving experiences that challenge players and bring the past to life by shining a light on the "whats, whys and hows" of history.​
Fire & Stone: Siege of Vienna 1682
My first two-player game, published by Capstone Games.
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A 100,000-strong Ottoman army arrives outside the Habsburg capital of Vienna. Inside the city, 12,000 infantry, a city militia, and citizen-soldiers mount a desperate defense. As the Ottoman siege lines draw closer to the city walls, the outnumbered Viennese cling to the faint hope a relief force will arrive in time to save them. For both sides, the real battle is a race against time.
Fire & Stone: Siege of Vienna 1683 places you in one of the most dramatic sieges in history. With a completely different set of cards for each player, you will conduct deadly assaults against impenetrable fortifications, dig tunnels packed with explosives, and launch desperate attacks to delay your enemy's advance. Or you can play powerful events with the power to change the course of battle!
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Fire & Stone: Siege of Vienna 1683 Explained! by Boardgame Chronicle
STILICHO: LAST OF THE ROMANS
Here's the followup to my popular Wars of Marcus Aurelius, available from Hollandspiele and Boardgamebliss in Canada.
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The Goths are marching on Rome! In Gaul, Vandals and Alans pour across the Rhine. Meanwhile, a usurper from distant Britannia has raised his standard. The survival of the Western Empire depends on one man: Flavius Stilicho, barbarian general, commander-in-chief of the armies of Rome, and defacto ruler of the West. Stilicho: Last of the Romans is a single-player game using the same card-driven system as Wars of Marcus Aurelius.
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Designer Interview with The Player's Aid
Interview with Beyond Solitaire
Let's Play! Stilicho: Last of the Romans (Complete Playthrough)
Stilicho: Latin Pronunciation Guide by Beyond Solitaire
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WARS OF MARCUS AURELIUS
My first published design, which swept the awards at the 2017 BoardGameGeek annual Wargame PNP Contest. It's available for sale online from the publisher Hollandspeile or at Boardgamebliss.com in Canada.
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170CE. Plague ravages the Empire. With the Legions depleted by disease and spread thin across the endless frontier, opportunistic Germanic tribes and fierce Sarmatian raiders strike across the Danube deep into Imperial territory. To face this threat, the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, an untested commander who has never set foot outside of Italy, must transform himself from an introspective philosopher into a cunning warrior and fearless leader.
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Designer Interview with Patrick Receveur
Let's Play - Wars of Marcus Aurelius: Rome 170-180CE ​​​​​​​