With the abundance of wargaming content on the internet, why pay? Because there are times when you actually do, “get what you pay for.” War Diary: A Wargaming Journal is one of those instances.
I recently started a subscription to War Diary and must say I am highly pleased. War Diary is published three time a year. Subscriptions cost $36 for a dead-tree edition of $18 for digital (I have a digital subscription). Issue 32 dropped earlier this week and I am really enjoying reading the articles.
Wargaming magazines often serve as “house organs;” that is, they are often published either by a wargame publisher or a closely related entity. Many times that means they focus on games or other content related to titles from that publisher. While I certainly consume many of those wargaming publications, I also enjoy views on other games. This means I seek diversity in the content I consume which leads me to publications like War Diary.
The eight feature sections in War Diary Nr. 32 covers a diverse set of wargame-related topics—and more than a few titles.
- “Operations Around the DMZ: Two Additional Scenarios for Vietnam, 1965-1975” by Trevor Bender
- Vietnam, 1965-1975 is a GMT Games title I do not own. The variant scenarios, however, pique my interest. Should the opportunity to purchase arise….
- “Sixth’s Time A Charm? Modeling Coalition Warfare and Politics in Congress of Vienna, Part One” by David Hughes
- Again, another GMT Games title I do not own, nor am I likely to since “political wargames” like Congress of Vienna or Churchill are not my cup-of-tea. That said, I read this article paying close attention to how one can model politics in a wargame. Good food for thought.
- “Against the Iron Ring: The Fate of the Sixth Army in Stalingrad” by Allyn Vannoy
- This is a type of wargaming article I really enjoy; looking at a historical battle through the lens of a wargame. I do not own Against the Iron Ring: The Fate of the Sixth Army in Stalingrad from VUCA Simulations but, again, should the opportunity present itself….
- “Rommel’s Strategy for Italy, 1943” by Ty Bomba
- This “what-if” analysis from Bomba showcases what he is famous for—analyzing alternative historical situations and placing them in a wargame or wargame-related context. This article is in anticipation of War Diary Publications forthcoming release of a Ty Bomba-designed wargame, Italy, 1943-1944. I currently own only a few Italy-related titles, like Italy ’43 from GMT Games, and Bomba’s article is the type of content that brings those back to my gaming table.
- “The Voyages of the Battleship Bismarck” by Paul Comben
- Perhaps my favorite article in this issue of War Diary. Comben does not try to say which Bismarck wargame is the best but instead addresses a, “more challenging question to pick apart – how simple can a wargame get and still possess validity?” (p. 41). In doing so Comben ends up deep-diving (no pun intended) into Bismarck Solitaire Deluxe from Worthington Publishing. That was a title I had previously passed on but now….
- “Europa: Rex Quondam, Rexque Futuris?” by Andy Nunez interviews John Anstell of Europa Games
- Who said monster wargames are dead? Not John…
- “States of Siege: Part Two, The Siege Takes Off” by Darin Leviloff
- A historical retrospective of the States of Siege system of wargames written by the original system designer. This article talks about how one designer’s system grew into a “franchise.” I do not own any States of Siege titles but nonetheless found this article interesting as a form of wargaming history.
- “Pass in Review: Capsule Reviews”
- A wargame review section. Some I own (The Boer War from Canvas Temple Publishing) but most I don’t.
I also found the “prelude” section to be full of news I could actually use. Not only was the release of Ty Bomba’s Italy, 1943-1944 discussed, but also a shout-out to cube4me.com. I agree with the editor; wargamers should look hard at cube4me.com for complete-yet-affordable storage solutions. New companies like Legion Wargames spin-off Jackl Games or Bring It On Games from Adam Starkweather are nice to see but the real challenge for them will be offering titles I am interested in. Jackl Games will do, “nonwargames (think sci-fi or zombies)” and Starkweather’s first Advanced Company Scale System (ACSS) title will cost $300(!). Maybe not my new go-to publisher….
In the “prelude”, War Diary also—rightly in my opinion—calls out the Charles Roberts Awards:
In truth, the current iteration of the awards has not seemed to work well and it has garnered only limited interest. I’m not sure the process is helped by having a board that is largely unidentified and unknown, and it would benefit from having more recognizable names. I would also say that for the awards to be successful they will require a much greater effort to generate interest during the year, and try to make the actual naming of winners into a meaningful event. So we’ll see what the future holds….”
War Diary Issue Nr. 32, p. 2
I note that the 2025 CSR winners were announced in a bit of a surprise event at Origins 2025 as reported first on The Armchair Dragoons website. Now, I like The Armchair Dragoons (just look at my nearly 150 article contributions) but the fact the news of the 2025 CSR winners was broken first by them is exactly the point Roy Matheson at War Diary is making. Personally, I will go one step further and point to what I see as the real start of the CSR decline into irrelevance; this “article” from 2023 that hints at a certain “institutional capture.”
That same article also made a call demand relevant to War Diary:
Instead, we should embrace magazines that challenge the status quo, providing thought-provoking content and diverse perspectives. Many individuals and platforms, such as James Buckley, Fred Serval, The Player’s Aid, Liz Davidson, Rodney Smith, Candice Harris, Stuka Joe, Jim Owczarski, Calandale, Zilla Blitz, Riccardo Masini, Dan Thurot, Clio, Moe Fitzgerald, along with their associated blogs, YouTube channels, and commentaries, consistently contribute outstanding content that pushes the boundaries of the hobby.
Push War Diary to the top of that list.
Feature image courtesy German Federal Archive
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Rocky Mountain Navy Gamer 
I found that old Harold Buchanan’s articles literally being a call to slide into irrelevance. I should also confess that I think almost all of that Harold writes is literally irrelevant, aggressive, and politicized. Said that I think is Campaigns of 1777 is a great game, go figure. On the other hand everything David R. Hughes writes is low quality and show poor research. So I have skipped his article wholeheartedly. When he (and I) were still writing for Battles I found that reading his stuff had ot be done with empty stomach and not while carelessly eating cookies….
The CSR slid into irrelevance started when they included so many categories to make the voting an hassle. It also diluted the relevance of each category so much that made voting meaningless. To a certain extent the CSR have gone in the direction of the Oscars… largely irrelevant. Said that we have plenty of boardgame awards that are all inclusive. My answer would be the complete opposite of Harold’s one. Make the CSR more focused on wargaming. Give a strict definition of what his in and what is out. Reduce the categories to few. Being nasty I would also force people voting for a game to explain why they do (yes it add work for the board, but heck… they are supposed to do something…). Have a proper website were games published in the year are added with also some information. Have a recognized board committed to the task and widely accepted. Keep the polarizing figures out.