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Alfred Wallace

This section contains the columns of Alfred Wallace. Alfred will be posting his column on Fridays.

About Alfred Wallace:

Alfred has been gaming for years--learning his first Avalon Hill programmed rulebook when he was nine. He mostly had wargames until his sophomore year of college, when he was introduced to Settlers of Catan. Ever since he has been collecting and playing wargames, euros, and abstracts with a nearly indiscriminate abandon.

He began writing about games (and much else) in the summer of 2003, on his blog "Musings, Ramblings, and Things Left Unsaid." He has since taken on the occasional side project, and began writing for Boardgame News three years later.

Alfred currently lives in State College, Pennsylvania, where he attends Penn State University, working on his PhD in History, specializing in the military history of the American Civil War. He aspires to one day enter academia as a Professor.

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Headlines

October 5, 2007 - Alfred Wallace: Games, Games, and More Games
September 21, 2007 - Alfred Wallace: Playing Catch-Up
September 7, 2007 - Alfred Wallace: Spam and Tricks
August 24, 2007 - Alfred Wallace: Warning! Wargame Content!
August 17, 2007 - Alfred Wallace: A First Time for Everything
August 3, 2007 - Alfred Wallace: Moving, and a Brief Ode to Dexterity Games
July 27, 2007 - Alfred Wallace: Moving Day
July 13, 2007 - Alfred Wallace: Brain Dump
July 6, 2007 - Alfred Wallace: Games…in HISTORY
June 29, 2007 - Alfred Wallace: Almost Entirely Devoid of Gaming Content
June 22, 2007 - Alfred Wallace: Greetings from Pennsylvania
June 8, 2007 - Alfred Wallace: Boxes Inside of Boxes

Articles

Alfred Wallace: Games, Games, and More Games

In the past few weeks, I’ve been involved in a great deal of gaming—in many different ways, and with many different kinds of games.

Posted by Alfred Wallace on October 5, 2007 at 01:00 AM in Columnists > Alfred Wallace - Comments (3) - Link

Alfred Wallace: Playing Catch-Up

A few thoughts on this balmy September evening, as I drink in the knowledge that I have a new Gipf game to look forward to…

A kind of game I always like to see is one that blurs the lines between “simulations” (wargames, typically) and Euros. I’ve had the good fortune to buy/try a few of those recently.

Posted by Alfred Wallace on September 21, 2007 at 01:00 AM in Columnists > Alfred Wallace - Comments (2) - Link

Alfred Wallace: Spam and Tricks

First off, I’d like to give a brief note to all those people out there I’ve been spamming the past couple of days. Please don’t hate me! Or, anyway, please don’t hate me more than you already did on, say, Wednesday. It also serves as a warning for others…

Posted by Alfred Wallace on September 7, 2007 at 01:00 AM in Columnists > Alfred Wallace - Comments (4) - Link

Alfred Wallace: Warning! Wargame Content!

Take a few deep breaths; find a happy place; prepare to explore new horizons—and we can get through this brief foray into wargames together without too much trouble.

One of the games I bought at the WBC was A Victory Lost (AVL), a popular and critically acclaimed new wargame from Multi-Man Publishing. I’d heard nothing but good things about it, and it was on sale, so I picked it up—and it just so happened that Josh got in touch with me a few days later and asked whether I perchance had a copy of AVL that he could try out? I naturally said sure and went over that Sunday for a day of fun and bloodshed on the Eastern Front.

Posted by Alfred Wallace on August 24, 2007 at 01:00 AM in Columnists > Alfred Wallace - Comments (6) - Link

Alfred Wallace: A First Time for Everything

So, last week around this time I was a tired, bitter, angry young man, surrounded by un-unpacked boxes. Now the boxes are mostly unpacked, the books and games are mostly on shelves, and I have life mostly together. That’s good, by my standards. Luckily, throughout all this I had some gaming to do, too.

Posted by Alfred Wallace on August 17, 2007 at 01:00 AM in Columnists > Alfred Wallace - Comments (5) - Link

Alfred Wallace: Moving, and a Brief Ode to Dexterity Games

Well, I’m moved. I chose those words carefully—while I’m in State College, most of my stuff is not. I packed my little Scion to the gills, but the great majority of my books and games are entombed in a warehouse in Springfield, awaiting a truck to bring them hither.

Posted by Alfred Wallace on August 3, 2007 at 01:00 AM in Columnists > Alfred Wallace - Comments (3) - Link

Alfred Wallace: Moving Day

So OK. Since I’m not in school, and don’t have a job, my sense of what day it is has been a little wonky as of late. It occurred to me over a day after the fact that I had a column I had to write last week…at the time, I was waist-deep in boxes. I still am. It doesn’t seem to end, somehow…’course, that hasn’t stopped me yet. Below the fold, some of the usual folderol plus some other glimpses of games in old American periodicals.

Posted by Alfred Wallace on July 27, 2007 at 01:00 AM in Columnists > Alfred Wallace - Comments (3) - Link

Alfred Wallace: Brain Dump

Ever had a day when all you’ve had are partially-formed thoughts? When all you can do is get something started and then—

Anyway, yeah, I thought I’d hit a few topics in succession today.

Posted by Alfred Wallace on July 13, 2007 at 01:00 AM in Columnists > Alfred Wallace - Comments (3) - Link

Alfred Wallace: Games…in HISTORY

On the road again—I’m posting this from a supermarket with wifi, just before I head back out into the cruel wilderness that is the Pennsylvania highway system. As I leave—and vaguely apropos of the recent holiday—I thought I’d post some interesting historical tidbits I’ve gleaned from colonial American newspapers.

Posted by Alfred Wallace on July 6, 2007 at 01:00 AM in Columnists > Alfred Wallace - Comments (1) - Link

Alfred Wallace: Almost Entirely Devoid of Gaming Content

Greetings! Another short one from me, I’m afraid, as I’ve been reasonably monastic the past week-plus.

Posted by Alfred Wallace on June 29, 2007 at 01:00 AM in Columnists > Alfred Wallace - Comments (6) - Link

Alfred Wallace: Greetings from Pennsylvania

Greetings from the road! I’ve spent the last week-plus getting to my new apartment here in State College, getting some preliminary paperwork taken care of, etc etc. Last week, when I’d normally be writing my Friday column, I was actually cursing the state of I-70 around Wheeling, WV. Did you know that the entirety of I-70 in West Virginia is closed for construction? Granted, that’s about 20 miles of road, but still. It was emblematic of the entire trip.

Posted by Alfred Wallace on June 22, 2007 at 01:00 AM in Columnists > Alfred Wallace - Comments (3) - Link

Alfred Wallace: Boxes Inside of Boxes

I don’t think any sane person actively enjoys moving, but for the collector (or accumulator) of bulky things, moving has its own particular problems. Or, rather, packing has its own particular problems.

Posted by Alfred Wallace on June 8, 2007 at 01:00 AM in Columnists > Alfred Wallace - Comments (4) - Link

Alfred Wallace: Impromptu Rules Variants

One of my favorite recent releases, as reported previously, has been Pillars of the Earth. It’s been a big hit locally, being played very often at Metagames and elsewhere around town. I was the “early adopter,” as usual, getting the game and teaching it to the first table. It propagated out from there. Everybody’s had a blast.

The trouble is: I got some reasonably big rules wrong when I taught the game.

Posted by Alfred Wallace on June 1, 2007 at 01:00 AM in Columnists > Alfred Wallace - Comments (2) - Link

Alfred Wallace: Luck of the Draw

Now that I’ve graduated, I’ve found that I have a significant amount of free time on my hands. This...is kind of a new thing. The first few days after graduating, I didn’t quite know what to do with myself. I’d get up...wander around...do a little reading...take a nap...stretch...maybe eat a little something. Without school or work or moving to structure my day, I was kind of lost for a little bit.

Thank heaven for gaming, boy howdy.

Posted by Alfred Wallace on May 25, 2007 at 01:00 AM in Columnists > Alfred Wallace - Comments (3) - Link

Alfred Wallace: Is This Thing On?

Yikes. Sorry about that, everyone. Life made an intervention for a while there, and I lost track of time. So what all have I been up to?

First of all, if you’re reading this sometime Friday afternoon, Central US time, I’m going through the graduation ceremonies here at Missouri State. I suppose I feel like I should be “done,” but since I have several years ahead of me at Penn State to get the PhD, it really doesn’t. That said, I’m glad to have accomplished as much as I have.

On the gaming front, I’ve played a couple of the hottish recentish games.

Posted by Alfred Wallace on May 18, 2007 at 01:00 AM in Columnists > Alfred Wallace - Comments (2) - Link

Alfred Wallace: How I Became a Subbuteo Hooligan

When I finished the Thesis, some kind of celebration was in order. Originally, I was going to get a Wii, but two things militated against that. First, getting a Wii essentially required doing a Mob hit. Second, the Wii wouldn’t work with my decrepit, but very faithful, television…so the price was going to double. I had to find some kind of Plan B.

I imagine some kind of person would think of something other than games…but I am not that kind of person.

Posted by Alfred Wallace on April 20, 2007 at 12:00 AM in Columnists > Alfred Wallace - Comments (6) - Link

Alfred Wallace: Gathering of One, Day One

The biggest benefit of doing one’s own unofficial, totally unaffiliated Gathering satellite event: If life intervenes, and you have to postpone the kickoff date, you’re not inconveniencing anyone else.

Posted by Alfred Wallace on April 6, 2007 at 12:00 AM in Columnists > Alfred Wallace - Comments (3) - Link

Alfred Wallace: It’s Gatherin’ Time!

No, not that Gathering.

Posted by Alfred Wallace on March 30, 2007 at 12:00 AM in Columnists > Alfred Wallace - Comments (3) - Link

Alfred Wallace: Gaming on my Mind

If you’re reading this after, oh, about 8 AM Central US time, I’m on my way to Chapel Hill, North Carolina to check out UNC, which has made me a generous offer to attend their History PhD program. I have a few offers on the table; I’m supposed to decide by this time next week. People sometimes say—jokingly—that I’ll end up deciding based on the gaming scene.

“How else should I decide?” I reply. I leave it up to them to decide just how much I’m joking.

Posted by Alfred Wallace on March 22, 2007 at 11:00 PM in Columnists > Alfred Wallace - Comments (1) - Link

Alfred Wallace: Gaming the Age of Nixon

Welcome back, everyone—or at least me. I had an unscheduled pit stop last week, for which I apologize.

On Friday, a few of us academic history types got together to explore some games celebrating (?) the Nixon administration.

Posted by Alfred Wallace on March 16, 2007 at 12:00 AM in Columnists > Alfred Wallace - Comments (3) - Link

Alfred Wallace: The March Second Memory Dump

A few thoughts that have accumulated over the past few weeks…

Posted by Alfred Wallace on March 2, 2007 at 12:00 AM in Columnists > Alfred Wallace - Comments (1) - Link

Alfred Wallace: I Got Nuthin’

Many apologies, folks, but a perfect storm of deadlines and miscellaneous are conspiring against me, and my reserve column ideas have temporarily run dry...Come back next week for further excitement!

(Also: Anyone out there in State College, PA? I’m going to try to be at the Penn State game night this coming Sunday at the HUB.)

Posted by Alfred Wallace on February 23, 2007 at 12:00 AM in Columnists > Alfred Wallace - Comments (1) - Link

Alfred Wallace: Exercises in Non-Futility

Sometimes it’s hard to tell if something is, or is not, really a game. Over on Boardgame Geek, periodically there’s a to-do about whether such-and such is an RPG or a boardgame, but that’s not quite what I’m talking about here. I’ve gotten into a couple of things that aren’t games, but scratch the same kind of itch that games do.

Posted by Alfred Wallace on February 16, 2007 at 12:00 AM in Columnists > Alfred Wallace - Comments (0) - Link

Alfred Wallace: Yay Stream-of-Consciousness!

A day will come—a bright, happy day; a day of sunshine and robins chirping—when I’m through with the thesis and will have time for serious gaming, and thoughts about non-Camden-Expedition subjects. That day has not yet arrived. That doesn’t mean I haven’t stopped thinking about gaming, however.

Posted by W. Eric Martin on February 9, 2007 at 12:00 AM in Columnists > Alfred Wallace - Comments (0) - Link

Alfred Wallace: Another Great Miscellany

A few notes on various subjects as we begin the weekend…

Posted by Alfred Wallace on February 2, 2007 at 12:00 AM in Columnists > Alfred Wallace - Comments (1) - Link

Alfred Wallace: Game Bling

I was raised in a tech-y, engineering-dominated household. True to stereotype, form was generally sacrificed to function—and economy—on a regular basis. Even for the various and many hobbies we had and have, the trappings around them might be pretty spare. Lots of simple (but sturdy!) plywood shelves, cardboard boxes, and the like. I’ve been pleasantly surprised, then, to discover all the effort folks put into the aesthetics surrounding their games.

Posted by Alfred Wallace on January 26, 2007 at 12:00 AM in Columnists > Alfred Wallace - Comments (1) - Link

Alfred Wallace: Warning! Ice and Wargame content!

Okay, so, yeah—I didn’t get a whole lot of gaming done this week, nor did I think many particularly deep gaming thoughts. Mostly I thought about ice.

Posted by Alfred Wallace on January 19, 2007 at 12:00 AM in Columnists > Alfred Wallace - Comments (1) - Link

Alfred Wallace: Two Games Enter, A Hundred and Forty Leave

Ever had one of those days?

Posted by Alfred Wallace on January 12, 2007 at 12:00 AM in Columnists > Alfred Wallace - Comments (2) - Link

Alfred Wallace: Happy Birthday to Ynnen

There were, I think, about nine or ten of us over. Jorge and Eva, Chester (aka cornjob), Matthew Gray (taller than I expected, for whatever reason), and several St. Louis regulars were able to make it. We usually had two tables going, but to start off (when we had “only” eight players) we gathered ‘round for a brisk game of Diamant. I stunk. I stayed when I should’ve left, left when I should’ve stayed. I blame my choice of color. In this game, the first couple of rounds were brisk—I think in the first tunnel, it ended on the third card. That went well. As push-your-luck games go, it’s pretty good, but not sufficiently better than Cloud 9 or Can’t Stop to get my gaming dollar, I’m afraid (although the ability to seat up to eight is a major plus). That said, if I had Diamant, I probably wouldn’t consider Cloud 9 or Can’t Stop to be sufficiently better to earn my money, either.

Posted by Alfred Wallace on January 5, 2007 at 12:00 AM in Columnists > Alfred Wallace - Comments (0) - Link

Alfred Wallace: Post-Christmas Greetings

Ahh, it’s good to be home. For one thing, I don’t have to cook for myself. I also get to see some folks I haven’t seen, go some places I haven’t been, and do some things I haven’t done in a while.

Not that it doesn’t have its drawbacks. For one thing, I’m not surrounded by my comforting piles of books and games. I’m kind of out of my element. What’s more, I might actually get to play more games than usual—but all my games are two hundred miles away...including my Secret Santa gift!

Posted by Alfred Wallace on December 29, 2006 at 12:00 AM in Columnists > Alfred Wallace - Comments (0) - Link

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