Stuart Ellis-Gorman
@drcrossbows.bsky.social
Medieval historian, crossbows and the Hundred Years War. Author of The Medieval Crossbow (2022) and Castillon (2025).
Freelance writer/editor/proofreader, occasional game designer. Reviewer of books and games.
Website: www.stuartellisgorman.com
Freelance writer/editor/proofreader, occasional game designer. Reviewer of books and games.
Website: www.stuartellisgorman.com
Pinned
Today is the anniversary of the Battle of Castillon, the final battle of the Hundred Years War. Fought outside the city of Castillon a day or so's march east of Bordeaux in Gascony/Aquitaine, it saw the combined Anglo-Gascon army led by John Talbot be utterly annihilated by the French.
Reposted by Stuart Ellis-Gorman
Might eventually cobble together a blog, depends on how regular I end up doing these!
Little review on Brian Asklev's upcoming Baltic Empires from GMT
boardgamegeek.com/thread/36612...
Little review on Brian Asklev's upcoming Baltic Empires from GMT
boardgamegeek.com/thread/36612...
Baltic Brawl | Baltic Empires: The Northern Wars of 1558-1721
Baltic Empires has interested me for quite a while after it had landed on the P500. The big attraction for me was cutting into a piece of history that is left by the wayside too often. I also have lik...
boardgamegeek.com
February 15, 2026 at 2:17 PM
Might eventually cobble together a blog, depends on how regular I end up doing these!
Little review on Brian Asklev's upcoming Baltic Empires from GMT
boardgamegeek.com/thread/36612...
Little review on Brian Asklev's upcoming Baltic Empires from GMT
boardgamegeek.com/thread/36612...
Reposted by Stuart Ellis-Gorman
This is a good perspective on the orders of magnitude in the TTRPG publishing industry, and by and large positions us correctly at the bottom-most named tier (while acknowledging that there's a broad swath of indie designers further down). cannibalhalflinggaming.com/2026/02/11/f...
Five Tiers of RPG Publishing
Hasbro’s annual earnings came out this week, so I took a look. It is truly staggering how much Wizards of the Coast has changed the company since they were acquired; when looking at unadjusted earn…
cannibalhalflinggaming.com
February 12, 2026 at 3:21 PM
This is a good perspective on the orders of magnitude in the TTRPG publishing industry, and by and large positions us correctly at the bottom-most named tier (while acknowledging that there's a broad swath of indie designers further down). cannibalhalflinggaming.com/2026/02/11/f...
Reposted by Stuart Ellis-Gorman
If you have read it, first thank you so much! I'd really appreciate a review or rating, on Goodreads or elsewhere. It costs nothing but it can really help.
www.goodreads.com/book/show/23...
www.goodreads.com/book/show/23...
Castillon: The Last Battle of the Hundred Years War
The Battle of Castillon, fought outside the French city…
www.goodreads.com
February 11, 2026 at 1:04 PM
If you have read it, first thank you so much! I'd really appreciate a review or rating, on Goodreads or elsewhere. It costs nothing but it can really help.
www.goodreads.com/book/show/23...
www.goodreads.com/book/show/23...
Reposted by Stuart Ellis-Gorman
In general a lot of moderate liberals find it very annoying that leftists, radical liberals, and libertarians all end up at open borders, missing the "obvious" middle ground position, but the thing is that if you examine the issue at all, borders are pretty damn hard to actually justify
You're not going to believe this, but closed borders are racist. They always have been. They always will be. You can indulge in smoke-filled dorm room discussions of hypothetically non-racist immigration restrictions, but in the real world closed borders are racist af.
February 11, 2026 at 11:18 PM
In general a lot of moderate liberals find it very annoying that leftists, radical liberals, and libertarians all end up at open borders, missing the "obvious" middle ground position, but the thing is that if you examine the issue at all, borders are pretty damn hard to actually justify
Reposted by Stuart Ellis-Gorman
I've been kind of bad at promoting it, but I wrote a second book and it came out last year! It's about the Battle of Castillon but in a very real way it's about the Hundred Years War and what it is and how we remember it. I'm prettyproud of it.
www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Castillon-Ha...
www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Castillon-Ha...
Castillon
The Battle of Castillon, fought outside the French city of the same name on 17 July 1453, was the final battle in the Hundred Years…
www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
February 11, 2026 at 12:57 PM
I've been kind of bad at promoting it, but I wrote a second book and it came out last year! It's about the Battle of Castillon but in a very real way it's about the Hundred Years War and what it is and how we remember it. I'm prettyproud of it.
www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Castillon-Ha...
www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Castillon-Ha...
Does anybody have a copy of the rules to Charles S Roberts Chancellorsville? The 1961 edition. I found rules for the 1974 second edition, from a different designer, on the Internet Archive but I'd like the original versions rules.
February 12, 2026 at 12:44 AM
Does anybody have a copy of the rules to Charles S Roberts Chancellorsville? The 1961 edition. I found rules for the 1974 second edition, from a different designer, on the Internet Archive but I'd like the original versions rules.
Reposted by Stuart Ellis-Gorman
Playing more OCS with Alexandre today. We're definitely not exemplifying brilliant command, but we're having a lot of fun trying to figure out what to do in Sicily II. It's slow going as we learn (and re-learn) systems we haven't used before, but we're plugging away.
February 11, 2026 at 3:44 AM
Playing more OCS with Alexandre today. We're definitely not exemplifying brilliant command, but we're having a lot of fun trying to figure out what to do in Sicily II. It's slow going as we learn (and re-learn) systems we haven't used before, but we're plugging away.
I've been kind of bad at promoting it, but I wrote a second book and it came out last year! It's about the Battle of Castillon but in a very real way it's about the Hundred Years War and what it is and how we remember it. I'm prettyproud of it.
www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Castillon-Ha...
www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Castillon-Ha...
Castillon
The Battle of Castillon, fought outside the French city of the same name on 17 July 1453, was the final battle in the Hundred Years…
www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
February 11, 2026 at 12:57 PM
I've been kind of bad at promoting it, but I wrote a second book and it came out last year! It's about the Battle of Castillon but in a very real way it's about the Hundred Years War and what it is and how we remember it. I'm prettyproud of it.
www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Castillon-Ha...
www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Castillon-Ha...
Playing more OCS with Alexandre today. We're definitely not exemplifying brilliant command, but we're having a lot of fun trying to figure out what to do in Sicily II. It's slow going as we learn (and re-learn) systems we haven't used before, but we're plugging away.
February 11, 2026 at 3:44 AM
Playing more OCS with Alexandre today. We're definitely not exemplifying brilliant command, but we're having a lot of fun trying to figure out what to do in Sicily II. It's slow going as we learn (and re-learn) systems we haven't used before, but we're plugging away.
Reposted by Stuart Ellis-Gorman
I want to thank people who took the time to read the document and watch the video I shared. It is also important to me that it is understood: I do not believe Matthew, Paula, Monique or Naveen (or anyone else) had involvement (or awareness) of the actions the owner of Game Night Picks took. 1/4
February 11, 2026 at 1:25 AM
I want to thank people who took the time to read the document and watch the video I shared. It is also important to me that it is understood: I do not believe Matthew, Paula, Monique or Naveen (or anyone else) had involvement (or awareness) of the actions the owner of Game Night Picks took. 1/4
Reposted by Stuart Ellis-Gorman
So #BoardGame publishers - maybe think about whether or not someone who leaves random sexist comments on board game videos is someone you want in the credits of your rulebook as a proofer/editor.
February 10, 2026 at 7:45 PM
So #BoardGame publishers - maybe think about whether or not someone who leaves random sexist comments on board game videos is someone you want in the credits of your rulebook as a proofer/editor.
Reposted by Stuart Ellis-Gorman
Today I emailed publishers about a concerning practice a board game media creator engaged in. This will likely become public, so I'm providing the details here to give the full context of what I shared.
1) Document: www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/o8ovt...
2) Video: youtu.be/fHXGWflPj4c
1/2
1) Document: www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/o8ovt...
2) Video: youtu.be/fHXGWflPj4c
1/2
www.dropbox.com
February 9, 2026 at 2:47 PM
Today I emailed publishers about a concerning practice a board game media creator engaged in. This will likely become public, so I'm providing the details here to give the full context of what I shared.
1) Document: www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/o8ovt...
2) Video: youtu.be/fHXGWflPj4c
1/2
1) Document: www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/o8ovt...
2) Video: youtu.be/fHXGWflPj4c
1/2
Sharing again for the Monday morning in the Americas crowd
Another week, another review. This time it's me taking my third swing at the Great Battles of the American Civil War system, with By Swords and Bayonets from @gmtgames.bsky.social.
Spoilers, but I think it's too complicated for me.
www.stuartellisgorman.com/blog/by-swor...
Spoilers, but I think it's too complicated for me.
www.stuartellisgorman.com/blog/by-swor...
By Swords and Bayonets by Allen Dickerson — Stuart Ellis-Gorman
I have an obsession with the designs of one Richard Berg. Often fiddly and weird, I can’t give them all an unqualified recommendation, but I have always found Berg’s work interesting even when I don’t...
www.stuartellisgorman.com
February 9, 2026 at 2:05 PM
Sharing again for the Monday morning in the Americas crowd
Reposted by Stuart Ellis-Gorman
Ironic, as this was the magazine that referred to Pokémon as a "pestilential Ponzi scheme" in 1999, characterising its creator Satoshi Tajiri as a literal monster "His eyes are bloodshot; dark circles ripple beneath them... His monsters are a child's predelictions." He never gave another interview.
TIME Magazine Reveals Special Edition Pokémon 30th Anniversary Covers.
TIME Magazine Reveals Special Edition Pokémon 30th Anniversary Covers
Ho-oh my
www.nintendolife.com
February 9, 2026 at 12:28 PM
Ironic, as this was the magazine that referred to Pokémon as a "pestilential Ponzi scheme" in 1999, characterising its creator Satoshi Tajiri as a literal monster "His eyes are bloodshot; dark circles ripple beneath them... His monsters are a child's predelictions." He never gave another interview.
Reposted by Stuart Ellis-Gorman
Look everyone we did it!
February 9, 2026 at 11:56 AM
Look everyone we did it!
Reposted by Stuart Ellis-Gorman
Another week, another review. This time it's me taking my third swing at the Great Battles of the American Civil War system, with By Swords and Bayonets from @gmtgames.bsky.social.
Spoilers, but I think it's too complicated for me.
www.stuartellisgorman.com/blog/by-swor...
Spoilers, but I think it's too complicated for me.
www.stuartellisgorman.com/blog/by-swor...
By Swords and Bayonets by Allen Dickerson — Stuart Ellis-Gorman
I have an obsession with the designs of one Richard Berg. Often fiddly and weird, I can’t give them all an unqualified recommendation, but I have always found Berg’s work interesting even when I don’t...
www.stuartellisgorman.com
February 9, 2026 at 3:50 AM
Another week, another review. This time it's me taking my third swing at the Great Battles of the American Civil War system, with By Swords and Bayonets from @gmtgames.bsky.social.
Spoilers, but I think it's too complicated for me.
www.stuartellisgorman.com/blog/by-swor...
Spoilers, but I think it's too complicated for me.
www.stuartellisgorman.com/blog/by-swor...
Another week, another review. This time it's me taking my third swing at the Great Battles of the American Civil War system, with By Swords and Bayonets from @gmtgames.bsky.social.
Spoilers, but I think it's too complicated for me.
www.stuartellisgorman.com/blog/by-swor...
Spoilers, but I think it's too complicated for me.
www.stuartellisgorman.com/blog/by-swor...
By Swords and Bayonets by Allen Dickerson — Stuart Ellis-Gorman
I have an obsession with the designs of one Richard Berg. Often fiddly and weird, I can’t give them all an unqualified recommendation, but I have always found Berg’s work interesting even when I don’t...
www.stuartellisgorman.com
February 9, 2026 at 3:50 AM
Another week, another review. This time it's me taking my third swing at the Great Battles of the American Civil War system, with By Swords and Bayonets from @gmtgames.bsky.social.
Spoilers, but I think it's too complicated for me.
www.stuartellisgorman.com/blog/by-swor...
Spoilers, but I think it's too complicated for me.
www.stuartellisgorman.com/blog/by-swor...
Reposted by Stuart Ellis-Gorman
"Eighty-two years after his execution by the Gestapo on June 16, 1944, the Jewish historian and resistance fighter Marc Bloch will be inducted into the Pantheon on June 23... His family requested that 'the far right, in all its forms, be excluded from any participation in the ceremony.'"
Marc Bloch, historien et résistant juif, entrera au Panthéon le 23 juin
Marc Bloch, historien et résistant juif, entrera au Panthéon le 23 juin
La date du 16 juin avait été dans un premier temps pressentie pour son entrée au Panthéon, mais la cérémonie a dû être décalée de quelques jours en raison du G7 à Evian-les-Bains.
www.lemonde.fr
February 8, 2026 at 7:02 PM
"Eighty-two years after his execution by the Gestapo on June 16, 1944, the Jewish historian and resistance fighter Marc Bloch will be inducted into the Pantheon on June 23... His family requested that 'the far right, in all its forms, be excluded from any participation in the ceremony.'"
Reposted by Stuart Ellis-Gorman
Reposted by Stuart Ellis-Gorman
Happy anniversary to all historians who observe.
Never forget the anniversary of King Taejong falling off his horse!
February 8, 2026 at 1:09 PM
Happy anniversary to all historians who observe.
Reposted by Stuart Ellis-Gorman
Trauma und Unterhaltung
Spiele können auf unterschiedliche Art und Weise unterhalten. Ein Teilbereich ist das Segment, dass ich mal mangelns alternativer Begrifflichkeiten als "Brettspiel-Doku" bezeichnet habe: Das Spiel befasst sich mit einem konkreten Thema, so dass sich die Spielenden ebenfalls…
Spiele können auf unterschiedliche Art und Weise unterhalten. Ein Teilbereich ist das Segment, dass ich mal mangelns alternativer Begrifflichkeiten als "Brettspiel-Doku" bezeichnet habe: Das Spiel befasst sich mit einem konkreten Thema, so dass sich die Spielenden ebenfalls…
Trauma und Unterhaltung
Spiele können auf unterschiedliche Art und Weise unterhalten. Ein Teilbereich ist das Segment, dass ich mal mangelns alternativer Begrifflichkeiten als "Brettspiel-Doku" bezeichnet habe: Das Spiel befasst sich mit einem konkreten Thema, so dass sich die Spielenden ebenfalls mit dem Gegenstand auseinandersetzen können. Dies geschieht vor allem im Bereich der sogenannten "Historischen Spiele", die eine sehr viel stärken Fokus auf spielerische Narrative wert legt und die oft versuchen das Thema als…
www.spielbar.com
February 8, 2026 at 11:14 AM
Trauma und Unterhaltung
Spiele können auf unterschiedliche Art und Weise unterhalten. Ein Teilbereich ist das Segment, dass ich mal mangelns alternativer Begrifflichkeiten als "Brettspiel-Doku" bezeichnet habe: Das Spiel befasst sich mit einem konkreten Thema, so dass sich die Spielenden ebenfalls…
Spiele können auf unterschiedliche Art und Weise unterhalten. Ein Teilbereich ist das Segment, dass ich mal mangelns alternativer Begrifflichkeiten als "Brettspiel-Doku" bezeichnet habe: Das Spiel befasst sich mit einem konkreten Thema, so dass sich die Spielenden ebenfalls…
Reposted by Stuart Ellis-Gorman
Announcing the winners of the BEST January 2026 answers! Our glorious winners have produced some truly incredible posts, and you can check them all out by following the link below!
Announcing the Best of January Winners
We start off the cycle anew with January's 'Best of AskHistorians' winners!
buff.ly
February 5, 2026 at 7:33 PM
Announcing the winners of the BEST January 2026 answers! Our glorious winners have produced some truly incredible posts, and you can check them all out by following the link below!
Reposted by Stuart Ellis-Gorman
Last year for @sdhistcon.bsky.social I interviewed @djackthompson.bsky.social on the Homo Ludens YouTube channel about his upcoming design Rebels Against Rebellion. I was really proud of it, and I don't think enough people have seen it, so I'm plugging it again now! www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5Cf...
Rebels Against Rebellion - Historical Discussion with David Thompson (SD Histcon)
YouTube video by Homo Ludens
www.youtube.com
February 5, 2026 at 6:53 AM
Last year for @sdhistcon.bsky.social I interviewed @djackthompson.bsky.social on the Homo Ludens YouTube channel about his upcoming design Rebels Against Rebellion. I was really proud of it, and I don't think enough people have seen it, so I'm plugging it again now! www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5Cf...
Last year for @sdhistcon.bsky.social I interviewed @djackthompson.bsky.social on the Homo Ludens YouTube channel about his upcoming design Rebels Against Rebellion. I was really proud of it, and I don't think enough people have seen it, so I'm plugging it again now! www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5Cf...
Rebels Against Rebellion - Historical Discussion with David Thompson (SD Histcon)
YouTube video by Homo Ludens
www.youtube.com
February 5, 2026 at 6:53 AM
Last year for @sdhistcon.bsky.social I interviewed @djackthompson.bsky.social on the Homo Ludens YouTube channel about his upcoming design Rebels Against Rebellion. I was really proud of it, and I don't think enough people have seen it, so I'm plugging it again now! www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5Cf...
Reposted by Stuart Ellis-Gorman
Gallows Corner funded in less than 90 minutes! At the time of writing, 302 outlaws have helped us raised more than £16,000, and the numbers keep swelling!
Want to join the struggle for the soul of England? Want to burn it down and built back better?
Back us on Kickstarter today: shorturl.at/km3rm
Want to join the struggle for the soul of England? Want to burn it down and built back better?
Back us on Kickstarter today: shorturl.at/km3rm
Gallows Corner - A Peasants' Revolt RPG
Rise up, ye pitiful commons! Throw off your shackles and take up the call: there is a brighter future beyond the noose!
shorturl.at
February 3, 2026 at 6:03 PM
Gallows Corner funded in less than 90 minutes! At the time of writing, 302 outlaws have helped us raised more than £16,000, and the numbers keep swelling!
Want to join the struggle for the soul of England? Want to burn it down and built back better?
Back us on Kickstarter today: shorturl.at/km3rm
Want to join the struggle for the soul of England? Want to burn it down and built back better?
Back us on Kickstarter today: shorturl.at/km3rm