Evan D'Alessandro
@evandalessandro.bsky.social
Wargamer + wargame designer. PhD student at KCL War Studies studying Immersion in Wargaming. Interested in the future of conflict, China, USN, and undersea cables. Wargame Portfolio: evandalessandro.com
One of my favorite sections from Barley's work on Greek generalship is him saying that people talking about the "scrum" don't understand how a scrum works (cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronf... pg. 235-239).
November 16, 2025 at 1:18 AM
One of my favorite sections from Barley's work on Greek generalship is him saying that people talking about the "scrum" don't understand how a scrum works (cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronf... pg. 235-239).
I'll be presenting at 8:00 am (UK Time) at Connections Oz tomorrow on modular approaches to wargaming Taiwan using Jaws of the Dragon as an example. If 8 is too early in the morning, they usually record them and post them later...
November 11, 2025 at 6:09 PM
I'll be presenting at 8:00 am (UK Time) at Connections Oz tomorrow on modular approaches to wargaming Taiwan using Jaws of the Dragon as an example. If 8 is too early in the morning, they usually record them and post them later...
Working on mapping a (mostly real) Suwalki gap. Last thing to add is rail lines and national boundaries and then to play with colors/textures/shadows/glow/outlines to provide a bit more separation between terrain types.
November 8, 2025 at 10:35 AM
Working on mapping a (mostly real) Suwalki gap. Last thing to add is rail lines and national boundaries and then to play with colors/textures/shadows/glow/outlines to provide a bit more separation between terrain types.
Very good session today, had a few great chats with people and hopefully a few interesting games coming in the future!
October 25, 2025 at 9:12 PM
Very good session today, had a few great chats with people and hopefully a few interesting games coming in the future!
I'll be helping @sophiedebolle.bsky.social run this Microgame session for the Women's Wargaming Network tomorrow. You can still sign up if you are interested!
October 24, 2025 at 11:37 AM
I'll be helping @sophiedebolle.bsky.social run this Microgame session for the Women's Wargaming Network tomorrow. You can still sign up if you are interested!
We are so back! (it was never even over to begin with)
October 23, 2025 at 9:22 PM
We are so back! (it was never even over to begin with)
Quick shot from the Intro to Wargaming Event I ran again for the KCL Crisis Sim. The game works and I should finish the megagame when I have time. With 50+ people showing up though the Crisis Sim is beginning to suffer from success though and I had to make up 7 roles on the spot.
October 12, 2025 at 9:09 PM
Quick shot from the Intro to Wargaming Event I ran again for the KCL Crisis Sim. The game works and I should finish the megagame when I have time. With 50+ people showing up though the Crisis Sim is beginning to suffer from success though and I had to make up 7 roles on the spot.
After god knows how many attempts at a modern brigade game, I think I may have finally hit upon a model I like enough to make it work and keep the game fast. This is a full brigade in card form, plus the (tbd) capability cards. Hopefully I'll be able to start playtesting soon to see if it works!
October 6, 2025 at 4:23 PM
After god knows how many attempts at a modern brigade game, I think I may have finally hit upon a model I like enough to make it work and keep the game fast. This is a full brigade in card form, plus the (tbd) capability cards. Hopefully I'll be able to start playtesting soon to see if it works!
I'm like 75% sure on these production figures. Some production might have been delayed (and the production deadlines extended past 2025), and the new purchase of HF-2E exceeds the known production rate. Something I need to go back and look at at some point.
September 1, 2025 at 11:10 PM
I'm like 75% sure on these production figures. Some production might have been delayed (and the production deadlines extended past 2025), and the new purchase of HF-2E exceeds the known production rate. Something I need to go back and look at at some point.
Working on some more cards for Jaws of the Dragon. Did some tweaks, and added two new ones: Intel agency deep-strike operations against enemy high value aircraft, and cards to represent the effect of the Chinese gaining the ability to have loitering UAV's over Taiwan.
August 30, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Working on some more cards for Jaws of the Dragon. Did some tweaks, and added two new ones: Intel agency deep-strike operations against enemy high value aircraft, and cards to represent the effect of the Chinese gaining the ability to have loitering UAV's over Taiwan.
Playing around with various different studies quantifications of tanks combat power, which is generating some amusing results when one attempts to normalize the various datasets against each other.
July 24, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Playing around with various different studies quantifications of tanks combat power, which is generating some amusing results when one attempts to normalize the various datasets against each other.
Also a photo of Strike from Space squeezed onto a table yesterday (other than the few cards I forgot to bring).
July 9, 2025 at 10:40 PM
Also a photo of Strike from Space squeezed onto a table yesterday (other than the few cards I forgot to bring).
Day 2 of DSET. Full Spectrum Commander on the table and looking like it should work (mostly). I did realize while setting it up what the pesky extra random numbers I had deleted from the command sheet were for and why I really shouldn't have deleted them though.
July 9, 2025 at 10:38 PM
Day 2 of DSET. Full Spectrum Commander on the table and looking like it should work (mostly). I did realize while setting it up what the pesky extra random numbers I had deleted from the command sheet were for and why I really shouldn't have deleted them though.
DSET day 1 completed. I forgot to take a picture of Strike from Space set up for demoing, but I'll try to remember to take a photo tomorrow.
July 8, 2025 at 9:10 PM
DSET day 1 completed. I forgot to take a picture of Strike from Space set up for demoing, but I'll try to remember to take a photo tomorrow.
Units finalized (Red and Blue brigade with some extras for fun). Time to print, laminate, and sticker the blocks, and then convert an old map to use for this.
July 6, 2025 at 10:11 AM
Units finalized (Red and Blue brigade with some extras for fun). Time to print, laminate, and sticker the blocks, and then convert an old map to use for this.
Slowly doing some more stuff, these are divisional support cards that the Brigade commander can request. Divided between doing abstract stuff like this or picking specific capabilities for capability cards.
July 3, 2025 at 9:07 PM
Slowly doing some more stuff, these are divisional support cards that the Brigade commander can request. Divided between doing abstract stuff like this or picking specific capabilities for capability cards.
I always find this sexism interesting because 1 year later, in a different RPG the first book of Classic Traveller, GDW explicitly sets out that the PC's can be either men or women with no effect (pg 8). This shows up in later Classic Traveller work too Book 1, 1981, pg. 25, in the example of play.
June 26, 2025 at 9:44 AM
I always find this sexism interesting because 1 year later, in a different RPG the first book of Classic Traveller, GDW explicitly sets out that the PC's can be either men or women with no effect (pg 8). This shows up in later Classic Traveller work too Book 1, 1981, pg. 25, in the example of play.
Playing around with unit graphics. I think I've settled on the background circle in a color to indicate sides, but I might try some variations of shape/texturing on that too.
June 24, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Playing around with unit graphics. I think I've settled on the background circle in a color to indicate sides, but I might try some variations of shape/texturing on that too.
Working on an idea for a brigade command game with a focus on span of command and detection/signal emissions as a key element. It's also been a good chance to practice a different art style than I usually do.
June 23, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Working on an idea for a brigade command game with a focus on span of command and detection/signal emissions as a key element. It's also been a good chance to practice a different art style than I usually do.
Games from this week: Starship Marine boarding action (comedy of errors that lead to the boarding teams stranded on an accelerating ship), the classic Seastrike (truly excellent), and then with help I ran Down Range doing a PLANMC SOF raid on a HIMARS battery on an island in the South China Sea.
June 19, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Games from this week: Starship Marine boarding action (comedy of errors that lead to the boarding teams stranded on an accelerating ship), the classic Seastrike (truly excellent), and then with help I ran Down Range doing a PLANMC SOF raid on a HIMARS battery on an island in the South China Sea.
I have spent at least 4 hours today reformatting these boards in ever so slightly different ways to get them to upload correctly to Gamecrafter, only to realize my plan on manufacturing them would not work, and I need to reformat them again into A4 and US letter sizes as printables.
June 13, 2025 at 4:55 PM
I have spent at least 4 hours today reformatting these boards in ever so slightly different ways to get them to upload correctly to Gamecrafter, only to realize my plan on manufacturing them would not work, and I need to reformat them again into A4 and US letter sizes as printables.
Also great bit where the counters for troops were held up by customs, so I get asked to make them the night before. I look at the ORBAT which has piles of units and groan, but then notice it says "taken from Crisis: Korean 1995," and I got to say "I can just bring my copy of the game!"
June 10, 2025 at 10:02 PM
Also great bit where the counters for troops were held up by customs, so I get asked to make them the night before. I look at the ORBAT which has piles of units and groan, but then notice it says "taken from Crisis: Korean 1995," and I got to say "I can just bring my copy of the game!"
Shots from the 1990's Korean Famine megagame Saturday. Aiden did an amazing job on the design and we managed it well even short 2 control. Players really got into it including a episode of everyone clapping endlessly after Kim Jong Il gave a speech lest they be the first to stop.
June 10, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Shots from the 1990's Korean Famine megagame Saturday. Aiden did an amazing job on the design and we managed it well even short 2 control. Players really got into it including a episode of everyone clapping endlessly after Kim Jong Il gave a speech lest they be the first to stop.
