The SoS Bunker is for those who love States of Siege boardgames. You can support my writing at https://xitter.gq/t.co/UKzae5UXvN
California, USA
Joined October 2024
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Shakespeare break.
“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he today that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother.”
Shakespeare wrote those lines more than 400 years ago, but every soldier knows the feeling. The men and women I served with were my band of brothers and sisters. Though time and distance scatter us, our bond never breaks.
This Veterans Day week, I dedicate this one to every soldier who ever stood beside me. I am proud to have served with you.
(Henry V, 1989)
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The SoS Bunker retweeted
San Diego Historical Games Convention (SDHistCon) 2026 Daily Debrief Series – Day 3. We hang out on the Other Side of the Hill and wrap up our time in lovely San Diego. theplayersaid.com/2026/11/09…
Belloc break.
I've spent years promoting Belloc's books/essays and convinced thousands to read him.
Since I'm constantly asked where to start, here's my ultimate reading list (in no particular order):
1. Europe and the Faith — Argues that European civilization was built upon Catholicism and that the history of Europe is inseparable from the history of the Church.
2. The Path to Rome — A personal account of a pilgrimage from France to Rome, filled with reflections on faith, history, nature, and European civilization.
3. The Servile State — Explains how both capitalism and socialism can reduce ordinary people to economic dependence, arguing instead for widespread private property ownership.
4. The Great Heresies — Examines five major religious movements that challenged Catholicism and shaped the course of European history.
5. The Crisis of Civilization — Explores the decline of Western civilization and argues that its collapse stems from the abandonment of its Christian foundations.
6. The Restoration of Property — Makes the case for an economy in which families own their homes, land, and businesses rather than depending on corporations or the state.
7. Survivals and New Arrivals — Examines the old heresies that have survived into modern times and the new ideologies threatening Catholic civilization.
8. The Catholic Church and History — Defends the Church's historical role and argues that European history cannot be properly understood without recognizing its influence.
9. The French Revolution — Traces the origins, ideals, and consequences of the French Revolution, explaining how it overturned the old political and social order.
10. The Jews — Examines Jewish-Christian relations in Europe, presenting arguments about Jewish identity, assimilation, and the place of Jewish communities in European society.
11. The Four Men: A Farrago — Four travelers wander through Sussex, discussing friendship, religion, tradition, and their love for England's disappearing rural culture.
12. The Cruise of the Nona — A sailing journey around the British coast becomes an occasion for reflections on politics, religion, history, and the modern world.
13. The Old Road — Follows the ancient pilgrimage route from Winchester to Canterbury, uncovering the religious, geographical, and historical foundations of England.
14. The Crusades: The World's Debate — Examines the Crusades as a struggle between Christian Europe and the Islamic powers of the Middle East, arguing that their consequences shaped the future of Western civilization.
15. The Battleground: Syria and Palestine, the Seed Plot of Religion — Explores the religious and strategic importance of Syria and Palestine, examining how the region became a meeting point and battleground of civilizations.
Essays and Essay Collections:
1. Essays of a Catholic (essay collection) — Discusses the Catholic Church, the modern state, paganism, and the cultural divisions of the West from Belloc's Catholic perspective.
2. The Great and Enduring Heresy of Mohammed (chapter/essay) — Presents Islam as a religious challenge to Christianity, examining its origins, expansion, and possible resurgence as a rival to Western civilization.
3. The Free Press (essay) — Exposes how wealthy interests influence mainstream newspapers and argues for independent journalism free from financial and political control.
4. The Barbarians (essay) — Warns that the greatest threat to civilization comes not from foreign invaders but from those within society who reject its inherited moral and religious foundations.
5. The New Paganism (essay) — Argues that modern society is abandoning Christianity for a new form of paganism that lacks the virtues and traditions of the ancient world.
6. Hills and the Sea (essay collection) — A collection of reflections on travel, nature, and European landscapes, celebrating the beauty of ordinary life and traditional culture.
7. On Nothing and Kindred Subjects (essay collection) — Uses humor and seemingly trivial subjects to explore human nature, philosophy, and the absurdities of everyday life.
8. On Everything (essay collection) — A series of witty reflections on society, culture, religion, and the strange habits of mankind.
9. On Anything (essay collection) — Turns ordinary observations and unexpected subjects into humorous meditations on life, society, and human behavior.
10. This and That and the Other (essay collection) — Brings together reflections on travel, politics, customs, and the peculiarities of the modern world.
Poetry and Verse:
1. Cautionary Tales for Children (verse collection) — A collection of darkly humorous poems in which badly behaved children suffer absurd and exaggerated consequences.
2. The South Country (poem) — A nostalgic celebration of the English countryside, expressing a deep attachment to Sussex and its landscapes.
3. The Song of the Pelagian Heresy (poem) — A humorous attack on the heresy that man can attain salvation through his own efforts without the help of divine grace.
4. The Birds (poem) — A lyrical reflection on the beauty of birds and the natural world.
I asked Grok to write a short description of each book. Sorry for the AI slop, haha, but it's actually pretty accurate.
If I’ve missed any (must read) books, please let me know. As you know, the problem with Belloc is that it’s virtually impossible to read everything he wrote. Over his lifetime, he produced 153 books, at least 256 distinct essays, and countless newspaper and magazine articles. He was built different.
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The SoS Bunker retweeted
Forward Defense '85 (FD85) as a quick description is a solo tactical wargame in which the player controls a company sized NATO force facing off against the Warsaw Pact in a past war that never happened. Designed by Ethan Redrup and self-published under Strategist's Den Games, this may sound like dozens of other Cold War Gone Hot titles you've played for decades but this one is different. I'm going to have to use the R word in telling you why, so I'm giving a warning.
This is a roguelite.
You read that right. A roguelite wargame. The core game comes with two scenarios set in West Germany between US, German, and Soviet forces while expansions add scenarios in Sweden and Denmark, and adding additional troops including Poles, Brits, the USMC, and more.
A scenario runs several battles. In the beginning the player creates his command from a pool of units, along with choosing attached units, artillery, and airpower via a point system. The core units will carry over battle to battle, earning experience through victories. How well you perform in these battles dictates how well HQ supports you between missions. At the same time each victorious battle whittles the Soviets down, and can change the momentum of the campaign.
The maps are set up by randomly choosing the tiles that make up the playing field. To keep things simple a grid is used instead of hexes. Because these are randomly assigned you do end up with some quirky looking maps since terrain doesn't lock together. A lake, a forest, whatever just ends at the edge. While the random map is a good idea it would have been better to have a blank map and use random overlay terrain.
OPFOR is generated using tables, and starting overall stats such as attrition and prestige can be modified by playing the game at different difficulty levels. Gameplay is kept straightforward to keep FD85 moving. There is an objective which either you will be attacking or defending, while OPFOR is run by the system. Each battle lasts six turns (possibly modified by scenario) and once you're familiar with the system turns go by fast. A brief manual that needs better organization, and the lack of a player's aid card (you have to flip through the rules for tables) hurts the initial learning curve.
Everything is based on d20s, with core systems such as making a cohesion check to activate a unit to combat, is based on rolling under or equal to a modded target number. Counters, representing platoons, are used for marking the map, but all stats and info are kept off map using cards. While theses are nice cards, they take up more space than the map. A notebook or Excel works just as well.
Forward Defense '85 plays fast, is clever, and the core loop of maintaining your command is enjoyable and adds a great narrative. While streamlining is good, I wish there were a little more; perhaps events, leaders, etc. Recommended.
SOVIET DAWN - Czar’s Fate Decided in Ekaterinburg
Event #21 “Czar's Fate Decided in Ekaterinburg!” is one of the pivotal events in Soviet Dawn. It is one of the key pieces of business the Soviets need to take care of during the Twilight epoch of Event cards. Until it is revealed, the Soviets are always eyeing Kokchak and the Eastern front with trepidation. If the Eastern front is on Ekaterinburg, Ufa or Kazan when the event is revealed, the Czar is liberated by the Whites.
The reason for this trepedation is simple. If the Czar is liberated, the White forces are enormously bolstered by a permanent -1 DRM against the Soviets on every offensive.
Truth be told, the game is over. It is highly unlikely the Soviets can defend themselves militarily with the Czar liberated. The only option which I've found remotely plausible is to go all out on the Reorg Table. (Although early focus on the Reorg Tsble is vital to Soviet victory.) Applied Experience and Red Army Tanks can possibly be effective enough to eke out a victory. However, after hundreds of games, I've never seen it happen.
This Time
In a recent game, the Czar was liberated. But, the situation didn't seem hopeless.
- It was late in the game with about 20 events remaining.
- The Finns, the Allies and the Southern front had all been removed.
- Petrograd was fortified.
- The Soviets had their Tanks Corps and Armored Trains.
The negatives for the Soviets were the Czech Legion was still bolstering the Eastern front and the Curzon Line was in place.
My assessment was with only the Poles, Yudenich and the Eastern front to deal with, the Soviets had some firepower to even the odds. So, I deployed the Red Army Tank Corps to deal with the Eastern front and anticipated using the Armored Trains against the Poles as needed.
Lastly, with Petrograd fortified, the threat from Yudenich and the Baltic could be contained with reasonable effort. I even had some Reserve Offensives and both Political Decrees. So, it looked possible. Even better, it would be glorious to pull it off and save the Revolution.
The first event boded well, as the Czech Legion sailed. Excellent. The Eastern front was significantly weakened and in retreat to Omsk.
To the west, the pesky Poles advanced to Kiev. They were driven off with the help of Armored Trains.
The next event saw more good news as the Red "Frunze Offensive" was launched. My Tank Corps decisively defeated the Eastern front and dutifully drove Kolchak back to Irkutsk!
For the coup-de-grace, I whiffed the removal roll!! Not good. Removing the Eastern front would have eliminated one of the significant threats in the Dawn epoch. It would allow me to concentrate my resources back to the west.
Alas, it was not to be. Even worse, Yudenich was able to seize Petrograd, despite its fortifications!
The Rada now moved to take power in the Ukraine. The Poles aligned with the Rada and advanced to Kiev. The Kremlin attacked both Kiev and Petrograd. Both failed.
The Whites sensed their hour was at hand. In desperation, the Bolsheviks play both Political Decrees to roll on the Reorg Table. Both fail. Subsequently, the next event sees Kokchak captured. But, it is for naught, as the Poles triumphantly advance beyond Kiev. With the Whites controlling the vital political centers of Kiev and Petrograd and the elite of the Red Army far away in Siberia, the Czar returned to Moscow in triumph! The Bolshevik regime cannot stand and is swept aside as the Czar is gloriously restored.
Epilogue
It was a very disappointing outcome because I truly thought the Soviets had a shot at pulling it off. However, despite a couple of ideal Event cards, the Soviets couldn't capitalize on their good fortune...
thesosbunker.substack.com/p/…
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The SoS Bunker retweeted
✨ New Arrivals & Restocks - Nov 2-8, 2026
✨ 1,300+ items just landed, from JinxO, the new Spiel des Jahres winner, to Scythe, Root and Fate of the Fellowship back in stock! 🎲
boardgamebliss.com/collectio…
#BoardGames #BoardGameBliss
The SoS Bunker retweeted
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
— John McCrae🫡🇬🇧
The SoS Bunker retweeted
Demo of @markherman54 latest grand tactical from @gmtgames Lee Moves North. Very much enjoyed it. Thanks Mark!!
The SoS Bunker retweeted
4th and final game of day 2 here at @SDHistCon is Thirty Years of Misery from @VUCASimulations
The SoS Bunker retweeted
My game of Thirty Years of Misery ends in a close Swedish victory.
The Catholic side managed to keep control of the majority of Electorates and crucially flipped Saxony back to their side on the last turn.
But Protestant religious loyalty stretched from Hesse to Bohemia and Catholic armies never penetrated the Swedish centre of gravity in Brandenburg and Pomerania.
France was late to the party too, and exhausted itself fighting the Tercios in the Spanish Netherlands and Northern France.
Very fun game. Slick battle system with custom dice and all the complexity is shifted onto the cards rather than the rules. Thirty Years War in a very reasonable timeframe.
