Playing the Past to Understand the Present

Description: Strategy board games have long been a favorite of hobbyists, maybe none so devoted to the genre as wargamers. The language of strategy games has been employed to tell stories about economies and ecosystems, of space operas and steampunk metropolises. Now, designers are using strategy games to model history and invite players to dive into key aspects of our shared past and hopefully better understand our present. Two of those designers, Talia Rosen and Tory Brown, will speak to theme-first historical game design, using mechanisms to create narrative, and the possibilities and limitations of using board games to convey our society's past.

Bios:- Tory Brown is the designer of Votes for Women and a longtime activist, who currently works as a political communications strategist for the nation's largest union. Inspired to create Votes for Women by games like Watergate and 1960: The Making of The President, she is fascinated by the potential of board games to mobilize citizens to action that improves our communities and country.- Talia Rosen is the designer of First Monday in October and an attorney practicing non-profit media law in Virginia. As a longtime strategy board game hobbyist, Talia combined all of her favorite board game mechanisms (like area control and action menus) into a game driven first and foremost by a theme that captivated her interest. More information available here.

Host or Publisher Georgetown University Wargaming Society