Historical Humanity - the human element in modern historical board games (Topic Discussion)

I have long been fascinated by historical board games. I was never very good at history in school, but whenever I play a board game with a historical setting, I feel I learn something. Often, I feel compelled to find out more about the events that took place back then. No class in school ever evoked that curiosity in me. These days, I look at historical board games from an additional angle: the human element. While war games rarely identify individuals and often work on a larger scale, there is a new breed of historical games that bring players closer to the human experience. In this article, I want to explore these games further.

Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2026/02/03/historical-humanity-the-human-element-in-modern-historical-board-games-topic-discussion/

Useful Links

• Molly House review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2025/05/24/molly-house-saturday-review/
• The Cost review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2020/12/12/the-cost-digital-eyes/

References

• [1] Wehrlegig Games website, "About Us" page: https://wehrlegig.com/pages/about
• [2] Slate, "Best Board Games That Make You Think About History": https://slate.com/human-interest/2024/01/best-board-games-root-cole-wehrle-john-company-molly-house.html
• [3] Cardboard Empire, "John Company 2nd Edition: The human factor behind empire and colonialism"
  https://www.cardboardempire.blog/blog/john-company-2nd-edition-the-human-factor-behind-empire-and-colonialism/
• [4] SDHist, "Designer roundtable: Gaming the unpleasant": https://sdhist.com/designer-roundtable-gaming-the-unpleasant/

Music

Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)

Music: Bensound.com/royalty-free-music
License code: FHIPLT6WUMTVKWNJ
Artist: : Aventure

Royalty Free Music: https://www.bensound.com
License code: SU8T8I7YSLC4LBK9
Artist: : Aventure

Music I use: https://www.bensound.com
License code: 6SZZNOMDLB9BABLB
Artist: : Aventure

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Credit: Wellcome Library, London. Wellcome Images

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http://wellcomeimages.org

Georgian gentlemen smoking, drinking and reading newspapers at their club. Coloured aquatint, c. 1784, after G. M. Woodward (?).

1784 By: G. M. Woodward

Published: -

Copyrighted work available under Creative Commons Attribution only licence CC BY 4.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/