Peter Schweighofer
@schweigbskysocial.bsky.social
440 followers 110 following 520 posts
Writer, Game Designer, Gamer, Husband, Dad. Writing and playing roleplaying games for 40+ years, along with board and wargames, and a few designs for kids and newcomers to the hobby. Often exploring the confluence of games, history, and learning.
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schweigbskysocial.bsky.social
Schweig Introduction...Welcome

I’m Peter Schweighofer, writer, editor, game designer and player (#TTRPG, #Wargames, various #BoardGames). Father, husband, cook. Advocate of #GamesForLearning. Like anyone I have a bit more depth and diverse interests, but these are a solid start. 1/5
Old white bearded guy with glasses and a hat, wearing a doofy smile, holds a bottle of mead in one hand and a drinking horn filled with mead in the other, toasting the viewer while armed and armored buhurt warriors bash each other in the medieval list in the background.
schweigbskysocial.bsky.social
#HobbyGamesRecce
My copy of Fighters of Europe arrived recently, perfect inspiration for exploring the #WW2 #BattleOfBritain from the “Watch, Read, Play” perspective, a means of enticing folks to explore history in media, books, and games.

#wargames #GamesForLearning #GamingThePast
Watch Read Play: The Battle of Britain
“ I have promised the F ü hrer that we will clear the skies and completely destroy the RAF. I expect my orders to be obeyed!” — Hermann ...
hobbygamesrecce.blogspot.com
schweigbskysocial.bsky.social
Thanks. It was an interesting project for WEG back then in many ways. A streamlined synthesis of elements from various editions (ack, the Wild Die...) hearkening back to the days of first edition.

I wrote about it three years ago in greater detail, though not much from a rules perspective.
WEG Memoirs: Intro Adventure Game
“ This is one of the best intros to RPGs I’ve ever seen.” – Andrew Rilstone, Arcane magazine T his year’s GAMA trade show recently wra...
hobbygamesrecce.blogspot.com
schweigbskysocial.bsky.social
#HobbyGamesRecce
I take a look at some of the historical #boardgames in my collection — games from history, not about it — and some related books. They’re common games available to everyone at some level, from across regions and cultures and time.
Historical Games
“ Your library is your paradise.” — Erasmus French Regency style chess pieces and box, early 20th century. I have among my collection se...
hobbygamesrecce.blogspot.com
schweigbskysocial.bsky.social
Trying to figure out what style of #chess pieces these are... Searching the internet hasn’t really helped.
Lineup of six chess pieces in a particular yet unknown style to me. Lineup of six chess pieces in a particular yet unknown style to me, with the box they came in, a wooden slide-top box with “Schach” stenciled on top.
schweigbskysocial.bsky.social
Hard to believe more than 80 years after someone wrote these words people still haughtily accept propaganda, spin, and lies at face value without question, willingly spread them like a disease, fail to consider their ramifications, and use them to justify further atrocities. Sic transit mundus.

3/3
Detail of an old envelope. The word “Geöffnet” is stamped on the left in thick Fraktur font (“Opened,” meaning it has been opened by the Nazi censor). On the right one sees a partial stamp, including part of a swastika in a wreath circle.
schweigbskysocial.bsky.social
“...would have written in the headlines that, in the weeks leading up to and during the 18-day war, the ‘noble’ Poles most brutally killed nearly 60,000 ethnic Germans, from infants to the elderly, without making a distinction between the sexes.”

#WW2 #Poland #propaganda

2/3
Excerpt from a letter. Fountain pen script on old paper, in German.
schweigbskysocial.bsky.social
CW: Nazis

From a letter from Germany to friends in America, March 18, 1940:

“It would be interesting to me to know if anyone over there has published an account of how things actually played out in Poland. I do not think, for example, that the Times or the Herald Tribune...”

#WW2 #Poland

1/3
Part of an old envelope. Four stamps on the right sport a profile image of Paul von Hindenburg and the words “Deutsches Reich” in a Fraktur font. They are canceled with a smudged postmark stamp labeled “Brandenburt.” On the left a blue box reads “Mit Luftpost” “Par Avion” “By Airmail” above which someone has typed “Via Lissabon” (“Via Lisbon” Portugal, neutral in World War II). A scrawled pencil note in the middle, a number and initials, may be the censor’s mark.
schweigbskysocial.bsky.social
#HobbyGamesRecce

In preparing for an upcoming game convention, I examine the risks I usually take, how I manage my anxiety beforehand, and a few strategies I rely on to better prepare for a positive outcome.

#TTRPGs #Wargames
The Convention Game Gamble
“ Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” — T. S. Eliot Middle-earth 54mm miniatures game, wit...
hobbygamesrecce.blogspot.com
schweigbskysocial.bsky.social
Congratulations on the latest of some well-deserved honors: one more accolade to add to the HWA Non-Fiction prize longlist and the Women’s Prize non-fiction shortlist.
schweigbskysocial.bsky.social
If #WW2 and #espionage interest you, don’t miss this amazing biography of determined and daring Polish resistance against Nazi oppression.
claremulley.bsky.social
Thrilled that @Waterstones have selected #AgentZo as one of their paperbacks of the year!
Thank you to all at #Waterstones, & everyone who has bought or borrowed this book from a library.
It’s word of mouth that really helps get these stories out there, so thank you!
schweigbskysocial.bsky.social
I'm jealous of all the historical sites you game at. Here in the US such games remain rare...and certainly not at anywhere as old as Tamworth Castle or Sutton Hoo. Best I saw was an American Civil War ironclads game on the deck of the life-sized USS Monitor reconstruction.
schweigbskysocial.bsky.social
Finally got out to visit the Barnes & Noble in Fredericksburg, VA, this weekend; thrilled to see a host of new-to-me espionage books in the #WW2 section, along with some recently read favorites, engaging works by @soniapurnell.bsky.social and @claremulley.bsky.social.

#AgentZo #WomanOfNoImportance
Book on a bookstore shelf cover-facing out showing the title “A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II” in red letters across the upper half, and a blue-tinted photo of the back of a woman in a trenchcoat and beret approaching a German officer with a rifle in a ruined European street. Book on a bookstore shelf cover-facing out with a decorative Barnes & Noble filler box. Cover shows a non-fiction biography of a WW2 Polish courier and resistance fighter, Agent Zo, by Clare Mulley (the title and author splashed in type across the top and bottom of the cover). The middle illustration, in black and white, shows the back of a woman in a coat and satchel slung over one shoulder walking down a European street, flanked by the words “The untold Story of A Fearless World War II Resistance Fighter.”
schweigbskysocial.bsky.social
Always humbling to see folks still enjoying our work all these years later. Thank you.
schweigbskysocial.bsky.social
Dropped #DisneyPlus recently after re-assessing our media spending. Donated that money to local #PBS & #NPR stations; got access to #PBSPassport streaming service. Mysteries, news, kids shows, period dramas, documentaries...amazing shows.

Find your PBS station here:

www.pbs.org/stations/
PBS Member Stations | PBS
Find information about your local PBS Member Station.
www.pbs.org
schweigbskysocial.bsky.social
#HobbyGamesRecce
Playtesting the Battle of Great Bridge game I’m developing helped me make a few adjustments, but also confirmed that, as an abstraction, it simulates the factors central to the battle in a concise event demo experience for gaming newcomers.

#History #GamesForLearning #Wargames
Gaming Great Bridge IV: Playtesting Insights
“ Nine-tenths of tactics are certain, and taught in books: but the irrational tenth is like the kingfisher flashing across the pool, and t...
hobbygamesrecce.blogspot.com
schweigbskysocial.bsky.social
The hotel we stayed at in Madison last year had three convenience coolers behind the front desk with treats guests could buy: one with water/sodas, one with frozen snacks, and one with...all beer. I joked aout it with the front desk clerk and she's like, "Yeah, welcome to Wisconsin."
schweigbskysocial.bsky.social
Congratulations! Fantastic job on an amazing project.
schweigbskysocial.bsky.social
#HobbyGamesRecce
Do we game more with friends or strangers? Which one do we prefer? Everyone has a different answer. It often depends on our opportunities for gaming, but also how well we navigate the challenges and joys each presents.

#TTRPGs
Game with Friends or Strangers?
“ There are no strangers here; o nly friends you haven't yet met.” — William Butler Yeats Friends with pizza, dice, games... and an othe...
hobbygamesrecce.blogspot.com
schweigbskysocial.bsky.social
I was waiting to see the sculpt of #AgentZo from @badsquiddogames.bsky.social and was not disappointed! KS backed! (Also helps that the Agent Zo bookmark was unlocked!) Looking to get a few more amazing #WW2 #Resistance women. Only a few more days to back this!

www.kickstarter.com/projects/bad...
Photo showing a 28mm miniature figure sculpt, unpainted, of a woman removing her parachute jump outfit, revealing her dress for undercover resistance work beneath. On a background of red brick with wartime rubble onthe ground and a white-and-red Polish flag inthe corner. The words "Agent Zo, AKA Elzbieta Zawacka, Polish Land Forces, Union of Armed Struggle" are inthe upper left corner, with the Bad Squiddo Games logo in the upper right corner.
schweigbskysocial.bsky.social
I love this Tolkien-art-inspired set-up. Must be amazing to play on (with that many miniatures!).
schweigbskysocial.bsky.social
You are not shy about sharing the things that bring you joy.
schweigbskysocial.bsky.social
Glad to see one news outlet, even if it’s The Guardian, calling military deployment in Washington, DC, an occupation. Normalize calling this kind of “cooperation” collaboration. @mayorbowser.bsky.social is in a tough spot, but at this point we need resistance instead of collaboration.
DC mayor Bowser signs order aligning city with Trump’s military occupation
Order sets rules for federal forces as locals stage noise protests, block indictments and demand home rule
www.theguardian.com
schweigbskysocial.bsky.social
Noble Knight Games and Wayne's Books are your faithful companions in this quest.
schweigbskysocial.bsky.social
#HobbyGamesRecce

I’m culling some games from my collection. I weigh various personal factors whether I keep a game in my library or trade it in for credit...inevitably to buy more games.... I offer them here as possible considerations for others in this situation.

#TTRPGs #Wargames #BoardGames
Culling the Game Collection
“ Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson The West End Games Star Wars Roleplaying Ga...
hobbygamesrecce.blogspot.com
schweigbskysocial.bsky.social
I'm on the fence as to whether to try getting this down the road. I like that it's fast and not complicated. Might have to give this a second look. Does it have wampas?