Ofjh recap
Last weekend, I attended the Open de France des Jeux d’Histoire in Bordeaux. This convention previously called Paris home, where it ran for five years until Covid hit. So this year’s event was a revival of sorts, a reconvening and reconstitution of the earlier version. There were a dozen or so publishers present, mostly French companies, as well as a few dozen designers. Overall, the event drew close to 200 people throughout its four days.
I went without knowing exactly what to expect. I had spoken to a few folks I know in the French industry about it, but since OFJH had not run since 2019, even they did not have a full grasp of what the convention would hold. I knew, as always, that Hawk & Dove’s games would be different from most of what was there, given our focus on political and social history over more traditional wargames. My intention in attending was to learn more about the French community of war and historical gaming, to meet other publishers, designers, and players, and to demo the games we are preparing to publish next year. And to have a little fun along the way, of course.
I am consistently blown away by how welcoming and curious historical gamers are, and OFJH was no different. I struggled through what little French I still have from my academic days, and I met a lot of enthusiastic people interested in our unique approach. I am very aware that our games are not for everyone, and I am okay with that. But I hold firm in the belief that at least part of the reason very few games like Painkillers, El Pulpo, or Small Steps to Fight Fascism gain traction is because many game players, even those active in the historical gaming space, have not been introduced to what games can do to model history through lenses other than military and political strategy.
Painkillers set up and ready to play.
I started by setting up Painkillers on the table. I noticed immediately that it stood out from the crowd. The vast majority of games on the tables were maps of terrain of some sort or another, modelling the strategic, operational, and tactical elements of specific battles or military campaigns. Don’t get me wrong, these games are fascinating and often rewarding to play. And more than at conventions in the United States, I noticed that French publishers offer more aesthetically pleasing representations of these maps. But in a room of 60 tables with similar looking games, Painkillers definitely caught the eye, even in its admittedly ugly prototype form.
Even with this visual difference, it took a day or so for people to understand what Hawk & Dove is about and why we were there, but by Friday afternoon it felt like that curiosity had settled in and I saw a regular procession of folks coming by my table to ask what the game was about. I chatted with people, explained the setting and theme of the game, walked through a basic overview of the rules, and told them I would be around all weekend if they were interested in getting a group together. These folks were usually only one or two, and had other things on their agendas, but they showed genuine interest, and I was appreciative for that.
After dinner Friday night, as I was settling in to help a friend lose at EastFront, glass of wine in hand, I had kind of resigned myself to the possibility of not getting many plays in of our games over the weekend, and was content to meet people and make connections. But that changed when a group approached me to play Painkillers. We got in most of a game that evening, and another group played the following morning. This seemed to get the ball rolling, and I ended up getting in five total demos of three games before the convention wrapped up on Sunday! Two games of Painkillers, two games of El Pulpo, and a very rushed game of Small Steps later, the convention ended up as a smashing success for me. All of these demos were instructive and I will be able to improve the games because of them.
El Pulpo in mid game, with the Banana Man card in play.
Even more than all of this, I was able to connect with the French wargaming community even more than I anticipated I would. I’ve been active in the community in the United States and online for several years, but the EU is completely different. Each country has its own unique characteristics and cultural ecosystem around gaming. So a big part of my goals for the first couple years of Hawk & Dove is to learn as much as I can about the various communities across Europe. I can’t say I’ve done that in France by attending one convention, but I can say I learned an immense amount simply by being in the room with a group of like-minded people and discussing history and games with them. I look forward to doing similar things in Spain, the UK, Italy, and other places in the near future.
Beyond our own games, I got the chance to check out a lot of other very cool designs, both old and new, while at the con.
I took a look at two games from Fellowship of Simulations: Russia’s War: Barbarossa Reloaded, and Revolutions: France 1820-1880. Russia’s War is a hex and counter game by Walter Vejdovsky about the Barbarossa campaign, split across two large maps for the North and South parts of the engagement. It focuses heavily on supply logistics and the tempo of attack by the Germans. Revolutions is a game of political negotiation and infighting by Laurent Rix, with five parties struggling for control of the French government throughout the 19th century.
I played a prototype of a forthcoming title from Nuts! Publishing, designed by Paolo Mori and David Thompson. It was a very accessible and interesting hand management game with various scenarios based on battles from World War II.
I observed part or all of several games: The Korean War, a 40-year-old design that still stands the test of time. La Commune ou la Mort, the French version of Red Flag Over Paris. EastFront, a classic Columbia block game. Razor’s Edge, a fascinating game about the Falklands War by Sapper Studio. Games of recent hits Vijayanagara and Land and Freedom.
And there was so much more! Miniatures gaming, some mega games that lasted the whole convention, and tournaments for various games that were held in separate rooms. It was a bustling environment! I must extend a huge amount of gratitude to Fred, Florent, James, Sean, Angus, Aymeric, Jean-Yves, Christophe, Alberto, Thibaut, Giuseppe, Phillippe, Ken, and Laurent for chatting, playing, and discussing all our games. And especially thank you to Guillaume and Pascal for organizing the event. I hope to attend again next year!
If you’d like to check out a lot more photos, go here: https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipOezdgqAIbX3yI7TzMjlkFgZWGzilAxM1cSwMf7G-v7qkCviS4hbFT5BCQuLpc95w?key=MjZJWl96WWczbTZwbVdxM2NPNFFxamRXV2lZNk5n
