Paper Time Machines

Reviews / Votes

The study of gaming is a burgeoning and exciting academic field. However, we have lacked rigorous academic examination of the foundational core of contemporary gaming -- wargaming and historical simulations. Suckling's work in Paper Time Machines finally rectifies this deficit. This book is mandatory reading for academics, and established and aspiring game designers alike.

- Jason Matthews, game designer

Maurice Suckling has written a highly informative book that gives sound guidance to readers who may want to add their own contributions to the practice of civilian wargaming. It is also long overdue that game studies took this sector seriously.

- Brian Train, wargame designer

This book gives us a unique vision of the game design process from the inside, as exposed by a creative and innovative author in full activity. I heartily recommend this very accessible text to anyone who wants to gain a good understanding of the "tools of the trade" and their practical use in recreating history in game form.

- Riccardo Masini, wargame expert and YouTube vlogger

For the last decade, a seemingly unlikely corner of tabletop game design has nurtured innovative new mechanics and a community of designers and players willing to take on difficult and sensitive topics. That seemingly unlikely space is wargaming. In this book, Maurice Suckling---himself a practicing wargame designer---charts the ways in which wargaming has made itself relevant beyond the battlefield, examining key games and milestones and providing readers with a toolkit for beginning to design (and play!) for themselves.

- Matthew Kirschenbaum, Distinguished University Professor, University of Maryland, and Co-Editor, Zones of Control: Perspectives on Wargaming (MIT Press, 2016)