About Me & Castra Hiberna

Welcome to Castra Hiberna!

Whether you arrive here because of a particular game, a famous battle, an obscure campaign, or simply a question that has been bothering you, I hope you find something worth exploring.

About Me…

I am Rino (a.k.a. The Methodical Gamer) and this is my personal space where I share my experiences in the world of simulation games and the history behind them.

My passion for this kind of gaming goes back a long way and, despite a few detours and plenty of other hobbies along the way, it has never really gone away. I started out with the classic board games of my childhood, before eventually finding my way to wargames through a growing passion for reading history, particularly military history.

I don’t consider myself an expert. I’m simply someone who loves history and enjoys discovering how simulations can bring it to life — and sometimes allow us to change its outcome. What fascinates me most is understanding the choices behind a simulation: why a particular event, limitation, or historical factor was represented in one way rather than another, and what that means for the game.

Here, I share the games I play, the history behind them, and the stories and ideas that make them worth exploring.

…and Castra Hiberna

Castra Hiberna is a blog about simulation games, military history, and the stories that connect the two.

It is a place for anyone who enjoys games that ask more than “Who won?” — games that invite us to understand why events unfolded as they did, what choices shaped them, and how history might have taken a different path.

My focus is broad. Historical simulation games are at the heart of Castra Hiberna, but the site also explores political, counterfactual, and other simulation games where history, strategy, and human decision-making intersect.

Because sometimes the most interesting part of a game begins when you put the game board aside!

Beyond the Game Board

The Games

A simulation game is ultimately a model as it simplifies reality, selects what matters, and transforms complex events into rules, systems, choices, and consequences.

Castra Hiberna explores what happens when history is translated into a game — what is preserved, what is simplified, what is left out, and what unexpected insights emerge from the process.

The board is therefore not the destination. It is the starting point to understand:

➡️ How a game models a historical conflict or campaign;

➡️ The decisions and dilemmas presented to players;

➡️ The strengths and limitations of a game’s historical simulation;

➡️ Unusual mechanics and design choices;

➡️ How different games approach the same historical subject;

➡️ What playing a particular game can reveal about the period it represents.

The History Behind the Game

Every conflict represented on a map has a story behind it.

That story may involve commanders and soldiers, political ambitions, logistical problems, geography, technology, chance, or decisions made under extraordinary pressure.

Castra Hiberna therefore goes beyond the rules and components to investigate the history itself through:

➡️ Campaigns and battles;

➡️ Commanders and armies;

➡️ Political and diplomatic circumstances;

➡️ Lesser-known episodes;

➡️ Curious details and forgotten stories;

➡️ The historical context behind the games we play.

The Paths History Didn’t Take

Not every simulation asks us to recreate the past exactly as it happened. Some invite us to explore what might have happened instead.

Counterfactual history, political simulations, and alternative scenarios can be just as revealing as conventional historical simulations. By changing a decision, an alliance, or a strategic assumption, these games allow us to examine the choices and circumstances that shaped real events — and to consider how different decisions might have led to different outcomes.

At Castra Hiberna, this means looking beyond what happened to consider the alternatives, the decisions behind them, and the possibilities history left unexplored, such as:

➡️ Historical turning points and roads not taken;

➡️ Alternative outcomes of real campaigns and conflicts;

➡️ Political decisions, alliances, and strategic dilemmas;

➡️ Counterfactual scenarios and speculative simulations.

Then, who Is Castra Hiberna For?

You don’t need to be a military history expert, an experienced wargamer, or even a board game enthusiast to find something worthwhile at Castra Hiberna. Perhaps you’re fascinated by a particular historical event, curious about the decisions that shaped a campaign, or simply intrigued by the idea that things might have turned out differently. Whatever brings you here, you don’t need to know all the answers before you begin. A willingness to ask questions, look beyond the obvious, and discover something new is more than enough.

Every game has a story. Every story holds something waiting to be discovered.

Enjoy the journey!