Our Experiences in the Third World War

Our Experiences in the Third World War

From Breakfast in the Ruins by STIMBOT5000

May 26, 2026 · 2h 9m · Episode 140

About this episode

Dr Malcom Craig returns to discuss nuclear war and its representation in literature and gaming.

It's Threads Day! So what better excuse to have Dr Malcom Craig back in Derry & Toms to talk about NUCLEAR WAR, and particularly General Sir John Hackett’s The Third World War: August 1985 (1978) and its sequel The Third World War: The Untold Story (1982). As we're both gamers, and Malcolm has an academic interest in it too, we also get into it with GDW's Twilight 2000 RPG, arguably the ultimate expression of the speculative World War Three RPG genre. A game that transformed our Cold War fears into the participatory storytelling of the RPG format, and allowed players to wander the ruins of post-nuclear Europe while tracking ammunition, diesel fuel, rads, rations, and the collapse of NATO command structures in all the meticulous detail a teenage nerd could delight in. You can pre-order Cold City and Hot War 2e in print, or get the PDFs instantly, here, and read Malcolm's paper on Twilight 2000 by clicking below: When You Say, “Thermonuclear War,” I Think You Mean “the Call to Adventure”! The Twilight: 2000 Tabletop Role-Playing Game and the Postapocalyptic World’s Imaginary Spaces

People in this episode

Host: STIMBOT5000

Guest: Dr Malcom Craig

Topics covered

  • nuclear war
  • speculative fiction
  • role-playing games
  • post-apocalyptic storytelling
  • Cold War
  • military strategy

Keywords

  • nuclear war
  • Twilight 2000
  • role-playing games
  • post-nuclear Europe
  • Cold War fears
  • General Sir John Hackett

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Twilight 2000 RPG, Cold City, Hot War 2e

Books & works: The Third World War: August 1985, The Third World War: The Untold Story

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