Father Pendolphi Relaxes with Military Games

Father Richard Pendolphi has been Pastor of St. Michael Catholic Church, Worthington, Ohio for 6 years and has
been a priest in the Columbus Diocese for 22 years.

“It is mind-bending and cerebral.”

Fr. Richard Pendolphi loves military history. So much so, that his favorite hobby is to recreate battles from military history on a game board. This is referred to as ‘military gaming’ and this is not related to video gaming, or Dungeons and Dragons, and it is not anything like the game of Risk.

These are sophisticated, authentic military games that are carefully crafted to replicate actual battles in world and U.S. history and require much reading preparation, strategy, and experience to play and be successful— much like the game of Chess.

“Some games have 35 pages of rules and they logistically, specifically, and realistically recreate actual battles such as Gettysburg or Pearl Harbor,” explained Fr. Pendolphi.

Much like working on a puzzle, military board games can be played against an opponent or played alone in one sitting or over a period of time – one game could take 35 hours to complete.

“I played my first military board game one rainy afternoon when I was 12. My best friend’s brother introduced us and I have been hooked ever since,” said Fr. Pendolphi.

Not only is there military strategy to consider, but Fr. Pendolphi explained that food, ammunition, roads, weather, soldiers and morale are studied, interpreted, and considered when strategizing the next move in a game.

Fr. Pendolphi owns about 200 such games and many are discontinued collectors’ items.

His favorite opponent? Father James Coleman, Associate Pastor, St. Michael Catholic Church.

“He is very kind and always allows me to choose the losing side to see if I can change the outcome of that battle. I am always a Confederate in the Civil War, and in the South Pacific, I always take the side of the Japanese,” said Fr. Pendolphi who describes himself as “competitive” and has also been known to engage parishioners as opponents.

Game pieces are typically made of plastic or cardboard. The board may be cardboard, or paper held under glass, and many games have beautiful, color features with the exact topography of that particular region of the world.

Each game piece contains inscribed military codes to identify the role of that soldier or equipment. The language used in the rules, on the board, and the game pieces, is authentic military language.

“After a while, you become so well versed in military language and strategy that you could sit in on a class at WestPoint and ask intelligent questions or have a military conversation with a general and you actually know what you are talking about.”

He describes this hobby as “mind-bending and cerebral.”

“As a priest, this is such a great hobby. I grab a half hour or an hour in the game room downstairs at the Rectory. I usually also have a table set up with a game in my apartment. I can go in, read, move a few pieces, and get back to my day. Or, Fr. Coleman and I put an appointment on the calendar to meet as
opponents. It is a very comfortable hobby.”

How does this hobby help him in his role as a priest?

“It teaches discipline, patience, perseverance, and clear thinking. There is no reward for compulsive behavior. And this is much like the components of the priesthood.”

What advice does Fr. Pendolphi have for seminarians?

“A priest has to be comfortable with himself. He cannot be lonely when he is alone. I enjoy people, but some time to myself is important,” he said. “Along with this hobby, I enjoy hiking, movies, travel, reading books about military history, praying the Rosary, reflecting, reading scripture, and walking the dog.”

He recommends that, no matter what your vocation, you work to cultivate an interest “to serve you and take care of you” throughout your life.