John E. Moser is professor of history and chair of the masters program in American History and Government at Ashland University. He did his undergraduate work at Ohio University, and has an M.A. and Ph.D. in history from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. At Ashland he teaches courses on modern European, American and East Asian history, and in 2016 received the university’s Edward and Louaine Taylor Award for Excellence in Teaching. John has published numerous works on subjects ranging from comic books to Japanese foreign policy. He is author of four books, the most recent of which is The Global Great Depression and the Coming of World War II, which was published by Routledge in 2015. He has also published three games for the Reacting to the Past series, including Japan, 1941: Between Pan-Asianism and the West; Europe on the Brink, 1914: The July Crisis; and (with Nicolas W. Proctor) Restoring the World, 1945: Security and Empire at Yalta. He lives in Ashland with his wife Monica, their daughter Stanzi, and their three dogs.

"The role descriptions are quite excellent: full and interesting biographies, logical organization of material, clarity respecting assignments and objectives, and all of it well- written. Also, the interlocking of characters adds an element of complexity: e.g., Grey of England makes promises on the sly to France and Russia, while Lloyd George tries uncovering evidence of hidden deals, possibly from French and Russian ministers; Viviani tries getting the goods on Poincaré. It was a pleasure and a privilege to be introduced to this wonderful cast of characters."

"This is a well-written and elegantly-constructed game. It offers an engaging and historically-accurate simulation of the diplomatic and military maneuverings of the July Crisis, helping students to understand how Europe entered into a catastrophic war. After playing it at the beginning of the semester, my students continued to refer back to their experiences, and they were intrigued (and amused) to see how each of their characters fared in the Great War."

"I would never have thought to organize a war game this way (indeed, I would not have thought a war game possible). I likely would have created a fictional conference peopled by foreign ministers. John has discovered another way, which, based on my reading alone, seems like it would work and perhaps be more interesting to play. So kudos to John!"