as a kid I was really fascinated by those little models of warfare that they'd show in the movies, where a general with a long stick would push around army men and stuff on a table. I wanted one of those sticks.

https://www.gamerswithjobs.com/node/1176101 

Apparently it's a "croupier's rake", like what a craps dealer uses to take the dice and chips away from you

This thread has been ongoing since 2008 and still gets posts today about it lol. The women in World War II who listened to radio reports and kept the big maps updated were called "plotters" and the magnetized sticks were "plotter's rods".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plotter_(RAF)

I have practically zero interest in miniatures wargaming, but if I got to use a stick to push the units around? It's starting to seem more and more appealing...