Online Encyclopedia
Wargaming
Wargaming can be one of number of ways of exploring the effects of warfare without actual combat. It can take the form of a hobby in which one or more players simulate battles or entire wars, or a model or computer simulation of possible scenarios in military planning , (this is also called warfare simulation , see also defense contractors); or the full-scale rehearsal of military maneuver s as practice for warfare. In this case, the two sides in the simulated battle are typically called "blue" and "red", to avoid naming a particular adversary.
Contents |
History of wargaming
Modern wargaming grew out of the military need to study warfare and to 'reenact' old battles for learning purposes. The stunning Prussian victory over the French in the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71) is sometimes partly credited to the training of Prussian officers with the Kriegspiel. The first specific non-military wargame club was started in Oxford, England in the 19th century.
H.G. Wells' book Little Wars was an attempt to codify rules for fighting battles with toy soldiers (miniatures), and make them available to the general public. The first modern mass-market wargame, based on carboard chits (counters) and hex-board maps, was invented by Charles S. Roberts in 1952 called Tactics ; he went on to found the Avalon Hill company, and is called "The father of wargaming".
Wargames have existed for centuries — chess is an ancient example. In fact, one could make a case that all competitive zero-sum games may be considered wargames. Wargames, like all games, exist in a range of complexities: some are fundamentally simple (so-called "beer-and-pretzel" games), while others (generally in an attempt to increase the 'realism' of the situation) produce rule sets that may encompass a large variety of actions (so-called "monster" games).
One of the main difficulties with wargaming is the level of complexity of rules and record keeping. Extremely detailed wargame rule sets (some of which require hundreds of pages of small print and intensive recordkeeping) generally result in a slow (and for many, less enjoyable) game. Simple rule sets, on the other hand, may not cover events that historically took place in a conflict, forcing the players to invent "house rules" to resolve disputes.
Board wargaming
A typical non-computerized wargame (Kriegspiel) consists of the following components:
- Map: The map shows the terrain over which the battle/war is fought, usually overlaid by hexagons to regulate movement. Other variations include the "point to point" map where areas are connected by lines to show possible movements, and the area map (similar to Risk).
- Counters: These are usually cardboard squares that represent armies, military units or individual military personnel, as well as markers to show current status that these units might be in.
- Dice: These are generally used to add the element of chance. Given that many military actions have been influenced or even decided by odd events, straight-forward strategy games such as chess and go may be considered too abstract to represent real war.
Board wargames typically use cardboard counters to represent the units, and a printed mapboard as the playing surface.
Miniatures games typically use miniature plastic or metal models for the units and model scenery placed on a tabletop or floor as a playing surface. Games with miniatures are often called Table-top games.
Computer wargames may take either approach and display the units and scenery on the monitor screen.
Computerized wargaming
Computerized wargames have several distinct advantages over paper and pencil wargames:
- no need to roll dice over and over again
- no recordkeeping (the computer handles all the 'paperwork')
- ability to start, stop and save the game at any time (if there is no need to coordinate with a human opponent; note that this is also possible with board games, as long as no children or animals have access to the game area)
- easy to find opponents on the Internet
Disadvantages of computerized wargames:
- computer may not be as competent as a human opponent (this problem can generally be avoided if there is a multiplayer mode)
- lack of human interaction (of course the computer won't tip over the board if it is losing)
- computer arbitration allows more complex rules, which can be more difficult to understand and analyze; especially since these rules may be "hidden" from the player(s) in the software code
- ability to view only a part of the battlefield in detail at a time
- player(s) can't easily modify the rules or adapt them to similar situations
Traditional wargaming differs from so-called real-time strategy computer games in that traditional wargames are generally turn-based (an obvious exception being 'in-the-field' wargaming by military organizations). Traditional wargames focus on the ability to analyze in-depth, plan to achieve a goal, and adjust plans to changing circumstances. Real-time strategy games (which might better be called vastly-speeded-up-time strategy games) focus more on reflexes, coordination, and the ability to make snap decisions with limited information. Also, real-time strategy games require less sophisticated artificial intelligence on the part of computer players.
Computer wargames are often played against human opponents via e-mail (by exchanging save-game files) to provide the human interaction and a more interesting opponent than that of the program. This has the disadvantage of taking much longer to finish the game, depending upon how often the players check their e-mail. It is still much quicker (and easier) than the older method of playing board wargames by postal mail. A faster alternative (not available with all games) is playing over a direct connection, either LAN, modem or Internet.
Types of military wargaming
- land battles
- sea battles
- air battles
- combinations of land, sea, and/or air battles
Usually, military wargaming can be broken down based on what technology is available to the 'armies' involved, what military era or war the 'army' is from, and the scale of the conflict.
All periods of history have their wargaming enthusiasts. Games are generally by these periods:
- Ancient history (Greeks, Romans, etc)
- Middle Ages (no gunpowder)
- early gunpowder
- Napoleonic Era
- early modern war (American Civil War)
- World War I
- World War II
- modern war (Korean War, Vietnam War, etc)
- hypothetical (World War III)
- Fantasy war (including Elves, Dwarves, Goblins etc.)
- Futuristic / Science Fiction war (including space marines, spaceships and energy-weapon s etc.)
Scales:
- Strategic — military units are typically division, corps, or army-sized, and they are rated based upon raw strength. At this scale, economic production and diplomacy are significant. The simulation typically involves all branches, and often the entire forces of the nations involved, and covers entire wars or long campaigns
- Operational — units are typically battalion to divisional size, and are rated based on their average overall strengths and weaknesses. Weather and logistics are significant. The simulation typically focuses on one branch of the military forces, with others somewhat abstracted, and usually covers a single campaign.
- Tactical — units range from individual vehicles and squads to platoons or companies, and are rated based on types and ranges of individual weaponry. The simulation almost always focuses on a single branch, occasionally with others abstracted, and usually covers a single battle or part of a large battle.
- Skirmish — units represent individual soldiers, with possible tracking of wounds and ammunition. The simulation usually covers a small firefight.
Notable wargamers
- Charles S. Roberts - Known as the "Father of modern wargaming", founder of Avalon Hill.
- Don Featherstone
- Charles Grant
- George Gush
- H.G. Wells
Notable board wargames
- CoSims (use cardboard-counters for the playing pieces)
- Advanced Squad Leader
- Axis and Allies
- Samurai Swords
- World in Flames
- Board-based wargames (use a board with some kind of grid)
-
Miniature wargaming
- Contemptible Little Armies
- Crossfire
- DBA
- DBM
- D&D Miniatures
- Fire and Fury
- Flames of War
- Flintloque
- Heroclix
- I Ain't Been Shot Mum
- Mage Knight
- Principals of War
- Star Wars Miniature Battles / Star War Miniatures
- The Sword and the Flame
- Warhammer 40,000
- Warhammer Ancient Battles
- Warhammer fantasy battle
- Warmaster
- Ætherverse
- Advanced Squad Leader
- Blood Bowl
- Civilization
- Third Reich
- Outpost
Publishers of wargames
- Avalanche Press
- Avalon Hill – the first publisher of board wargames, Avalon Hill (AH) made many classic games, such as Squad Leader , Third Reich , and Panzerblitz, bought out by Hasbro in the late 1990s
- Clash of Arms
- Columbia Games – the biggest producer of "block games", using wooden blocks instead of cardboard counters
- Decision Games
- E-Mail Games – provides free wargaming and computerized referee/AI, via e-mail
- The Gamers
- Game Designers' Workshop – Published many popular wargames and role-playing games such as Traveller and Drang Nach Osten!, disbanded 1996
- Games Workshop – Publishers of a number of fantasy and science fiction wargames and role-playing games.
- GMT Games – Probably the most prolific of the wargame companies in the 1990s and into 2003
- L2 Design Group
- Multi-Man Publishing – republishes Advanced Squad Leader (ASL)
- New England Simulations – A New Hampshire based group that has created three games based on previously designed systems, with an emphasis on both graphics and design. Their web site is http://www.carpatina.com/nes/
- Operational Studies Group – This company is owned by Kevin Zucker , and focuses primarily on the Napoleonic Era. The website is http://www.napoleongames.com
- Paradox Entertainment – Creator of such games as the medieval wargames Europa Universalis I and II, WWII game Hearts of Iron, and Roman-era game Legion. Their website is http://www.paradoxplaza.com
- Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) – another early—and very prolific—wargame publisher, SPI published Strategy & Tactics and .
- Steve Jackson Games – Early successes were Ogre, Car Wars, and Illuminati. Pioneered the "microgame" format: tiny plastic boxes costing very little money (US$4-6). Founded in 1982, their website is http://www.sjgames.com.
- Wargames Research Group – Publisher of the popular De Bellis Multitudinis and De Bellis Antiquitatis rule sets for the ancient and medieval periods. Their website is http://www.richardbodleyscott.btinternet.co.uk/dbm.htm
Wargames and wargaming as computer terms
Another common use of the term "Wargame" is among the Hacker community (specifically White-hats), referring to a server that is set up specifically for the purpose of being hacked into. This allows the hacker to have a server to hack into, without the need to worry about the legal issues, as the owner is knowingly allowing this to happen.
External links
- Modern Wargame http://www.thewargame.tk A forum-based wargame, with Modern, World War II and World War I formats. Created by Glenn Botto
- ConsimWorld.com http://www.consimworld.com : forum for companies and wargamers both, and a great source
- Web-Grognards http://www.grognard.com has a listing of most every game and publisher, usually with reviews, extra scenarios, after action reports, etc
- The Complete Wargames Handbook http://www.hyw.com/Books/WargamesHandbook/Contents.htm on-line, by James F. Dunnigan
- The Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design http://www.aagad.org/
- The Game Manufacturers' Association http://www.gama.org
- Board Game Players Association http://www.boardgamers.org , noncommercial group manages the Avaloncon convention and other board wargame events
- Boardgame Geek http://www.boardgamegeek.com , A site with resources, ratings, commentary, and much more on all great variety of boardgames
- E-Mail Games Website http://members.shaw.ca/emg.pbm/emg.htm
- Tom's Spaceship Miniature/Game List http://zappa.brainiac.com/spaceship , an attempt to list all games and miniatures used in games that deal with spaceships
- The Miniatures Page http://www.theminiaturespage.com , a source of news about many different types of miniatures
- Mastering Simulation: Online Course http://www.modelbenders.com/mastersim.html
- traumhaendler.de http://www.traumhaendler.de , a miniature fansite showing models of various wargames