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# Wargaming

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Wargaming (often called conflict simulation or consim gaming - see CoSims) is simulating battles or entire wars.

A typical uncomputerized wargame consists of

- map - showing the terrain? over which the battle/war was fought
- units - representing armies, military units or individual military personnel
- dice

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.

Wargaming should not be confused with [real time strategy]? games because wargaming is [turn based]?. Wargames focus on the ability to analyze in-depth, plan, and make strategic decisions. Real-time-strategy games focus more on reflexes, coordination, and the ability to make quick decisions with limited information.

Modern wargaming grew out of the military need to study warfare? and to 'reenact' old battles for learning purposes.

H.G. Wells' book Little Wars was about wargaming.

Wargames have existed for centuries, with chess as an ancient example.

One of the main difficulties with wargaming is complexity of rules and record keeping. Extremely detailed wargame rule sets (some of which require hundreds of pages of small print and intensive recordkeeping) result in a slow game and have led to the rise of computerized turn based wargame programs such as Panzer General.

Computerized wargames have several distinct advantages over paper and pencil wargames:

- no need to roll dice over and over again
- no recordkeeping
- ability to view the battlefield? from many different viewpoints (thanks to modern 3d games)
- ability to start, stop and save the game at any time.
- easy to find opponents on the internet

Disadvantages of computerized wargames:

- computer strategy may not be as good as a human opponent
- lack of human interaction
- computer arbitration allows more complex rules, which can be more difficult to understand and analyze
- ability to view only a small part of the battlefield in detail at a time
- players can't easily modify the rules or adapt them to similar situations

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 previous method of playing board wargames by postal mail.

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.

Popular military wargame timeframes:

- ancient
- Greek
- Roman
- Middle Ages (no gunpowder?)
- early gunpowder
- Napoleonic?
- American civil war (first mechanized? war)
- World War I
- World War II
- Korean War
- [Vietnam War]?
- modern war
- hypothetical World War III

Scales:

- Strategic - units are typically division, corps, or army size; they are rated based upon raw strength; economic production and diplomacy are significant; typically involves all branches, and often the entire forces of the nations involved; cover 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; typically focuses on one branch, with others somewhat abstracted; 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; almost always focuses on a single branch, occasionally with others abstracted; usually covers a single battle or part of a large battle
- Skirmish - units represent individual soldiers; may keep track of wounds and ammunition; usually covers a small firefight

External Link:
James F. Dunnigan, one of the leading commercial wargame designers, has placed the 2nd edition of his book [The Complete Wargames Handbook] on-line. It presents a broad view of wargames including professional military simulators, commercial simulations, and real-time-strategy games, as well as the turn-based wargames more commonly referred to as wargames.

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Last edited June 14, 2001 6:28 pm (diff)
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