Simulating War: Studying Conflict Through Simulation Games

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When you spend a significant portion of your leisure time in the company of digital diversions like Combat Mission, Command Ops and Graviteam Tactics, it's tempting to think of board - or 'manual' as Sabin likes to call them - wargames, as obsolete... bumbling Gladiators in a sky full of darting Bf 109s. Simulating War is a powerful reminder that games you can paw, sneeze over and spill tea on still have advantages over their less tangible descendants. An excellent discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of using simulation games to study or teach conflict dynamics. Very valuable reading if you're interested in the design of war games, which is my perspective. The book covers conflict from ancient times to the modern day, and goes into detail about the challenges faced by those who want to accurately portray conflicts via the medium of a simulation game. In addition to enabling individual and collective training, VBS3 can be used to support the creation of training videos and other PME activities such as battlefield recreations. Last year, the Kapyong terrain was created within VBS3 to support PME activities for the 3rd Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment (3 RAR).

So it's unfortunate that this book wasn't more firmly edited. It is a decent book if one can tolerate the author's style, but I believe it could have been much better at half the length. Research Environment Navigation link in category Research & Innovation. Press escape key to return to main menuNatural, Mathematical & Engineering Sciences Navigation link in category Our faculties. Press escape key to return to main menu Academic Calendar Navigation link in category Student Services. Press escape key to return to main menu After the infamous basement meeting, Andrews delivered the recommendations to Marshall, who subsequently stood up an autonomous armored force under the command of Chaffee. While not all of Chaffee’s ideas for armored warfare bore fruit, the advent of independent tank units incentivized deeper tactical and operational experimentation, including Patton’s famous armored, blitzkrieg-style hook through Texas, which he later emulated in the Battle of the Bulge. To the chagrin of many mounted troops, by the close of the Louisiana Maneuvers, equestrian units were retired completely from service. As Gen. Joseph Stilwell sarcastically stated, when asked the role of horses in future war: “Good eating, if you’re hungry.”

Live, virtual and constructive simulations, or any combination of these three are an essential training tool for Army, but they cannot – nor should they – replace the requirement for field training exercises. While simulation enables our personnel to conduct training that might otherwise be unachievable, simulations are the implementation of a model, a representation of the real world, over time. OK, we 'get it' the simulation was developed by a student of yours, who therefore must have taken your course. Perhaps it's just my preferences, but I believe the above sentence could have made its point more clearly in one third to one half the length. Student's Union Navigation link in category Student Services. Press escape key to return to main menu Even if you've been playing and designing wargames for years, the incisive analysis of the pros and cons of the various approaches, is sure to illuminate; the emphasis on simplicity, elegance, and - above-all - robust historicism, is bound to cause you to look afresh at any designs currently on your drawing board. The same bulky manuals and overflowing counter trays that render some manual wargames impractical in a classroom context (The author insists his students work within strict 100 counters, 17” x 22” map, and 7500-word manual design guidelines) turn many promising PC wargames into wearying labour camps. Sabin argues, extremely persuasively, that less is often more in the world of wargame design. In all iterations, wargames are used to install an emotional and physical muscle memory that will be useful in the event of war and combat; that is, to build intuition for the future. As episode II guest Aggie Hirst writes, wargames ‘intervene in the inner world of players in promotion of military ends’. [19] As cultural and historical artefacts, then, wargames can tell us a lot about the desired values of a society. Consequently, they are of great importance both in the development of future strategy and in the understanding of the past and the present. About the Project

As a participant, how has the experience of fighting against an adaptive, peer level opponent developed your tactical acumen?