How can civilian wargames contribute to the development

How can civilian wargames contribute to the development of professional wargames? RAND Centre for Gaming 24 February 2016

Outline • Benefits of wargaming, and past contributions of civilian wargames • Limitations of civilian wargames • Characteristics of innovative games and game players, and potential contributions of civilian wargames

Tactics (1952)

Art imitates LIFE

Benefits of wargaming (per Caffrey, 2000) • Personal development • Force development • Strategy development

Limitations of civilian wargames • “Must” be “fun”

Limitations of civilian wargames • “Must” be “fun” • Lack of detail, or wrong detail

Limitations of civilian wargames • “Must” be “fun” • Lack of detail, or wrong detail • UNCLAS

Limitations of civilian wargames • • “Must” be “fun” Lack of detail, or wrong detail UNCLAS Crap

Bartels’ Rules • Not all problems can be helpfully analyzed with a wargame. • Wargames should have a specific and relevant purpose and objectives. • Wargame design should be shaped to meet purpose and objectives. • Blue losing is a sign of a fair game and a terrific learning opportunity. • Wargame design isn’t over when the game starts. • Those who learn the most from wargames are those who participate in them. • Transparency in wargame results is critical to justify faith in findings. • Wargames are most valuable when they are linked to a “cycle of research”.

“Wargaming as a Catalyst for Innovation” (Downes-Martin) “…we are looking for the characteristics of a game that, in a person, would correspond to INTELLIGENCE, COMPULSIVITY and PARANOIA, and for methods to design such characteristics into wargames. ”

New question: How can civilian wargames contribute to the development of innovative professional games, or at least the development of innovative professional game players?

Intelligence WHAT IF…?

Compulsivity WHAT ELSE…?

Paranoia WHAT NOW…?

Narrative

Thank you. • Email: brian. train@gmail. com • Script and slides for this presentation: http: //brtrain. wordpress. com • CONNECTIONS conference: https: //connections-wargaming. com/ • Caffrey, “Towards a History-based Doctrine for Wargaming”: http: //www. strategypage. com/articles/default. asp? target=WARGHIS 2. htm • Downes-Martin, “Wargaming as a Catalyst for Innovation”: https: //connectionswargaming. files. wordpress. com/2015/06/wargaming-as-a-catalyst-forinnovation-20150828. pdf • Perla, “Why Wargaming Works”: https: //www. usnwc. edu/getattachment/413220 cd-a 209 -4447 bac 2 -af 6 cdaeabd 4 f/Why-Wargaming-Works • Kirschenbaum, “War Stories: Board Wargames and Vast Procedural Narratives”: https: //www. academia. edu/16198903/War_Stories_Board_Wargames_and_Vast_Procedural_Narr atives

Questions?