Danial Brundige Mrs.

Klinginsmith English 101 July 22, 2013

Wargames and History: A Close Relationship

Modern wargames originated in the early 1800s though examples existed well before then as well. Two early examples of games used to teach strategic thinking are chess and go. These games have evolved over the years from a way to plan battles and teach future generals, to a form of entertainment spanning several genres and even evolved into the computer generation. They allow the players to refight battles, from ancient history to contemporary times, and entice the player to learn a little about the era that they are battling in to research how to set up their army correctly. This type of game is an excellent introduction to studying history in a way that is anything but boring and dry.

Wargames have a long and varied history going back many centuries. Two games that are considered by many to be ancestors to wargames are Chess from Europe and Go from China. They were both considered excellent for teaching strategic thinking and anticipating your opponent. They are still well regarded to this day. According to his essay, Lt. Col. Caffrey stated that Modern wargames were ushered in by a Prussian named Baron von Reisswitz, the Prussian war councilor for Breslau. (Lt. Col. Matthew Caffrey. Toward a History-Based Doctrine For Wargaming. Aerospace Power Journal,

Page 34. Fall, 2000, Library Database; July 16, 2013)The German rules were later translated into English by American Maj. W.R. Livermore of the Army Corps of Engineers in 1883. This introduced wargames to the United States military, though there were objections at first. The English developed wargame rules of their own, rather than translating the German ones. The first commercial civilian wargames were published in the early 1900s in England. The first is The Fred Jane Naval Wargame by Fred Jane and published in 1906. This game led to the first Janes All the Worlds Fighting Ships which was a sourcebook for the game. These books are still printed to this day and are a valuable reference. The second is Little Wars by H.G. Wells which is a land battle game that was a precursor to the ones played to this day. Because of the varied nature of the subject matter, it is possible to find many types of person around the gaming table. In his article Wargames, Richard Normington stated that Wargames, according to H.G. Wells, were for boys from twelve years to 150 and for that more intelligent sort of girl who likes boys games and books.(Richard Normington. Wargames. Crosscurrent, Oct. 1988, Print, Page 7) One of the features of tabletop wargaming that appeals to players is the chance to collect, assemble, and paint the figures for their army. This is the first point at which historical research becomes involved in the game as the player looks up army organization and color schemes for the figures. The next step is to decide on what location to model on the gaming table and setting up the proper scenery. It would be inappropriate for Britons and Danes to be battling along the Maginot line for instance. Half of the enjoyment of this hobby is the research and modeling that takes place in order to prepare for a game.

The rules for these games vary from simple to complex depending on how many details are included. Generally, there are statistics for each type of unit involved that include movement, combat abilities, weapon statistics, number of attacks, hitpoints, and morale. Combat simply compares the relevant attack ability to defense and dice are rolled. The result is compared to the appropriate chart and any casualties are removed from the game. The losing side makes a morale roll if they lose over a certain percentage of a unit in one turn and the unit flees if the roll fails. Of course a unit fleeing can cause others to panic also. The combat rolls are adjusted to account for range, cover, movement, etc. This adds even more to the realism of the battle. There are also rules to cover random events such as weather, surprise attacks behind your lines, or messengers getting through with vital intelligence.

One popular use of these games is to refight historic battles using modern insights into the past. This allows the players to explore whether there would have been different results if something had happened differently. A good example of this is how differently would the battle in North Africa gone if Hitler had supported Rommel instead of invading Russia? This is a novel approach to history. It is only through these games that many who may never have had any interest in the subject are introduced and encouraged to learn more about the past. (Richard Normington, Wargames. Cross Current. Oct. 1986. Page 7. Print)

Traditional games generally take place with a group of people around a table with either gridded maps or a table with 3-dimensional scenery to play on. They will have copies of the unit stats for their armies and the rules needed for play, as well as dice and a measuring device such as a tape measure to perform movement and check ranges. The

only drawback to this type of gaming is the cost in time and money involved in playing. This is why computer wargames have been steadily increasing in popularity and quality. They have taken advantage of the improvements made in the pc since they first came out. Part of the reason for the dependence on historical research in this hobby is the players need to understand the style of combat taught to the soldiers of the era being played. He has to be familiar with the soldiers themselves, the regiments in which they serve, their uniforms, equipment and weapons- which includes knowledge of weapon-effectiveness, range, rate of fire, etc., etc.. He wants to fight his battles in the style of the period so that Napoleonic infantry do not unconsciously take on the modern attributes of World War II soldiers, so he has to be familiar with the tactics and style-of-fighting of his chosen era. (Donald Featherstone, Featherstones Complete Wargaming. David & Charles Newton Abbot. London. 1988. Page 19. Print) The research needed to properly set up your army and battlefield can easily lead into studying the background history that led up to the conflict, such as modeling a World War I battle causing one to research the assassination that led up to it. The biggest advantage to this hobby is that there are many people you can talk to to get advice on where to look for research material or even help learning to model your troops yourself. This communication between players makes finding background material much easier than working alone. Two other excellent resources are libraries and the internet, though you have to be careful believing what you read on the web. There is a wealth of information out there waiting to be looked up so dont be afraid to try something new and have fun.

(Lt. Col. Matthew Caffey Jr. Toward a History-Based Doctrine For Wargaming. Aerospace Power Journal, Fall 2000, Library Database; July 16, 2013) Lt. Col. Caffrey goes over the history of wargaming from the birth of what is recognized as the first modern wargame in 1811 to the current century. He explains how a study of history together with wargaming was used to educate officers in how to conduct a battle.

(Lt. Col. Eric Ash, End-State Wargaming, Aerospace Power Journal, Fall 2000, Library Database; July 16, 2013) Lt. Col. Ash uses his article to point out the flaw that most wargames do not account for the political and social, and economic repercussions encountered at the end of a conflict. He states that wargames need to be redesigned to take these factors into account in order to be more effective.

(Richard Normington, Wargames, Cross Current, October 1986. Library Database; July 16 2013) Mr. Normington explains how wargames are a way to spark interest in the study of history even beyond what is needed to set up an army to play. He also goes over how some player take a what-if point of view to how they set-up and fight their battles. Another factor talked about is how wargames have become a profitable business selling figures, terraign, etc. to hobbiests.

(Donald Featherstone, Featherstones Complete Wargaming, David & Charles Newton Abbot, 1988, Kansas City Public Library; July 16, 2013) Mr. Featherstone goes over the rules involved in playing a wargame. Also discussed is the research involved in setting up an army to play and information on several eras to get a person started on the right track.