{"id":1104,"date":"2024-02-22T15:36:10","date_gmt":"2024-02-22T20:36:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cardboardconflicts.com\/?p=1104"},"modified":"2024-02-22T15:36:14","modified_gmt":"2024-02-22T20:36:14","slug":"wargame-basic-training-volume-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardboardconflicts.com\/?p=1104","title":{"rendered":"Wargame Basic Training: Volume 1"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cWhat do wargames offer?\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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As I might have mentioned before this blog grew out of my own journey into boardgaming and in particular historical wargames. From my own experience, I know that there might be many other people who might be new to the hobby, or veteran board gamers who see wargames and are curious about them. No matter the place someone new might be coming from one thing is for sure, wargames can look intimidating! You have long two-column rulebooks organized like a legal document of sub-headings, stacks of counters, and a bunch of jargon that you don\u2019t see in a ton of other games. All of those things can be intimidating to someone looking to dip their toes into this wonderful hobby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With that in mind, I figured I\u2019d start a series of articles aimed at being a primer for those getting into the hobby as a way to start \u201clearning the language\u201d of wargames and perhaps make them more approachable for a first-timer. I intend to use this series to dive a bit into things such as terms, systems, scales, and possibly recommendations. However, for this first article I wanted to hit something even higher level: \u201cWhat draws you to historical gaming?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before I start however I want to level-set. I am NOT going to get into the often long and boring debate on \u201cwhat is a wargame?\u201d For the purpose of these articles, I’m going to use a VERY broad definition of games that interact seriously with history and intend to teach\/make a statement along with being entertaining. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is something that I think resonates a bit differently with everyone just like board gaming in general. I figured I\u2019d put a few things out there to what clicked for me as it might be things that you the reader also enjoy. So in no particular order let me walk through what I think makes these games click differently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matching Narrative to Mechanics<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Even outside of wargaming, this is something big for me. I came into the hobby from video games where over time I began to really gravitate towards RPGs and less towards shooter\/action games primarily. I find that gaming with a story helps engross me in the mechanics of playing. This isn’t to say I don\u2019t like puzzle games like Tetris. Those can be fun if I just want to have some fun and not think, but if I really want to game for a couple hours, I want something that has an arc that pushes the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first board game that got me serious about this hobby was a copy of Star Wars Outer Rim I got for Christmas as a present. I remember reading the rules and looking at the components and the lightbulb moment that a board game could have things like leveling up characters, managing gear, and picking missions\/play styles much like an RPG.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You might be asking, \u201cOkay Russ, but lots of board games have narrative hooks, not just wargames.\u201d For that, you would be correct. In fact, the next game I got into was Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion. It doubles down on narrative and RPG feel. Again I found this to suck me into the game and drive up the tension. So what makes wargames different? Let me continue my story:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It wasn\u2019t too long after Gloomhaven that I found Pavlov\u2019s House, a solo game with easy rules that allow it to be played co-op. It had a strong narrative of valiant soldiers surviving against impossible odds, something almost like a Hollywood movie. So what makes this different?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It really happened!  <\/em>That adds just a little more tension for me. Knowing that these are REAL events, that I\u2019m now making decisions that people before me had to make, that the winning and losing had REAL consequences. Again for me, that is something that takes that narrative from something of fiction and really drives home the urgency and importance of the decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Defenders arrive<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Tension rising<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Tough decisions sometimes on who to save<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Setup of Pavlov’s House<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A Gateway to Interaction with History<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Along with just a narrative hook to the mechanics, I also really found that wargames have really been a good bridge to get me looking into and researching history I might not have known much about. Sometimes even challenging my own preconceived notions of historical events (see the Homo Ludens Podcast series \u201cWe Intend to Move on Your Works\u201d).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019d never suggest that a game can replace the kind of learning you\u2019ll get from reading a book on a subject or maybe even a well-done documentary. A game can however spark that interest in a subject, give you a bit of background to the players, the choices, the environment, and if done right a thirst to go out and learn more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A great example of this for me started with Red Flag Over Paris by Fred Serval<\/a>. The Paris Commune was something I had never heard about before learning and playing the game. From there it led me to the Franco-Prussian War that preceded the Paris Commune. That got me to look at the game At Any Cost Metz 1870<\/a> about the battles around Metz early in the war.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I finally got a chance to play the game at last year\u2019s Buckeye Game Fest with my good friend Bill and I just started consuming everything I could on the conflict. Three books and a few more games later I feel like I know more about the end of the French Second Empire and German unification than I EVER would have known otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Red Flag Over Paris<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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At Any Cost Metz 1870<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Great Games that Double as Solitaire Experiences<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

ince the pandemic, it’s no surprise to anyone that both solitaire-dedicated games and games with solo-specific rules and AI opponents have been at an all-time high. Before getting into the hobby I would have never thought of solo board gaming. However, once I started to think, how are solo games different from crossword puzzles or playing the game Solitaire with a deck of cards?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You definitely don\u2019t need wargames to play solitaire, but one thing I\u2019ll say is that for the most part, a lot of classic wargames are very easy to play solitaire by just playing both sides. Many of the games don\u2019t use cards and are easy to just put down one side and pick up the other, look at the board, and make the best move you can possibly make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is something that has been common in the wargaming space since the beginning and comes from its simulationist roots. Many of the early games were focused on battlefield operations and gave you a large map that you can see units slowly moving across so taking each turn as a snapshot it is easy to swap sides and ask the question \u201cWhat should I do now?\u201d In many ways, this feeds into my two previous points of watching the narrative unfold, as well as showing some of the same decisions that historic leaders had to make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of my favorite wargames I’ve recently been playing is Vol. IV of Men of Iron: Arquebus. This game is designed for two players and involves tactical combat during the Italian Wars of the renaissance. While the game is meant for two, I find that the system is excellent as a solitaire experience as the chaos it brings makes planning difficult. On top of that the narratives that come out are totally engrossing! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Playing through the game of Arquebus solo is rewarding!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Small and Close Knit Community<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Because this side of board gaming has taken a back seat in the last decade or so to the rest of hobby board gaming, those of us wargamers tend to stick together. It is VERY easy to have conversations on Twitter, Discord, and at small wargaming conventions (yes those are a thing) with content creators and designers alike. Very quickly upon getting into this hobby, I was welcomed by many folks who made me feel like I was welcomed and no question was too stupid or that they didn\u2019t have time to interact with me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both designers and content creators alike are very accessible on social media. On top of that, there are several conventions either fully or with portions dedicated to playing wargames and meeting folks to play larger games: Places like the War Room at Buckeye Game Fest, Circle DC, SDHISTCON, GMT Weekend at the Warehouse just to name a few.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The War Room in Buckeye Game Fest is small but intimate place to play wargames with people<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Growing Inclusion in the Hobby<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Historically wargames have roots more in topics such as Napoleonic battles, World War II, and American Civil War. Most of these games focus on military campaigns, maneuvers, and the like and have a lot of similar rules-heavy conventions for moving units, combat, supply, etc. However, lately, I have seen evidence of growing in the hobby not only by designers who aren\u2019t old white dudes but from designers approaching other topics in history and utilizing other mechanics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Games like \u201cVotes for Women<\/a>\u201d that pay homage to Twilight Struggle, focus on a War of Ideas in the shape of the campaigning and movement of women\u2019s suffrage movement in the United States between 1848 and 1920. The game is very much an area control game and uses card mechanics found in some wargames but in an easy-to-approach system. To see this game by new designer Tory Brown be such a great hit gives me hope for the future of wargaming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Votes for Women: The Patriarchy has a strong hold in the beginning!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Like All Things, It Won\u2019t Be for Everyone<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Even with all of the above reasons I love the hobby, I understand that some barriers just won\u2019t be items some people can cross. Some that easily come to mind:<\/p>\n\n\n\n