I am still slowly reading my way through this book. I usually read books at quite a phenomenal rate, but so far each section and contribution in this book has given me something to think about, and in some cases I have felt compelled to re-read them before moving on to the next to ensure that I have fully understood what the writer was trying to communicate.
PART II: WAR ENGINES
PART III: OPERATIONS
The contents of Red vs. Blue resonated with me, and put me in mind of a wargame about the Cuban Missile Crisis that the Jockey's Field Irregulars played some years ago. The various teams were separated by a considerable distance (one team was in London and the other in Sheffield!), and had to communicate with each other and the umpires using texts or notes. When one is face-to-face with an opponent, one can 'read' their reaction, whereas when one has to do so by trying to read the subtext of their messages, miscalculations and misunderstandings don't so much creep in as hurtle in! Add in the additional problems of information and transmission delays, and one has a real cooking pot full of problems.
Russell Vance's Hypergaming describes Game Theory, what Hypergame Theory is, and then explains how it was applied to the First Gulf War. As such, it more than justifies the use of gaming to examine what one's enemy might do, why they might do it, and what the best counters to that would be.
PART II: WAR ENGINES
- War Engines: Wargames as Systems from the Tabletop to the Computer by Henry Lowood
- The Engine of Wargaming by Matthew B. Caffrey Jr.
- Design for Effect: The “Common Language” of Advanced Squad Leader by J. R. Tracy
- Combat Commander: Time to Throw Your Plan Away by John A. Foley
- Empire of the Sun: The Next Evolution of the Card-Driven Game Engine by Mark Herman
- The Paths of Glory Lead but to the Gaming Table by Ted S. Raicer
- New Kind of History: The Culture of Wargame Scenario Design Communities by Troy Goodfellow
PART III: OPERATIONS
- Operations Research, Systems Analysis, and Wargaming: Riding the Cycle of Research by Peter P. Perla
- The Application of Statistical and Forensics Validation to Simulation Modeling in Wargames by Brien J. Miller
- Goal-Driven Design and Napoleon’s Triumph by Rachel Simmons
- Harpoon: An Original Serious Game by Don R. Gilman
- The Development and Application of the Real-Time Air Power Wargame Simulation Modern Air Power by John Tiller and Catherine Cavagnaro
- Red vs. Blue by Thomas C. Schelling
- Hypergaming by Russell Vane
The contents of Red vs. Blue resonated with me, and put me in mind of a wargame about the Cuban Missile Crisis that the Jockey's Field Irregulars played some years ago. The various teams were separated by a considerable distance (one team was in London and the other in Sheffield!), and had to communicate with each other and the umpires using texts or notes. When one is face-to-face with an opponent, one can 'read' their reaction, whereas when one has to do so by trying to read the subtext of their messages, miscalculations and misunderstandings don't so much creep in as hurtle in! Add in the additional problems of information and transmission delays, and one has a real cooking pot full of problems.
Russell Vance's Hypergaming describes Game Theory, what Hypergame Theory is, and then explains how it was applied to the First Gulf War. As such, it more than justifies the use of gaming to examine what one's enemy might do, why they might do it, and what the best counters to that would be.
This book sounds more and more interesting with each report.
ReplyDeleteRoss Mac,
DeleteFrom what I have read so far, this book will be of great interest to anyone who wish to develop their understanding of wargame design at all levels, but especially for that growing band of academic and/or professional wargamers. As a result, I suspect that it will become one of the basic references used by academic and/or professional wargame designers.
All the best,
Bob