COW2025: Probably the best wargame event in the world!

I spent Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon at what I consider to be the best wargame event in the world … the Conference of Wargamers (COW). During this year’s conference, I took part in the following sessions:

• APOCALYPSE DILEMMAS – THE PLENARY GAME: This session was based on a number of scenarios generated by SPI's 1973 game. Players were split into NATO and Soviet teams, and each player had a specific role within their team. (I was an Admiral of the Soviet Red Banner Northern Fleet.) The teams devised a response to each of the scenarios, and then these responses were compared to see if they would result in a nuclear exchange.
• PADDY’S PUB: This was a committee-style ‘dark’ game that was set in a pub and that involved the players portraying members of the Provisional IRA who were tasked with identifying potential targets and planning suitable operations to deal with those targets.
• IT’S A FAIR KOP: This was a Boer War lawn game using 54mm toy soldiers and matchstick-firing cannon. A British infantry brigade comprising four infantry battalions, artillery, and a cavalry regiment were tasked with attacking a Boer force of two Commandos who were in entenchmentslocated between two large hills or kopjes. My role in the game was to act as the brigade commander, Major-General Backsight-Forethought.
• SEA STRIKE REVISITED: This was an opportunity to play Sea Strike (a game that I’d never played before), the innovative 1974 game about then-contemporary naval warfare. I was very impressed by the game mechanisms and hope to use something similar for a World War 2 game in the near future..
• A BALANCED FLEET: This was a game about Royal Navy medium term capability audit and procurement where participants work out what new equipment will need to be fitted to the Royal Navy's ships over the next 10 years ... and then procure them! My team managed to successfully achieve the purchase and introduction into service of additional Astute-class submarines and a multi-functional sonar system.
• LATE OF LITTLE BUGGINGTON GRAMMAR SCHOOL ... : This was a talk and discussion about the selection and development of British junior temporary infantry officers, 1914-1918. It was very interesting and showed how the British Army developed an effective system to train suitable candidates to become ‘Temporary Gentlemen’ (i.e. hostilities-only officers).
• TALES FROM THE HISTORY OF WARGAMING PROJECT: This was a talk about the pioneers of modern wargaming ... including spies, tax evasion, Nazis, back-stabbing and madness … and great fun it was to listen to!

I missed last year’s conference because of my medical problems … and going this year has really boosted my spirits! In fact, it has revitalised me so much that I’m already planning to put on a session at next year’s conference.

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PS. I hope to upload some photographs of the IT’S A FAIR KOP game later this week.