A Guide to Board War Gaming in the Modern Era

Most Americans probably would not understand the interest that exists in war; we tend to think politically correct and hardly would consider ourselves "warmongers", but a portion of the population here in the United States sees it from a different perspective. They see lessons that can be learned in studying the why's and how comes' of history, and especially, military history. We pride ourselves in being a people that wish to be left alone, untouched and unbloodied by the terrible things that exist in the rest of the world.

We shun the responsibilities of being a world leader even though it seems our destiny. Nonetheless, we are contradictions in terms in the fact that we despise the killing and violence in such places as Iraq and Afghanistan and yet we foam at the mouths when watching fights, boxing, movies, the news, and other violently-related events. Is it then so hard to think that history could really teach us something, even if it were a small idea like improving our decision-making skills, or how to plan? These are ideas that may seem foreign to many but to the normal everyday wargamer they are not. It is a lesson to most that this so-called hobby can teach as it entertains, and the thrill of winning is not always the ultimate experience.

It is said that modern wargaming began with the creation of such games for U.S. military. During the period after WWII there was a growing concern on the part of some that we were unprepared for any future conflict and that previous wargaming in the military services had prepared American leaders at times with the knowledge of what could happen in future and present battles, and what choices could exist to be made to win those battles. There are stories even of Prussian, French and British councils made up of officers in many capacities glancing over large setups on tables, moving pieces representing forces of men and equipment around replicas of land and water, looking for possible outcomes of glorious victories, or the avoidance of defeats; all of this taking place long before the two world wars obliterated the globe and large numbers of people. In our country much of these activities are well-documented so that future generations of military students can educate themselves and others in the actions of the past, hoping to prepare for the future.

Limitations have always been placed on the types of wargaming the services can participate in simply because of the compexity and scope in which these activities need to be pursued. Many history students also may want to pursue their own kinds of learning from these kinds of activities, even if it were for their own individual enjoyment. But how can anyone "enjoy" the study of such violent acts? Is there some sadism or sickness of the mind to think that there are some who would be entertained at the playing of war? One simply has to understand human nature to see that our pursuit of excellence makes us desire to learn many things, including how to win when faced with conflict. Our competitive nature pushes us to learn from conflict because humans have bee doing it (conflicting with each other) since the beginning of known written history.

For instance, one such fascination with many modern wargamers is the question of "what if?'; the knowledge that an instance of changing decision-making, a split second in human action somewhere in time, could have altered the present world we live in. Books have been written about such events, like a macabre desire to see the modern world differently, either for better or for worse. How many people can claim that they themselves have never wondered what their own life would be like if they had done something differently? Is there anyone who would deny the mystery of recent or far-in-the-past events in your personal life making a huge diffference in who you are today. Think then how this could be fascinating to a history student, and how the world today would be changed.

In the 1950s a growing number of individuals, whether retiring or discharging from military service or just interested in military affairs, began to ask why it would not be possible to create either competitive or educational boardgames on the subjects of military history. Very soon it was discovered that these types of games would be possible to be made, and their components would not have to be much different from what the officers and students had used during their time in the branches of the services. This led some to the initial creation of the wargaming industry which, in time, exploded onto the business scene in the 1970s. The first game, as it is recollected by many oldtime wargamers, was "Tactics", originated by Charles S. Roberts, a young man in his early twenties and at that time a business person. His game was the first actually mass produced game which depicted a strategic hypothetical war between two fictional countries, and it became popular for the very reason that it was quite different from any conflict-based game out on the market. Where games like chess and checkers were based on skills of a military nature, this was an actual "military" game.

From there Mr. Roberts used his business knowledge to make it a full-time venture when he created the Avalon Hill Company. Avalon Hill, which later had to expand its name for legal reasons, became the vehicle of an entire gaming industry even though the company also began printing other types of adult games such as "Verdict" and "Management". This gave the company a diversified following and kept them in the black financially. Even from the beginning it was found that the majority of gamers were not of the historical or military kind, but enjoyed playing games for the entertainment of them. Pretty soon Avalon Hill was producing games of many genres, including sports and business. The wargames being produced, however, was always going to be the main staple for the interests of ownership and through the 1960s, surviving good and bad times, there was a growing industry for more wargames. It soon became apparent that one company could not keep up with the demands. It was then that Christopher Wagner, a retired Air Force officer, stepped in and made his contribution.

No doubt, Chris Wagner had the first-hand knowledge to create his own wargaming business, but he contributed from a different perspective. He created a writing vehicle to include articles about wargaming, wargames being printed, and military facts. His vehicle, the magazine "Strategy & Tactics", became a staple in any wargamer's collection simply by adding the facts and figures, besides the options in decision-making, to the picture. The magazine was not originally included with a game in it, but Mr. Wagner soon found that there was a market for it. When adding the staff of future wargaming industry legends James Dunnigan and Redmond Simonsen, the industry was set for years to come. Besides contributing wargames through the magazines, a company called "SPI" was formed to handle the large numbers of games being created.

Most of the games were similar in nature to what Avalon Hill was publishing, with one major difference: the games were mostly played on paper maps rather than actual hardboards, saving SPI money from production costs. SPI was producing more games than Avalon Hill was producing, although distribution might have been slow. Most of the games were being sold through mail order, but eventually both companies would try their hand at retail distribution, which at times was slow and methodical. Pretty soon avid wargamers were cropping up in every city of America and ordering the games of their choice, based on subject and era of interest. Wargaming was good. It would not forever last, however.

Other companies began taking shape. Companies such as 3M, Rand, OSG, GDW were soon doing business. The industry was quickly becoming saturated and the numbers soon proved that the number of wargamers had not grown enough to support all of them. After years of success, SPI and other companies began to experience growing pains. Suddenly, the world of wargaming was stunned by the announcement that SPI was folding, or at least selling itself off to the highest bidder. This event, in the early 1980s, would shrink the known wargaming industry down to a few fiscally sound companies printing a handful of wargames a year rather than a few hundred. Some newer companies, like 3W and Clash of Arms, tried to keep the cash flowing. Even the magazine numbers shrunk as wargamers began to become more and more selective. Then came the computer gaming industry.

For a while it seemed that the wargaming industry, from a board perspective, would die a suddent and quiet death. With the creation of computer gaming on the home computer the board gaming industry as a whole saw a complete move away from their products and a shift in playing games where no cardboard maps and pieces needed to be set up, no vast amounts of time needed to be absorbed, and no large amounts of table or floor space needed to be taken up. For wargamers to find satisfaction in the old-fashioned ways they needed to be adaptable and willing to search for their games in new and differing ways. The internet was not yet an option, but it soon would be. Game publishers found they had to select their publications wisely if they were to continue to make a profit. Most game companies left the scene, and then, in the late 1990s came trouble from the original company making wargames, Avalon Hill.

Because of legal expenses and growing interest in computer gaming, and of course the costs of doing business, it was an eventuality that Avalon Hill would be overcome with the same kind of mindset that SPI had experienced. It had been predicted by some in the industry that the board wargaming industry would die off. Subscription numbers for most magazines had been dropping for years and the population of older, dedicated wargamers was reaching retirement. There would need to be some kind of new blood in the industry to save it. This would come after Avalon Hill's demise, and a few events in world affairs would aid in all of it.

The attacks of 9/11/01 could very well have contributed to a recent growth in the board wargaming industry. It is obvious that younger wargamers are buying board wargames but for perhaps many reasons. It is not a mystery to many of us old "grognards" who have either collected or played board wargames for many years, but it may be somewhat a mystery to many individuals out there who don't know that these games exist, or at least, why they exist. The truth is, not all of us understand all of the reasons. It is a fact, though, that people are buying and playing them, and the list of companies handling them, either new or used, is growing. Game companies such as Avalanche Press, Decision Games, GMT, a newborn OSG, and several others are doing great business, or so it seems. It would not be true if their websites were not being visited so often. The industry has also adapted well to the business cost/profit/loss concerns that plagued the industry in the past three decades.

Every company seems to be on top of the market by asking the customers what they want and then publishing them. It is baffling that this was not understood and practiced years ago, but so be it. Games are being printed in many different forms, different categories, different eras. You can now find games being printed in just about any subject, any historical category or era, both strategical and tactical, and in any degree of difficutly. Some companies such as Decision Games are reprinting some of the older games, with arguably improved physical components and rewritten rules. Some companies are tackling old subjects in new and different ways.

Card games, or games generated by cards partially, are also becoming popular, and are usually simpler and quicker to learn. Novices to the industry can find games as simple to learn as some of the card games that families have played for gnerations. The appearance of many of these games graphically have greatly improved the esthetic popularity of many of the games, and this should please many grognards in the industry. For the industry to survive, it was always recognized that new and young wargamers would have to be attracted to the gaming industry, and that seems to have happened . It would be interesting to do a marketing study on the entire wargaming industry to see what age groups are involved here, but I would suspect that many are fairly new here.

And it is encouraging the quality of games being pubished today. Anyone reading this is encouraged to visit some of the sites of the companies I have mentioned. Some even produce more than just wargames or historical games: some publish family-oriented games and do a good service to them. One only has to do a search for some of the game companies, or a general search for "board wargaming" in general to find these publications and you may just find a game about a subject, or maybe a person or a batlle, that you have been curious about, to purchase. What happens usually when one does this is that they become infatuated with the subject and it can even become an obsession. Wargamers will warn you that they can become addictive, although they don't think of them that way.

If you have an interest in the questions of history, from asking "what if" to wondering what you would have done in the same position as, say, an Admiral or General, than you may want to try a board wargame out for size. It is always adviseable to try small and simple, and there are many games out there that do the trick. If advice in the matter is needed, you can contact me through my e-mail at jdwatson26@hotmail.com any time and I will get back to you as soon as I can. History is a basket of subject matter, and one of the things I find from board wargamine is that the options and choices are endless, from a decision to change a plan to an attack done differently. These things are what human beings face every day; the inevitable making of choices that either make or break us. The thoughts are endless, and I am sure you can find something for yourself.