How to create a war game

[ericmwalters]

There are quite a variety of tabletop formats for wargaming, so you'll have to be a bit more specific.

There are "seminar-style games" and the best most recent resource for that is the book WARGAMING FOR LEADERS: STRATEGIC DECISIONMAKING FROM THE BATTLEFIELD TO THE BOARDROOM by Mark Herman, Mark Frost, and Robert Kurz. This complements Perla's book very well and updates it with a great many examples, mostly dealing with business applications.

There are "staff wargames" dating back to the 19th century. One can find miniatures game rules from Fletcher Pratt, H.G. Wells, and others with a bit of hunting. Modern systems work well, but the investment in figurines/gear can be prohibitive to many. Perhaps there is no better entry venue than John Bobek's excellent book, THE GAMES OF WAR: A TREASURY OF RULES FOR BATTLES WITH TOY SOLDIERS, SHIPS, AND PLANES. Strongly recommended for neophytes and novices to start with in this genre.

There are commercial board wargames of a wide variety. Best portal to get into that is the CONSIMWORLD website at http://www.consimworld.com. These are readymade games that, for a minimum of investment, can get you into tabletop gaming quickly if you can manage the rules. You will need a bit of coaching/mentoring to make it a smooth entry, however. If you aren't careful, you can get in way over your head given the dense rules and arcane topics that are often out there.

One should also mention the Role Playing Games of the Dungeons and Dragons variety and there's plenty of those dealing with just about every subject under the sun. Again, having a coach/mentor is highly recommended to make entry into it as smooth as possible.

Much depends on your personal objectives. What might those be? What do you hope to get out of the experience? What kinds of things are you interested in learning?