More details on the CONNECTIONS conference on professional wargaming, which will be held at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, August 4-7, 2014.

What it is

Connections is the only national event dedicated specifically to professional wargaming. Since 1993, the annual Connections conference has worked to advance the art, science and application of wargaming by bringing together all elements of the field (military, commercial and academic) so participants can exchange information on achievements, best practices and needs.

The theme for 2014 is “Understanding National Wargame Cultures”: a rare occasion to hear about the history and progress of professional wargaming in countries outside the United States.

Who is coming

THE Professor Thomas Schelling will be the lead keynote speaker! Thomas Schelling’s most influential works that touch on negotiation behaviours and game theory as applied to the military are The Strategy of Conflict (1960) and Arms and Influence (1966). His 2005 Nobel Prize in economics was for his work in understanding conflict and cooperation through game-theory analysis. If you have spent any time studying negotiation or game theory, you will have heard of Schelling – don’t miss this chance to hear him speak!

Other featured speakers include: Dr. Peter Perla, author of The Art of Wargaming, speaking on analytical wargaming; Dr. Joe Saur and Chris Weuve on wargame design, its basics and its pitfalls; and Matt Caffrey's comprehensive briefing on the history of military wargaming.

Can I come too?

Connections is open to all contributors to the field of wargaming: military, government, defense contractor, academic, and recreational. While not open to those who purely enjoy wargames, Connections does define “contributor” broadly. Connections welcomes everyone from the most senior wargame director to the newly assigned lieutenant, from the wargame publisher to the play tester. This is an unclassified event, so you do not require a security clearance.

Parts of the conference will also be made available virtually.

How do I sign up?

Details on registration (and if you can't make it in person, how to participate virtually) are still coming. If you needed something else to help make up your mind, there will be ZERO registration fee for the conference. While there will be options to buy lunch, if you bring your own lunch and live within driving distance of Quantico this conference can literally be free!

Contacts

Consult the Connections website for agendas, content of former conferences, and registration instructions: http://connections-wargaming.com/

If you have any questions, please contact me (brian.train@gmail.com) or Matt Caffrey at MatthewBCaffreyJr@gmail.com .

Hope to see you there!

Brian Train