Front Page

Content

Authors

Game Index

Forums

Site Tools

Submissions

About

KK
Kevin Klemme
March 09, 2020
35654 2
Hot
KK
Kevin Klemme
January 27, 2020
21166 0
Hot
KK
Kevin Klemme
August 12, 2019
7668 0
Hot
O
oliverkinne
December 19, 2023
4569 0
Hot
O
oliverkinne
December 14, 2023
3996 0
Hot

Mycelia Board Game Review

Board Game Reviews
O
oliverkinne
December 12, 2023
2416 0
O
oliverkinne
December 07, 2023
2799 0

River Wild Board Game Review

Board Game Reviews
O
oliverkinne
December 05, 2023
2473 0
O
oliverkinne
November 30, 2023
2745 0
J
Jackwraith
November 29, 2023
3307 0
Hot
O
oliverkinne
November 28, 2023
2190 0
S
Spitfireixa
October 24, 2023
3908 0
Hot
O
oliverkinne
October 17, 2023
2817 0
O
oliverkinne
October 10, 2023
2542 0
O
oliverkinne
October 09, 2023
2498 0
O
oliverkinne
October 06, 2023
2700 0

Outback Crossing Review

Board Game Reviews
×
Bugs: Recent Topics Paging, Uploading Images & Preview (11 Dec 2020)

Recent Topics paging, uploading images and preview bugs require a patch which has not yet been released.

Some distinctions between types of war-related games

More
02 Feb 2012 19:38 #270669 by lewpuls
One of the disadvantages of writing articles for...



One of the disadvantages of writing articles for magazines, such as “Against the Odds,” is that it can be literally years from the time it is submitted to the time it is published.  I recently sent ATO an article about different kinds of war related games, and I’m going to briefly categorize its 4,000 words in 400. 
I will not respond to any comments here, sooner or later the full article will be published.

Joe Angiolillo’s taxonomy of war related games:
?    Games about war
?    Wargames
?    Simulations

Games about war ?    no connection with reality
?    symmetric
?    no variation in terrain and units
?    no representation of actual or even fictional events
?    no attempt to tell a story
Games such as Conflict, Risk and Chess fall into this category.

Wargames
?    asymmetric
?    variation in terrain and units
?    real or fictional event is depicted
?    there is an explicit story involved (remember "story" is part of hisSTORY)

Simulations ?    wargames taken to an extreme ?    term papers with board and pieces and no concern for play balance
?    more or less forces particular outcomes in order to match history


Now a different distinction, between war game (two words) and battle game:

War game
?    the heart is economy
?    ultimate objective is to improve your economic capacity and destroy the enemy's
?    for two players, occasionally for more than two
?    cover years or even centuries
?    territory usually equates to additional forces, following the age-old principle that land equals wealth
?    more likely to use areas (like a normal map)
?    generally large-scale and strategic

Battle game
?    no economy, instead an order of appearance
?    ultimate objective is to destroy opposing units because they cannot get more
?    intermediate objective (e.g. territorial, or even “capture the king”) as a victory avoids much of the tedium of destroying units
?    almost always for two players
?    usually cover a few days to a year or so
?    territory is only useful for the terrain and geopolitical implications
?    usually maneuver-focused, and often use a hex or square grid
?    generally smaller scale and tactical/grand tactical

Finally another category:
Conquest games (Risk, History of the World, Vinci/Smallworld)
?    can be either war or battle game, usually war ?    are usually in Joe’s “Games about war” category
?    very few "realistic" or real world restrictions on what you can do--"freedom to do whatever you want"
?    attacker can always get the upper hand (odds favor those who attack-attack-attack), so it’s not strategically wise to play defensively
?    usually symmetrical
?    typically large scale
?    combat typically very simple
?    particularly attractive type of game related to war for those who aren’t hobby gamers

Take it as it is, please, I am not at liberty to discuss it further.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

Moderators: Gary Sax
Time to create page: 0.255 seconds