Table of Contents

What Is Wargaming?

Wargaming is the simulation of military conflicts through games — using miniature figures on tabletop terrain, cardboard counters on hex-grid maps, or digital systems on computers. Players take the roles of military commanders, making strategic and tactical decisions about troop movements, resource allocation, and engagement. It’s simultaneously a hobby, a historical study method, and a professional military planning tool.

Two Parallel Histories

Wargaming has two distinct lineages that developed side by side.

Military wargaming traces to Kriegsspiel, developed by Prussian army officer Georg von Reisswitz in 1812. His game used painted terrain maps, detailed unit statistics, and an umpire to adjudicate outcomes. The Prussian general staff adopted it as a training tool, and many historians credit systematic wargaming with contributing to Prussia’s military victories against Austria (1866) and France (1870-1871).

Every major military has used wargaming since. The U.S. Naval War College has conducted wargames continuously since 1887. During World War II, the Japanese war-gamed the Midway operation — and the simulation predicted an American victory, which is exactly what happened (though the Japanese commanders overruled the simulation’s result and attacked anyway).

Hobby wargaming emerged in the 1950s when Charles Roberts founded Avalon Hill and published Tactics (1954), the first commercially successful board wargame. The hobby grew through the 1960s and 1970s as publishers like SPI (Simulations Publications Inc.) produced hundreds of games covering every era of military history from ancient Rome to speculative nuclear war.

The Major Types

Board Wargames

Cardboard counters representing military units move across hexagonal grid maps. Rules govern movement, combat, supply, and special situations. A typical board wargame takes 2-8 hours, though monster games (with multiple maps and thousands of counters) can take weeks.

The appeal is analytical — you’re solving complex strategic puzzles against an opponent doing the same. The hex grid and combat results tables abstract reality into manageable decisions, but the best designs capture the essential dilemmas their historical subjects faced. Playing a game about the Eastern Front forces you to grapple with the same supply, terrain, and force-ratio problems that real commanders confronted.

Miniature Wargaming

Three-dimensional terrain with painted miniature figures, typically played on a 4x6-foot or larger table. Rules govern movement distances, weapon ranges, and combat resolution (usually involving dice). Miniature wargaming combines game strategy with the visual hobby of painting and terrain building.

The miniatures range from 6mm (roughly the size of a rice grain) to 28mm (about an inch tall) or larger. Painting miniatures is a separate hobby that many wargamers consider equally or more enjoyable than actually playing. A well-painted army on detailed terrain creates a diorama-like spectacle that photographs beautifully.

Computer Wargames

Digital wargames can simulate complexity that board games can’t practically manage. Computer-moderated combat eliminates the need for players to calculate results manually, allowing more detailed simulations of logistics, weather, intelligence, and combined-arms tactics. The genre ranges from turn-based strategy games to real-time simulations.

What You Actually Learn

Wargaming teaches decision-making under uncertainty in ways that other hobbies don’t. You have incomplete information about your opponent’s plans. Your resources are limited. Your decisions have cascading consequences. Time pressure forces you to act before you’re certain.

These are exactly the skills military wargaming was designed to develop, and they transfer surprisingly well to civilian life. Risk assessment, resource allocation, planning under uncertainty, and adapting to changing circumstances — these are also business skills, project management skills, and life skills.

The historical knowledge is a genuine bonus. Serious wargamers develop deep understanding of military history — not just what happened, but why. When you’ve played a simulation of Gettysburg and personally discovered why Lee’s attack on Day 3 was a terrible idea, that understanding is visceral in a way that reading about it isn’t.

The Community

Wargaming is a niche hobby, but its community is dedicated and surprisingly diverse in background (if not, historically, in demographics — the hobby skews male and older, though this is gradually changing). Conventions like Origins, Historicon, and local club meetings bring players together for games, tournaments, and socializing.

Online communities have expanded access significantly. Vassal (a free engine for playing board wargames online), Tabletop Simulator, and platform-specific digital games allow players to find opponents worldwide. Board Game Geek’s wargaming forums host detailed discussions of both games and the history they simulate.

The hobby rewards depth over breadth. Many wargamers focus on specific periods (Napoleonic, World War II, ancient) and develop encyclopedic knowledge of their chosen era. Others enjoy the breadth, playing games spanning every era of human conflict.

For those drawn to strategy, history, and the challenge of outwitting an opponent within carefully simulated constraints, wargaming offers an intellectual engagement that few other hobbies match. The barrier to entry is lower than you’d think — a $30 introductory game and a willing opponent is all you need.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between wargaming and board gaming?

Wargames are a subset of board/tabletop games specifically focused on simulating military conflict. They typically feature more complex rules, longer play times, and greater emphasis on historical accuracy or tactical realism than general board games. Where a board game like Risk abstracts war into simple dice rolls, a wargame might model supply lines, terrain effects, unit morale, and weapon ranges with dedicated rules.

Is wargaming used by real militaries?

Yes, extensively. Military wargaming (also called 'war gaming' or 'operational gaming') is a core planning tool used by every major military. The U.S. Department of Defense uses wargames to test strategies, train officers, and evaluate potential conflicts. The Prussian army formalized military wargaming (Kriegsspiel) in the early 1800s, and it's been credited with contributing to Prussian military success.

How do I start wargaming?

For board wargaming, start with an introductory game like Commands & Colors: Ancients or Memoir '44 — these teach core concepts with manageable complexity. For miniature wargaming, pick a system that interests you (Warhammer, Bolt Action, or a smaller skirmish game) and start with a starter set. The community is welcoming to newcomers, and most local game stores host demo games and learning sessions.

Further Reading

• U.S. Naval War College — Wargaming Department
• Smithsonian Magazine — History of Wargaming
• Encyclopaedia Britannica — Wargame