Comment

Comment by Eric Walters on August 27, 2020 at 11:21am

A bit on my own personal journey with wargaming and the Marine Corps, plus some other odds and ends on PME and critical thinking:  https://anchor.fm/damien-oconnell/episodes/5--Eric-Walters-ef7r0o/a...

Comment by Timothy J. Smith on March 30, 2020 at 7:39am

A Darren Kilfara also wrote a book, Do You Want Total War? about a kid who played Totaler Krieg as obsessively as most actual kids play Xbox.

Comment by Bruce Ivar Gudmundsson on March 29, 2020 at 5:29pm

I can think of two novels in which the protagonists are enthusiasts for Avalon Hill wargames:  Roberto Bolaño's The Third Reich and Greg Pickell's Marching on Tuzla.

Are there others?

Comment by Eric Walters on March 26, 2020 at 9:06pm

Bob,

There are islands of excellence out there in both the Marine Corps and throughout the DoD, but one has to look to find them.  There's a resurgence of interest (of sorts) in maneuver warfare as we see in Bruce Gudmundsson's Case Method Club, in Commandant Heller's "Rejuvenating Maneuver Warfare" initiative, and in the sprouting of decision games--which include wargames--throughout the Marine Corps.  We see in Okinawa, we see it in Quantico, we see it here and there.  While the institution as a whole may not typify these efforts, they do exist and hopefully provide enough of an environment to allow the practitioners in maneuver warfare and wargaming to not only survive, but thrive.  Time will tell.

Comment by Bob Hughes on March 26, 2020 at 8:51pm

Eric:

    I should have replied way way earlier and thank you for the commentary. I have both a wargaming and professional interest in Marine maneuver warfare, however as I get older, the professional interest is lagging due to hopefully not a long time till retirement, and changes in the DOD that make working there from having been the most interesting and fun time of my life when I started into a massive ugly beauracracy that stumbles all over itself. I still keep up regardless, but things I wanted to do to help the Corp I was not able to do, and my inability to inject common sense among other personnel is so discouraging. That aside, I love my wargames, but wish I could find an opponent. I found three younger guys and an older guy that were willing to learn how to play, but its going slow and trying to get over the initial hump is tough. (and keeping their interest) Right now I am taking a forced class for contracting officers in trafficking in humans, though I am not a contract officer. But boy it looks good for my command. If your trained in it, and screw up, regardless whether its in your job or not, "We trained you so you should have known better"  Anyway, go grunts.  Bob 

Comment by Eric Walters on August 14, 2019 at 6:20pm

New game out on small unit infantry combat in the Central Highlands of Vietnam--yes, it's all U.S. Army but one hopes for an ARVN and Marine Corps expansion someday!  Gorgeous game, not too expensive, and relatively easy to learn/play:

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/187808/front-toward-enemy

Comment by Timothy J. Smith on July 21, 2019 at 8:59am

Brilliant, Eric; Semper Fi & thanks for sharing.  We might owe as much to Jim Lacey as we do to Rob't Work, et al. for this salutary development.  Helps me at ONI, too, where I'm developing a training course on S&TI analysis that will incorporate two sim-based exercises.

Comment by Eric Walters on July 20, 2019 at 12:04pm

Check out pages 16-20 of the new 38th Commandant of the Marine Corps 2019 Planning Guidance--covers education, training, and WARGAMING:  38th CMC CPG 2019.pdf

Comment by Eric Walters on July 31, 2017 at 6:45pm

Wayne, the closest there is would be DAYS OF HEROES by Lock 'N Load about Somalia--and that was 24 years ago.  So we'll have to keep waiting for something more contemporary!

Comment by Wayne Rotella on July 31, 2017 at 4:20pm

Eric, I am wondering if there are any games currently in print or in planning that would take the ASL experience into the modern age, meaning NOW, not 1980s Europe? In fact an MBT style game would be great too.

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