Wargames (or ‘Conflict simulations’ as some prefer to call them), are simply games that re-create combat situations so that they can be studied and played.

The same situation can be played many times in order to discover the strategies and tactics that work best.

If you’ve ever played chess or draughts, then  you’ve already played games that are close, in certain ways to wargames. In fact chess was originally designed as a wargame, but over the years changed into a pure game bearing no relation to reality.

People play wargames for a host of different reasons - many play purely for the intellectual challenge, others use it as a means of making history come alive (to understand better the outcome of a battle, or to examine fascinating “what-if’s”), whilst yet others (including the military) use them to experiment with what might happen in a future conflict.

Whatever you’re interest in wargames there’s plenty to choose from, from the highly abstract, to the intricately detailed, from the tactics used by small combat groups, to grand strategic games covering entire World Wars.

If you’re new to wargames you might like to download Strike Force One, it’s a simple introductory game, and best of all, it’s free.

If you’d like more information on the hooby a good place to start is Web Grognards, a site full of useful information and plenty of links to wargame manufacturers, clubs, etc.

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