The Wargame Developments Handbook

Third Edition

By: John Armatys, John Bassett

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Wargame Developments was the brainchild of the late Dr Paddy Griffith. He was the driving force behind its creation and since its founding in 1980, the organisation has been a been a means by which wargame designers from across the globe have been able to meet, exchange ideas, and test each other’s designs. It holds an annual three-day conference (The Conference of Wargamers or COW) as well as virtual events (Virtual COW or VCOW) and publishes a journal nine times each year.

This is the third edition of the Wargame Developments Handbook, and it is intended to:
a) provides an introduction for new members to some of the ever-increasing jargon thrown about in WD-ish conversations; and
b) acts as a ‘quick reference for existing members on subjects they may not yet have looked at seriously.

This book contains sections on:

• What is Wargame Developments
• The Origins of WD
• COW (The Conference of Wargamers)
• The Nugget
• Game Design
• Umpired Games & Free Kriegsspiel
• Muggergames
• Map Games
• Voice Games
• Multi-Player Solo Games
• One Brain-Cell Rules
• Tactical Exercise Without Troops (TEWT)
• Simulators
• Committee Games
• Megagames
• Matrix Games
• Confrontation Analysis/Dilemma Analysis Games
• Virtual Gaming
• Glossary of WD Terms
• Notes for Presenters and Attendees at WD Events
• The Wargame Developments Constitution
• Tables of Probabilities
• The Quantification of Subjective Data