Abstracting the Battlefield: Designers on Evolving Mechanisms, Historical Accuracy, and Representation in Modern Wargames
Abstracting the Battlefield: Designers on Evolving Mechanisms, Historical Accuracy, and Representation in Modern Wargames
Abstracting the Battlefield: Designers on Evolving Mechanisms, Historical Accuracy, and Representation in Modern Wargames
Dr. Cody Carlson
Abstract
“Alongside the general increase in interest in tabletop gaming, the historical wargaming hobby has taken significant strides in the last several decades and is illustrated both by the changing mechanisms of play and designers’ conscious appeal to wider audiences. Both wargame and wargame-adjacent games have taken a leap forward since titles like Advanced Squad Leader, Panzer Blitz, and lighter fare like Risk and Axis and Allies first appeared on game shelves. Wargame and wargame-adjacent games released in the last twenty years have evolved significantly both in terms of play mechanisms and representation for traditionally marginalized groups. These innovations are due to the conscious decisions of modern game designers. This study, based upon an email survey, features ten current historical wargame and wargame-adjacent designers: Beau Beckett, Tory Brown, Glenn Drover, Larry Harris, Mark Herman, Jason Matthews, David Thompson, Jeph Stahl, Maurice Suckling, and Grant Wylie. The study considers responses from the designers on three topics: how have game mechanisms changed from simple dice-rolls representing battlefield combat to more innovative systems; how do designers present historical accuracy in their designs, and do they engage in historical distortions (“fudging”), in the interest of more balanced gameplay; and finally, what are the designers’ views on the representation of traditionally underrepresented groups in the games. The purpose of this study is to understand current designers’ perspectives on these issues, and how they may resonate throughout the hobby and the wider culture.”
Reference
Carlson, C. (2024). Abstracting the battlefield: Designers on evolving mechanisms, historical accuracy, and representation in modern wargames. *Board Game Academics*, Vol. 1. https://doi.org/10.70380/jya36r39
Keywords
wargames, historical accuracy, game design, representation, tabletop games, card-driven games, inclusivity, abstraction, board games, diversity