Both war and games pit humans against one another in a dynamic interactive contest of wits and resources, as the opposing sides struggle to prevail.
Quotes by Philip Sabin
What is it about war and games that has bound them together for millennia, despite the apparently stark contrast between the gravity of fights for survival and the frivolity of play?
It is hence not surprising that the issue of where to strike the balance between accuracy and simplicity (or, as it is usually put, between realism and playability) has been one of the most enduring and vexed debates within the wargaming hobby.
It may seem odd to describe books, articles and lectures on war as “models”, but that is exactly what they are.
Manual wargames, by contrast, require all users to understand and apply the designer’s system for themselves if the game is not to remain an inanimate pile of paper and card. This obviously requires a lot more intellectual effort from users, just as playing a piece of sheet music requires more effort and understanding than playing a CD.