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The Complete Wargames Handbook: How to Play, Design, and Find Them
A definitive guide to wargames covers the history of wargames, who plays them and why, the design and production of commercial wargames, and the science they rest on, providing a consumer's guide to games on the market
333 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1992
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 6, 2022
This was a pretty good read, though I was hoping it would be better. The subtitle is somewhat misleading: yes, Mr. Dunnigan spends some time talking about how to play, design, and find wargames, but most of the book is him telling us about himself, his work, and the history of wargames (from his perspective). I would have preferred much more time on what the subtitle says, especially playing and designing them, but since Mr. D indicates multiple times only a small select few are smart enough to really understand the math (and thus the essence of the games), he doesn't really deign to tell us too much more than that.
Perhaps he wants us to go back and get all the back issues of S&T and Moves, which will really explain the things he doesn't want to go into as much. Since he got into wargames because he wanted to analyze history and learn more information, Mr. D takes the position this is really the best reason to get into wargaming - yes, he does emphasize (once in a while) the importance of "fun" (since they are "games"), but it's not nearly as important to him (and thus, real wargamers) as the historical inquiry and conflict simulation (since that's the more "proper" term than "wargame").
Mr. D's tone throughout, unfortunately, displays this "I'm really smart, most of you aren't" attitude. When telling us the history of wargames, he gives a backhanded mention of Avalon Hill, doesn't name Charles S. Roberts at all, then let's us now he and SPI saved the wargaming industry single-handedly for a decade, until he wanted to move on to bigger and better things, primarily his writing career. Hopefully his other books are better written, but this had a fair amount of typographical errors (perhaps the big need for a revised edition, 10 years later, prevented time for proofreading). In the appendices, Mr. D gives a decent list of other wargaming companies (as of 1992), and even almost gives some respect to AH, but it's a little late in coming.
The computer wargames section, though, does not hold up well. It isn't even very interesting from a historical perspective, which is rather ironic considering the whole purpose of the book. I fondly remember the ol' 386 days and signing on to play games online (well, starting the dialing process, having a sandwich, reading a Michener novel, and then finish signing on and starting to play), but it wasn't as great as Mr. D makes it out to be (which is not being said from rose-colored contemporary days, since I don't play computer games today). Obviously, at the time, it seemed incredible, but since he also says the computers were inferior to the strategic capabilities of manual wargames, it's a rather weird section, almost as if he needs to validate his career choices in shifting to computer games, or at least promoting them.
The book is good, though, and he is helpful at times, even if he does repeat himself quite a bit (many times, in the same paragraph) and does talk down at the reader too much (especially for someone who didn't really want to get into gaming, left it after an admittedly fecund decade, and moved on, sort of). He does give some helpful ideas in playing and designing (though not nearly as much as I had hoped), and it was worth reading, especially for people starting out in (manual) wargames, if any such person exists.
Perhaps he wants us to go back and get all the back issues of S&T and Moves, which will really explain the things he doesn't want to go into as much. Since he got into wargames because he wanted to analyze history and learn more information, Mr. D takes the position this is really the best reason to get into wargaming - yes, he does emphasize (once in a while) the importance of "fun" (since they are "games"), but it's not nearly as important to him (and thus, real wargamers) as the historical inquiry and conflict simulation (since that's the more "proper" term than "wargame").
Mr. D's tone throughout, unfortunately, displays this "I'm really smart, most of you aren't" attitude. When telling us the history of wargames, he gives a backhanded mention of Avalon Hill, doesn't name Charles S. Roberts at all, then let's us now he and SPI saved the wargaming industry single-handedly for a decade, until he wanted to move on to bigger and better things, primarily his writing career. Hopefully his other books are better written, but this had a fair amount of typographical errors (perhaps the big need for a revised edition, 10 years later, prevented time for proofreading). In the appendices, Mr. D gives a decent list of other wargaming companies (as of 1992), and even almost gives some respect to AH, but it's a little late in coming.
The computer wargames section, though, does not hold up well. It isn't even very interesting from a historical perspective, which is rather ironic considering the whole purpose of the book. I fondly remember the ol' 386 days and signing on to play games online (well, starting the dialing process, having a sandwich, reading a Michener novel, and then finish signing on and starting to play), but it wasn't as great as Mr. D makes it out to be (which is not being said from rose-colored contemporary days, since I don't play computer games today). Obviously, at the time, it seemed incredible, but since he also says the computers were inferior to the strategic capabilities of manual wargames, it's a rather weird section, almost as if he needs to validate his career choices in shifting to computer games, or at least promoting them.
The book is good, though, and he is helpful at times, even if he does repeat himself quite a bit (many times, in the same paragraph) and does talk down at the reader too much (especially for someone who didn't really want to get into gaming, left it after an admittedly fecund decade, and moved on, sort of). He does give some helpful ideas in playing and designing (though not nearly as much as I had hoped), and it was worth reading, especially for people starting out in (manual) wargames, if any such person exists.
July 31, 2011
The book is itself an update of an earlier book of the same title published in 1980. The 2nd Edition went out of print in 1997 but is currently available for free online; a 3rd Edition was subsequently published in paperback in 2000, incorporating information on the growing importance of computers in the wargaming hobby.
The book gives a very brief overview of basic concepts related to wargaming, and provides a history of the modern commercial hobby, highlighting SPI's role in the development of same. There is a chapter devoted to the actual design process involved in making wargames. There are two chapters on computer wargames, and a demographical survey of who plays board wargames. Some bibliographies range in usefulness, varying from such things as a list of all computer wargame titles published up until 1992, and a bibliography of all of Dunnigan's designs.
Unlike other similar books, there are no thumbnail descriptions of wargame titles (aside from those that Dunnigan lists in his personal bibliography). There is also little discussion of tactical-level games.
The book gives a very brief overview of basic concepts related to wargaming, and provides a history of the modern commercial hobby, highlighting SPI's role in the development of same. There is a chapter devoted to the actual design process involved in making wargames. There are two chapters on computer wargames, and a demographical survey of who plays board wargames. Some bibliographies range in usefulness, varying from such things as a list of all computer wargame titles published up until 1992, and a bibliography of all of Dunnigan's designs.
Unlike other similar books, there are no thumbnail descriptions of wargame titles (aside from those that Dunnigan lists in his personal bibliography). There is also little discussion of tactical-level games.
April 6, 2007
I think I checked this book out nearly continiously throughout my Junior and Senior year of highschool. The how-to-section teaches you how to create ballanced, playable wargames (you know, the ones with hundreds of cardboard squares for pieces), and I used his advice to make a playable orcs-vs-elves game I forced my friends to playtest for me senior year. The history section is fascinating as well, starting with the earliest games in 15th century France up to the eve of the firs Gulf War, when the pentagon ordered fifty copies of "Gulf Strike" and hired its designer to help them plan their invasion. A veritble wargame bible, but sadly out-of-print since '92.
November 5, 2011
Freely available at http://www.hyw.com/Books/WargamesHand... . This book is full of very helpful information, although I have to admit to chuckling through the parts about computer games (the information there is accurate but very dated).
Dunnigan is a great designer, and it's unusual to get so much information from a master in the field.
The book has convinced me to repopulate my wargame collection.
Dunnigan is a great designer, and it's unusual to get so much information from a master in the field.
The book has convinced me to repopulate my wargame collection.
Read
December 8, 2008I read the web version on his site, not the latest edition. I still plan to get it, sometime. What can you expect from the man who gave us PanzerBlitz, SPI and "Up against the Wall, M-----f----r!"?
The world templated through simulation games, a view I hold near and dear, so of course I would like it!
The world templated through simulation games, a view I hold near and dear, so of course I would like it!
July 13, 2011
Still the best on the subject from the highly opinionated James Dunnigan. Good info here.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews