Wargames Handbook, Third Edition: How to Play and Design Commercial and Professional Wargames

by James F. Dunnigan

Describes origins of commercial wargames as well as how to play and design them.

Genres: Games, Military Fiction, History, Nonfiction

440 pages, Paperback

First published January 3, 2000

Reviews

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, but it didn't quite live up to the subtitle. It's more of an overview of the history of commercial and professional wargaming combined with a memoir by the author, who was deeply involved in the events he relates, than a how-to book for the aspiring game designer - it's heavy on what to do, but kind of light on how to do it. As someone who's been playing these games for over 40 years, I was hoping for more of a tutorial than a history. Still, I'd recommend this for readers interested in the field.

[George Kasnic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of great nuggets, lay out a process clearly, does what it says it will do.

Written in the first person mainly, a good editor would make it worth five stars.

[Michael Haspil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent book covering wargames playing and development. Concerned primarily with "chit" games. A good read for the completist.