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Over the past fifty years, many thousands of conflict simulations have been published that bring the dynamics of past and possible future wars to life. In this book, Philip Sabin explores the theory and practice of conflict simulation as a topic in its own right, based on his thirty years of experience in designing wargames and using them in teaching. sets conflict simulation in its proper context alongside more familiar techniques such as game theory and operational analysis. It explains in detail the analytical and modelling techniques involved, and it teaches you how to design your own simulations of conflicts of your choice. The book provides eight simple illustrative simulations of specific historical conflicts, complete with rules, maps and counters. Simulating War is essential reading for all recreational or professional simulation gamers, and for anyone who is interested in modelling war, from teachers and students to military officers.>
List of contents
Introduction
Part I: Theory
1. Modelling War
2. Accuracy vs Simplicity
3. Educational Utility
4. Simulation Research
Part II: Mechanics
5. Designing the Components
6. Modelling Conflict Dynamcs
7. Modelling Command Dynamics
8. Integration and Testing
Part III: Examples
9. Ancient Warfare
10. World War Two
11. Tactical Combat
Conclusion
Appendix 1: Assembling the Components
Appendix 2: Finding Published Simulations
Appendix 3: Basic Mathematics
Appendix 4: Using Cyberboard
Appendix 5: Kartenspiel
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Report
Brilliant. Professor Sabin has produced a masterwork, one worthy to grace bookshelves that are home to Von Reisswitz's Kriegsspiel, Wells's Little Wars, Morse and Kimball's Methods of Operations Research and Schelling's The Strategy of Conflict. If you want to learn more about the unquestionably horrible but quintessentially human activity that is war, you need to read this book. Dr Peter Perla, Senior Research Analyst at the Center for Naval Analyses, Alexandria VA, USA and author of 'The Art of Wargaming'
