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Pluie de Balles is an educational wargame designed to combine elements of modern tabletop systems and key aspects of the Prussian Kriegsspiel. It replaces the latter's facilitators with participants who move around forces on large maps, while other participants sit in staff rooms waiting for reports from their subordinate force commanders - who have to balance the need of controlling their forces and of writing reports back to their staff. Thus Pluie de Balles exposes all participants to some of the friction that is caused by having to process information, make decisions and communicate under significant stress.
About the author
Jorit Wintjes studied Ancient and Contemporary History, Latin and ancient Greek at the University of Würzburg. He wrote a PhD thesis on the Antiochene orator Libanius and a Habilitationsschrift on Roman naval operations in north-western Europe. His research interests include ancient and pre-WWI military history, the role of women in warfare and the use of conflict simulations in officer training. He is a professor at the Würzburg Ancient History Department teaching in the history and digital humanities programmes.
