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I have used the following WW II game to help my students assess the human cost of defeating the Axis. Each time a squad failed its morale check and had to start again I placed a red bingo chip on the beach. We played until they took the beach so in the end the beach was covered with spots. I used Airfix figures and handmade landing craft, beach obstacles wire and bunkers. I have run it at conventions in the area with adults so I know it holds up. Check it out. Also, note the Junior General utilizes paper soldiers which would enable a teacher to touch on a larger number of battles simply by printing out everything needed. http://www.juniorgeneral.org/dday/dday2.html
Good luck, Vanvlak! Chances are you are in for a brilliant experience. Together with a colleague I've been running a course at my university for the past five or so years, and it has been quite popular with students. Actually, when we started with it some years ago a number of my colleagues joked that I would end up with a bunch of socially challenged nerds (no offense, but you know the stereotype... ). The reality was and is rather different - usually, only a small percentage of my students has any prior experience with wargaming and the like; even though, they nearly all tend to be eager to take part in it.Just two small suggestions: If you discuss the importance of maps, how they developed and what the relative merits of gridded and ungridded maps are, actively involving the students can be a worthwhile exercise; turning our university town into a hex map has been an extremely funny experience for everybody involved. And two - but that is something you're already planning to do - let them play. The best way to learn about the problems of wargaming is to actually do it, and you can do quite a lot during the term. While we don't do figure wargaming, we always run a huge corps-level wargame at the end of the term which is usually a great experience. Some pictures can be found in an article we had recently published:http://analoggamestudies.org/2018/09/pluie-de-balles-complex-wargames-in-the-classroom/As for literature, you probably already have Phil Sabin's seminal "Simulating War", but just in case.
There are a few board games that are really suitable as intro games. Many years ago Frank Chadwick under his GDW banner released a free game called Battle for Moscow, which had the deliberate intent to introduce gamers to wargame concepts.The game is available today as a new edition from Victory Point Games. The below link gives more info if this interests you.https://www.victorypointgames.com/battle-for-moscow/
Another relevant option for a game (now you've reminded me about the Siege in 1565) - how about a naval simulation demonstrating the difficulty of getting a convoy through to Malta during the Second World War? It could be largely map based if you can't get the ship models.
You mention about not using parts from commercially available rule sets, have you thought about asking any of the publishers for permission to do so. Some of the smaller more independent companies may be happy for you to do so?Just a thought, good luck.
Always let the Wookiee win. Your opponent should feel on edge, but always win their first game. Who would want to play if they get crushed? Best advice I ever had when I ran a club
Questions:how many lectures? Which format? What are your aim? Why you are teaching it? Which level (BA1,2 or 3?) What kind of students (and their knowledge backgrounds) are you expecting?sorry to sound picky, but I think that it is important to know the setting. Disclaimer: I was Phil Sabin assistant ans covered Howard Fuller wargaming module in Wolves when he was on sabbatical. I use wargames also in non wargaming modules.General thought: Dunningan book is useful, but he is also a chap who put the cart in front of the oxen. He was proven wrong on his anticipation that boardgaming would have died, and I sensed some ex post fact justifications for what could have been bad managing decision when I presided over SPI collapse. Peter Perla's book is very useful for a perspective on broader wargaming, including professional gamesPhil Sabin is a useful primer, very focused on Phil's view but also containing some nice games. It has the big advantage to be quite up to date. Yet it is not the bible... ,watching if Phil is spying on me...>Van Creveld: I have a low opinion of Van Creveld in general and of his book on 'war games' in general. On the other hand he is useful to show the conception that the general public has about wargaming.There are plenty of useful articles on magazine like Strategy and Tactics (several ones on the history of wargaming, and some useful ones on military use of wargaming), Moves, Against the Odds, and some in Battles. Recently former GMT's in house magazine C3I has started a series of columns from noted game designer Mark Herman. They contain some very useful bits that can be used as base for seminar discussion. Some game reviews written by academics (and some by general gamers with sound historical understanding) in these magazine could be useful. Kevin Zucker (OSG) in house magazien has useful articles on the relationship between specific elements of warfare and how they are represented on the table. There was also a very interesting articles on one of Lardies special by Richard on his own process to create an historical game.My own experience is that practical gaming is important but not the core of a module. Make sure playing is not an end in itself. I do not think that the whole aim of the module is to train wargame players but to develop some form of knowledge on the subject. Set aside time for discussion. Avoid extremely large groups (some students will just take the literal back seat, and not get involved). Try to not get involved in the game as an active player... it avoids the whole 'let them win' issue. My personal experience is that because space and time constraints, and numbers involved boardgames are better than miniature games in class. Sometime could be useful to have several games running in parallel (the same or different) and then having a broad discussion at the end. IF the games are simple enough, or the student have gotten experience the student themselves can run them and you just check the various table. Otherwise you need to have what Phil calls 'facilitators' to make sure the game is played correctly. Another world for them could be 'living/walking rulebooks'.Recently I experimented with running solo games with me just checking the system and the students playing as cooperative team/s. It works quite well, less competition (competition could be a negative issue), and you make sure the rules are followed.Now I know Phil Sabin always emphasized using his own designs, I have some caveats. If the objective of the game played is to stimulate discussion using one owns design could be detrimental because at time you get too attached to the design and do not take criticism well.PS: feel free to pm me, probably part of the discussion will be boring/inappropriate (in the sense that there is the possibility of discussing details not appropriate for an online forum) for LAF.
Interesting current approach to using committee wargaming in a political context at the Labour Conference (there’s a Twitter link to some material in the link below):https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/aug/30/corbyn-salmond-deep-state-very-british-fantasy-zinoviev-letter-conspiracies
Back in the seventies there were a few books which explained the rationale behind rules mechanisms.I seem to recall most of the Charles Grant books had some background, but there was also a WRG based hardback (from Airfix?) that dealt with things like figure to men ratios.The bits I can recall (from the WRG) would basically be that 1 figure equates to 20 men in four ranks of five. So the ground scale dictates the base size dependent on formation, close order troops take less space than loose units of skirmishers.Grant took a similar stance, but on a different viewpoint. Taking the frontage of an actual unit and converting this to a tabletop measurement, if you stand your figures to occupy that frontage you get the appropriate number of figures per unit. Grant also worked with timescale to calculate movement rates, and I think he used historical data to calculate hit percentages.
I'm a great believer in the KISS principle being applied to wargame, might miff some, buy playing with toy soldiers ain't an intellectual pursuit!To get people interested/kept interested, hook 'em and reel 'em in with 'One Hour Wargames', 'Fistful of Lead' and 'Song of Blades and Heroes'... that's just my 'umble opinion.