War Gaming

How is war gaming used in the campaign?

Role-playing games originally developed from war games. It always made sense to me that the best campaign would have elements of both. In the same way that role-playing allowed a player to develop the individual aspects of an army (by detailing an individual soldier or commander), war gaming can allow the process to go full circle. An individual commander can now detail his/her army.

As a result, Tte Game has both a “micro” and “macro” component. Players have characters within the campaign but their characters (or their extended families) may also control nations (empires, kingdoms, realms, clans, tribes, etc.). This is an optional aspect of The Game and is not for everyone.

Nation-level playing does not generally occur at the gaming table. If a character (or his/her family) controls a nation, orders are given and received through “national packages” through email. The campaign has developed an intricate game system in which the detailed information for all nations is entered into a computer system that then produces yearly changes (much like a video wargame). Players can provide orders dealing with their military, political, economic, religious, social, and cultural aspects of their nations. This macro game level provides considerable expansion and development for these nations.

But war gaming does occur at the table. By incorporating war gaming into the campaign, players can have their armies enter combat with the armies of other players. It also allows armies to go up against the Enemy in the form of the Shadow and its armies. Because these armies are attached to the campaign, the resulting battles tend to take on much more importance than a typical one-off war game battle.

The control of nations also pits the interests of these nations often against each other. In other words, the Japanese empire and the Mongolian empire might both share common cause in fighting the ultimate war against the Shadow in the North but they remain rivals and often enemies with each other. Political intrigue is rife in the world! If only the nations of Light could truly unite…