TRAX 1 Tank Platoon leader (1985)

 

 

TRAX I was a wargame developed by the U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences in the mid-1980s. It was designed to support the training of tank platoon leaders. The game modified the Dunn-Kempf terrain board and components to create a simplified, faster-paced training tool.

The game was set at platoon level, with models to represent individual tanks and sections. Any modern wargamer familiar with the work of WRG would have recognised a TRAX 1 game in progress.

TRAX I focused on low-cost methods of leader tactical training and aims. The game was a ‘multiplayer’ solo game with the players representing American forces against an umpire controlled Warsaw Pact enemy. It was targeted at maximising training and included four exercises with detailed lesson plans.

This book includes extensive notes about the game design and are still of relevance to any developer working on developing their own tactical wargame.

This book is published by the History of Wargaming Project as part of ongoing efforts to document the development of professional wargaming.

 

Cold War Nuclear Wargaming 1947-1991

 

During the Cold War, more accurately known as the First Cold War from 1945 to 1991, wargames were a staple in the military, political, and industrial sectors. This book delves into a seldom-explored area of literature: nuclear wargaming. It features a variety of professional wargames from that period, including Tom Schelling's classic crisis game set in Cold War Berlin, which often incorporated nuclear war scenarios, Dr. Paddy Griffith's strategic nuclear wargame, and decision-making games for political leaders facing the ultimate choice of whether to resort to nuclear options in response to a Warsaw Pact invasion of Europe. Additionally, it includes extracts from tactical nuclear wargaming rules used by the British and American military in their land wargames, as well as a civil defence exercise addressing the challenges of local government managing the transition to war and the immediate post-strike period.

This book is a unique contribution to the professional wargaming literature and is published by the History of Wargaming Project