Wargaming Publishing in 2026

 

Looking back, 2008 was perhaps a pivotal moment for "serious" and historical wargaming literature. Encouraged by John Basset, Tom Mouat and Tony Hawkins, I started to publish books in what became The History of Wargaming Project. This project aimed to  preserve the hobby's roots and create a literature base to support professional wargaming.

The History of Wargaming Project was the most prolific source of "wargaming" titles at time, including bringing out-of-print classics back to life. In 2010, I released several "expanded reprints," such as Joseph Morschauser's How to Play War Games in Miniature (thanks Bob for your work on this). My publishing included an updated edition of Peter Perla’s The Art of Wargaming, which remains a "bible" for both hobbyists and military professionals. Neither Peter Perla and I had any idea that my republication of an academic text from 1992 would become a best seller (within the tiny world of professional wargaming!)

The well-known military publisher Osprey noted the resurgence in wargaming publishing and in 2010 released of Field of Glory: Renaissance. This proved to be a major title and this helped cement Amazon as a primary storefront for rulesets that were previously only available in local hobby shops.

At the start of 2026 wargaming book sales are up and down; more sold, but on average fewer of each title. The exact number of books published each year is hard to work out as some books are published in hardback, paperback and as e-books, then go to second editions, which means they may count more than once in this total. An estimate of the number of titles published is to divide the total by 2.5 to allow for the various editions of the book. Also Amazon’s algorithms sometimes add in books titles that are closely related to ‘wargaming’ such as ‘Military strategy’.  I have not attempted to map the large number of roleplaying rules and even larger number of supporting roleplaying supplements.

With the above caveats in mind, the numbers are as follows:

2010 – 22 titles (the majority were History of Wargaming Project books).

2018 56. The traditional publishers such as Osprey Publishing, Helion & Company, and Pen & Sword dominated. There was also The Portable Wargame (published 2016), One hour wargames and a range of professional wargaming books by The History of Wargaming Project.

2023 104 titles.

2024 132 titles. This included the much anticipated The Third Portable Wargame Compendium.

2025 120 titles.

Currently, in 2026, 90% of wargaming books are now self-published There is a surge in solo wargaming book titles and AI assisted campaign generators. Using LLMs, there is a proliferation of low-quality and often short books. Supported by excellent marketing efforts, they catch many purchasers. It is easy to produce a wargaming book and associated marketing using an LLM.

An approximate breakdown of the wargaming books is as follows:

Rules & Supplements 45%   New systems for skirmish, fleet, and mass-battle gaming.

History & Analysis      20%      Deep dives into historical battles specifically for gamers.

Fiction/RPG     15%      Where "wargaming" is a central plot element or mechanic.

Journals & Logbooks 20%      Low-content books like The Ultimate Wargaming Battle Tracker. These so called ‘ghost titles’ have minimal content and many blank pages

In 2026 there is some frustration that academic wargaming books have low sales (and somehow this is my fault!). Part of this is the high price for some academic books. E.g. Cyber Wargaming: Research and Education for Security in a Dangerous Digital World is £100 hardback and £38 for the Kindle version. Politics of Play: Gaming with the US Military £59, but is now £14 on the Kindle.

One response in the USA has been some books published as pdfs for free. The authors get no money but get the prestige; the publisher of the organisation gets kudos which apparently translates into American government funding. Giving away large numbers of your books apparently demonstrates an organisations mastery of wargaming. Key examples of this are from the US Naval War College and the US Marine Corps.

Matt Caffrey (2019) On War https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/newport-papers/43/

Sebastian Bae (2026) Forging Wargamers: A Framework for Professional Military Education https://www.usmcu.edu/Portals/218/Forging%20Wargamers_web.pdf

So, what is the future of wargaming publishing in 2026? Osprey will continue to publish a range of varying quality wargaming books. Not that expensive, some are excellent such as Frost Grave, but others suffer from lack of play sheets or key rule omissions that make the rules unplayable. There will continue to be a sprinkling of academic works that are expensive, with very limited sales, obscure, but achieve the objective of being seen as high value academic publications. There is no sign the proliferation of AI generated self-published wargaming books is slowing.

In such a crowded market place, brand name is king. Of course, the challenge is establishing that brand name so Amazon and Google find your work and push it out to those their algorithms identify as potential customers.

As for me, The History of Wargaming Project will continue to document the development of wargaming and publish what I consider to be important or merely interesting in this story. The potential level of sales is not one of my criteria when deciding what to publish. I am currently working on seven books at the same time, with a further nine more in my to do list. I also have approximately fifty more books that I could potentially publish if I get the time to write and edit them!

Napoleonic Tactics, a rare tactical manual

 

Discover the first-ever English translation of General Nikolai Okunev’s landmark study of Napoleonic warfare — a rare tactical manual written by a veteran of the wars themselves.

Originally published in the early nineteenth century, Examen raisonné des propriétés des trois armes is one of the most important yet least accessible works on Napoleonic tactics, combined arms warfare, and the battlefield use of infantry, cavalry, and artillery. Long recognised on the Continent as a foundational text in military science, it has never before been available to English readers.

Drawing on his direct experience in the Napoleonic Wars, Okunev analyses how each arm of service functions in combat and, crucially, how they must operate together to achieve victory. His clear, systematic guidelines reveal the realities of tactical-level Napoleonic warfare—from infantry formations and cavalry shock action to artillery deployment and battlefield coordination.

This edition includes:

·         A faithful English translation of Okunev’s complete treatise

·         Detailed explanations of Napoleonic battlefield tactics

·         A summary of his tactical insights

·         Contextual commentary highlighting the work’s influence on nineteenth‑century military thought

Whether you are a military historian, Napoleonic wargamer, reenactor, or simply fascinated by the art of war, this book offers a rare window into how battles were actually fought and won during the age of Napoleon — written by someone who stood on those battlefields.

Applying Deception in Wargaming: Introducing Limited Intelligence into Wargames

 

This book covers:

“Guide to applying deception in wargaming”

“Techniques for adding limited intelligence to wargames”

“Fog of war mechanisms for realistic gameplay”

“Practical handbook for wargame designers”

“Innovations in wargaming methods and practice”

“Military deception concepts for hobby and professional wargamers”

Limited intelligence is pivotal in wargaming because it realistically simulates the uncertainty and unpredictability of real-world operations. When players only have partial information, they must make decisions based on assumptions and incomplete data, just as military leaders do in actual conflict. This not only tests their analytical skills and adaptability but also exposes them to the risks and consequences of misjudgement, fostering a deeper understanding of operational complexity. In real warfare, deception exploits this limited intelligence and is used to mislead opponents, mask intentions, and create opportunities.

This books is packed full of practical examples of how wargamers can include limited intelligence, and opportunities for deception, into their games. A wide range of game mechanisms simulating ‘the fog of war’ are discussed; from hidden scenarios, to uncertainty about the enemy order of battle. Uncertainty, also makes hobby games more interesting as it increases the challenge where players are compelled to develop robust strategies for gathering information, interpreting ambiguous signals, and managing the unknown.

This book is published by the History of Wargaming as part of its ongoing work to document innovation in wargaming methods and practise.

The book is available for purchase via Amazon or the Kindle

Alexander the Great’s Campaigns: A Guide to Ancient Political and Military Gaming

 Upon request I have just republished a classic book by the one and only Phil Barker.

  

The story of Alexander the Great is of a young titan who took control of what its neighbours thought of as a backward nation, used an army of radically new kind invented by his father to impose unity on the highly civilised but bitterly quarrelling states of Ancient Greece, then turned east as the champion of civilisation. His strategic and tactical genius quickly crushed the huge Persian Empire, the most feared military power of his day. Continuing east, he imposed his rule on nations beyond the boundaries of the then-known world, battling against armies relying upon huge and terrifying unknown beasts. Before his premature death at the age of 32, Alexander had conquered the Middle East, Asia Minor and large tracts of India, and was about to turn his attention on Rome and Carthage. Had he succeeded, known history would have been significantly different.

The chances he took in leading his troops personally into battle, exposing himself to end-less danger and being frequently wounded, give wargamers endless opportunities to alter history for themselves. The continuous intrigues, betrayals and jealousies between the various military and political leaders give tremendous scope for imaginative and Machiavellian players, while the individual battles - which are described in vivid detail - will certainly tax wargamers’ tactical skills.

This book includes a detailed and accurate account of Alexander as a military commander as well as all the information on march rates, logistics, pay, loot, sieges, armament, organisation and other related factors required by wargamers. It describes the troops of Alexander’s own armies and their opponents, their tactics and weapons and how these altered to meet changing circumstances, As well as being a tremendously exciting and imaginatively stimulating read, the book is thus an essential reference source, at once of immense value to Ancient wargamers and food for thought to serious historians.

The author is widely acknowledged as an authority on the period and. as well as being co-author of the famous Wargames Research Group ‘Ancient’ rules, has written widely on the ancient world.

MORS (Military Operations Research Society) courses are now running face to face in Europe

 

MORS runs a large number of professional wargaming courses virtually in America. They are now running face to face courses in the UK. The first one is in February and is in Salisbury, UK. 

 Link to MORS webstie

Overview:

This introductory wargaming course is designed to enhance analyst capability and knowledge in multiple aspects of professional games, including research, design, development, execution, analysis, and reporting. Through a combination of lectures, European and NATO examples, and practical exercises, participants will learn the theory behind wargames before diving into research design and execution. Building on Peter Perla’s theory of the “Architect, Artist, and Analyst” model for game designers, the course includes material that covers each style of wargame design. The course culminates in a practicum where participants will be given the opportunity to develop and execute their own game.

Objectives:

Our expert instructors will guide participants through the key aspects of wargaming and aid them in creating their own game on the final day of the course. Along the way, participants will learn about the following:

• Defining a wargame
• A brief history of wargames
• Building blocks of game design
• Adjudication
• Strategic gaming
• Wargame graphics
• Game analysis

Royal Navy Wargaming 1929 to 1945 and the Western Approaches Tactical Unit

 

John Curry and Alvaro Radigales

 

The technique of wargaming was just another item in the mental toolbox of Royal Navy officers of the early to mid-twentieth century. When they put their ship in harms way, a captain would have an idea of the probabilities of success and failure based on the operational analysis encapsulated in the wargaming rules. They would have practised the doctrine of the Royal Navy, summarised in the Fighting Instructions, in fleet exercises and on the wargames table.

In the period covered by this book, 1929-1945, the Royal Navy used a number of naval wargames for education, training and operational analysis. This meant when the demand for training escort commanders was drastically increased in the face of the U-Boat threat, wargames were inevitably seen as part of the answer. This book includes the rules for the Western Approaches Tactical Unit (WATU), and places the game in the wider context of a wargaming culture.

There is a wealth of material in the archives about the wargames of this period. This selection for this book includes:

The 1929 Royal Navy Rules.

The Atlantic Trade Defence Wargame run by the Admiralty in 1938.

The WATU rules and combat tables for 1944/45.

Find, Fix and Strike- a training game for operation officers on aircraft carriers.

Supporting this volume is an appendix with extracts of the doctrine for the Royal Navy, The Fighting Instructions (1939).

Also included is all the material found to date on naval weapon effectiveness in the national archives for this period.

This book is a source book for the Royal Navy’s understanding of ‘big gun’ naval warfare.

This book is published by the History of Wargaming Project as part of its research into the development of wargaming.