with a foreword by Brian Train
Paddy
Griffith (1947- 2010) was a leading British military theorist and historian,
who used wargaming as part of his tool set to critically analyse operational
and tactical military history. This book includes two previously unpublished
COunter-INsurgency (COIN) wargames from 1976 to 1980 and an example of a
British Army live-roleplaying COIN from 1980.
Paddy
Griffith examined COIN situations using wargaming as part of his professional
work, which included being a lecturer in war studies at the Royal Military
Academy at Sandhurst. This book includes previously unpublished material from
his archive about three such exercises.
The
first COIN game, Longreagh Village, is about a security force base facing a
particularly challenging week of supporting the local police in a border
village. Briefings are provided for the security forces and the opposition
group. This is supported by a sketch map, intelligence files and a breakdown of
activities for each day of the week.
The
second COIN game, summer in Dogem-on-Sea, is set in ORANGELAND. The local
police are facing a two pronged threat against the local population. The
security forces part of the game was run as a committee game, whereas the
opposition side was run as a role-playing game. Detailed briefings are provided,
the events diary of the local police commander, tactical sketch maps of key
locations as well as other background material.
The
third COIN game is an outline of a British Army live-roleplaying exercise, with
a cast of 250 people. Soldiers and civilians were drafted in to create a
backdrop for an intensive 48 hour exercise to allow the officer cadets of
Sandhurst to gain practical experience of COIN. As a lecturer in war studies,
Paddy Griffith contributed to these exercises, in particular, the development
of the exercise narrative.
This
book is almost unique in providing detailed historical examples of COIN
exercises and as such is a window into the professional perspective of the
British Army into COIN at that time.
The
foreword is by Brian Train, a well-known current game designer, who specialises
in producing games about irregular warfare.
