The back cover says:
"You will benefit from this book if you are a practitioner of the art of serious wargaming. Done well, the simple act of putting players in an immersive environment, asking them to make decisions and then face the consequences of those in a dynamically evolving narrative generates astounding insights and internalises learning objectives. Yet, as Clausewitz said of war, everything in wargaming is simple, but doing the simplest thing is difficult. This book explains the seemingly simple. It is a detailed guide to designing and delivering successful wargames, whether you apply the technique to Defence, other government departments, business, the emergency services, academia or humanitarian operations. This is important because good wargames save money but, first and foremost, they save lives.
The author
In his book, Graham Longley-Brown draws on his first-hand
experience and those of leading professionals around the world to tell the
story of wargaming best practices. From delving into the nature and
applicability of wargames (they’re not just for the military), to building the
best teams for producing and managing them, to articulating the life cycle of a
successful game, it is a story which will prove invaluable for professional
practitioners of wargames for both security and business.
Peter Perla, author of The Art of Wargaming
This book offers a cornucopia of invaluable information and
ideas based on Graham Longley-Brown's decades of hands-on experience in
designing and running professional wargames. There are extensive contributions
from other experts, making the book a gold mine of insights from across the
global wargaming community. It is essential reading for anyone wishing to use
this increasingly prominent analytical and educational technique.
Professor Philip Sabin, author of Simulating War
Soldiers take great pride in being physically fit. Sport
plays a major part in Army culture. But fighting power comprises three
components: physical; moral and conceptual. The physical component is important,
but the conceptual component is the decisive and campaign-winning
differentiator: in war, the winners are the thinkers, the rest are losers.
Wargaming is not only a directed element of the military planning process, but
it also provides a fitness training programme for the brain in which every
thinking Army officer should engage. Anyone involved in military thinking, or
indeed any form of tactical or strategic thinking, from government to business,
will derive huge benefit from Graham Longley-Brown’s excellent exploration and
explanation of the (often neglected) art of wargaming.
General (Retired) Andrew Sharpe CBE
