Resources & Downloads
Publish reusable frameworks, reading maps, templates, and debrief tools that support the institute's methods.
Matrix Game Template
A simple template for running your first matrix game, including setup, turn structure, and adjudication guidelines.
Open ResourceReading a Wargame Rulebook
How to approach dense wargame rulebooks without getting overwhelmed. Focus on structure, not details.
Open ResourceWargame Complexity Ladder
A recommended learning path from simple intro games to complex simulations, organized by mechanics and complexity.
Open ResourceWargaming Terms Glossary
Common wargaming terminology explained: ZOC, OOS, EZOC, odds columns, phasing player, and dozens more.
Open ResourcePlayable Wargame Mechanics
These demos are built to teach. Each one isolates a core wargaming idea and makes the mechanic visible through interaction.
>How Wargames Make Reality Playable
See how a messy real-world situation gets simplified into a playable model without losing the structure that makes decisions meaningful.
From Reality to Play
See how wargames simplify real-world problems into playable systems without losing the mechanisms that matter
Real-World Problem
A live situation with too many interacting variables to play directly
The real world is too dense to play directly. A useful wargame begins by deciding what must stay and what can be abstracted away.
>Combat Results Table (CRT)
The classic odds-based combat system used in most traditional wargames. Attack strength vs defense strength creates odds ratios (3:1, 2:1, etc.), terrain shifts the column left, and dice determine the result.
Attacking Force
Defending Force
1. Calculate Odds: Divide attacker strength by defender strength to get a ratio (like 3:1 or 2:1). This determines which column of the table you use.
2. Terrain Shifts: Terrain "shifts" the odds left (toward worse odds for attacker). Forest is -1 column (3:1 becomes 2:1), City is -2 columns (3:1 becomes 1:1). This is why attacking into cities is hard.
3. Roll The Die: Roll 1d6 and look up the result on your odds column. The table shows what happens:
- AE (Attacker Eliminated): Your attack failed catastrophically - you lose all units
- AR (Attacker Retreats): Attack failed - you lose 1 unit and must pull back
- EX (Exchange): Bloody fight - both sides lose 1 unit
- DR (Defender Retreats): Success! Defender loses 1 unit and must retreat
- DE (Defender Eliminated): Total victory - defender loses all units
Key Lesson: Better odds give better results more consistently, but nothing is guaranteed. A 4:1 attack in open ground is strong. That same attack into a city (becomes 2:1 after -2 shift) is much riskier. This is why concentration of force and terrain matter.
>Hex and Counter Primer
A compact explainer for classic hex-and-counter systems. It shows how counters encode movement, combat, and battlefield role directly in their printed values.
Hex and Counter Primer
This is a compact teaching aid for classic hex-and-counter design. Click each counter type to see how printed values become battlefield behavior.
Printed Values
Mechanic
Infantry is the baseline unit in many hex-and-counter systems: steady, versatile, and best at holding ground.
Why Hex and Counter Systems Matter
This teaches that counters are not just tokens. Their printed numbers are the rule arguments that create different battlefield roles.
What These Demos Teach
These are focused teaching tools, not full wargames. Each one isolates a core concept and makes it visible through interaction.
What you're learning:
- •Reality to Playable Model: How complex real-world situations get simplified into playable systems without losing the structure that makes decisions meaningful.
- •Combat Results Table (CRT): The classic odds-based combat system. Learn why force concentration matters, how terrain affects combat, and when to attack vs defend. This mechanic makes planning and preparation matter more than dice luck.
- •Hex and Counter Primer: How traditional wargame counters encode movement, attack strength, defense strength, and battlefield role directly on the piece. This is the information-dense design language of classic wargames.
These mechanics are building blocks. Real wargames combine them with scenarios, historical context, and adjudication rules to explore specific questions about conflict, strategy, and decision-making under uncertainty.