"When wargame helps re-building history (SYW)" Topic

I was going on with my project of recreating the Battle of Leuthen at 1:1 ratio. For this goal I am using my counters on the map of Clash of Arms. Trying to do so, I found myself facing problems of movement and so on; Moving the counters on the map I think I understood better what really happened in the firs steps of that battle.. or at least I like to think in this way…. does it happen also to you?

link

Always. It's the principle reason I game.

Often. But I always try to remember all games rules are subjective. They're a good starting point, but you have to be careful what you get out of them.

I often think that setting up a game on a the table has given me a better idea of the real battlefield, but I am probably kidding myself.

I like to point out to my fellow gamers how distances on the table correspond to distance between points in Melbourne. If you know that the distance from a to b on the Wagram battlefield is the same as the distance between x and y in Melbourne, it gives you a better appreciation of the scale of the battlefield and the problems of command and control.

I'm with Andy – even if you aren't 100% accurate just setting up the terrain and placing the units gives you a real feel for a battle.

Yep, make it as real as you can, but remember (particularly if you're doing a historical battle) that it isn't. Fortunately, you'll never have to write the letters to next of kin; in the end, it's only a game.

There always seems to be somebody ready to disparage any attempt to deepen the understanding of history via wargaming . . . as if there can be no real understanding of any aspect of history unless shots are fired or somebody actually dies. No one actually dies on a map or in a history book, either, but no one seriously questions the utility of either of those media in understanding history.

True, it is not War, but neither is it "only" a game, any more than "A Stillness at Appomattox" is "only" a book.

Excellent project, Miki.

Thanks war artisan. I like what you wrote… and I do agree with you