"Desperately seeking live politicians for our wargames" Topic

"I play wargames as part of my learning. If there is a crisis or potential crisis that takes my professional interest, I print out an A3 map, do some counters and use a variant of whichever set of rules seem to work from my archive. I spend a few hours on the game and as a result my understanding is always moved to a new, deeper level. However, I have noticed that actual politicians are absent and so are missing the opportunity to learn from our professional wargames.

Those operating at such a significant level of decision making are exactly the kind of people you want to be "gamers", those who've played through the situations they're having to handle in the real world many times before…."
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Amicalement
Armand

All ours are busy doing nothing much.

I have higher standards about who I will spend my time with

Hell Jim, fully half of our are sitting around twiddling their thumbs as well.
There used to be an old saying, "Those who can, do, those who can't, teach." Since I have been married to a "teacher" PhD in education, for 46 years, I know that that she most certainly can "do". However, back to the point, the saying new to be modified to, "Those who can, do, those who can't, go into politics."
Anyway, enough of my pulpit thumping. The politicians these days do need to get some situational awareness training. However, if we put them into wargames, they will certainly F#&*up everything. They would need to establish a committee to investigate the need to go to war, then a Blue Ribbon Commission to convene to discuss the need for the war that is being gamed, then 3 or 4 years of negotiation with the other gamers to find a peaceful solution. Convene endless emergency sessions at the U.N. where they would need more endless sessions to decide which emergency sessions are needed, then another 12 to 14 months to gear up and get logistics into place……etc, etc, etc.

I wonder what kind of pie in the sky universe that writer lives in.

The third part is the politicians fear of leaks.

Are you kidding? Politicians are the biggest leakers of all. It's what they live for.

It reads like it was written in a Civics class in 1972.

There are games for senior-level people in the DC region, though more likely military and civil service than the about 500 elected politicians. They expect to be paid, though.

And if you asked me to spend time with politicians, you'd certainly have to pay me.

Politicians… politicians… nope, I can't see them on my fish and game hunting license. Which bureau covers them and is there any bag limit?

There are games for senior-level people in the DC region, though more likely military and civil service than the about 500 elected politicians.

The National Decision Making Game, a variant of which the MacDonough brothers used to run at Historicon. Back in the '70's a week-long session was required for all new Pentagon staffers and Foreign Service officers, don't know if it still is. Newly elected Senators and Representatives were invited, but very few bothered to play.

The interesting dynamic was that the military players bent over backwards to avoid armed conflict, while the FSO's were far more likely to not only go to war, but go nuclear.

Politicians do play wargames. They just don't advertise that they play wargames to the general public and they don't tend to talk about politics or their professional backgrounds to people with whom they play. I know this is true because one of the people with whom I have gamed for thirty years is a person who has played a key role in implementing important political changes in this country this year (though not in the area of foreign policy). Similarly, while I lost (I came in fourth in field of seven), I have run for federal office in the past and continue to remain active in politics. Also, while most of my hobby activities now revolve more around painting than gaming, when I do get a chance to game, I occasionally game with other individuals involved in politics (from both parties).

"Politicians… politicians… nope, I can't see them on my fish and game hunting license. Which bureau covers them and is there any bag limit?"
You don't want them--too damn hard to clean.

Politics : from poly, meaning many and tick, meaning parasite.

Re: politicians and leaks – a sieve has more containment
credibility…

Narratio I you did not need a license to shoot vermin, that why they are not on there.

You can always tell when a politician is lying when their lips move.

(smile)

Amicalement
Armand

How do you tell a politician from a stable hand? The stable hand knows which end of the shovel to use.

Ha-Ha-Ha…!

Amicalement
Armand

Do they have to be live?