A great start into a busy weekend and upcoming week at the Command and Staff College. Playing Pax Pamir with Damla, Natalia and Pijus today. @pijusk.bsky.social won via instability, which I didn't see coming in that moment. Such a great game and always fun to play and chat with #wargaming buddies!
Instability is a great way to start the weekend! Fun game!
I fully agree on whom to blame, especially as Natalia is not here :D
I haven't given it a proper go yet myself and can't share full impressions, but if you want to learn about this little known side of colonialism, it could be a place start. And here's a cool picture of an actual book smuggler Vincas Juška.
Today marks Lithuania's Restoration of the State Day today and @fluxogames.bsky.social released a game on one of the key culturally painful moments' in the country's history - ban on Lithuanian publications in Latin alphabet by the tsarist government. What did we do? Started smuggling books, ofc.
Not yet - I usually use QGIS and Inkscape for various hex-based maps, but haven't really thought about BGC yet. I'll let you know, once I have ideas.
Mine is here as well! Time to go through the rules and then teach the students. And then make some local maps.
Of course - sent!
Done!
Happy to send you the slides, if you'd like!
We first went through an example of transforming a simple model into a game (as in GUWS presentation), and then I mostly discussed how game theoretic structures can help inform building the core of a wargame model, and then how player behaviour can inform game theory models and payoff structures.
It continued building (and borrowed from) an earlier exploration of the links between social science modelling approaches and wargaming I did for @guws.bsky.social. Just with more focus on what game theory can give to wargames, and how wargames can in turn inform game theory and its interpretation.
Wargame design can benefit a lot from learning from other social science modelling approaches, especially from game theory. Today, I had a pleasure to talk about wargaming and game theory at wargaming course at Alti Studi Difesa.
Actions, results, and spillovers could then move trackers to the different directions. Scenario injects also affected them, creating a dynamic environment and building the need for reaction. The experience also provided some methodological (including related to linguistics) ideas to try next.
- asking to identify not only expected obstacles and enablers, but also spillovers to other areas (they could also cover budget and societal cohesion issues).
The core approach relied on a matrix format, but included several constraints for a clearer framework:
- clear tensions where the actions must be focused (demographics and labour, economic transformation, institutions and governance, security, and social welfare), and
ISM University's wargaming in 2025 ended with four sessions on Lithuania's development over 25 coming years. Each involved 12 players from business, legal, academia, culture, other sectors. They played as national and municipal government, business, labour, culture and education, and hostile forces.
And it's official Sarbievijus Year in LT this year!
Yes, arriving tomorrow afternoon!
See you, brother!
Thank you for sharing!
And here's a personal After Action Report for Connections UK at Armchair Dragoons. It was a great event, and my only regret is that my flight was early afternoon on the last day. Available here: armchairdragoons.com/cnxuk25-aar/
Last semester we had a Churchill day in the class, and here's the write up of why it works in the educational context.
We visited the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, and now I think we had a vampire infestation in Vilnius sometime before late 17th century...
Please please please everyone (pls reskeet) who is involved with a uni/college academic program (broadly speaking) conected to games Could you write a quick comment + links if any apply to what you and your institution are doing in that sphere? I need to show what's out there. 1/
#AncientBluesky 🗃️
We have a Wargaming Lab at ISM University of Management and Economics in Vilnius, Lithuania. That's in addition to the course where we had a discussion with you! More: pijus.substack.com/p/academic-y... and faculty.ism.lt/en/ism-warga...
I've met @icurtiss.bsky.social at Connections UK last year, where we talked about wargaming as a modelling method, risk gaming and his scenarios for Lux Capital. A couple of weeks ago, we sat down online to talk about these topics, students' games, and other war/riskgaming matters. Enjoy!
“the story of the #crossbronxexpressway is a lens through which we can better understand our modern world.”
pre-orders charging means the game ships soon. i recorded a podcast called endnotes to hold folk over while they wait for it to arrive.
@gmtgames.bsky.social
[ link below]
Commercial sector innovations can find their place in professional wargaming - from streamlining to mechanical novelties. Successful involvement of high ranking officers / decision makers depends on how they can be involved with relatively lower time investment and lower need for rule complexity.
Academically, important discussions focus on type of knowledge that wargames create, which was excellently presented by David Banks. It's great that postgraduate research is going strong, and it was interesting to see some historical counterfactual research on the possible invasion of Switzerland.
