by Armchair Dragoons PAO, 12 July 2024
The original Prussian Kriegsspiel – the foundation of wargaming – is an eye-opening event for those that’ve never experienced the maximum fog of war that accompanies a truly double-blind game.
How it started
Of note, to keep down any cross-talk or chatter, each table had 2 players from either side sitting there. Even if you tried to whisper across the table to your teammate, the enemy was going to hear you.
As explained by lead umpire / game control guy James Sterrett:
Kriegsspiel, the original Prussian training wargame, is multiple-blind, with written orders – placing a premium on players’ ability to see through the fog of war and write clear orders that will be executed by another human being. The master umpire map has the ground truth of the situation, while the players are isolated by cardboard cubicle walls and only learn about their situation through reports from the runner umpires. Their orders are carried back to the master umpire map and only acted on after an appropriate delay – the time the Messages Umpire thinks it will take for a courier on horseback to carry that message to its recipient!
Both of our scenarios were structured to be pursuit/delay scenarios, given lots of scope for maneuver and fortunate – or unfortunate! – timing and execution of orders. We had both repeat players, and a number of new players, and everybody seemed to have a great time with it.
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You can see the master control map here, with all of the player units on there together, along with many of the incoming orders along the edges of the map as the umpires execute & resolve those orders as they arrive.
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This year, we were joined by Paul LaFontaine, one of the folks that helps run IKS, the International Kriegsspiel Society. Although primarily an observer at Origins overall, Paul jumped in with our two events as an umpire and assisted with the overall control of the games, while he also found time to still be a tourist and enjoy some of the other fun to be had at Origins. He chimed in with the following thoughts after the convention:
As an umpire from International Kriegsspiel Society (IKS), it was a pleasure to join the Armchair Dragoons at Origins and assist James Sterrett in running his Kriegsspiel session. At the IKS we specialize a form of online play. James’ approach is the traditional, in person, approach that was refreshing and instructive. I sent notes back to our group on the intensity and complexity James was able to create, and we’re already experimenting with things we learned. This is an example of how Armchair Dragoons in its efforts creates a place where we can learn from each other while having fun.
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Here you can see the evolution of the turn as player orders come in, and subtle changes are made to unit formations and locations on the master control map.
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James has had less-stressful days, but since the Kriegsspiels were his only GM event this year, he ended up with plenty of time to be a tourist at this Origins. Among our other Wargame HQ guests / KS participants were Paul (noted above), Liam from Slitherine Games, and Tim from Catastrophe Games.
And don’t be like Tim…
ORIGINS 2024 COVERAGE
PREVIEWS:
WARGAME HQ EVENTS ~ MiD PREVIEW EPISODE ~ WARGAME HQ GAME PREVIEWS ~ WAR COLLEGE PREVIEWS ~ CONSOLIDATED ALL WARGAMING EVENT GRID ~ EXHIBITOR SPOTLIGHT ~ THE ORIGINS OF ORIGINS
AT THE SHOW:
SETUP & FIRST GAMES ~ DAY 1 REPORT ~ THE SHAMAN ASCENDS ~ THE EXHIBIT HALL ~ THE VIEW FROM ABOVE ~ BINGO ~ GAMEPLAY PHOTOS ~ WARGAME HQ EVENT REPORT ~ COSTUME PHOTOS ~ CONVENTION PHOTOS ~ KRIEGSSPIEL ~ AAR ~ YOUTUBE PLAYLIST
DISCUSSION FORUM THREAD
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At the Origins Game Fair, so vast,
Wargaming enthusiasts amassed,
With armies in sight,
They prepared for the fight,
And victory was theirs at last.
