SOME BASIC PROBLEMS IN WAR GAMING OF GROUND COMBAT.
Abstract
Research is presented to describe and study certain problem areas in the use of formal war games for research, with particular regard to the relation between game purposes and the way games are conducted and interpreted. This paper discusses first the relation between other means of conducting research and war games, here defined as formal simulations of ground warfare in which teams make moves without full knowledge of the disposition or capabilities of their opponents' forces. One property discussed as the capability of games to reveal and permit examination of certain kinds of interrelations or interactions, which, for example, can be thought of either as the effects of the tactics and environment on the capability of the particular weapons or (depending on the game purpose) the effects of the weapons and environment on the tactics. The second of the four aspects commented on is the level of detail: too simplified a game can produce research results of little value, but unnecessary detail will slow up the game. The third part of the discussion examines the problems involved in using random numbers. The fourth aspect concerns the basis for the way the rules determine such results of a particular battle as whether it is won or lost, what the casualties are, and how much ground was taken. The paper's last section concerns interpretation of games for research. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1965
- Accession Number
- AD0470102
Entities
People
- William H. Sutherland