Situated on the shores of Newport, Rhode Island, the Naval War College showcases an architectural style reminiscent of the French Academies. Captain William McCarty Little, who grew up among New York socialites from a wealthy family, graduated from the academy in 1866. Little served on various ships, such as the USS Macedonia, USS Saco, and USS Minnesota. In 1871, Little was granted leave to study in Europe. It was during this period that he was likely introduced to the German Kriegspiel, a wargame developed by the Prussian Army based on highly realistic scenarios.
Rewinding to 1812, King Frederick William III (interestingly, the Elector of Brandenburg until the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire) was presented with a sophisticated wargame (German Kriegspiel) featuring a wooden table-cabinet containing all necessary gaming materials. The game utilized a six-foot folding board as a playing surface, with the battlefield depicted on modular porcelain tiles featuring painted bas-relief terrain, allowing for customizable configurations at a scale of 1:2373. Troop formations were represented by small porcelain blocks, which players could freely move across the battlefield using dividers and rulers to measure and regulate movement. Although it was a hit with the royal family, it was far too expensive to produce commercially or for military use. In 1824, the invention was passed to Reisswitz Jr., a young Prussian officer. Reisswitz Jr., the son of the original inventor, presented the updated War Game to the King and high-ranking generals at Berlin Castle. The game was a success and was officially adopted as an officer training tool, with the King requesting that every regiment be equipped with a war game.
Historians later note that wargaming played a significant role in the preparation that helped the Prussians emerge victorious in the 1870 Franco-Prussian War.
Returning to Little, in 1887, back in Rhode Island, he helped introduce wargaming to the Naval War College, leading to the later creation of McCarty Little Hall, a facility over 100,000 square feet dedicated to wargaming. Little guided officers in wargames to help them understand how to command fleets and squadrons of ships in their future careers.
Wargaming has continued to be useful for the U.S. military, with scenarios like Plan Orange involving Japan in the 1920s and 1930s being crucial to future battles in the Pacific theater.
Today, wargames have evolved with venture firms like @Lux_Capital organizing Risk Gaming covering scenarios such as "climate change and national security, the ethics of doing business in China, AI and election security, as well as AI and national security."
The first released scenario is "Hampton at the Cross-Roads," where warm waters in the Atlantic cause large-scale damage to the Norfolk Naval Shipyard Dry Docks, one of the only U.S. Dry Docks where carriers can be repaired.
@wolfejosh, co-founder of @lux_capital, shared a quick breakdown here: https://x.com/wolfejosh/status/1781694014799917560…
Along with a great piece by @margauxmaccoll & @theinformation https://theinformation.com/articles/the-venture-capitalists-who-like-to-play-disaster…