Connections Wargaming Conference 2022

by Mitch Reed

Last month wargamers of every ilk converged at the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) facility in Alexandria, for the annual Connections Wargaming Conference. This was the first live event since 2019 due to COVID19 and many people, including myself, were excited to have an in-person event. Started by Matt Caffrey in 1993, the mission of Connections is to provide wargaming practitioners with a venue to share best practices and advance the field of wargaming. The audience is made up of wargaming academics, organizational gamers, and hobby game designers and developers. They exchange ideas and theories on how to make games better and more useful.

The four-day event features various speakers and panels on a wide range of topics from detailed game theory to how role-playing games build comradery for groups of gamers. Some unique topics of this year’s event were the focus on hiring people into the gaming community and how to better wargame capabilities such as cyber and ideas to improve games that deal with climate change.

The initial focus of the conference was defense industry gamers, the aperture of the event has grown with the attendance of hobby gamers and even wargamers from companies such as General Motors. I strongly feel that the community can only get better if we seek out new and diverse voices who have fresh ideas.

Since the first conference in 1993 gaming has grown in both the defense and hobby sector. The growth of computer wargames and mechanics made popular in Euro-gaming in the hobby market have had an impact on defense gamers globally. In return, hobby games have developed better mechanics and display style due to what they have learned from defense gaming. Connections represent a win-win for both communities since both see tangible benefits from sharing and exposing ideas to a wider audience.

Connections has also gone worldwide with sister events held in Canada, Britain, the Netherlands, and Australia. Many attendees try to go to as many events each year since each conference has a different focus each year. The host, IDA, selected the 2022 conference to be about wargaming and experimentation, and some of the discussion groups focused on that topic.

Having been to a few live events (and some online) I look forward to the convention aspect of the event as well since I see old friends and get to play some games during the events built into the schedule each night. Even if gaming is not on the schedule one should never be surprised if a spurious game breaks out at any time.

Some may wonder what a commercial wargamer or wargame company would get from going to a Connections event. This year I asked my BFF Jon Russell from Warlord Games to attend the opening night “Dice Breaker” social event that I was running since it was the week after Historicon and he would be in the area. Sadly, I learned that his Twisted Lords event in Oklahoma was the same week as Historicon. However, he was so interested in the conference that he flew out to attend for the week (downside for him, he crashed at my place).

I wondered if he would find a lot of the speakers and panels interesting. I should not have assumed this at all and I forgot what Connections was all about, ideas from all over the community. Jon loved the conference and attended sessions all week, along with hosting many games such as Blood Red Skies.

Jon was not the only commercial gamer I pleaded with to attend. I asked members of my gaming circle such as Volko Ruhhke (Labyrinth, Fire in the Lake), Jason Matthews (Twilight Struggle, 1960), and Kevin Bertram from Fort Circle Games (Shores of Tripoli, Votes for Women) to show up for the Dice Breaker social event. While not all of the attendees are gamers, most of them are and for them to get a signed copy of a game by the designer was like a dream come true for most.

Working in the defense gaming world I have noticed that there is a lack of gaming culture within the department and getting wargamers to look at games beyond their day jobs is crucial for developing and presenting complex issues to a professional audience. Within the military ranks, many of those who come to one of my wargames, have never heard of the craft and are unsure of what they are supposed to do at an event.

If we could get them to play wargames in their military education, or even better, to play games socially then they would become better wargame participants for work games. This is why meeting an industry professional like Jon or Kevin is so important for the community.

The above ideology was where I decided to take the social event which we called the ‘Dice Breaker”; the goal here was to get as many of the attendees “into” gaming via having a raffle where they can take home a board, miniatures of computer wargame.

Besides the raffle, we also held a wargamer-themed scavenger whose winners also got to take home a game.

Using the NDNG network we were able to get sponsorship from companies such as Fort Circle Games, GMT Games, Warlord Games, Firelock Games, Slitherine/Matrix Games, Catastrophe Games and the DSTL from the UK. We were also able to get Jason Petho, the designer of Campaign Series: Vietnam to donate a game session with whomever won his game in the raffle.

Some of the designers/developers that showed up event ran demos of their games which was a huge treat for their many fans.

Even having all of the games displayed showed the non-gamers the breadth and depth of what the hobby community is wargaming and perhaps one of these games has the mechanics that could solve their most pressing wargaming problem.

With another Connections Wargaming Conference in the books, the planning for the 2023 event is starting now. For those thinking of attending and better yet helping with the event contact us here at NDNG or head to the website which can be found here.