POLI 452, Winter 2024 edition

This term I am again teaching my POLI 452 (Conflict Simulation) course at McGill University. The course filled up quickly, with 40 upper-level undergraduate students eager enough to show up for an 0830 class in the winter. As usual, the class is evenly split between men and women.

The lecture topics we address include:

• The history of wargaming
• Principles of serious game design
• Modelling conflict 1 (focus on military combat)
• Modelling conflict 2 (focus on economic, political, and other issues and dynamics)
• Components and design
• Design caveats and pitfalls
• Playtesting and rule-writing
• Seminar, matrix, and negotiation games
• Ethics of game design
• (Serious) megagames and LARPs
• Critical reflections

The material in these modules is assessed with three mid-term quizzes (5% of course grade each) and a final exam (25%).

In addition, students can earn up to 15% of their course grade by taking part in games and related activities (such as participation in McGill Model UN, attendance at the Connections North professional (war)gaming conference, attending GUWS online wargaming presentations, or touring the facilities of the Steinberg Centre for Simulation and Interactive Learning). The games they have an opportunity to play include:

• Shores of Tripoli (18th century/strategic)
• 1812: Invasion of Canada (19th century/strategic)
• Battle for Moscow (WW2 operational)
• Twilight Struggle (Cold War strategic)
• We Are Coming, Nineveh! (modern operational/tactical)
• Rebel, Inc (modern counterinsurgency, digital)
• Black Orchestra (WW2 covert action/conspiracy)
• Through the Darkest of Night (WW2 covert action/conspiracy, digital)
• Reckoning of Vultures (coup plotting matrix game)
• Lizards and Lies (disinformation)
• Preparing for the Apocalypse (investment/procurement)
• AFTERSHOCK (humanitarian assistance/disaster relief)
• This War of Mine (civilians in war)
• Stop Disasters (disaster preparedness, digital)
• Mission Zhobia (peacebuilding, digital)
• GAP Gaming for Peace (peace operations/CIVPOL, digital)
• Outbreak READY2: Thisland in Crisis (infectious disease preparedness and response, digital)

Finally, 35% of their course grade is based on a group conflict simulation (game) design project, which they undertake in groups of five students. The projects this year are:

1. American Presidential Elections

• A game about US presidential election campaigns.

2. Mussolini and the Mafia

• Competing mafia families maneuver to further their interests amidst the rise of the rise of fascism, WW2, and the Allied invasion of Sicily.

3. Opium Wars

• A historical board game examining the Opium Wars between Britain and China (1839-1860), when Britain attempted to force opium imports on Qing Dynasty China.

4. Polymer Planet

• A serious game about reducing plastic pollution, in which players assume the role of different stakeholders.

5. Red Tide

• Examination of a possible Chinese (PRC) invasion of Taiwan (ROC), including US military support for the latter.

6. Regional conflict in the Middle East

• A two player game of strategic rivalry and military confrontation between Iran (and its allies/proxies) and Israel.

7. Urban Combat

• Modern platoon- or company-level combat in urban environments.

8. Wildfire!

• A serious game examining the challenge of wildfire preparedness and response.

Although some classroom time is devoted to in-class development of these projects, most of it occurs outside class hours. I’m pleased that Dr. Ben Taylor (Defence Research and Development Canada) is again generously offering his time to assist with some of our “Game Lab” sessions.

Many of the groups will be presenting their initial game design concepts in a poster session at Connections North this year, so if you’re attending (February 17) you’ll have an opportunity to discuss their ideas—and offer some of your own!

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