Connections UK 2024

An update from Graham Longley-Brown and the Connections UK team.

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The Connections UK 2024 conference for wargaming professionals will take place Tuesday 10 to Thursday 12 September 2024 at Brunel University in Uxbridge, just to the west of London and five miles from Heathrow airport. Tickets will go live in mid-June and are likely to be in high demand. We’ll send more content details presently, but the main themes and sessions are outlined below.

The Connections UK mission remains ‘to advance and preserve the art, science and application of wargaming’. The two main themes this year are: engaging academia; and helping to improve methods, models and tools that contribute to better wargaming.

Connections UK 2024 will feature:

• An Introduction to Wargaming course on Day 1.
• A half-day icebreaker on the morning of Day 1.
• A stream on wargaming in academia.
• Practitioner-level workshops and seminars to improve methods, models and tools that contribute to better wargaming.
• A stream on wargaming deterrence, escalation and de-escalation.
• A stream on wargaming deception.
• A stream on gaming social complexity, which will include the use of artificial intelligence to support wargaming.
• Games Fairs on the afternoons of Days 2 and 3. See note below regarding entries.
• The inaugural Peter Perla Commemorative talk, featuring Phil Sabin and David Banks talking respectively to the growth and future of wargaming.
• Social gaming on the evenings of Days 1 and 2.
• Semi-organised networking events during the evening social gaming.
• Sessions designed to help the next generation of wargamers.
• Hands-on workshops exploring topics such as microgames, a ‘game jam’ and a designers’ clinic.
• And lots more!

Games Fairs entries. We are introducing criteria for showing a game. Please click the link at https://www.professionalwargaming.co.uk/GamesFair.html for these criteria and entry submission form.

Connections UK follows the week after the Wargaming in NATO (WIN) conference 2 – 4 September at the University of the German Armed Forces in Hamburg, Germany.

Connections (US) is 25 – 27 June at the Army Heritage and Education Center (AHEC) in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

We look forward to seeing you in September!