IR Simulations

I am a strong believer in the use of simulations and hypothetical scenarios to help students understand and utilize class concepts and theories. Like academic texts, war games and simulations of international relations create abstract models of how the world works and seek to explain outcomes by highlighting the interaction of key variables. I encourage students to use games to explore theoretical concepts but also to be self-reflexive about game design. Which independent and dependent variables do the games highlight? Which ones do they ignore?

This part of the site will highlight the games that I use in my classes. I will also use this space to discuss and review various video and tabletop games that offer unique insights into the practice of international relations.

In fact, as you can see here, I am an avid collector of board games and simulations that explore the history, present and future of international relations.

History of Matrix Games

I just read an excellent article over at the Paxsims website on the origins of Matrix games. As mentioned earlier, I often use this type of simulation in the classroom and I find them to be excellent learning tools. The need for students to argue why or why not certain actions will succeed really encourages them to use relevant class concepts and theories. The random number generator, of course, is a reminder that reality always gets in the way of our best-laid plans.

If you are interested, check it out https://paxsims.wordpress.com/2016/07/26/engle-a-short-history-of-matrix-games/

Time of Crisis, 2nd Edition

A potential candidate for future classes in the History of International Relations, this game revolves around the politico-military struggles between powerful patrician families in the 3rd century AD, when the Roman empire was in turmoil. You basically compete to collect fame for your family--and the best way to do so is by seizing the throne--but there are alternative paths to victory, such as governing a large number of provinces, cultivating strong support, defending the empire from Barbarian tribes, or even breaking away from the empire altogether. The play flows nicely and I think it will be quite easy for students to pick up after a few minutes of instruction. For more information, check out

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/164949/time-crisis-roman-empire-turmoil-235-284-ad

Usually I play on Vassal--my apartment is not that big--but sometimes I feel the need to experience the materiality of the tabletop. I cannot leave it setup overnight, though, because my cats will happily knock the pieces around!

The basic mechanisms of this game are easy to learn, but the interactions between the various factions are complex.

A Distant Plain

This is the game system that I plan to introduce to my Future of War class this semester. It is a dynamic four-player simulation of COIN operations in Afghanistan. Although at first glance it may seem confusing, the mechanics are actually easy to learn. I believe that the system will help students understand the dynamic and essentially political nature of counter-insurgency operations. For instance, although the Coalition and the Afghan government need to cooperate to avoid losing, their victory conditions are very different. I will provide updates later on how it was received in the classroom. For more information, check out

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/127518/distant-plain

Simulations Fall 2018

This semester I was able to play two simulations. My first, with forty students in a World Politics class, was using the Matrix game based on Northeast Asia. Overall, I was quite happy with the game’s progress, but this was my first time playing with so many students and there were some challenges—like noise and disorganization among some teams. Especially, some of the larger or less organized teams simply could not process data quickly enough. For example, one team almost came close to vetoing a Security Council resolution that they themselves had proposed! In the end, a promising multilateral North Korean denuclearization deal collapsed because of domestic pressure and the collapse of the Japanese government. In the future, if I am going to play this simulation with a large class, I think I need to coach them a little more with small vignettes at the start of lectures earlier in the semester. I did this at Soongsil and it helped prepare them for the argument-making aspect of Matrix games.

The second simulation was a play-through of the first couple years of Cataclysm by GMT games by ten students of my History of IR class. I was worried about this because there are a lot of rules involved and some of the students had no real experience playing board games. Nevertheless, it was a great success. Most students reviewed the rules before playing and teams of three were efficient for decision-making. I also prepared a lot to make sure that I knew the rules forwards and backwards. The result was a success. The students enjoyed it a lot and commented that the game made them think about the interplay between domestic issues—mobilization of the economy and political stability—as well as military strategy. Because our class was only three hours long, we had to cut the game short at its most exciting moment. The Germans had just taken Paris but a French counter-attack had encircled them, cutting them off from supply. Italy, meanwhile, despite being eager to join the war, had collapsed because of low stability.

Cataclysm - A Second World War

I have been anticipating this game for quite some time. A smart and innovative introductory war game that simulates the politics of the interwar period and the interplay of domestic and foreign politics in the age of total war. I am planning to introduce this game to my History of International Relations class as an optional activity at the end of next semester.

For more information on the game, see https://www.gmtgames.com/p-519-cataclysm.aspx

Geopolitics Simulator

This was made by myself using QGIS map making software and various graphical editing software suites for the counters and tokens. The game was digitized and can be played by a large group of students using the free Vassal Game Engine software (http://www.vassalengine.org/).

This simulation is based on the Matrix game system created by Chris Engle and further developed by John Curry and Time Price. The inspiration for this particular simulator was The Nine-Dash Line by Tom Mouat, which can be downloaded from https://paxsims.wordpress.com/2016/10/01/nine-dash-line-a-south-china-sea-matrix-game/.

•Matrix games are a simple method of conducting tabletop simulations

•Uses an umpire and random number generator

•Provides students an opportunity to brainstorm solutions to tactical/strategic problems without the excessive burden of learning new rules

•Very flexible and can be applied to any area—such as technology development, climate change, humanitarian operations, military operations and foreign policy

On May 9, 2018, I played the most recent iteration of this simulation with students from Soongsil's Department of Political Science and International Studies. Teams had prepared hidden victory conditions in advanced, engaged in complex negotiations, and had to deal with various random events. By the end of an exciting seven round game, the US team had cut a deal with North Korea that left its closest allies feeling anxious and betrayed. Little could we have predicted that a month later the US-DPRK Summit in Singapore would result in a very similar outcome!

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