Some people relax by watching television.
I relax by thinking about logistics, terrain, command decisions, and what happens when a carefully crafted plan collides with reality.
My love for wargaming began as a teenager and never really left me. What started with cardboard counters, dice, and dog-eared rulebooks slowly became something more: a fascination with strategy, decision-making, leadership under pressure, and the constant tension between planning and uncertainty.
Wargaming is not just about combat. At its best, it is about thinking.
How do I respond to a crisis?
How do I allocate limited resources?
How do I balance caution with initiative against a ticking clock?
How do I adapt when the situation changes faster than my plans?
These are questions that apply just as much to organisations, leadership teams, and life as they do to the battlefield.
Over the years, I’ve explored roleplaying games, historical wargames, modern conflict simulations, and solo systems. This section of the site is where I share that journey: ideas, scenarios, reflections, house rules, campaign concepts, and thoughts on strategy and play.
At the centre of it all is my own design:
The Generic Wargaming System is my attempt to create a flexible, modular wargaming engine focused on modern and multi-domain warfare while remaining accessible, narrative-driven, and enjoyable to play it. It is a complete gaming system, with core rules and design notes, scenarios etc. It is also, totally free. Click here to download all the documents.
If you like it, click on my the "Buy me a Cuppa" link and make a much appreciated donation.
It is designed for players who enjoy:
meaningful decisions
evolving battlefield situations
modern operational challenges
combined arms warfare
strategic and tactical problem-solving
adaptable scenarios across eras and settings
One of the core ideas behind GWS is adjustable complexity.
Some players want a fast-moving battlefield experience focused on decisions and momentum. Others want deeper layers of realism involving logistics, reconnaissance, electronic warfare, political uncertainty, supply disruption, morale, maintenance, and the unpredictable friction of real-world operations.
GWS is designed to support both.
The core rules remain streamlined and playable, while optional and advanced systems allow players to increase realism and complexity depending on the experience they want. The goal is not complexity for its own sake, but to better simulate the uncertainty, limitations, and human decision-making found in real conflicts.
Because real operations are rarely neat, predictable, or perfectly controlled.
GWS is both a game system and an ongoing creative project. Expect updates, optional rules, experimental mechanics, scenario packs, and occasional “what if?” explorations inspired by real-world conflicts and military history.
Alongside GWS, I’ll also share scenarios and content for other systems that inspired me through the years.
Because sometimes the best way to understand people, leadership, and chaos…
is to place a map on the table and ask:
“What happens next?”
Got feedback or maybe you want to contribute an article to this blog. Click here.
© 2026 Allen Pattiselanno.
Content licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 unless otherwise stated.
Attribution required. No commercial use without permission.