Level of Abstraction: The level of detail presented in the scenario, order of battle, game play, and the
detail, size and scale of the maps. This must match up with the Level of Conflict.

Level(s) of Conflict/War: The range of the echelons of military [and civilian] command which are
represented by the players in a war game. The “level” also determines the lowest echelon of command
which is represented by players.197
Note: Grand Strategy and Skirmish levels are not recognized by U.S. doctrine, however; these two levels
are widely used in wargaming and have their own unique game design considerations.
• Grand Strategy:
o Strategy at the level of movement and use of an entire state or empire's resources, with the
focus being on a war (or series of wars) usually over a long period of time. Individual units,
even armies, may not be represented; instead, attention is given to theaters of operation. All
of the resources of the nations involved may be mobilized as part of a long-term struggle.198
o This level of simulation almost always involves political, economic, and military conflict. At
the most extreme end of this is the branch of strategy games in which the player assumes the
role of an entire nation-state's government where not conducting war is a possibility. Axis
and Allies, Risk, and Empires in Arms are examples of this type of wargame.199
o National Strategy: The art and science of developing and using the diplomatic, economic, and
informational powers of a nation, together with its armed forces, during peace and war to
secure national objectives. Also called national security strategy or grand strategy.200

• Strategic:
o The level of war at which a nation, often as a member of a group of nations, determines
national or multinational (alliance or coalition) strategic security objectives and guidance,
then develops and uses national resources to achieve those objectives.201
o Military units are typically division, corps, or army-sized, rated by raw strength. At this
scale, economic production and diplomacy are significant. This subgenre will often make use
of all branches with the whole force of the engaging nations, covering entire wars or long
campaigns.202
• Operational:
o The level of war at which campaigns and major operations are planned, conducted, and
sustained to achieve strategic objectives within theaters or other operational areas.203
o Common units are battalion to divisional size, carrying a value based on their overall
strengths and weaknesses. Weather and logistics are significant factors, although a single
army is the largest player-controlled element in most cases. Other branches of military force
are more or less abstracted, having a mere campaign generally span the session of play.204
• Tactical:
o The level of war at which battles and engagements are planned and executed to achieve
military objectives assigned to tactical units or task forces.205
o Units range from individual vehicles and squads to platoons or companies, and are measured
by the types and ranges of individual weaponry. A solitary force, others occasionally
intervening, will usually cover the single battle or part of a large battle to be simulated.
Examples of this kind of game are Memoir '44, and Dust Warfare.206
• Skirmish: Represented by individual soldiers, units may have tracked wounding and
ammunition count. A game is composed of a small firefight, introducing the "man-to-man" scale;
the first of this type in the modern era of board wargames include Patrol and Sniper! Early roleplaying
games were derived from skirmish wargames, and many are still played as such.207

Live Simulation: A simulation involving real people operating real systems.208

Live Wargame: A wargame that involves the actual maneuver of forces, i.e. Red Flag.209

Live-Virtual-Constructive Wargame: One in which mixes live players with either constructive
(computer generated by a game engine such as OneSAF) or virtual (live players in computerized trainers),
or both, in such a way that the live players, when looking at their C2 systems, are unable to distinguish
between player types.210

Ludology: The study of games.211