Table Top Exercise:
• Simulation wargames depicting an armed conflict.351
• A table-top exercise is a discussion-based wargame where players sit at tables and interact with
one another to address the key issues of the wargame. While not specifically structured as a turn
based game, facilitators will often cause players to consider issues in a particular order, to
determine the relationship between specific decisions or actions.352

Taskers: Used in seminar wargames instead of detailed move sheets, also used when trained facilitators
are not available to guide the players. For each move, the players are given a set of “taskers,” usually in
the form of preformatted briefing slides or specific questions. An example of a tasker in a medical
wargame follows:353

• Taskers: (Answer each tasker on a separate slide that includes the Move #
and your cell #)
• Given the results of Move Two:
o What Changes are you going to make to your Medical CONOPS?
o What resources must be shifted, and who will decide?
o What are the Locations of Medical Support Ashore?
▪ Who controls them, Security, CSS, and Crowd Control?
o Casualty Transport: Who does it, How, and to Where?
o SEP Manning, Corpsman, litter carriers, and escorts?

Technology Game: Wargame designed not to gain insight into a specific situation but to help explore a
spectrum of technology options. For example, in a Technology Wargame one Blue team may be
equipped with stealthy aircraft while a second Blue team is equipped with advanced electronic warfare
capabilities.354

Terrain: (In board or hex map wargames) The wargame map may look like a normal map in many
cases, but in all cases it is actually a collection of hexagon-shaped cells, each hexagon containing a
precise type of terrain. Each hex has a dominant physical characteristic which has a precise effect; upon
movement and/or combat of the units entering it. These kinds of terrain are more specific in tactical
wargames and more general in strategic wargames. For example, in a tactical wargame you would have
hexes representing woods, swamp, sand or clear (open) areas. Operational level wargames (10-50
kilometers per hex) would have rough terrain and forest and mixed (rough ground and forest) terrain.
Strategic wargames (50 plus kilometers per hex) would have two or three kinds of rough terrain and
impassable terrain, etc. Rivers and streams usually run along the hexsides to make it unambiguous as to
which side of the river a unit is on.355

Terrain Effects Chart: This is an important element of any (Board or Hex Map) wargame, which shows
the effect on movement and combat for units entering the different types of terrain in the wargame.

Movement is usually affected by a variable number of movement points required to enter the different
kinds of terrain. Combat is usually affected through increasing difficulty for the attacker attacking the
defender in more favorable (for the defender) terrain. That is, the defender might be able to double his
strength in certain types of terrain or even triple or quadruple it or, conversely, he might simply be able to
shift on the Combat Results Table from a 3 to 1 to a 2 to 1.356

Three Map Problem: In a closed wargame, Wargame Control must maintain three maps; the Ground
Truth, the Red Situation Map and the Blue Situation Map. The Ground Truth Map shows all forces in
their actual position and actual status. The Red and Blue Situation Maps, show the situational awareness
of each side as determined by Control, which replicates the “Fog of War.”357

Timeframe and Duration: The year or years in which the scenario is played and how much time is
covered during the scenario.358

Time & Move Convention: How time is handled in the wargame and what are the conventions and
procedures followed in each move. Time is handled: continuously, in steps, by phases, or by events.359
Usually all sides move at the same time, but they can also take turns, or the side with the initiative keeps
moving until the initiative is lost.

Title Ten Wargames:
• Title 10 wargames are a series of major service sponsored wargames that address future
capabilities in the context of Title 10 responsibilities to organize, train, and equip its forces to
carry out its roles and functions as a component of national military capability.360
• Wargames conducted by each of the US armed services to help them better discharge their duties
under Title 10 of the US Code to organize train and equip their forces. The out briefs of these
wargames are typically attended by the sponsoring service’s senior officer and several other four
[star] flag officers.361

Token: (also called “Counters” or “Units”)
• In recreational gaming, forces are represented by tokens: for board wargames, the convention is
to use ½” cardboard squares, appropriately colored and labeled, to represent anything from a
single soldier to complete armies. (See Scale) Tokens contain several pieces of information:
graphic or picture representing the unit, its title, and two or more numbers representing offense,
defense and movement factors.362 (See Boardgame Counters)
• symbol, emblem363
• Some organizations define Tokens and Counters differently: Tokens to represent capabilities,
commodities, facilities or other things that need to be physically represented on the game board,
while Counters strictly represent game units.364

Toolboxes or Toolkits: Hard copy or electronic notebooks containing one-page descriptions of systems
and major end items used in the wargame.365

Topics of Interest: (also called Areas of Interest) Minor objectives concerning specific areas or issues
the sponsor or stakeholders would like for players to deal with during wargame play. Accomplishing
Topics of Interest are not critical to success of wargame; however; Topics of Interest are included in the
wargame design if practical. Topics of Interest should be reviewed by the CAP plan and if possible
included in the questionnaire and offline cell discussion.366

Trusted Agents:
• Players who have privileged information provided by Control that is to be revealed only under
specific circumstances.367
• Players who have privileged information that is necessary to advance game play and
objectives.368