The Wall Street Journal has an article about wargaming and it's tabletop roots. Yes, it make too big of a deal out of Axis & Allies, as though it's the pinnacle of the hobby, but the overview is nice and if it hooks a few more players, why not?
The reason Axis & Allies and other such games have such lasting resonance is that they teach a subject which is no longer fashionable: the mechanics of military history. Playing as Japan in Axis & Allies, for instance, you see that, as a tactical matter, you must attack Hawaii as soon as possible. Play as Russia and you can conduct What-If? experiments with variations on Stalin's strategic retreat.
With very few exceptions (Prof. Ferguson's Harvard colleague Stephen Rosen teaches a class simply titled "War") the military aspect of history has been disappeared from American schooling. It's something men intuitively miss, and seek out.
Because at heart, all boys are grognards.
By: Brant
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