WAR GAME. An imaginary military tion conducted upon a map with movable pieces to represent the contending forces. A battle or a campaign, a sea fight or an attack on a tress, may be represented. The W game. or Kriegsspiel, was invented by Herr von Iteisswitz and elaborated by his son, an officer of the sian artillery. It met with favor among the mans early in the nineteenth century. After the War of 1866 it was cultivated extensively in .i‘nstria, and the war of 1870 opened the eyes of all Europe to its importance. In the United States it. was practiced extensively in the army after 1867 and in the navy after 1886. The war game is played upon a topographical plan. with small blocks representing the troops, which are proportioned to the scale of the map and occupy as much space upon it as the troops would occupy in the field. These blocks are moved sintultaneously, the direction of an umpire. and at rates proportioned to the mobility of the different arms which they represent. When the position of the blocks indicates that the hostile troops are within sight and range of enrh other. they may be supposed to open fire, if the players wish, and in this case it becomes the duty to decide the result upon the basis of perience. The rules of the game explain to him how to estimate the loss from this fire; for ex ample, it may have been found that, in similar circumstances, the number of killed and wounded has varied from ten to twenty; by throwing a common die lie decides whether to assign a greater or a less result to the ease in view. The
rules of the game also explain to him under what eircunistances troops have been dispersed by the result of fire. and would be the probable result of a hand-to-hand fight.
Since the time of von lteisswitz the game has been much modified and has assumed three ferent forms. The first form is conducted in accordance with a few arbitrary rules based upon general results. The second form is especially adapted to the Minor Kriegsspiel, in which but few troops as employed and minute reeordP, are kept of the losses of each company or fraction of a company. The third form is conducted by an umpire, who decides each ease according to Isis own judgment. The method which has gradually been developed in the United States service, by the qoploymca of several devices upon the plan itself, dispenses with the necessity of keeping records, while it offers facilities for instantly determining., the results of calculations as minute as thoseof the Minor liriegsspiel.
For naval operations the 'strategical is played upon an ordinary chart and the 'tactical upon a large table, the surface of Odell is divided into squares to faeilitate.the measure ments of distances. The ships are represented in miniature and arc moved over the table nailer the direction of the umpire, who calculates the effect of the gun, the ram, or the torpedo, and decides the result accordingly.