Matrix Games

No, in this particular instance NOT the publisher of Steel Panthers, Close Combat, etc. etc..

This type of participatory game was invented by Chris Engle in 1988, after he became involved with the British experimental wargaming group “Wargame Developments” ( http://www.wargamedevelopments.org/matrix.htm.).

Matrix games are well suited to a Bunch Of Guys Sitting Around A Table (BOGSAT) situation, but also are good for online play (by e-mail, chat room or on a bulletin board system). In either case, the usual flow of play is as follows:

• Each turn players submit “arguments” to a central referee. An argument is a statement of what the player wants to do or have happen, supported with reasons why he thinks this is so (e.g. based on his known abilities, previous experieince, etc..)
• Counter-arguments can be made by other players if the structure of the game permits it.
• The referee judges the strength of each argument and counter-argument and determines their success or failure randomly (this is modified by the strength of the argument). Outcomes are then announced back to the players.
• The next turn begins, and so on until some set of victory conditions or time/turn limit is reached.

Matrix games have been used by the British Army for several years for scenario development as part of training packages, and for general education. An account of a specific example, when the British Army was the “framework nation” for the HQ Allied Command Europe Rapid Reaction Corps and was directed to begin planning for Peace Support Operations in Bosnia in 1995, can be found at http://www.hamsterpress.net/articles (scroll down to the last article). These games have also been used by the Australian Army for military planning, and by the French Army for professional English language training.

Besides their military applications, matrix games have been used in the areas of: creative writing, scenario development, “thought experiments”, management training, psychotherapy (Engle is a psychiatric social worker) and general education.

Basic rules are available here, from Chris Engle’s website: http://www.hamsterpress.net/engle_matrix_games

Engle has also been running games for some time on the MatrixGame2 Yahoo group, which he also moderates: http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/MatrixGame2/

The Society of 20^th Century Wargamers, a group associated with Wargame Developments, regularly plays matrix games at meetings and conventions. Copies of the Society magazine, The Nugget, can be downloaded for free and contain many descriptions of past matrix games, showing the applicability of the game: http://www.wargamedevelopments.org/nugget.htm

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