We're the Military and Airpower Guys of Jonah Goldberg of National Review Online + a stray we found wandering around looking lost. All original material JHD, BHD, JR, WT, and KA 2003-2010 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/05/wargaming_model.html Thu, 21 Jan 2010 17:10:06 Z Movable Type 4.12 en Copyright 2010 http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification CAPT H sends us a link to A Pointless Waste of Time and what he terms an oldie-but-goodie post on the subject of The Ultimate War Simulation - which was new to me. I appreciate the humor. Perhaps more importantly, however, I note that in the military wargaming and simulation world - especially in the larger events, but even embedded now in some of the niche sims... we actually *do* a lot of what appears in this funny bit. Longtime readers will recall that I have run a battle simulation center, I hold the FA57 skill identifier - Simulations Operations... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/05/wargaming_model.html http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/05/wargaming_model.html Fri, 18 May 2007 06:25:16 -0600 And they say us little rubber Gumby people sitting in front of our Playstations and 'puters are killing our brains? I really don't want to see the mil-sim that Rockstar games would come up with. Vice City: Sbrenca(SP) would be too hard to handle, overly realistic. Hey John. I don't think you need a Cray2 mainframe anymore. Just 8000 PS3s linked together with us little Gumby people and 16000 cases of soda. Might actually be cheaper. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/05/wargaming_model.html#comment-60173 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/05/wargaming_model.html#comment-60173 Fri, 18 May 2007 23:00:52 -0600 OK, first off: 41 rotations as OPFOR at NTC (+1 at Hoke-ee-fells). John wins, but it's more fun to be on the winning side:) Next, I'm not a real 57, I'm forced into slavery as one. Last: perhaps it would be benificial for a bone-ee-fide 57 to s'plain to everyone what the difference between a 'simulation' and a 'simulation/stimulation' is. Makes a world of difference. And if a unit/installation does it's own 'sim/stim', is that a 'self-stim' or just being the master of your own domain? http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/05/wargaming_model.html#comment-60172 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/05/wargaming_model.html#comment-60172 Fri, 18 May 2007 21:48:48 -0600 only did two rotations at NTC, but had a good couple more at Hohenfels later. spent a goodly amount of time crawling over the map boards on North Fort at Polk, pushing the wee little wooden BMPs and chips. translated that experience into becoming Bad Guy 6 for our culmination exercise at the Armor Advanced Course (dropped a battalion of Spetnaz behind HR McMaster when he had a tank company in a strong point). spent waaay too much time up in the attic of the Abrams Bldg once we started doing these on computers. these suggested inclusions for future sims are exactly what is needed. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/05/wargaming_model.html#comment-60163 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/05/wargaming_model.html#comment-60163 Fri, 18 May 2007 15:09:13 -0600 You forgot the option to have self righteous junior officers who join the army after you start the war, only to decide that the war is wrong and they refuse to lead their men into war as they wrap themselves in the flag and preach to you about how their "newly found" sense of right and wrong trumps their oath to obey the CIC and the officers over him. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/05/wargaming_model.html#comment-60162 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/05/wargaming_model.html#comment-60162 Fri, 18 May 2007 15:02:35 -0600 I had 19 rotations to NTC as training aid/user/rotational unit......OPFOR augmentee was always the fun one. I was offered an OC position at one time but since I was a newly wed I turned it down. I spent more bad duty when I branch transferred to QM from Infantry than I did as a grunt...go figure. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/05/wargaming_model.html#comment-60153 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/05/wargaming_model.html#comment-60153 Fri, 18 May 2007 12:43:51 -0600 "This is reality. Sometimes you can get too too much much reality in a game. Everybody gets depressed, we start eating donuts, get fat, and then you have trouble with AR 600-9." John, would you please send that statement to TRADOC? It needs to be adopted as a TC, if not an AR... :-) http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/05/wargaming_model.html#comment-60146 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/05/wargaming_model.html#comment-60146 Fri, 18 May 2007 10:36:07 -0600 8 weeks at the NTC. *Yawn* I've got 52 rotations out there, living in my HMMWV and under my kevlar, and an additional 6 months as a contractor (spread over two events) since I retired. But I'm with ya on the Prairie Warriors. Except they *did* pay the bills! http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/05/wargaming_model.html#comment-60137 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/05/wargaming_model.html#comment-60137 Fri, 18 May 2007 09:11:44 -0600 I was having a good day until you brought up my bad memories of Task Force XXI (8 weeks at NTC), Division AWE (7 months TDY at FT Hood), JCF-AWE/MC2000 (5 months at FT Drum followed by 6 wweks at FT Polk) not to mention too many PRAIRIE WARRIORS during the 1990s than I want to think about added onto all of the ABCS exercises at FT Hood. And VICTORY STRIKE. And VICTORY SCRIMMAGE. And III Corps & XVIII Airborne Corps WARFIGHTERS (including SNOWFIGHTER 2000) Thanks a lot!!!! Actually, I do thank you for reminding me why I am glad I have my current job! http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/05/wargaming_model.html#comment-60136 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/05/wargaming_model.html#comment-60136 Fri, 18 May 2007 09:02:57 -0600