Wargame SITREP 25-30 ~ Italian perspective on wargaming investment

Italian connection

I recently came across a wargaming article from Italy that provides a look at the contributions of wargame practitioners in Europe. Historians generally acknowledge that military wargaming started in Europe with Kriegspiele but it was American where the bulk of game design and development took place, particularly in the commercial hobby sector with the likes of Charles S. Roberts, Avalon Hill, Simulations Publications Inc. and forward into today. In 2024, editors Jan Hienemann, Ricardo Masini, and Frédéric Serval gave the community the book Euro War Games: The history, state and future of professional and public (war) gaming in Europe (Nuts! Publishing) that provided insight into the state of wargaming for hobbyists and practitioners in Europe. The recent article I found provides an update to the saga of Italian wargaming with a particular focus on wargame practitioners.

Defence connection

Andrea Bernardi in an article posted to Formiche Online on 29 June writes, “Perché il wargaming può migliorare le capacità operative dei militari” or “Why wargaming can improve the operational capabilities of the military.”¹

Wargaming is now confirmed as a versatile tool, capable of combining methodological rigor and flexibility. It is not just a simulation: It is a decision-making laboratory, a learning environment and a comparison platform. It will be discussed tomorrow at the presentation of the book Wargame. Training, development and leadership in military organizations at CASD.

Andrea Bernardi, Formiche Online, 29 June 2025

CASD is The Centre for Higher Defence Studies / School of Advanced Defence Studies (CASD/SSU) under the Italian Ministry of Defence. According to its website, CASD has:

…in its double role of  military higher education institution and academic institution, aims at developing a highly qualified military and civil leadership in an inter-governmental, interagency and international context, aware of changes, capable of developing critical thinking and prepared for innovating the organizations directly and indirectly related to the National Security and Defence.

CASD

Investing in wargaming

Bernardi’s article, while highlighting the forthcoming the new book, provides American grognards some interesting insights into the state-of-the-practice of wargaming in Italy. To begin with is the very word “wargaming.” As Bernardi notes, “In Italian, there is no fully equivalent translation that has replaced the English expression… .” Bernardi looks back and points out the Royal Army in the second half of the 19th century used Crispillo [NB: The word is not defined in the article but from context appears to be the name of or type of wargame]. Today, Bernardi notes, wargaming is not only used by the military but also the civilian public and private sectors. That is because, as Bernardi writes, wargaming is a versatile tool. Bernardi goes on to assert, “Its diffusion in military and civilian institutions, as well as academic interest, confirm its value as a tool for critical thinking, innovation and strategic preparation.” Bernardi’s final line is perhaps the most important: “Investing in wargaming means investing in the ability to understand, anticipate and manage complexity.”

I sincerely hope that Bernardi’s book, apparently only available in Italian at the moment, is made widely available and possibly even translated into English. Understanding how wargaming is understood and used by partners and allies provides invaluable context into how they think and make decisions—especially those”wicked problems” or complex issues where insight from wargaming can help to reach a deeper understanding.

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1. The article is written in Italian. I used Generative AI (Grok) to translate into English; any errors in translation are my own. ↩︎

Feature image courtesy Formiche Online

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