War is an infinitely complex endeavor waged over vast spaces by entities composed of hundreds of thousands of human beings. Wargames need to be teachable in an hour and managed by two humans. This requires compression. But what does that compression do and how does it shape our understanding? This talk will use examples from history to show how wargame rules impact how we view conflicts and build narratives that we may not be able to consciously see. From terrain modifiers to information flows, it will challenge assumptions and offer solutions to help better capture the complexity of war.

Sasho Todorov is a D.C. based attorney with a strong interest in military studies. He engages in both casualty and logistics data projects as well as conflict mapping. His work can be found online, as well as in the upcoming book: The Battle for Kyiv, by Christopher Lawrence.