Your Boss, Players, and Sponsor: The Three Witches of War Gaming

Authors

Stephen Downes-Martin

Abstract

In national-security war gaming there are three classes of senior stakeholders whom I call “the three witches”—critical to the success of a game but with the power to affect negatively its quality. These comprise, first, the war-game director’s superior and chain of command; second, the senior players within each game cell; and third, the sponsor of the game and that officer’s chain of command. Each of these three stakeholders frequently attempts to influence the design of the war game, even during play itself. For two reasons, such attempts amount to inappropriate interference.

Recommended Citation

Downes-Martin, Stephen (2014) "Your Boss, Players, and Sponsor: The Three Witches of War Gaming," Naval War College Review: Vol. 67: No. 1, Article 5.
Available at: https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review/vol67/iss1/5