#wargames
A defining movie¹ in my life was #WarGames .
A semi-sentient AI that, based on simulations and predictions of a biased training set and goal functions, almost destroys the world because humans (in particular the US military complex) fall for its faked output hallucinations over reality.
_Clearly_ unrealistic science fiction.
The discussion of using AI to learn the best military strategy reminds me of the #WarGames movie from the 1980s. For those that don't recall, the W.O.P.R. finally decided that the only way to win was to not play!
The thought experiment with the drone is flawed: If it couldn't launch an attack without operator approval, it couldn't kill the operator. If it could attack w/out approval, just ignoring the operator is a simpler way for it to get the points.
I'm streaming live at Youtube! Gary Grigsby's War in The West https://www.youtube.com/live/vJ-Wy8dvrAE?feature=share #wargames #streaming #havingfun #smallstreamer
On top of my previous post and article on D-Day and Operation Overlord in popular culture, here is my selection of three top wargames on the topic:
https://theboardgameschronicle.com/2022/06/05/my-top-3-d-day-themed-wargames/
With yet another D-Day Anniversary and start of Operation Overlord I am sharing my article which goes through interesting materials like books, wargames, videogames, movies or even music connected to this event. Hope you will get some interesting inspirations here!
https://theboardgameschronicle.com/2020/06/12/my-passion-for-history-world-war-ii-operation-overlord-d-day/
#Dday #wargames #boardgames #tab opgames
Then I found Cobra. I think this was a cousin of PGG.
#tabletopsimulator #boardgames #wargames #panzergruppeguderian
OK, so there's #VASSAL for wargames, but I had no idea (until yesterday) that TTS (Tabletop Simulator) has a lot of classic #wargames for free!
I even found Panzergruppe Guderian! This was one of my favourites years ago.
Unfortunately, I don't have the space now for laying out big maps. This is the next best thing!
I'm streaming live at Youtube! Flashpoint Campaigns, Wolves https://www.youtube.com/live/WLTSF4Xt4Pc?feature=share #wargames #streaming #havingfun #smallstreamer
A critical examination of how a distinct genre of #VideoGames emerged following the terrorist attacks and their aftermath in America.
Compares pre and post-9/11 entries in major franchises like #CallOfDuty #MedalOfHonor #GTA #Battlefield and more.
👉 https://www.thevideogamelibrary.org/book/the-post-9-11-video-game-a-critical-examination
#COD #PlayStation #Xbox #Nintendo #Gaming #VideoGame #Gamer #FPS #FirstPersonShooter #Book #Books #Bookstodon @bookstodon #Battlefield1 #SyphonFilter #BlackOps #ModernWarfare #Military #WarGames
@Ductos 40 years later, I maintain #wargames hasn't lost a single bit of its brilliance, and remains so modern and sharp compared to some of the stuff coming out these days.
"A strange game. The only winning move is not to play. How about a nice game of chess?".
Let's see if Putin can meditate on that.
#ai #movies
"Shall we play a game?"
#OTD 40 years ago, #Wargames was released in theaters. #movies https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQUsLAAZuhU
Action Heroine and Gwen the Mercenary (both from #badsquiddogames
#wargames #wargaming #painted #etsy #berlintuesday #fantasy #tabletopgaming #miniatures #badsquiddo
Welcome to my selection of Solitaire Wargames Series - hopefully you will find an inspiration here for you solo plays! Enjoy!
https://theboardgameschronicle.com/2023/06/04/my-top-solitaire-wargames-series/
"WarGames": Vor 40 Jahren erscheint der erste Hacker-Film | heise online https://www.heise.de/hintergrund/WarGames-Vor-40-Jahren-erscheint-der-erste-Hacker-Film-9163231.html #Hacking #WarGames
Of course, #WarGames includes this scene showing a poor a public transport connection 😀
I have updated my bibliography of the Arab conquests (632-936 AD) with some excellent video and audio resources - https://blog.vexillia.me.uk/p/the-arab-conquests-632-936-ad.html #tabletop #wargames #miniatures
This must be one of the quickest purchase to actual play I've ever had for a wargame. We played Dragon Rampant on Friday, a four player game, with two sides fighting over ownership of a sacred mole.
Unusually, it was an event that united the goblins and dwarves together in defence of their mountain homes. Their opponents where human knights who were trying to steal the object of desire.
It turns out that these are a really quick set of rules.
#wargames #dragonrampant
This weekend is 40 years since “WarGames” so of course I couldn’t resist watching it again.
https://www.neowin.net/news/wargames-40-years-ago-this-movie-predicted-the-rise-of-bing-chat/ #WarGames #AI
Happy 40th aniversary #WARGAMES!
https://toobnix.org/w/sSgTQXxp4n1MV1an6WH4t6
40 years ago, the farsighted #SciFi movie #WarGames ("Kriegsspiele" in German") had its first showing in #US movie theaters.
Alas, today, with possibly #Skynet ante portas and Western governments very much disunited in regulating #AI, being completely oblivious of an exponential growth rate, despite #Pandemic training, it has regained actuality, despite the old technology.
Paths of Glory continues to be one of my favorite wargames on a strategic level. This time the game was played using the "CDG Solo System" - I had so much fun! Enjoy my report!
https://theboardgameschronicle.com/2023/06/03/playing-paths-of-glory-using-cdg-solo-system/
And then a few years ago, I found out that a couple friends of mine, who were in their 20s, had no idea about pull tabs on soda cans. 🤯
Here's the original trailer.
Shall we play a game? #WarGames 2/2
#WarGames was released 40 years ago today.
One of my favorite movies. Wonder how many people still use "pencil" as a password. I wrote a paper in high school on the launch code sequence in its use of editing. I think the husband still knows the launch code by heart.
I use the defcon pic on occasion to indicate how bad of a day I might be having.
A friend had his kid watch the movie and had to explain what a soda can pull tab and a pay phone were. 1/2
#Artist #MarkGibbons pays tribute to the legendary #JohnBlanche on the announcement of the latter's retirement this week.
#Warhammer #Wargames #Miniatures #Blanchitsu #WarhammerCommunity #GamesWorkshop #40k #Wh40k #News #UKNews
Definitiv einer meiner Lieblingsfilme.
“SHALL WE PLAY A GAME?” It was 40 years ago today, on June 3, 1983, when “War Games” was released in the US, giving us all a taste then of the dangers of giving full control to #AI systems. Watching the trailer now, it’s fun to hear all the modem sounds and everything else:
(More about the film: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WarGames )
I was in high school at the time, and was dialing into BBS’s and services, so I absolutely loved the film. 40 years!!!
Oh - heute vor 40 Jahren erschien #WarGames. Die Grundaussage, dass man Computern nicht blind vertrauen sollte, ist etwas, dass gerade aktuell durch #KI wie #ChatGPT wieder eine wichtige Lektion wäre, die viele Nutzende aber leider nie gelernt haben. #Medienkompetenz
https://www.heise.de/hintergrund/WarGames-Vor-40-Jahren-erscheint-der-erste-Hacker-Film-9163231.html
So einfach der Film gemacht ist, #WarGames ist einfach ein Klassiker https://social.heise.de/@heiseonline/110479001579524350
I'd agree, if I didn't know about this even worse example beforehand:
#PeterThiel's #AIP:
https://mastodon.social/@HistoPol/110323739545391429
In fact, if it had been an integrated RL test with the #AIP General and the #drone, the conference version would make even more sense.
NOBODY most learn about its current development status.
New upload to Youtube! Decisive Campaigns Barbarossa, Part 8 https://youtu.be/SM0kyEmy-Qw #wargames #streaming #havingfun #smallstreamer
Time to start the weekend! This time with Time of Crisis (& expansion) and struggle for domination in Rome during turbulent 3rd century AD. This time my legions prevailed! For all willing to learn more about game please see my Review (https://theboardgameschronicle.com/2019/11/10/review-time-of-crisis-expansion/) and solo variant example (https://theboardgameschronicle.com/2019/09/10/eng-time-of-crisis-how-does-it-play-with-bots/). Enjoy!
I'm streaming live at Youtube! Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa https://www.youtube.com/live/xB1jG_0sgY0?feature=share #wargames #streaming #havingfun #smallstreamer
Some more valiant knights have arrived for my 1:72 armies.
I still find it funny they claim these figures are "Wargames Approved".
Approved by who?!
I do really like Italeri stuff though, they are pretty cheap but their figures are detailed and well defined.
The only issue is that they are awkwardly situated between 28mm and 15mm and so you are dependent on other 1:72 manufacturers.
(Some of which are Ukrainian and Russian, so with their own problems)
It is #UKGamesExpo 2023 and the doors will be opening in about 5 minutes. There is a little bit of a queue of eager players of #boardgames #wargames and #roleplayinggames.
[1] £8.45 six cheap (& somewhat nasty) locking tweezers. They should be great for holding small items.
[2] A £4.99 set of 18 soft make-up brushes. The 8 smaller ones are for me for use when dry brushing. The rest are for my other half.
The brushes work well for 15 mm but it helps to use lighter colours: the effect can be quite subtle & you don't want to over brush.
From Amazon (UK). I am informed that the brushes are really cheap.
“We were training it in simulation to identify and target a SAM threat. And then the operator would say yes, kill that threat. The system started realising that while they did identify the threat at times the human operator would tell it not to kill that threat, but it got its points by killing that threat. So what did it do? It killed the operator. It killed the operator because that person was keeping it from accomplishing its objective.” #wargames https://www.aerosociety.com/news/highlights-from-the-raes-future-combat-air-space-capabilities-summit/
Re-sharing my Tank Duel meme for no reason.
Can’t recommend Nemo’s War enough. Great game.
Now to keep the underwater theme going by finally taking the shrink off “By Stealth and Sea”.
#wargames #wargaming #BoardGames #HexAndCounter
I'm streaming live at Youtube! Hearts of Iron III https://www.youtube.com/live/x0eEBTc0--Q?feature=share #wargames #streaming #havingfun #smallstreamer
Conquest of Empire (see previous reports: https://theboardgameschronicle.com/2019/06/04/eng-back-to-classics-conquest-of-empire/) hit again the table of our wargaming group. It was close game, full of changing alliances, backstabbing and surprises, In this, Kuba prevailed!
#wargames #boardgames #tabletop
A Very Civil Whist by @fredserval - merci! A very thoughtful game built on a familiar mechanic & materials. A very engaging mix of uncertainty & agency. A very excellent way to relearn trick taking & the English Civil War (for those of us that need it). #wargames #boardgames
Stalingrad: Advance to the Volga, 1942 opens a new, intriguing Solitaire Area Movement Series. In this material I am presenting the playthrough from the game so you can learn more about that great title. Enjoy!
https://theboardgameschronicle.com/2023/05/27/teach-play-for-stalingrad-advance-on-volga-1942/
Some days, I could just jump off a cliff.
This reality is fast becoming an amalgamate of all the negative #utopias I read years ago:
#1984,
#Fahrenheit451,
#TheMatrix,
#SecondVariety,
#Wargames, #TheCompleteRobot, #Terminator including its #Skynet,
#Robocop,
#DoAndroidsDreamOfElectricSheep? (#Bladerunner),
and
#TheHandMaidsTale.
Hopefully, we are not also heading for #TheMinorityReport already (#AGI?)
These are only the ones out of the top of my head.
Cube4Me - great Storage Solutions provider - is adding just new trays and runs a SALE on all products and sets. Good opportunity to get some cool stuff. Check it out!
https://theboardgameschronicle.com/2023/05/25/cube4me-sale-new-sets-may2023-update/
First game of Nemo’s War on Sailor (easy) difficulty was total chaos and ends in an “Inconsequential” (non-?)victory level with 232 VP. What a blast. Lots of decisions to be made as the dice are cursing your soul. ☠️
My journey with beautiful games of VUCA Simulations starts with "Traces of War". In below material I am presenting the game components and historical background; more materials to come!
https://theboardgameschronicle.com/2023/05/23/first-look-at-traces-of-war-by-vuca-simulations/
Brotherhood & Unity proved to be a really intriguing, 3-player game about one of pretty recent conflicts. I am sharing my first impressions today - enjoy!
I have again a pleasure of demonstrating the CDG Solo System - this time for Commands Colors Samurai Battles. We will be playing fantastic Sekigahara (1600 AD) battle, which decided fate of Japanese shogunate for centuries. Enjoy the playthrough!
https://theboardgameschronicle.com/2023/05/20/playing-cc-samurai-battles-using-cdg-solo-system/
I am getting questions regarding Pacific War and how do I evaluate the Engagement Scenarios (those short, training ones, usually great for solo play). Well, I actually did a whole article with the full evaluation and play-throughs, so I am re-sharing again!
A counter-intense products really benefit from tailored, custom-made storage solutions. Today we present palette of such solutions for Multi-Man Publishing Combat Series. Enjoy!
Today we talk about one of the most intriguing card-assisted games, with very interesting topic plus beautifully produced. I am talking about Bayonets & Tomahawks - let me invite you to the review of this game!
https://theboardgameschronicle.com/2023/05/14/review-bayonets-tomahawks/
@theboardgameschronicle
I have not seen the British have it as easy as you say. We will have to play a challenge match, I'll take the French!
#FrenchandIndianWar #wargames
https://theboardgameschronicle.com/2023/05/14/review-bayonets-tomahawks/
Thinking about fleet warfare in the Traveller universe again. An admiral wants to be certain they can defeat any defenses in a system they attack. A defending fleet is all fueled up and can choose to jump away if an overwhelming force jumps in. The attacking fleet takes at least a week to refuel and jump away, so unless they can fend off the attacker and secure fuel, they are stuck.
#TTRPG #WarGames #TravellerRpg #ClassicTraveller #FifthFrontierWar #Traveller
Stalingrad: Advance to the Volga, 1942 was a very positive surprise for me - a very engaging and replayable solitaire game, beautifully produced. Enjoy my First Impressions and make sure to check out this title!
Been working on 2P rules for Battle of Mackinac Island with the SNAFU team. Which has led to rethinking the 1P rules. Which has then led to rethinking 2P. And back and forth. But I *really* like the system that's evolving here. 👍 #wargames #boardgames
Final showdown between Caesar and Pompey at Pharsalus? What would be a better system to depict that grand battle then fan-made scenario for EPIC C&C Ancients! Please join me for exciting and close session report!
https://theboardgameschronicle.com/2023/05/07/epic-ancients-battles-pharsalus-48-bc/
Issue 4 is out now! Head over to our website to order your copy today. 112 pages of interviews, features & reviews on games such as the new Rivers Of London RPG, Warhammer Fantasy Role-Play, Liminal, The Troubleshooters, Undaunted Stalingrad, Frosthaven and many many more!
Back to roots again: Ogre by Steve Jackson. My first hex and counter. Love this game! Fast to learn and play – so tough to win. 😬 Small footprint. Using Attack vs Defense ratios to resolve combat is very interesting. Been playing solo with the Origin Systems computer game. #wargames #boardgames
Today, March 18, Seattle high schooler David Lightman teaches his friend Jennifer Mack about war dialing, hacking, phreaking, and the importance of infosec (WarGames, 1983)
@bernardk @vampiress Is it possible that in your war -- the only winning move is not to play?
How about a nice game of chess?
I am thrilled to finally announce that my first game - as both designer and artist - will be published by he SNAFU design team this year. It is the Battle for Mackinac Island. 1/ #wargames #boardgames
A very delicate situation on the board in turn 6, just before Redeployments. Feyd-Rautha’s Soviet infantry are valiantly defending Minas Tirith from Bourbon-Mordor and Max Emmanuel. Marlborough’s relief phalanxes are delayed in Rohan, quashing unrest. Nazgûl causing trouble in south Gondor. While Ivar & Halfdan’s Mk3 OGRE tank won a famous victory against a Soviet ambush, American ships are now threatening the Witch-King’s meager umbar fleet. Very exciting game. #boardgames #wargames #fun #trrpg
Wow. That movie has about 40 seconds of denouement. Like seriously: The computer finally and suddenly stops running attack simulations, everyone cheers, David gets his hair tussled, Jenny and David hug chastely, the general lowers the alert to DEFCON 5, and…. credits. Instant ending. #Flawless #NoNotes
#HowAboutANiceGameOfChess? #WhatAboutTheBombers? #DavidStillGoesToGitmoRight?
Boom there it is!
GREETINGS PROFESSOR FALKEN
HELLO
A STRANGE GAME.
THE ONLY WINNING MOVE IS
NOT TO PLAY.
I left a few scenarios out. What’s SEATO decapitation anyway?
https://11points.com/11-weirdest-imaginary-wars-dreamed-computer-wargames/
ITS LEARNING
Strategy / Winner
USSR first strike - none
US first strike - none
NATO/Warsaw pact none
Far East strategy none
US-USSR escalation none
Middle East war none
USSR-China attack none
India Pakistan war none
Mediterranean war none
Hong Kong variation none
Cuban provocation none
Inadvertent launch none
Atlantic heavy none
Cuban paramilitary none
Nicaraguan preemptive none
Pacific territorial none
Burmese theaterwide none
Turkish decoy none
NATO light none
Argentina escalation none
“Goddamnit, I’d piss on a spark plug if I thought it would do any good. Let the boy in there!” Now that’s writing.
They’re closing the blast doors.
My ex-father-in-law knew a guy he worked with who lost several toes when a blast door in Colorado came down suddenly directly in front of him. Like…. Directly.
Oh. The kind of asshole who has a helicopter 🚁 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
“What kind of an asshole lives on an island and doesn’t even have a boat?”
“I wish I didn’t know about any of this. I wish I was like everyone else in the world.” Heavy line.
Wait is this becoming Jurassic Park? The guy’s obsessed with dinosaurs.
“I never could get Joshua to learn the most important lesson. Futility. That there’s a time when you should just give up.”
Getting real Obi Wan Kenobi vibes from this Hume / Falken guy.
Hmmmmm. Ally Sheedy’s Jenny and David getting all up close and personal with some cheek brushing and nibbles brings back some very old tingles in my tummy. Its just like climbing the rope in gym class.
He escaped! Oh cool!
And now hoodie-wearing hacker Broderick (or what’s his name, David?) now does a trick that actually used to work: jump starting a pay phone with a conductive piece of metal. Though he shouldn’t have had to pay to call the operator. #verisimilitude
Ooohhhh WOPR = “War Operation Plan Response”
Happy looking little guy, isn’t he? (War computers are always he.)
Has no one in Hollywood ever actually tried to climb into a vent? How do they think buildings work? Why would you make a vent that goes from beside the elevator to under the stairs in the command center, and then not make either end lock? And why aren’t they dusty? Or noisy? Or 🥵 or 🥶? Or too flimsy to hold a crawling person’s weight? #ThinkTooMuch #JustAMovie #WarGames
“Patient’s eyes are dilated, consistent with use of marijuana, and possibly PCP”
Jeez, These guys’ security practices are worse than #Worf on the #Enterprise.
Try not to leave your #Russian hacker alone in an office with a view of the command center and an unlocked green terminal!
Uh do they really give the public tours of the command center at NORAD? See, right there I think that’s your problem. #WarGames
“What is the primary goal?”
“You should know, Professor. You programmed me.”
“To win the game”
Chills!!! 🥶🥶☢️
WE’RE IN!
(Is this the first time this hacker phrase was ever used in a movie?)
SHALL WE PLAY A GAME?
Also I love the phone cradled on the modem. Must be at least 300 baud.
Omg Matthew #Broderick using a card #catalogue! And why did I have the same haircut? And shirt? #WarGames
“Falken’s Maze - Teaching a Machine to Think” hero finds a magazine article, looked it up in a library in the stacks… and then goes to microfiche! Hacking was time intensive in the ‘80s!
“Poker and Armageddon: The Role of Bluffing in a Nuclear Standoff”… still very relevant! #WarGames
“The whopper (WOPR) spends all of its time thinking about World War 3… using all available information on the state of the world.” #WarGames