Kriegsspieler of the Month - Introduction

by Jorit Wintjes

The history of the Prussian Kriegsspiel is usually understood to be the developmental history of rulesets beginning with the publication of Georg Heinrich von Reisswitz’ Anleitung zur Darstellung militairischer Manoever mit dem Apparat des Kriegsspiels in 1824 right down to the last years before World War I. As a consequence, exploring this history has so far meant engaging mostly with the published rulesets. That is, one has to say, a very legitimate approach, particularly if one wants to take a closer look for example at the relationship between rules design and technological progress, or at the development of tactical concepts and their expression in the rulesets.

However, it leaves out one very important aspect of the history of the Prussian Kriegsspiel: the individuals involved in designing and running Kriegsspiele. There is an important human factor, so to speak, to the history of the Prussian Kriegsspiel, and so far, this human factor has been largely ignored. The primary purpose of this small collection of brief biographical sketches is therefore to highlight the importance of the Kriegsspielers, that is all those officers who had one role or another in the history of the Prussian Kriegsspiel.

It should be added that this is not meant to be a full-blown biographical history or dictionary of the Prussian Kriegsspiel. Such would be an eminently useful instrument, but it is obviously well beyond the scope of a small blog-like project like the present. Rather, these biographical notes are primarily meant to instigate a rethinking of Kriegsspiel history, at least to some degree, and to provide some focus on those responsible for that history.

The format is simple: each month a new biographical sketch will turn up on this page, eventually resulting in a small collection of Kriegsspieler biographies; the biographies will provide the barest essentials of information on the individuals’ service careers and their role in Kriegsspiel history. During the coming months, some very famous 19th c. military men will appear on this page, as well as some who are unknown outside a very small circle of specialists; not all are Kriegsspiel designers, but all were at one point or another involved in activities important for the history of the Prussian Kriegsspiel.