Paddy Griffith
Encyclopedia
Paddy Griffith was an influential British military theorist, he was the author of numerous books in the field of War Studies, a wargame
designer for the UK Ministry of Defence
, and a leading figure in the wargaming
community.
) where he obtained a first-class honours degree in Modern History. He was a lecturer and then senior lecturer at RMA Sandhurst from 1973 to 1989.
in the 1880s. He was the author of numerous books in the field of War Studies, a wargame
designer for the UK Ministry of Defence
, and the founder of the Wargame Developments group. He also founded SMATS (South Manchester Tactical Society) which is a reincarnation of the Manchester Tactical Society founded by Spenser Wilkinson
in the 1880s.
Dr Griffith was highly regarded in the field of wargaming
and military simulation
s. He was a notable creator of wargames rules and systems, many popular with amateurs, while others were used by the UK Ministry of Defence
and NATO. On occasion, Dr Griffith also adjudicated UK and NATO wargaming events conducted as command exercises, or participated as a member or leader of a Warsaw Pact
command due to his recognized comprehension of the doctrine of those Soviet Union
-dominated forces.
While not as prolific as James Dunnigan, Paddy Griffith's work is highly praised by British wargamers in both professional military and amateur circles. Unlike the wargame industry in the United States, which is oriented towards the use of maps made discrete by a hexagon grid, Griffith's work was more oriented towards the non-discrete, and were often very free-form.
A regular at COW during its early years, Paddy Griffith was one of the most highly respected and admired attendees, and many of the participants acknowledge the profound influence he had on the development of new wargames and simulations; many attendees were greatly disappointed when news of his death arrived just before the 2010 conference. This was the 30th Conference of Wargamers, and the first that Paddy Griffith would have attended for some years. He had already planned to run a stimulating and innovative session about the First World War, and it was a great tragedy that this session did not take place.
The Conference of Wargamers continues to be attended by professional military personnel, professional simulation designers, military historians, and amateur wargame enthusiasts. They all share a keen interest in developing accurate simulations of historical events and command problems as well as studying current events and foreseeable future situations from the perspective of simulation. They are not afraid to ask difficult morale and ethical questions, something that Paddy Griffith encouraged with what he termed 'black wargames'. The typical COW consists of presentations in the form of papers and lectures, workshops, and practical sessions.
Beginning in November, 1980, the Wargame Developments group has published a regular journal called The Nugget. Currently there are 9 issues per year, and it is subscribed to by a wide range of people including both professional military personnel and civilians. Paddy Griffith was the editor of the first 15 issues, as well as the 50th.
Amongst the wargames that Paddy Griffith designed, the following are recorded but as far as it is known no copies of the rules and/or player briefings are available:
Amongst the wargames that Paddy Griffith designed, the following were published in The Nugget and are no longer generally available:
The following articles about wargaming design philosophy and the philosophy of wargaming were also published in The Nugget and are no longer generally available:
Military simulation
Military simulations, also known informally as war games, are simulations in which theories of warfare can be tested and refined without the need for actual hostilities. Many professional contemporary analysts object to the term wargames as this is generally taken to be referring to the civilian...
designer for the UK Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
, and a leading figure in the wargaming
Wargaming
A wargame is a strategy game that deals with military operations of various types, real or fictional. Wargaming is the hobby dedicated to the play of such games, which can also be called conflict simulations, or consims for short. When used professionally to study warfare, it is generally known as...
community.
Academic Life
Paddy Griffith, PhD was a freelance military historian and a prolific author on military history and tactics. He was Oxford-educated (Corpus Christi CollegeCorpus Christi College, Oxford
Corpus Christi College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom...
) where he obtained a first-class honours degree in Modern History. He was a lecturer and then senior lecturer at RMA Sandhurst from 1973 to 1989.
Forward Into Battle
In Forward into Battle: Fighting Tactics from Waterloo to Vietnam (1981), Griffith put forward ideas about the "empty battlefield" or how increased firepower had led to military formations becoming increasingly disaggregated. The conclusion he drew was that the willingness to close with the enemy was a key factor. It proved to be a highly influential work.Wargames
Griffith was the founder of the Wargame Developments group and SMATS (South Manchester Tactical Society) which is a reincarnation of the Manchester Tactical Society founded by Spenser WilkinsonSpenser Wilkinson
Henry Spenser Wilkinson was the first Chichele Professor of Military History at Oxford University. While he was an English writer known primarily for his work on military subjects, he had wide interests...
in the 1880s. He was the author of numerous books in the field of War Studies, a wargame
Military simulation
Military simulations, also known informally as war games, are simulations in which theories of warfare can be tested and refined without the need for actual hostilities. Many professional contemporary analysts object to the term wargames as this is generally taken to be referring to the civilian...
designer for the UK Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
, and the founder of the Wargame Developments group. He also founded SMATS (South Manchester Tactical Society) which is a reincarnation of the Manchester Tactical Society founded by Spenser Wilkinson
Spenser Wilkinson
Henry Spenser Wilkinson was the first Chichele Professor of Military History at Oxford University. While he was an English writer known primarily for his work on military subjects, he had wide interests...
in the 1880s.
Dr Griffith was highly regarded in the field of wargaming
Wargaming
A wargame is a strategy game that deals with military operations of various types, real or fictional. Wargaming is the hobby dedicated to the play of such games, which can also be called conflict simulations, or consims for short. When used professionally to study warfare, it is generally known as...
and military simulation
Military simulation
Military simulations, also known informally as war games, are simulations in which theories of warfare can be tested and refined without the need for actual hostilities. Many professional contemporary analysts object to the term wargames as this is generally taken to be referring to the civilian...
s. He was a notable creator of wargames rules and systems, many popular with amateurs, while others were used by the UK Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
and NATO. On occasion, Dr Griffith also adjudicated UK and NATO wargaming events conducted as command exercises, or participated as a member or leader of a Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance , or more commonly referred to as the Warsaw Pact, was a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in Eastern Europe...
command due to his recognized comprehension of the doctrine of those Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
-dominated forces.
While not as prolific as James Dunnigan, Paddy Griffith's work is highly praised by British wargamers in both professional military and amateur circles. Unlike the wargame industry in the United States, which is oriented towards the use of maps made discrete by a hexagon grid, Griffith's work was more oriented towards the non-discrete, and were often very free-form.
Wargames Developments and COW
In 1980 whilst he was still a lecturer in War Studies at RMA Sandhurst, Paddy Griffith organised a conference entitled "New Directions In Wargaming". The conference was held at Moor Park College near Farnham, and lasted over the weekend of 23rd to 25th, May 1980 and it set the pattern for all the subsequent conferences. At this conference Dr Griffith was the primary force behind the foundation of Wargame Developments, a group consisting of professional military personnel, civil servants, educators, and both professional and amateur wargame designers. Since 1981, these conferences - the Conference of Wargamers or (COW) - have been held at Knuston Hall Residential College for Adult Education.A regular at COW during its early years, Paddy Griffith was one of the most highly respected and admired attendees, and many of the participants acknowledge the profound influence he had on the development of new wargames and simulations; many attendees were greatly disappointed when news of his death arrived just before the 2010 conference. This was the 30th Conference of Wargamers, and the first that Paddy Griffith would have attended for some years. He had already planned to run a stimulating and innovative session about the First World War, and it was a great tragedy that this session did not take place.
The Conference of Wargamers continues to be attended by professional military personnel, professional simulation designers, military historians, and amateur wargame enthusiasts. They all share a keen interest in developing accurate simulations of historical events and command problems as well as studying current events and foreseeable future situations from the perspective of simulation. They are not afraid to ask difficult morale and ethical questions, something that Paddy Griffith encouraged with what he termed 'black wargames'. The typical COW consists of presentations in the form of papers and lectures, workshops, and practical sessions.
Beginning in November, 1980, the Wargame Developments group has published a regular journal called The Nugget. Currently there are 9 issues per year, and it is subscribed to by a wide range of people including both professional military personnel and civilians. Paddy Griffith was the editor of the first 15 issues, as well as the 50th.
Books
Paddy Griffith's books include:- 'French Artillery 1800–1815’ (1976)
- ‘Napoleonic Wargaming for Fun’ (1980; Revised 2008) Link
- ‘Forward into Battle: Fighting Tactics from Waterloo to Vietnam' (1981)
- ‘A Book of Sandhurst Wargames’ (1982)
- ‘Not Over by Christmas’ (1983)
- ‘Wellington-Commander: the Iron Duke's Generalship’ (1985)
- ‘Rally Once Again’ (1986)
- ‘Battle in the Civil War: Generalship and Tactics in America 1861-65'’ (1986)
- ‘Military Thought in the French Army 1815 – 51’ (1989)
- ‘Battle Tactics of the Civil War’ (1989) [a revised edition of ‘Rally Once Again’ that was published in America]
- ‘Armoured Warfare’ (1990) – Chapter entitled ‘British Armoured Warfare in the Western Desert 1940–1943’
- ‘America Invades’ (1991)
- ‘How to Play Historical War Council Games’ (1991)
- ‘The Ultimate Weaponry’ (1991)
- ‘Forward into Battle: Fighting Tactics from Waterloo to the near Future’ (1992) [a revised edition of ‘Forward into Battle: Fighting Tactics from Waterloo to Vietnam']
- ‘Battle Tactics on the Western Front 1916 – 18’ (1994)
- ‘The Battle of Blore Heath, 1459’ (1995)
- ‘The Viking Art of War’ (1995)
- ‘British Fighting Methods on the Western Front’ (1996)
- ‘Verification 1995: Arms Control, Peacekeeping and the Environment’ (1995) – Chapter entitled ‘The Body Bag as Deterrent and Peace Dividend’
- ‘Verification 1996: Arms Control, Peacekeeping and the Environment’ (1996) – Chapter entitled ‘The Military Need for Contact Mines’
- ‘Passchendaele in Perspective: the Third Battle of Ypres’ (1997) – Chapter entitled ‘The tactical problem: infantry, artillery and the salient’
- ‘The Art of War of Revolutionary France, 1789–1802’ (1998)
- ‘British Fighting Methods in the Great War’ (1998)
- ‘The Peninsular War: Aspects of the Struggle for the Iberian Peninsula’ (1998)
- ‘A History of the Peninsular War, Vol.IX, Modern Studies of the war in Spain and Portugal, 1808–1814’ (1999)
- ‘The Napoleon Options: Alternate decisions of the Napoleonic Wars’ (2000) – Chapter that describes the effect of a successful French invasion of Ireland
- ‘Battle Tactics of the American Civil War’ (2001)
- ‘Fortifications of the Western Front 1914 – 18’ (2004)
- ‘The Vauban Fortifications of France’ (2006)
- ‘French Napoleonic Infantry Tactics 1792–1815’ (2007)
- ‘World War II Desert Tactics’ (2008)
- ‘The Great War on the Western Front: A Short History’ (2008)
- ‘Sprawling Wargames Multiplayer Wargaming’ (2009) link
Wargames
Amongst the wargames that Paddy Griffith designed, the following were published and may still be available:- ‘Napoleonic Wargaming for Fun’ (1980; Revised 2008)
- Napoleonic skirmish-level wargame
- Napoleonic brigade-level wargame
- Napoleonic divisional-level wargame
- Napoleonic army-level wargame
- Napoleonic Generalship game
- Map Kriegsspiel
- Tactic Exercises Without Troops
- ‘A Book of SandhurstRoyal Military Academy SandhurstThe Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
Wargames’ (1982) N.B. The descriptions are taken from the notes on the back cover of the book.- AquitaineAquitaineAquitaine , archaic Guyenne/Guienne , is one of the 27 regions of France, in the south-western part of metropolitan France, along the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountain range on the border with Spain. It comprises the 5 departments of Dordogne, :Lot et Garonne, :Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Landes...
(1355 & 1356) - 'A simple game of strategy for two players, based on a 'war ride' by the Black Prince during the Hundred Years' WarHundred Years' WarThe Hundred Years' War was a series of separate wars waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as the House of Anjou, for the French throne, which had become vacant upon the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings...
.' - The Battle of CraonneCraonneCraonne is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France.-History:It was the site of the Napoleonic Battle of Craonne in 1814. The former town was totally destroyed by artillery in World War I and is now an arboretum; today's town was rebuilt in the 1920s.-References:*...
(1814) - 'A more sophisticated Napoleonic game for two players, based on battlefield tactics in the last French campaign against the Russians in 1814.' - Fjord - 'An advanced air and naval game for two players on both strategic and tactical levels, highlighting the problems encountered by Arctic convoys in the Second World War.'
- Men Against Fire - 'A role-playing skirmish for three or more participants, based on infantry combat in the Pacific islands during the Second World War. Players must achieve personal as well as group aims in order to win.'
- Aquitaine
- 'How to Play Historical War Council Games' (1991)
- The Chinese Committee 1927 - Eight members of the Chinese Communist Party have to choose one from a possible eight party lines for the revolution.
- Sidi Ferruch! - The French high command have to plan the successive stages of the colonisation of Algeria from 1830 onwards, with the possibility of a new Governor General being appointed each year.
- The Pentagon Committee 1991 - Different US defence agencies have to discuss the merits (or otherwise) of a new secret weapon, 'The Gopher', and decide on a relevant procurement policy.
- ‘Sprawling Wargames Multiplayer Wargaming’ (2009)
- Definitions, and Principles of Game Design
- Operation Sea Lion 1940 (also see Operation Sea Lion#Post-war wargaming of the plan)
- Operation Mercury, 1941
- Operation BarbarossaOperation BarbarossaOperation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
, 1941 - SuvarovAlexander SuvorovAlexander Vasilyevich Suvorov , Count Suvorov of Rymnik, Prince in Italy, Count of the Holy Roman Empire , was the fourth and last generalissimo of the Russian Empire.One of the few great generals in history who never lost a battle along with the likes of Alexander...
in AlsaceAlsaceAlsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
, 1799 - The 'Black Isle' Magical VikingVikingThe term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
Game
Amongst the wargames that Paddy Griffith designed, the following are recorded but as far as it is known no copies of the rules and/or player briefings are available:
-
- 'Young Team' - A game about urban skirmishing (i.e. Glasgow gang fights) based on James Patrick's study Glasgow Gang Observed. (1979)
- 'Memphis Mangler' - The first true Megagame, it was set in Vietnam
- Sans Culotte - A Megagame of Revolutionary Warfare 1793 (20th September, 1981)
- Kaiserschlacht - A Megagame of the German offensive of 1918 (12th February 1982)
- 'Chickasaw Bruiser IV' - A brigade-level map free kriegsspiel set in Vietnam, 1968 (Conference of Wargamers 1982)
- 'The Guns of August' - A Megagame about the first six weeks of the First World War (Co-designed with Jim Wallman) (1986)
- 'Tajo!' - A multi-player game about the 1809 Talavera campaign (1987)
- 'Wellington in Euskadi' - A Megagame about Wellington's 1813 campaign in the Pyrenees (1989)
- 'The First Bombing Raid in History' - A 'cardboard' simulator of the bombing raid carried out by the Italians against the Turks in Libya in 1911 (1989)
- 'Crusader!' - A multi-player map game about the Allied attempt to relieve Tobruk in November 1941 (1989)
- 'Red Star Express!' - A combined political committee/armoured train 'cardboard' simulator set during the Russian Civil War (1989)
- 'Guadalquivir!' - A multi-player game about the 1808 Bailen campaign (1990)
- 'Vaucluse!' - A game of diplomacy and theology set around 1440 (1990)
- 'Dog's Dinner - a Game of Bwitish Wegiments' - A game in which each player had to justify why their regiment should not be disbanded (1990) N.B. Bwitish Wegiments is not a typographical error; it merely reflects the way in which some British Army officers - amongst others - pronounce the letter R as a WRhotacismRhotacism refers to several phenomena related to the usage of the consonant r :*the excessive or idiosyncratic use of the r;...
. - 'Fleet in being' - A 'cardboard' simulator of the attack on the German battleship Tirpiz by two X-Craft miniature submarines (1990)
Amongst the wargames that Paddy Griffith designed, the following were published in The Nugget and are no longer generally available:
-
- The "Mint Julep Finger-Licken' American Civil War" Rules (No.2, January 1981)
- The "Donner Und Blitzen" WW2 Micro-Armour Rules (co-written with Peter Foxton) (No.2, January 1981)
- Scraeling - an experimental decision-making game that pitched Vikings against the Inuit (No.8, March 1982)
- 'Flight to the Front' Solo Wargames Rules (No.23, October 1983)
The following articles about wargaming design philosophy and the philosophy of wargaming were also published in The Nugget and are no longer generally available:
-
- An Umpire's Handbook for Running Megagames (co-written with Jim Wallman) (No.7, January 1982)
- Voice Games (No.9, May 1982)
- Wargames and Research (No.18, December 1983)