Many people interested in military history know little about early war-games. This book fills the gap, starting with those played in ancient and medieval times and continuing through to 1945. War-games often had impressive and colourful graphics depicting real warfare in a dramatic way. Bringing the games together here for the first time gives a unique overview of conflict before the modern era, showing how wars changed as new equipment became available.

We first see armies marching across Europe with cavalry and artillery, and besieging cities, while tanks and aircraft appear later, and sailing ships give way to dreadnoughts and submarines. Some games require deep strategic thought and special types were developed for military training purposes. Today’s computer-based games offer a different experience, but the old games are still interesting to play. They sometimes appear in second-hand markets, and the book will help to place them in context.