Total Generalship: Commanding Pre-Modern Armies

[Martok]

I frequently enjoy his deep dives on the subjects he tackles.  This time, he looks at real-world generalship in pre-modern armies as compared -- and contrasted -- to that in video games: 


https://acoup.blog/2022/05/27/collections-total-generalship-commanding-pre-modern-armies-part-i-reports/

[Tolstoi]

This reminds me of the 200 Foot General discussion centered on Napoleonics; however, it applies to Dr. Devereaux discussion.

I like how Dr. Devereaux is examining Total War and making these comparisons. In many ways a computer game would be ideal at emulating fog of war, delayed communication, and all the uncertainty and confusion that goes along with a battle; however, we don't get many games that do this. Dr. Peter Turcan's Borodino, Austerlitz and Waterloo spring to mind. They are good at limiting the commanders view and influence; however, I think most gamers today would not find those games satisfying and Dr. Turcan's games don't cover the set up and offering battle described by Dr. Devereaux. There is Frank Hunter's Campaigns of the Danube game, which has great fog or war with delayed information that never seems to be accurate; however, that is an operational game and not a real time tactical game like the Total War series.

Using Google Maps Street View to illustrate the distances and spaces involved in the battle of Pydna is super cool. It will be interesting to read the other three installments. I was unfamiliar with Dr. Devereaux's blog and I've added it to my RSS feed. Thanks!