"A wargame is a warfare model or simulation whose operation does not involve the activities of actual military forces, and whose sequence of events affects and is, in turn, affected by the decisions made by players representing the opposite sides." [Ref. 7, 164] As stated by Perla, "ultimately, the goal of all war game design is communication." [Ref. 7, 185] This communication aims to show the analyst, commander, or staff officer a possible cause and effect relationship between the battlefield systems and the course of action used to employ those systems.

A wargame is comprised of several elements, which build upon one another to provide the user an educational experience. The most important element is human decision making. This facet of wargaming separates it from strict simulation, where "decisions" are based on preset algorithms in a computer program. Other essential elements of a "good wargame" are: objectives, a scenario, a database, models, rules, players, and analysis. [Ref. 7, 165] These elements generate the platform for the players to achieve their goal for the wargame.

The use of wargames spans a wide spectrum. [Ref. 7, 165] Wargames can be used for education, entertainment, to exercise detailed war plans prior to a deployment, or to exercise new systems to identify weaknesses in design in an effort to compliment the design process. [Ref 7 Perla, Peter P. The Art of Wargaming: A Guide for Professionals and Hobbyists. Annapolis: United Sates Naval Institute, 1990. ]

p.24 The development of a concept of operations for a system's or unit's employment using wargaming parallels the use of wargaming by battle staffs to develop plans and orders. United States Army Field Manual 101-5, Staff Organization and Operations, Final Draft 1996, defines wargaming as;

…a disciplined process with rules and steps which attempts to visualize the flow of a battle, given friendly dispositions, strengths, and weaknesses; enemy assets and probable COAs [JLJ - courses of action]; and the characteristics of area of operations. [Field Manual 101-5, Staff Organization and Operations, Final Draft.  Washington, D. C.: Department of the Army, 1996.]

p.24 Several aspects of a wargame require attention and care to ensure that conclusions drawn from the wargame are taken in context. Perla addresses several of these issues in his book, The Art of Wargaming:

…wargaming is not analysis…It is not a technique for producing a rigorous, quantitative or logical dissection of a problem or for defining precise measures of effectiveness by which to compare alternative solutions. A wargame is not duplicable. A wargame is a warfare model whose sequence of events is affected by the decisions made by players representing the opposing sides. [Ref. 7, 164]

p.25 The most appropriate term for the output of a wargame is "insight". "Insight" gained through a wargame takes on the form of any of the following:

• Effective use of a unit/system in a particular situation
• Actions of the enemy not previously considered
• Plausible friendly actions not previously considered
• Logistical issues connected to the plan or its branches
• Requirements of support from higher echelons not previously addressed
• Redundancy of effort (ability to shift forces to maximize their effect on the enemy) and many others