This is rather last minute notice—probably because we’ve put it together at the very last minute—but Canadian readers will be interested to learn that Defence Research & Development Canada and PAXsims will be hosting Connections North, a one day miniconference on professional wargaming, in Ottawa on Monday, 22 February 2016. Among the presenters will be Jim Wallman (Past Perspectives), who is visiting the colonies this week.
Ottawa—deliberately located so as to be beyond the immediate reach of an US invasion, and with its scenic Rideau Canal providing strategic mobility for Imperial troops in the event of American aggression—is obviously the perfect place for such a get-together. You can’t be too careful.
Update—further details
We’ll be meeting in a meeting room at the Lord Elgin Hotel (100 Elgin St, Ottawa). The agenda for the meeting is below.
| 0930 | Arrive at meeting location and set-up |
| 0945 | General Introductions: Workshop Overview and Objectives |
| 1000 | Presentation on DND matrix game trials
Dr. Murray Dixson (DRDC) |
| 1015 | Break |
| 1030 | Presentation on DND`s Rapid Campaign Analysis Toolset (RCAT) trial
Paul Massel (DRDC) |
| 1100 | Gaming the Semi-Cooperative: Peace Operations, HADR, and Beyond
Prof. Rex Brynen (McGill University) |
| 1130 | Perspectives on Wargaming
Jim Wallman (Past Perspectives) |
| 1200 | Lunch |
| 1315 | Round table discussion on the application of wargaming to defence analysis and to support strategic decision making |
| 1400 | Demonstration of AFTERSHOCK: A Humanitarian Crisis Game
Rex Brynen (McGill University) and Thomas Fisher (Imaginetic) |
| 1530 | Final Points and Conclusion |
We hope to see members of the Ottawa wargaming community there, as well as those working on national security issues more broadly and others interested in the use of serious games for education and policy analysis. Pass it on!
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