SKU: 52623740286

Wargames According to Mark

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Wargames According to MarkI am delighted to write a second foreword to Mark Herman's book, even if I'm playing the proverbial second fiddle to Jim Dunnigan, who mentored Mark at Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) and played a huge role in sucking me into the Wargaming hobby and, ultimately, the wacky world of professional Wargaming. Although I knew of Mark from those early SPI days, I did not have the pleasure of meeting him until a game convention (Avaloncon, if I remember

I am delighted to write a second foreword to Mark Herman's book, even if I'm playing the proverbial second fiddle to Jim Dunnigan, who mentored Mark at Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) and played a huge role in sucking me into the Wargaming hobby and, ultimately, the wacky world of professional Wargaming. Although I knew of Mark from those early SPI days, I did not have the pleasure of meeting him until a game convention (Avaloncon, if I remember correctly) back in the late 1980s. I was working on my own book about Wargaming and went to the con primarily to meet Mark and ask him if I could set up a time to interview him for my own research. His very gentlemanly agreement led to a long-term friendship and even a professional collaboration, on our game War in the China Sea, created for the Office of Net Assessment in the Pentagon.

Working on that game with Mark gave me a chance to see firsthand how he started the process of designing a game. It was much like a whirlwind. Butcher paper and marker pens; a sketch map and a buckets-of-dice combat system. Not quite mixing paint for Picasso, but as close as I ever came to such an experience.

This book can give you a taste of that experience. It is a no-holds-barred dive into the mind of a true wargame-design master. Mark does not claim to provide here any sort of "right way" to design an historical wargame; instead, he focuses on describing his own approach, philosophy, and thinking about how he designs historical wargames. And that is really the heart of the matter. Mark is an historian, first, and his games concentrate on presenting the historical narrative-not only the paths actually taken in reality but also (and more importantly) the "envelope" of paths that could have been taken.

In the process, he discusses his views about the core ideas needed to translate that historical envelope into a game system that offers its players agency in the context of their simulated roles. Look at the table of contents. He starts with a brief description of his early background in the Wargaming business. Then he quickly presents a series of chapters ranging from how he uses "smoke and mirrors" (design tricks) to distill history into a playable representation of the key options facing historical commanders and presenting those options for players to decide among them, to the core elements in the toolbox, from the sequence of play to the adjudication of combat results. Throughout, he uses examples from his huge body of wargame designs to illustrate and illuminate his thinking.

If you are a fan of historical wargames-and especially of Mark's games-you will find, as I did, that these mini stories are fascinating glimpses into the workings of one of the most creative and prolific wargame design minds since Dunnigan himself. And one of the most thoughtful and insightful. His ideas will help you understand better not only his own games, but also all historical wargames. And I would be greatly surprised if they did not inspire you to think about how you might find some of his ideas useful in your own wargaming, either as a player or as a designer. As he says at the end of his introduction, "I hope this book contributes to the community knowledge on how designing a game can be accomplished." I think I can safely say that he achieved his goal.

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SKU: 52623740286

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Mavis Adam
New York, US
★★★★★ 4
Great ball, bad rope
Size: Medium, Number of Items: 1, Size: Medium, Number of Items: 1
My dog and I love the starmark ball on a rope tug toys. While this is one of the best tug toys we have found, I am continually disappointed with the quality of the rope. The plastic sleeve comes off the first day, and after that the stitching begins to weaken until the rope ends come apart and the rope slides out of the ball. Is there a way to improve this design so that this toy lasts longer? My dog is not left alone with the toy, it is only used as an interactive tug toy as a training reward. I am updating my review now several months later. I reinforced the rope with a paracord braid and the toy now lasts a very long time. My dog and I play with this toy everyday on our morning hike. He is a large German Shepherd with high ball drive. He carries this ball in his mouth several miles on our morning hike. We play fetch in the fields near our home and in the lake beyond the fields with this toy every day. This toy is his reward in obedience training and we play a lot of tug with it every day. Reinforcing the handle has made a huge difference as the toy lasts and lasts now with the improved rope. Great ball, we will always have a collection of them at our house!
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Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2020
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AGJ
New York, US
★★★★★ 5
Great for training and play!
Size: Medium, Number of Items: 1
My German shepherd love this toy! Great to take on walks with you as light weight and can fit in your pocket. Stands up to the toughest of play. Great as reward toy for training in place of treats! We always have one on hand at home or out and about!
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Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2026
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Room112
San Leandro, US
★★★★★ 5
Great for big dogs
Size: Medium, Number of Items: 1
Our pup is now 15 months old (nearly 110 lb and still growing). We got this ball when he was 3 or 4 months old. GOODS - - Our pup fetches with extreme drive, and the rope helps him quickly snatch the ball off the ground (versus a tennis ball, in which we are worried he will go head over heels at times) - Our pup also loves to play fetch in the water, and this ball floats great and again, the rope gives another point to bite onto - The yellow color is easy to see, even in grass - Our pup typically fetches the ball, and leaves the rope mostly out of his mouth. So, throwing the ball doesn't result in saliva-covered hands - It's pretty easy to throw the ball 50', and possible to throw it 100' - It doesn't roll/bounce, so if you are for example playing fetch on your front lawn and are concerned with a tennis ball rolling into the street, this one alleviates that issue - Our pup is spoiled and has several balls. This is absolutely his go to ball. We have woken up in the morning before to see him standing next to the bed with the ball in his mouth, asking us to get up and play. BADS - - Occasionally when he goes to fetch it, he will step on the rope as he tries to pull up on the ball. - We have gotten this ball stuck in trees multiple times. In fact, there is one stuck on the roof of our church from playing fetch on the lawn there. :-/ Not a fault of the ball, but if you start whipping it around like nunchucks, it might not go where you want. - The near max you can through this ball is 100'. And since it doesn't roll/bounce, throw distance is throttled. We often play fetch in a local baseball field, and have no issue wearing him out with this ball. However, if you are planning on throwing a ball the distance of half a football field, you might want to consider something else. SIZE - - We purchased both the medium and the large. Even though our pup is huge and can fit a soccer ball in his mouth, he still prefers the medium. It's easier for him to get in his mouth and breath while running back. The medium is the size of an orange, whereas the large is the size of a grapefruit. DURABILITY - - We have gone through about 4 of these balls, BUT this is because we lost 3 of them. We believe he dropped one out of the car window while we were driving, one is on the roof of our church, and I forget about the other one. On the first one we had, the stitching behind the black tape was down to a few threads after about 5 months. Given duration we use these balls (every day) and the joy he gets from them, I feel the durability is good for the price. - We do play tug with the ball at times, and no issues there Enjoy!
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Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2013
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Greg
West Palm Beach, US
★★★★★ 3
Good but better options out there.
Good ball, but is a cheaper version of the Foamster sold online. The rope is cheap and comes apart, and can be abrasive to a dogs mouth. The Foamster uses a higher quality ball and are more durable and use grippy biothane straps rather than cheap rope. They are also made to order in the USA with lots of fun colors. Worth the extra money if your dog likes these balls.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2025
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Kristen
Carnegie, US
★★★★★ 5
Fun toy for fetch
Size: Medium, Number of Items: 1
Daisy loves this toy. I found it from her dog trainer, and it makes rewarding her with a quick tug of war and fetch really easy. Also it’s shockingly durable. It looks like foam, but she has not destroyed this one.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2025

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