Why Wargames

Welcome to Tasting Tactics, where we’ll dive deeper into the stories of how we came to love both wargames and whisk(e)y, teach you how you can start your own collection, help you become fluent in the genre, and provide some resources to lower the learning curve along the way.

Some of our favorites! Photo © 2026 WargamesandWhisky.com

Let’s start at the beginning: why wargames, and how do we define them? 

Wargames are the pinnacle of competitive indulgence. If we wanted to be formal about it, a wargame is any game that covers military, political, or economic conflict across any genre. The key word here is conflict- the main crux must be battles and wars, and the rules of the game must drive players into direct conflict with one another. The conflict does not have to include mountains of chits and combat results tables, but it has to be the core of the experience. That’s our definition and this is our site- so we get to make the rules.

Now, we know much ink has been spilled over this very question, and our intent is not to relitigate any of that. Today the community largely recognizes that science fiction, fantasy, and near-future settings without strict hex-and-counter wars are all applicable to the context of a wargame. The current rankings of the best reviewed wargames clearly reflect a diversity of genre and experiences.

People are drawn to wargames for many reasons, ranging from structured professional military education (PME) simulations to escapist entertainment, as well as casual, engaging opportunities to investigate history and reflect on current events. Our primary motivation for sharing new and diverse wargames lies in the shared experience they build. Rooted in friendly competition, these games use escapism and historical or current events as a starting point for meaningful discussion. 

So how do we choose which games to feature? Our primary goal with Wargames & Whisky is to bring people together; a third-space of healthy competition, delicious drinks, and good conversation. Therefore, and quite simply, our biggest consideration is simply whether we think the game is fun. Length, complexity, and learning curves are also important when choosing what to feature, but all of these are secondary to time well spent in good company (plus all these other things tend to fall away to the background if the game is fun).

The other half of things is the unfortunate reality that alas, wargaming is not exactly a low cost hobby. Anything we share is therefore also reasonably(ish) available, and reasonably(ish) priced. We say “ish” because the average cost of a wargame has crept up at a somewhat alarming rate these last few years, due in part to both tariffs and rising costs of labor and material. We’re not sure we want to really say $80 for a wargame is “reasonable,” exactly, but it is reasonable(ish) in the grand scheme of things. Fortunately, to help with both costs and availability, there are online outlets like Noble Knight Games, to which we link often, given their large catalog of new and second-hand games, which help make wargames more accessible.

The most important thing to remember: we’ve played and personally vouch for every game we feature. It’ll always be reasonably easy to find, and won’t cost you hundreds of dollars.