James F. Dunnigan (born 8 August 1943) is an author, military-political analyst, Defense and State Department consultant, and

wargame A wargame is a strategy game in which two or more players command opposing armed forces in a realistic simulation of an armed conflict. Wargaming may be played for recreation, to train military officers in the art of strategic thinking, or to s ...

designer currently living in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

Career

Dunnigan was born in

Rockland County, New York Rockland County is the southernmost county on the west side of the Hudson River in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. It is about from the Bronx at their closest points. The county's population, as of t ...

. After high school, he volunteered for the military instead of waiting to be drafted. From 1961 to 1964, he worked as a repair technician for the Sergeant

ballistic missile A ballistic missile is a type of missile that uses projectile motion to deliver warheads on a target. These weapons are guided only during relatively brief periods—most of the flight is unpowered. Short-range ballistic missiles stay within ...

; his service included a tour in

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republi ...

. Afterwards, he attended

Pace University Pace University is a private university with its main campus in New York City and secondary campuses in Westchester County, New York. It was established in 1906 by the brothers Homer St. Clair Pace and Charles A. Pace as a business school. Pace ...

studying accounting, then transferred to

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manha ...

, graduating with a degree in

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

in 1970. While still in college, he became involved in wargaming. He designed ''

Jutland Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...

'', which

Avalon Hill Avalon Hill Games Inc. is a game company that publishes wargames and strategic board games. It has also published miniature wargaming rules, role-playing games and sports simulations. It is a subsidiary of Hasbro, and operates under the compan ...

published in 1967, following it up with '' 1914'' the next year, and ''

PanzerBlitz ''PanzerBlitz'' is a tactical wargames, tactical-scale board wargame published by Avalon Hill in 1970 that simulates armored combat set in the Eastern Front (WWII), Eastern Front of the Second World War. The game is notable for being the first tr ...

'' in 1970, which eventually sold more than 300,000 copies. Meanwhile, Dunnigan had founded his own company, initially known as Poultron Press, and which soon became Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI). Dunnigan created SPI in order to save the magazine '' Strategy & Tactics'', which was published by Chris Wagner. Dunnigan had been a contributor to the magazine since ''Strategy & Tactics'' #2 (February 1967), and when Wagner was having financial difficulties with the magazine he sold Dunningan the rights for $1. Dunnigan set up shop in a windowless basement in New York City's Lower East Side, and published his first issue from there, ''Strategy & Tactics'' #18 (September 1969); starting with that issue, every issue included a new wargame. Dunnigan also designed the game '' Sniper!'' (1973) . Dunnigan later designed '' Dallas: The Television Role-Playing Game'' (1980), the first ever licensed role-playing game. In 1980, Dunnigan was forced out of SPI due to the company's worsening financial situation. He left SPI to write more books, begin modeling financial markets, and pursue other projects. Between 1966 and 1992, he designed over 100 wargames and other conflict simulations, ranging from 1969's ''Up Against the Wall, Motherfucker'' about the student takeover at Columbia (which he witnessed as a bystanderAccording to Dunnigan he was a student at Columbia University that season and, although he has not participated in the action, several of his friends did. Some of these worked in the school newspaper and asked Dunnigan to make a game for the first anniversary of ''The Spectator''. Quoted in ), to the gigantic '' War in Europe'', to the online ''Hundred Years War'' with his long time partners Albert Nofi and Daniel Masterson, which has been running since 1992. In 1979, he wrote ''

The Complete Wargames Handbook ''The Complete Wargames Handbook'' is a book about playing and designing wargames by James F. Dunnigan, published in 1980 by William Morrow and Company. Description While still in college in the 1960s, Jim Dunnigan became involved in wargaming, ...

'' (first edition), and in 1980 ''How to Make War''. Dunnigan contributed to Three-Sixty Pacific's ''Victory at Sea'' but, he claimed, was not allowed to finish the computer wargame's design, although it was advertised as "James F. Dunnigan's ''Victory at Sea''". With his partners from the ''

Hundred Years War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of England and France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French throne between the English House of Plantage ...

'', Daniel Masterson and Albert Nofi, Dunnigan founded the online military news sit
StrategyPage
in 1999, of which he is the editor-in-chief. Podcasts of his commentaries on history, military affairs, and the contemporary world are regularly posted on StrategyPage.Com and as at

Instapundit.com Instapundit is a blog maintained by Glenn Reynolds, a law professor at the University of Tennessee. History and characteristics InstaPundit was launched in August 2001 as an experiment, and a part of Reynolds' class on Internet law. After the ...

Dunnigan regularly lectures at military and academic institutions, such as the Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Studies Group, in Newport, Rhode Island.

Awards/recognition

In 1975, Dunnigan was inducted into the Charles Roberts Awards Hall of Fame. In 1999 ''

Pyramid A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrila ...

'' magazine named him as one of the millennium's most influential persons "at least in the realm of adventure gaming". He was honored as a "famous game designer" by being featured on the king of diamonds in Flying Buffalo's 2008 Famous Game Designers Playing Card Deck.

Books

* ''

'', first edition, 1979 ** ''The Complete Wargames Handbook: How to Play, Design and Find Them'', Revised edition, William Morrow, 1992. .
online version
** ''Wargames Handbook: How to Play and Design Commercial and Professional Wargames'', Third edition, 2000. . * ''How To Make War: A Comprehensive Guide To Modern Warfare'', first edition, 1983 ** ''How to Make War: A Comprehensive Guide to Modern Warfare for the Post-Cold War Era'', 3rd edition, William Morrow, 1993. . ** ''How to Make War: A Comprehensive Guide to Modern Warfare in the Twenty-first Century'', 4th edition, HarperCollins, 2003. * ''Digital Soldiers'', St. Martin's, 1996. . * ''Dirty Little Secrets of the 20th Century: Myths, Misinformation, and Unknown Truths About the 20th Century'', William Morrow, 1999. . * ''The Perfect Soldier''. Citadel, 2004. .

Co-author

;As editor and co-author :* ''The Russian Front: Germany's War in the East, 1941-45'' (also published as ''The Russian Campaign''), Arms and Armour, 1978. . ;With William Martel :* ''How to Stop a War: The Lessons of Two Hundred Years of War and Peace'', Doubleday, 1987. . ;With Austin Bay :* ''From Shield to Storm: High-Tech Weapons, Military Strategy and Coalition Warfare in the Persian Gulf'', William Morrow, 1991. . :* ''A Quick & Dirty Guide to War: Briefings on Present and Potential Wars'', 4th edition, Paladin, 2008. . ;With Albert Nofi :*''Shooting Blanks: War Making That Doesn't Work'', 1991. . :* ''Medieval Life and the Hundred Years War''
200,000 word online book
1994) :* ''Dirty Little Secrets of World War II: Military Information No One Told You About the Greatest, Most Terrible War in History'', William Morrow, 1994. . :* ''Victory at Sea: World War II in the Pacific'', William Morrow, 1995. . :* ''The Pacific War Encyclopedia'', Facts on File, 1998. . :* ''Dirty Little Secrets: American Military Information You're Not Supposed to Know'', St. Martins Press, 1999. . :* ''Victory and Deceit: Deception and Trickery at War'', 2nd edition, Writers Club, 2001. . :* ''Dirty Little Secrets of the Vietnam War: Military Information You're Not Supposed to Know'', St. Martins Griffin, 2001. . ;With Daniel Masterson :* ''The Way of the Warrior: Business Tactics and Techniques from History's Twelve Greatest Generals'', St. Martin's Griffin, 1998. . ;With Raymond M. Macedonia :* ''Getting It Right: American Military Reforms After Vietnam to the Gulf War and Beyond'', 2nd edition, Writers Club, 2001. .

Other works

* (contributor) '' Wargame Design: The History, Production, and Use of Conflict Simulations'', Simulations Publications, 1977. . * Foreword to H.G. Wells's ''Floor Games'' (

Skirmisher Skirmishers are light infantry or light cavalry soldiers deployed as a vanguard, flank guard or rearguard to screen a tactical position or a larger body of friendly troops from enemy advances. They are usually deployed in a skirmish line, an ...

, 2006)

Games

*''

'' (1967) *'' 1914'' (1968) *''

1918 This year is noted for the end of the First World War, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, as well as for the Spanish flu pandemic that killed 50–100 million people worldwide. Events Below, the events ...

'' (1969) *'' Anzio Beachhead'' (1969) *'' Barbarossa'' (1969) *''

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cypru ...

'' (1969) *''

Deployment Deployment may refer to: Engineering and software Concepts * Blue-green deployment, a method of installing changes to a web, app, or database server by swapping alternating production and staging servers * Continuous deployment, a software e ...

'' (1969) *'' Flying Fortress'' (1969) *''

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

'' (1969) *''

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...

'' (1969) *''

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

'' (1969) *'' Tannenberg'' (1969) *''Up Against the Wall, Motherfucker'' (1969) *''

Bastogne Bastogne (; nl, Bastenaken, ; german: Bastnach/Bastenach; lb, Baaschtnech) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Luxembourg in the Ardennes, Belgium. The municipality consists of the following districts: Bastogne ...

'' (1970) *'' Chicago, Chicago!'' (1970) *''

'' (1970) *''

Grenadier A grenadier ( , ; derived from the word ''grenade'') was originally a specialist soldier who threw hand grenades in battle. The distinct combat function of the grenadier was established in the mid-17th century, when grenadiers were recruited from ...

'' (1971) *''

Kursk Kursk ( rus, Курск, p=ˈkursk) is a city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur, Tuskar, and Seym rivers. The area around Kursk was the site of a turning point in the Soviet–German str ...

'' (1971) *'' Lost Battles'' (1971) *''

Origins of World War II The causes of World War II, a global war from 1939 to 1945 that was the deadliest conflict in human history, have been given considerable attention by historians from many countries who studied and understood them. The immediate precipitating ...

'' (1971) *''

Strategy I Strategy (from Greek στρατηγία ''stratēgia'', "art of troop leader; office of general, command, generalship") is a general plan to achieve one or more long-term or overall goals under conditions of uncertainty. In the sense of the ...

'' (1971) *'' USN'' (1971) *''The Next President'' (1971) *''

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolu ...

'' (1972) *''

Breakout and Pursuit Breakout or Break Out may refer to: Narratives * Breakout character * Breakthrough role, also known as a "breakout role" Television * ''Breakout'' (Singaporean TV series), a 2010–2011 Singaporean TV drama broadcast by MediaCorp Channel 8 * ...

'' (1972) *'' Combat Command'' (1972) *'' Flying Circus'' (1972) *''

France '40 ''The Game of France, 1940: German Blitzkrieg in the West'', originally titled "The Battle for France, 1940", is a board wargame originally published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1971 that was subsequently re-issued by Avalon Hill ...

'' (1972) *'' Franco-Prussian War'' (1972) *''

Moscow Campaign ''The Moscow Campaign'', subtitled "Strike and Counterstrike Russia", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1972 that simulates combat near Moscow during World War II. Background On 22 June 1941, less than two ...

'' (1972) *''

Origins of World War I The identification of the causes of World War I remains controversial. World War I began in the Balkans on July 28, 1914, and hostilities ended on November 11, 1918, leaving 17 million dead and 25 million wounded. Moreover, the Russian Civil ...

'' (1972) *'' Outdoor Survival'' (1972) *'' Red Star/White Star'' (1972) *''

Turning Point A turning point, or climax, is the point of highest tension in a narrative work. Turning Point or Turning Points may refer to: Film * ''The Turning Point'', a 1914 silent film starring Caroline Cooke * ''The Turning Point'' (1920 film), an Amer ...

'' (1972) *'' Wilderness Campaign'' (1972) *'' Year of the Rat'' (1972) *''

Ardennes Offensive The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war in ...

'' (1973) *'' Battles of Bull Run'' (1973) *'' CA'' (1973) *'' Desert War'' (1973) *''

El Alamein El Alamein ( ar, العلمين, translit=al-ʿAlamayn, lit=the two flags, ) is a town in the northern Matrouh Governorate of Egypt. Located on the Arab's Gulf, Mediterranean Sea, it lies west of Alexandria and northwest of Cairo. , it had ...

'' (1973) *'' Foxbat & Phantom'' (1973) *'' Kampfpanzer'' (1973) *''

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

'' (1973) *''

Napoleon at Waterloo ''Napoleon at Waterloo'' is a 1984 video game published by Krentek Software. Gameplay ''Napoleon at Waterloo'' is a game in which the player controls Napoleon while the computer commands the forces of Wellington at the Battle of Waterloo. Rec ...

'' (1973) *''

Panzer Armee Afrika As the number of German troops committed to the North African Campaign of World War II grew from the initial commitment of a small corps, the Germans developed a more elaborate command structure and placed the enlarged ''Afrika Korps'', with I ...

'' (1973) *'' Scrimmage'' (1973) *'' Sinai'' (1973) *'' Sniper!'' (1973) *'' Solomons Campaign'' (1973) *''

Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allies of World War II, Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 ...

'' (1973) *''

World War Two World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

'' (1973) *''

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

'' (1974) *''

Combined Arms Combined arms is an approach to warfare that seeks to integrate different combat arms of a military to achieve mutually complementary effects (for example by using infantry and armour in an urban environment in which each supports the other) ...

'' (1974) *'' Frigate'' (1974) *''

Operation Olympic Operation Downfall was the proposed Allied plan for the invasion of the Japanese home islands near the end of World War II. The planned operation was canceled when Japan surrendered following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki ...

'' (1974) *''

Patrol A patrol is commonly a group of personnel, such as law enforcement officers, military personnel, or security personnel, that are assigned to monitor or secure a specific geographic area. Etymology From French ''patrouiller'', from Old Frenc ...

'' (1974) *''

Tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful e ...

'' (1974) *'' The East is Red'' (1974) *''

War in the East ''War In The East: The Russo-German Conflict, 1941-45'' is a board game published in 1974 by Simulations Publications. Description In 1974, SPI had produced ''War in the East'', a "monster" wargame (having more than 1000 counters) that simulated th ...

'' (1974) *'' Wolfpack'' (1974) *''

Battle for Germany ''Battle for Germany'' is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that simulates World War II operations in Germany during 1945 Description ''Battle for Germany'' is a 2-player strategic-level wargame that simul ...

'' (1975) *'' Global War'' (1975) *'' Invasion America'' (1975) *''

Mech War '77 ''MechWar '77'', subtitled "Tactical Armored Combat in the 1970s", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that simulates hypothetical tank combat in the mid-1970s between various adversaries, using the same ...

'' (1975) *'' Oil War'' (1975) *''

Panzer '44 This article deals with the tanks (german: panzer) serving in the German Army (''Deutsches Heer'') throughout history, such as the World War I tanks of the Imperial German Army, the interwar and World War II tanks of the Nazi German Wehrmacht, ...

'' (1975) *'' Sixth Fleet'' (1975) *''

The Fast Carriers ''The Fast Carriers'', subtitled "Air-Sea Operations, 1941–77" is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that simulates naval combat involving aircraft carriers from 1941 to the mid-1970s. Description ''Fast ...

'' (1975) *'' War in the Pacific'' (1975) *''

World War 3 World War III or the Third World War, often abbreviated as WWIII or WW3, are names given to a hypothetical worldwide large-scale military conflict subsequent to World War I and World War II. The term has been in use since a ...

'' (1975) *''

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

'' (1975) *'' Wurzburg'' (1975) *''

FireFight Firefight or fire fight may refer to: * Firefighting, process of extinguishing destructive flames * Shootout or firefight, a gun battle between armed groups Entertainment and media * ''Fire Fight'', an isometric shooter produced by Epic MegaGame ...

'' (1976) *''

Panzergruppe Guderian The 2nd Panzer Army (german: 2. Panzerarmee) was a German armoured formation during World War II, formed from the 2nd Panzer Group on October 5, 1941. Organisation Panzer Group Guderian (german: Panzergruppe Guderian) was formed on 5 June 19 ...

'' (1976) *''

Plot to Assassinate Hitler ''The Plot to Assassinate Hitler'' is a board game published by Simulations Publications (SPI) in 1976 that simulates the power struggles in Germany's High Command in the latter years of World War II. The game was the second game in SPI's "Powe ...

'' (1976) *'' Minuteman: The Second American Revolution'' (1976) *''

Revolt in the East ''Revolt in the East'', subtitled "Warsaw Pact Rebellion in the 1970's", is a Cold War-themed board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that simulates a hypothetical rebellion of Warsaw Pact states against the Soviet ...

'' (1976) *''

Russian Civil War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Russian Civil War , partof = the Russian Revolution and the aftermath of World War I , image = , caption = Clockwise from top left: {{flatlist, *Soldiers ...

'' (1976) *'' Strike Force'' (1976) *'' War in Europe'' (1976) *''

War in the West War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regu ...

'' (1976) *'' Fulda Gap'' (1977) *'' Agincourt'' (1978) *''

Brusilov Brusilov (Russian: Брусилов) or Brusilova (feminine; Брусилова) is a Russian surname originating from the verb meaning ''mumble''. Notable people with the surname include: *Aleksei Brusilov (1853–1926), Russian cavalry general * ...

'' (1978) *'' Canadian Civil War'' (1978) *'' The Next War'' (1978) *'' Bulge'' (1979) *''

Berlin '85 ''Berlin '85'', subtitled "The Enemy at the Gates", is a battalion-level board wargame published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1980 that hypothesizes an attack on West Berlin by the Warsaw Pact. Description ''Berlin '85'' is a game ...

'' (1980) *''

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

'' (1980) *''

Demons A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in Media (communication), media such as comics, video ...

'' (1980) *''

Drive on Metz Drive or The Drive may refer to: Motoring * Driving, the act of controlling a vehicle * Road trip, a journey on roads Roadways Roadways called "drives" may include: * Driveway, a private road for local access to structures, abbreviated "drive" ...

'' (1980) *''

Empires of the Middle Ages ''Empires of the Middle Ages'', subtitled "A Dynamic Simulation of Medieval Europe, 771–1467", is a historical board game published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1980 that simulates grand strategy and diplomacy in the Middle Ages ...

'' (1980) *'' Fifth Corps'' (1980) *''

NATO Division Commander ''NATO Division Commander'', subtitled "Leadership Under Fire", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1980 that simulates hypothetical World War III ground combat scenarios in Europe between NATO and Warsaw Pa ...

'' (1980) *''

TimeTripper ''TimeTripper'' is a series of science fiction books by Stefan Petrucha following Harry Keller, a teenager who can see time itself and his love interest Siara Warner, who helps him through some tough situations. Harry, not always aware of the si ...

'' (1980) *'' Wreck of the Pandora'' (1980) *''

Light Infantry Division Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye. Visible light is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400–700 nanometres (nm), corresponding to frequencies of 750–420 tera ...

'' (1985) *''

Tactical Combat Model Tactic(s) or Tactical may refer to: * Tactic (method), a conceptual action implemented as one or more specific tasks ** Military tactics, the disposition and maneuver of units on a particular sea or battlefield ** Chess tactics ** Political ta ...

'' (1985) *'' Men-At-Arms'' (1990) *''

'' (1992) *''

Victory at Sea ''Victory at Sea'' is a documentary television series about warfare in general during World War II, and naval warfare in particular, as well as the use of industry in warfare. It was originally broadcast by NBC in the United States in 1952–19 ...

'' (1992)

Notes

References

External links

James F. Dunnigan homepage
*
StrategyPage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunnigan, Jim Board game designers American military writers 1943 births Living people United States Army soldiers American company founders Columbia University School of General Studies alumni