Home of Kriegsspiel

The International Kriegsspiel Society is the world’s largest, online association dedicated to Kriegsspiel. It unites over 3,300 members from all over the world in the passion of studying, discussing and playing Kriegsspiel.

The International Kriegsspiel Society is an open, welcoming, inclusive and diverse community. Wargaming and especially Kriegsspiel as we understand it, focuses on people, diversity of thought and perspectives, on learning from others, and reflecting about preconceptions and established concepts of thought.

The International Kriegsspiel Society endorses the Derby House Principles for inclusion and diversity in professional wargaming.

The International Kriegsspiel Society is open to everyone interested in the game, no matter the experience level or background. Kriegsspiel is easy to play, yet hard to master. Players don’t need to know any rules, as umpires handle the details. Players simply give orders.

Our mission is to preserve Kriegsspiel, to make it accessible to enthusiasts, hobbyists and practitioners, to provide extensive resources to study and play Kriegsspiel, and to contribute to the development of new Kriegsspiel systems.

In order to reach these goals, we encourage every person interested to learn more about and play Kriegsspiel to join the community, no matter their experience level, social, educational, national or religious background, age, or gender. Although we keep being positively surprised by the communication culture of our community, our moderation policy is dedicated to firmly ensure that this remains to be the case. We pledge to keep the IKS a space where you can be you, without the toxicity or inappropriate attention.

We hope to welcome you soon!

Are you a ...

Problem Solver?
If you like to solve problems, deal with incomplete knowledge, analyse a situation, come up with a plan to overcome challenges, and see how it plays out. You will enjoy Kriegsspiel quite a lot.
Role Player?
If you like to immerse yourself into the role of a character with individual goals and characteristics, commanding a formation in the field, you will enjoy Kriegsspiel a lot. Especially those play-by-post games with lots of room for flavor texts and role playing.
Teamplayer?
If you enjoy working together with others, trying to come up with a plan, coordinate your efforts and see the fruits of your labor, you will enjoy Kriegsspiel. it is a great coop-game.
History Buff?
If you are interested in strategy and tactics, military history, historical research and such, you will enjoy Kriegsspiel a lot. Especially scenario or rule system design might be something for you, besides actual gameplay.
Graphic Artist?
If you enjoy creating graphics, draw maps, or improve old historical maps, you will enjoy the hobby. The community appreciates design work highly.
Wargamer?
Not only is Kriegsspiel "the mother of all modern wargames", complete fog of war and command friction make it a very special gaming experience, even for experienced wargamers.
Intuitive Person?
You don't need to know any rules in order to play Kriegsspiel, the umpires (game masters) will take care of all that. You simply give the orders to your units.
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No, you do not need to be a military history nerd to play and enjoy Kriegsspiel.

Where should I start?

What is Kriegsspiel

Kriegsspiel is the mother of all wargames. Learn why it was invented, how it is played, why we try to preserve it and more.

How to play

Learn how to play (with us). Kriegsspiel is easy to play, hard to master, a unique challenge and not like any other game.

FAQ

New players often ask the same questions. We want to make the entry easy for you. So here are our answers.

Map drawing, arrangement and photograph by Robert Mastrud.

Recent blog posts

Umpire’s Digest : Urban Combat

Wolftin is one of the Master Umpire at the IKS and wrote several digests for umpires to provide them with a better understanding of the true face of Napoleonic combat.

Read More »

Join our Discord server and become part of a growing community of over 2,900 members from all around the globe.

Get in touch either on Discord or via e-mail, leave us some feedback or suggestions or ask us anything about Kriegsspiel.

The IKS is commited to ensure inclusiveness and diversity within the community and stands against discrimination and harassment.

We endorse the Derby House Principles.

The IKS around the globe

With more than 2,900 members on the Discord server and more than 400 members in the Facebook group, the International Kriegsspiel Society has members all around the world. Some regions are still under-represented, though, and we strive to spread the enthusiasm for Kriegsspiel as much as we can. Come join the IKS and begin your awesome ride into the world of civilian recreational Kriegsspiel.

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