Gaming Gray Zone Tactics: Design Considerations for a Structured Strategic Game

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wasser, Becca

Contributor:

Mackenzie, William

Oberholtzer, Jenny

Pettyjohn, Stacie L.

Language:

English

Other Title:

Gaming Gray Zone Tactics

Place of Publication:

Santa Monica, Calif. RAND Corporation 2019

Summary:

To explore how Russia could use gray zone tactics and to what effect, the authors of this report developed a strategic-level structured card game examining a gray zone competition between Russia and the West in the Balkans. In these games, the Russian player seeks to expand its influence and undermine NATO unity while competing against a European team and a U.S. team seeking to defend their allies from Russia's gray zone activities without provoking an outright war. This report details the authors' development of this game, including key design decisions, elements of the game, how the game is played, and the undergirding research approach. The authors conclude with recommendations for future applications of the game design.