August 3, 2026.

Tactical Decision Games develop judgment by placing us in the role of a tactical commander facing a difficult decision. Matrix games develop judgment differently. To many observers, matrix games appear to be about arguments and dice. Both are simply mechanisms. The real purpose is to develop judgment.

I first encountered matrix games shortly after joining the Wargaming Department at the Army War College while attending a conference at the Royal Military College of Canada. Rex Brynen facilitated my first matrix game, and I immediately saw the potential of the methodology. Unlike many traditional wargames, matrix games weren't primarily about combat. They were about understanding complex problems. Over the following years, I had the opportunity to work with Rex, Tom Mouat and many others as I designed and facilitated matrix games on topics including OBOR, the Arctic, Micronesia and Melanesia.

What surprised me most was what I learned by designing and facilitating them. To create a credible matrix game, you must understand the actors: their objectives, capabilities, relationships, culture, constraints and competing interests. Researching those perspectives often became as educational as facilitating the game itself. Playing the game develops judgment. Designing the game develops understanding. Facilitating develops both.

Matrix games require participants to think beyond a single plan. They must consider competing perspectives, anticipate second- and third-order effects, justify their reasoning, adapt when events unfold differently than expected and appreciate that intelligent people can reach different conclusions from the same information. That is the essence of judgment.

Over the past six months, while developing the Art of Command™ concept, I've come to realize that no single educational method develops every aspect of judgment. Tactical Decision Games. Matrix games. Historical battle studies. Staff rides. Decision-Forcing Cases. Kriegsspiel. Each develops different dimensions of judgment.

That is why I believe they complement one another rather than compete. The objective isn't to find the "best" learning method. The objective is to help people think more clearly, decide more wisely and lead more effectively under uncertainty.

Because ultimately, the game is the vehicle. Developing judgment is the destination.