sarahhildebrand5
- Oct 9, 2021
- 4 min read

Strengthening Problem-Solving Skills through “Warhammer”

What is “Warhammer”?

“Warhammer” started as a tabletop miniature wargame in 1983, published by Games Workshop. It is set in a medieval fantasy world with battling armies from a wide variety of different factions. The playing field is a player-created miniature model battlefield full of trees and hills. It is a turn-based game where the winner of the battles is determined by dice rolls and arithmetic. While Games Workshop produced the game and sold several editions of the rules with many different model releases, other companies have since taken the story and expanded it. “Warhammer: Age of Sigmar” takes the original models and puts them into a new setting and game style. “Warhammer 40000” has more of a sci-fi feel and takes place in the very distant future in other worlds in space with armies made of machines, mutants, and aliens. Popular board games have made separate versions to incorporate the Warhammer lore, such as “Risk”. A wide range of countless novels, comic books, card games, and video games have also followed. “Total War” from Creative Assembly made a spin-off with its own set of maps, factions, and creatures with a few sequels. “Total War: Warhammer”, “Total War: Warhammer II”, and (soon-to-be-released in 2022) “Total War: Warhammer III” have done a fantastic job of taking the premise of the tabletop battlefield complete with dice rolls, chance, and puzzles and bringing the game to life with stunning graphics, maps, and characters.

Thousands of gamers play "Warhammer" each year. What draws them in and keeps them spending money on new content (DLC or miniature models)?

Whether players are battling on the tabletop or on the desktop, there is always something to spend money on. New models, adding to the battlefield, new factions, new maps, another spin-off, furthering of the storyline, or another company looking to capitalize on the “Warhammer” name in a new way. Strategy games can really draw players in wanting to try new things. Each new faction brings with it different play styles. Buying more models builds your army, enhances the terrain of your battlefield, and could potentially increase your chances of winning. At the very least, it spices up gameplay and keeps the player interested in playing. Online communities dedicated to “Warhammer” are quite active and there is likely a local group in your area looking for more players to interact with. Some players are more into the artistic hobby of painting their soldiers, wizards, and dragons.

What makes “Warhammer” a good game?

Using James Gee’s “13 Principles of Games and Learning” as a sort of checklist, I would say “Warhammer” is overwhelmingly considered a good game.

Agent principle and/or Co-design ✔
Customization ✔
Identity ✔
Manipulation ✔
Well-Ordered Problems (scaffolding) 🤔 Note: Scaffolding is present, but I would not go as far as to say that the problems are necessarily “well-ordered”.
Pleasantly Frustrating ✔
Cycle of Expertise ✔
Information: Just-In-Time and On-Demand ✔
Fish Tank 🤔 Note: I would say “no” in the sense that Gee describes in the above-referenced video. However, new strategies are learned little-by-little as the player begins playing and understanding the game for the first time. New skills are honed through playing many different campaigns.
Sandboxes ✔
Skills as strategies ✔
System thinking ✔
Meaning as Action ✔

How does "Warhammer'' teach problem-solving? Can we use this to teach high school students how to problem-solve?

You don’t need to read Polya’s “How to Solve It” (1944) to teach students how to resolve issues. Problem-solving can be boiled down to (1) understanding the problem presented to you, (2) taking action to solve the problem, then (3) explaining the outcome. Planning ahead is vital in strategy games. As a turn-based game, the player does not have to feel the anxiety of real-time decision making, in the moment, do or die fighting. Gameplay is more like chess. Understanding the results of each of your choices and actions can help you play better. If you are just starting out, you may not win many battles. However, the more you play, the better you will become at making appropriate choices. Losing most of your army in one turn is a real downer, but you learn not to send so many trolls against that powerful dragon, or whatever the case may be. Strategy games are the epitome of “learning by doing”.

Games Workshop may not be publishing any new editions of the “Warhammer” rulebooks, but they have begun encouraging Warhammer School Clubs to introduce their beloved story to teenagers. Many speculate whether this is just a money-making ploy to capture the attention and wallets of youngsters who are eager to get involved. If it wasn’t so incredibly expensive to grow and design a capable army and intriguing battlefield, I would say it was a great idea to teach teens about strategy and decision-making through the game. The intentions may be good, but the result could be costly.

References:

Strengthening Problem-Solving Skills through “Warhammer”

What is “Warhammer”?

Thousands of gamers play "Warhammer" each year. What draws them in and keeps them spending money on new content (DLC or miniature models)?

What makes “Warhammer” a good game?

How does "Warhammer'' teach problem-solving? Can we use this to teach high school students how to problem-solve?

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