Introducing ShadowBox Decision Games: Warfighters
Training Warfighters how to think, decide, and lead under pressure
We’re excited to launch ShadowBox Decision Games: Warfighters, a new Substack series built to challenge you to think fast, make tough calls, and defend your decisions through Tactical Decision Games (TDGs).
What’s a TDG?
A Tactical Decision Game (TDG) is a short, realistic scenario designed to sharpen decision-making under pressure. You’re given a map, a mission, resources, limited information about the enemy to act, and a time limit. No perfect intel. No clear right answers. Just a challenging tactical problem that forces you to make a call.
TDGs have deep roots in military training, where they’ve been used for decades to hone tactical thinking. But the modern TDG as we know it was shaped by John F. Schmitt, a former Marine officer and the author of Marine Corps Doctrinal Publication 1, Warfighting, the foundational operational doctrine of the U.S. Marine Corps. In the 1990s, John helped popularize TDGs in the U.S. military, turning them into a core tool for sharpening battlefield judgment.
Now, John and the ShadowBox team are bringing that same approach to a wider audience.
What to Expect
Every 2-4 weeks we will post a new TDG for your consideration. We encourage readers to post their decisions in the comments where you can compare, debate, and refine your judgment.
We have three simple rules.
Submit your solution before critiquing others’.
Candor is encouraged, but to critique, you must be willing to be critiqued. No sideline commentary from those who have not given their orders. If you’re here, you’re a decision-maker.All decisions in the form of the orders you will issue.
Commanders don’t execute their own decisions. Commanders act by issuing orders to subordinates. There is a skill to issuing clear, concise and compelling orders, and like any skill, it is a skill that improves with practice. So don’t explain what you would do—give the actual orders you’d issue in the moment, as a comment under each post. Then and only then do you explain your decision.Leave your rank at the door.
Engage as peers. What matters is the quality of your decisions and ideas, not the insignia on your collar. Whether you’re military or civilian, a seasoned veteran or still in school, the only thing that matters is the quality of your thought.
And that’s how you play.
There’s no scoreboard—just the affirmation of a decision well-made and the respect of your peers. (Though we may occasionally highlight standout decisions and explore them with the community)
Why We’re Doing This
There is no substitute for experience. Effective decision making under pressure rests on the ability to recognize and understand patterns and potential solutions from past experience. No procedure or checklist will save you when the enemy is crossing the bridge and you need to act NOW. The deeper your reservoir of experiences, the more patterns, variations on patterns, and potential solutions you will be able to draw from.
TDGs are a cheap and effective way to build that experience before it counts. They train you to think tactically, anticipate threats, and make decisions under fire.
That’s what this site is about: games that train tactical thinking.
ShadowBox was founded on one simple premise: good decisions come from experience—but experience can’t always wait. So we accelerate it through practice that reflects how people actually think in fast-moving, high-stakes environments.
This Substack is built by the team behind ShadowBox, led by experts in tactical decision-making and cognitive training.
John Schmitt, author of MCDP 1: Warfighting and the originator of modern TDGs in the U.S. military.
Gary Klein, pioneer of Naturalistic Decision Making and the co-creator of the ShadowBox method.
The ShadowBox Training team, focused on building scenario-based tools that develop decision-making, not just knowledge. (For more information and resources, check out our website and our new Learning Center)
Together, we’re bringing the TDG tradition online—interactive, accessible, and designed for warfighters who want to hone their tactical edge.
How to get involved
Subscribe to receive new TDGs in your inbox.
Post your decision in the comments—the order you would issue, any reports or requests you would make, and an explanation of your reasoning.
Compare and debate different approaches with fellow warfighters.
Submit your own TDG—we’re accepting reader-created scenarios.
Become a paid subscriber for access to live TDGs with John Schmitt and other experts, plus exclusive webinars on designing and running TDGs.
Help expand the series—we’re looking for new domains. If you want to bring TDGs to your field, get in touch. ShadowBox Decision Games is just getting started.
This is training for how to think, decide, and lead before you have to make real tactical decisions.
No rank. No excuses. Just decisions.