You’ve Played the Game. Now Create Your Own.
Accepting submissions for new Tactical Decision Games
Create Your Own TDG
Have an idea for a Tactical Decision Game you’ve always wanted to try out?
We’re opening up submissions for ShadowBox Decision Games: Warfighters. If selected, your scenario will be featured in an upcoming edition—seen and discussed by warfighters, trainers, and tacticians around the world.
Here’s what we’re looking for:
Submit your TDG as a PowerPoint or Word document. Email it directly to John at schmittzu@shadowboxtraining.com.
Stick to the format we’ve used so far: a situational set-up, a map (even a rough sketch is fine), and a decision reqiurement with time limit.
We may lightly edit submissions to match our format and tone.
What makes a great TDG?
In short; disagreement. The best TDGs are ones where people come up with many different solutions, and they disagree about which is best
Great TDGs never hinge on obscure doctrine or trivia, but they still require players to rely on their knowledge and judgment. They create uncertainty, but realistically so. They generate debate, not because a clear trade-off is already defined, but because the players have to decide what the trade-offs even are.
That said—don’t feel boxed in by the formula. If you’ve been itching to push the boundaries of the format—go for it. Just make sure it would work in our Substack format, and doesn’t require any additional knowledge beyond what your average warfighter should know. Experiment. Surprise us.
Let’s see what you’ve got.