The Holonet War College: Episode I – Clausewitz and Command Dials
6th November 2025
Rosco
5 mins
Alright, fellow history and wargaming nerds, it’s time to dust off the old Prussian military strategy books and pour yourself a wee dram of a decent single malt (or grab a nice, hot cup of Yorkshire tea).
As promised, following the success of the inaugural Holonet War College (HWC) article, we’re going a bit deeper this time. Let’s talk about Carl von Clausewitz: the godfather of strategic thought, the man who gave us “the fog of war”, and the reason your perfectly planned ‘Raddus-drop’ fell apart last game.
If you’ve ever found yourself frowning and swearing at your command dials or the blank dice you just rolled, thinking, “How did that go wrong?”, then congratulations… you’ve already met him!
Intro
Carl Philipp Gottlieb von Clausewitz was a Prussian general who devoted his life to understanding why war rarely unfolds as planned. In his seminal work Vom Kriege, or “On War”, he delved into a range of concepts that he had studied and honed during his military life. Now, the books themselves can be pretty hard going, especially that first one, but here I’m just going to pull out some of the key points as I see them applied to Star Wars: Armada.
Yes: There’s that many books…
His big takeaway? War is messy, uncertain and full of chaos… sound familiar? That’s what I love about Armada, though. It doesn’t just look like a wargame; it feels like command. Every dial you set, every move you lock in, every time you curse your dice… that’s you living through the fog and friction of battle that Clausewitz wrote about two centuries ago.
Let’s take a closer look at how his ideas are plastered all over the tabletop in each and every game, whether you realise it or not, and where we can learn from them:
The Fog of War
“War is the realm of uncertainty”
Oh COME ON!! [le sigh]
If that doesn’t describe Armada’s command dial system, I don’t know what does. You’re forced to lock in orders ahead of time, long before you know exactly what your opponent’s going to do. Maybe you queue up a repair when you really need to shoot, or speed up just as the enemy accelerates past you. That helpless feeling of being slightly behind the curve? That’s the fog of war.
Like a real admiral, you’re making decisions with incomplete information and hoping your judgment holds up. It’s uncomfortable, and that’s precisely the point.
Friction: The Universe Hates You (and the dice too)
“Friction is that invisible enemy that chucks a spanner in the works of every perfect plan.”
Clausewitz also said that “everything in war is simple, but the simplest thing is difficult.” He called this friction.
Every Armada player knows it well. You bump your own ship. You forgot to spend a token. You roll blanks on a critical shot. You finally get your carrier in position to push your squad ball up and then watch them all get vapourised before they even activate.
Classic…
Friction is that invisible enemy that chucks a spanner in the works of every perfect plan. But it’s also what makes the game feel real. Victories mean more because they’re earned through chaos and improvisation, not flawless execution.
If you can thrive in the middle of that chaos, you’re doing exactly what Clausewitz said great commanders do. Which leads me to my next point:
Genius: Keep Your Head When Everyone Else Loses Theirs
Here, when he’s talking about “military genius”, it’s not someone who knows everything, but someone who can make the right call when everything’s gone pear-shaped.
That’s the Armada player who adapts mid-battle, pivots their plan and stays calm without tilting when the game state suddenly shifts. They can read the fight as it unfolds instead of clinging to a doomed strategy.
It’s easy to be clever before turn one. It’s a lot harder to be clever on turn four when your flagship’s on one hull and that Vader Defender is bearing down on you.
The Culminating Point: Know When to Stop Punching
I have you now! Oh, um… ruh-roh
Another thing he believed was that every attack has a “culminating point”, that moment when you’ve pushed as far as you can before momentum turns against you.
You can see it in Armada all the time. We’ve all done it. You chase one last kill and drift into range of a fresh enemy ship. You throw your carrier forward to finish something off and suddenly realise your screen’s gone.
The lesson? Know when to quit while you’re ahead. The best admirals aren’t the ones who attack hardest; they’re the ones who stop at the right moment. Don’t be greedy and don’t take unnecessary risks.
Centre of Gravity: Identify the Heart of the Fleet
Hit ‘em where it hurts…
He also wrote that every force has a “centre of gravity” (CoG), the thing that holds it together. Hit that, and the rest collapses.
In Armada, that might be your flagship, your squadron wing, or a key combo piece like a fleet command or activation chain. Lose it, and your fleet’s cohesion unravels fast. The trick is to find your opponent’s CoG before they find yours. Are they relying on a carrier? A commander effect? A double-arc threat piece? Identify it early, protect your own, and you’re already halfway to victory.
War as the Continuation of Policy: Play the Long Game
Arguably, Clausewitz’s most famous line is that “war is a continuation of policy by other means.” Basically, fighting isn’t the goal; it’s how you achieve the goal.
That’s exactly what Armada’s objective cards represent. They remind you that not every game is about total destruction. The smartest players play for the objective, not the kill. That’s strategy in its purest form - purpose over pride. Now, some objectives are about both, but not all. Know your fleet’s strengths and play to them, whether you’re the first or second player.
Clausewitz would’ve loved those cards.
The Trinity: Understand Passion, Chance and Reason
Clausewitz described war as a balance of passion, chance and reason.
In Armada, passion is your love of bold plays, chance is the dice and activation swings, and reason is your planning and fleet design. When all three come together, like when your risky move pays off because you read the battle right - that’s when Armada absolutely sings.
That’s why the best games aren’t just tactical puzzles; they’re emotional, unpredictable and deeply satisfying.
The ‘So What?’
Clausewitz wrote that “war is the province of chance.” And anyone who’s watched their perfectly aligned double-arc shots whiff completely knows he wasn’t wrong.
Armada doesn’t just let you play with spaceships. It forces you to wrestle with uncertainty, risk, and decision-making, which are the same mental muscles that real commanders have had to use for centuries. It’s not about knowing every rule or having the perfect fleet. It’s about thinking under pressure, accepting chaos, and making the best call you can when the going gets tough…
So next time you’re mad at your dials, muttering about bad dice, or trying to sort out your formation after a bad turn, take a breath. Clausewitz would tell you that’s the point. That’s COMMAND.
There you have it
That’s why Armada is so brilliant. It’s not just a Star Wars wargame - it’s a hands-on lesson in strategy and leadership. Beneath the dice, the templates and the… ‘colourful’ language, it’s quietly teaching you how to think like an admiral. And if my first article’s lesson was about learning to think like one, then this one’s lesson is also about surviving like one.
If you’ve got your own take on how Clausewitz shows up in your games or if there’s another military mind you’d like me to dig into, drop a comment below or hit me up on the socials. Always happy to nerd out with fellow Armada commanders.
Shall we repair to the war room then…? Cheers,
Rosco 🥃
Further Reading
1. Clausewitz, C. von ([1832] 1976) On War, edited and translated by M. Howard and P. Paret, Princeton University Press, Princeton.
2. Echevarria, A. J. (2003) ‘Clausewitz’s Center of Gravity: It’s Not What We Thought’, Naval War College Review, 56(1), pp. 108–123.
3. Freedman, L. (2013) Strategy: A History, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
4. Gray, C. S. (2010) The Strategy Bridge: Theory for Practice, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
5. Handel, M. I. (1997) Who Is Afraid of Carl von Clausewitz? A Guide to the Perplexed, 6th edn., United States Naval War College. Available at: https://www.clausewitz.com/readings/Handel/Handlart.htm (Accessed: 05 Nov 2025).
6. Strachan, H. (2013) The Direction of War: Contemporary Strategy in Historical Perspective, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
