# Block wargame
A block wargame is a board wargame in which military units are represented by upright wooden blocks whose identifying faces point toward the owning player, hiding unit type and strength from the opponent and creating a built-in fog of war. The genre began in 1972, when Tom Dalgliesh and Lance Gutteridge, working on the game Quebec 1759, used wooden blocks instead of the die-cut cardboard counters standard at the time, creating the first block wargame.[1](https://columbiagames.com/columbiablocksystem/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First game | Quebec 1759, published 1972 by Gamma Two Games (later Columbia Games), with 50 wooden blocks[1](https://columbiagames.com/columbiablocksystem/) |
| Fog of war | Each player's unit types and strengths are hidden from the opponent, unlike the "God's eye view" of traditional counter wargames[1](https://columbiagames.com/columbiablocksystem/) |
| Step reduction | Blocks are rotated to show up to four different strength levels, replacing the two-state full/weakened units of counter games[1](https://columbiagames.com/columbiablocksystem/) |
| Combat method | A unit rolls dice equal to its current strength; each 6 rolled hits the enemy, and a hit unit is rotated one step lower until eliminated[2](https://www.panix.com/~sos/bc/columbia.html) |
| Genre originator | Columbia Games, joined later by GMT Games with titles such as Europe Engulfed[3](https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/43068/are-hex-and-counter-wargames-played-out) |
| Solitaire play | The hidden information makes it nearly impossible to play a block wargame solitaire[4](https://www.meeplemountain.com/articles/tips-for-the-wargame-newbie/) |
## How blocks work
A block stands on edge with only one face carrying unit information, kept toward its owner. A player sees all of his own units and their strengths, but only the blank backs of the opponent's pieces: he can tell where enemy units are, but not what they are or how strong they are.[2](https://www.panix.com/~sos/bc/columbia.html) [Columbia Games](https://www.edgepedia.org/columbia-games) describes this as replacing the traditional wargame's "God's eye view", in which each player sees the other's forces and strengths, with information closer to what actual commanders would have.[1](https://columbiagames.com/columbiablocksystem/)
**Step reduction.** Numbers printed around the edges of the owner-facing side show strength, with the top number the current strength. When a unit takes a hit in combat, it is rotated to the next lower number, one step per hit, until it is eliminated.[2](https://www.panix.com/~sos/bc/columbia.html) Standard counter units have only two states, full strength and weakened, whereas rotation lets a block show up to four levels of strength.[1](https://columbiagames.com/columbiablocksystem/)
**Combat.** In the classic Columbia system, a unit fires by rolling a number of six-sided dice equal to its current strength, and every 6 rolled hits a unit in the opposing column, which is immediately reduced by one step. In Quebec 1759, a 4cv unit rolls four dice, and two 6s let the opposing player reduce one unit by 2cv or two units by 1cv each.[5](https://columbiagames.com/resources/3001/quebec1759rules-OLD.pdf) Later games vary the hit numbers: in EastFront, armored units hit on a 5 or 6.[2](https://www.panix.com/~sos/bc/columbia.html)
## Origin and the Columbia Block System
Quebec 1759 simulates the 1759 battle for Quebec between British forces under Wolfe and French forces under Montcalm. It is a two-player game of about 60 minutes with light complexity, using point-to-point movement along the roads and towns around Quebec, and its designers are Tom Dalgliesh, Lance Gutteridge, and Steve Brewster.[6](https://columbiagames.com/columbiablocksystem/quebec-1759-french-indian-war-block-wargame/)
The system's rules are short; with few exceptions, Columbia's rule booklets run 8 to 12 pages.[1](https://columbiagames.com/columbiablocksystem/) Steffan O'Sullivan, a longtime reviewer of wooden block games, argues that easy fog of war and effortless step reduction let a block game achieve sophisticated simulation with simple rules, so that even the most complicated wooden block game stays on the low side of moderate complexity by wargame standards.[2](https://www.panix.com/~sos/bc/columbia.html)
## Place among wargame types
Board wargames divide into several component styles: hex-and-counter games, point-to-point map games such as Wilderness War, area-movement games such as the COIN series, card-driven games, and block wargames such as Hammer of the Scots.[7](https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2372436/what-is-the-main-difference-between-hex-and-counte) What distinguishes block games from hex-and-counter games in particular is hidden information: hex-and-counter games have little or none.[4](https://www.meeplemountain.com/articles/tips-for-the-wargame-newbie/) Some block games use hex maps; Rommel in the Desert (1984) merged the block concepts with a hexgrid and supply cards, and EastFront (1991) added HQ-based command control, winning the Origins Award as best WWII game of that year.[2](https://www.panix.com/~sos/bc/columbia.html)
While block wargames have been around nearly as long as hex-and-counter games, they have never been more popular than in recent years, with genre-originator Columbia Games finding success with titles such as Hammer of the Scots and GMT joining in with games such as Europe Engulfed.[3](https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/43068/are-hex-and-counter-wargames-played-out)
## Variations in the genre
**Movement systems.** Early Columbia games were point-to-point along road networks: Quebec 1759 has ten zones connected by roads, [War of 1812](https://www.edgepedia.org/war-of-1812) (1973) covers the US-Canadian border theater, and [Napoleon](https://www.edgepedia.org/napoleon-board-game) (1974) recreates Waterloo with a separate battle map where opposing troops fight in three columns and a reserve.[2](https://www.panix.com/~sos/bc/columbia.html) • [5](https://columbiagames.com/resources/3001/quebec1759rules-OLD.pdf)
**Bluffing aids.** A frequent feature of more unusual block games is phantom or fake blocks, included to deepen the fog of war.[8](https://therewillbe.games/forum/article-discussions/204086-an-introduction-to-block-wargames) Quebec 1759 originally used decoy blank units, later replaced by 1cv detachment units that function like other infantry.[5](https://columbiagames.com/resources/3001/quebec1759rules-OLD.pdf) The same bluffing logic appears in manual wargames generally, where face-down markers mixed with dummy counters deny players perfect knowledge of enemy strength until contact.[9](https://airpower.airforce.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-03/FELL01-This-is-not-a-Game-Wargaming-for-the-Royal-Australian-Air-Force.pdf)
**Player counts and settings.** The genre extends beyond two-player historical battles: Triumph and Tragedy supports three players, blocks suit naval games such as Seas of Glory and PQ17, and GMT's Fast Action Battle series combines blocks with traditional hex-and-counter play.[8](https://therewillbe.games/forum/article-discussions/204086-an-introduction-to-block-wargames) Wizard Kings (2000) was the first block game with a non-historical, fantasy setting.[2](https://www.panix.com/~sos/bc/columbia.html)
## Comparison with hex-and-counter
The trade-offs are practical. Hidden strength makes combat suspenseful in a way counter games rarely are, but it also makes solitaire play nearly impossible, since one player cannot run both sides without seeing the information the blocks conceal.[4](https://www.meeplemountain.com/articles/tips-for-the-wargame-newbie/)
## References
1. [Block Wargame, Columbia Games](https://columbiagames.com/columbiablocksystem/)
2. [Columbia & Other Company Wooden Block Games, Steffan O'Sullivan](https://www.panix.com/~sos/bc/columbia.html)
3. [Are hex-and-counter wargames played out?, BoardGameGeek geeklist](https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/43068/are-hex-and-counter-wargames-played-out)
4. [Tips for the Wargame Newbie, Meeple Mountain](https://www.meeplemountain.com/articles/tips-for-the-wargame-newbie/)
5. [Quebec 1759 rules (PDF), Columbia Games](https://columbiagames.com/resources/3001/quebec1759rules-OLD.pdf)
6. [Quebec 1759 – French & Indian War, Columbia Games](https://columbiagames.com/columbiablocksystem/quebec-1759-french-indian-war-block-wargame/)
7. [What is the main difference between Hex and Counter wargames and other types?, BoardGameGeek](https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2372436/what-is-the-main-difference-between-hex-and-counte)
8. [An Introduction to Block Wargames, There Will Be Games](https://therewillbe.games/forum/article-discussions/204086-an-introduction-to-block-wargames)
9. [This is not a Game: Wargaming for the Royal Australian Air Force (PDF)](https://airpower.airforce.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-03/FELL01-This-is-not-a-Game-Wargaming-for-the-Royal-Australian-Air-Force.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Board, card, and puzzle games › Board games › Wargames › Block wargames*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license