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Australian Army Tactics Competition
The Army Tactics Competition (ATC) was born from recommendations from the 2017 Wargaming Conference hosted by Forces Command, Australian Army. The ADFWGA supported this outcome by hosting a Combat Team (CT) level tactics competition with the aim of helping to improve tactical acumen and provide Professional Development for Junior NCOs and Junior Officers.
The ATC was held in Brisbane in 2018 and 2019 with units sending teams to participate in the event which leveraged an in-development game known as 'Up the Guts!' (UTG) to simulate CT level scenarios
Titled "Up the Guts!" (UTG) - a play on what not to do in an attack - UTG offered a simple set of rules that are targeted at the non-gamer, but rather the military member who can take advantage of being pitted against a real OPFOR opponent who actively tries to undermine BLUFOR efforts. All of this is done in a safe to learn and fail environment that fosters a competitive streak and will to win in participants.
While COVID interrupted gaming events in 2020 and 2021 the ADFWGA Chairman in his capacity as the SO1 Land Simulation and Wargaming, a sub-unit of the Battle Lab, reinvigorated the Army Tactics Competition as the Brigade Tactics Competition in 2022 using the digital simulation Steel Beasts. In 2024 this competition was reverted back to the Army Tactics Competition.
“Wargaming is a human activity essential to mission success that encompasses the broad goals of stimulating ideas, highlighting critical tasks and providing insights otherwise difficult to achieve during planning”
Developing an environment for exploring distributed operations - A wargaming example, U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioural and Social Sciences (May 2005)
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Up the Guts! (UTG), is a 6mm (1:285) scale modern rule set designed to represent battles and encounters between Australian Forces and their fictional opposing force. This rules set is a tool that can support existing Tactical Exercises without Troops in a military learning environment to enable the testing of student developed Courses of Action and is also a great tool to be used for on the spot Professional Military Education or Quick Decision Exercises.
The system is designed for Combat Team (Company/Squadron with attachments) size engagements or activities but can be expanded to Battle Group, or multiple Combat Teams within a Battle Group with some forward planning and imagination on behalf of a seasoned and competent Games Master.
Due to the simplicity of UTG it also lends very well to both seasoned and novice recreational tabletop gamers who have a passion for modern wargaming and a want to improve their own tactical acuman and cognitive ability in a fun and friendly environment.