The Vassal Engine

by Bill Bennett

The Vassal game engine is a software tool for playing board games and card games over the internet. And, because it is Java-based, it will run on any platform. The program is a framework, upon which designers build modules that reproduce the experience of playing a particular game. There is no AI in Vassal; it is intended for people to play each other, not against the computer. It supports real time play over the internet with an incorporated chat window or play-by-email by using the logging feature which records chat window messages, moves and other actions.

Maps, boards, counters, tokens and cards can all be shown graphically and manipulated by mouse or keystrokes. Modules can be designed to report various actions in the chat window. The control panel can be customized with player trays, dice rollers, charts, notation windows, line of sight threads, and many other features.

There are currently more than 350 games represented by their own modules and new ones are being created all the time. Of course, reproducing games in this way requires the permission of the game’s publisher, but many do give permission as it provides another way to promote their games. There is a wide variety of games available: classic and modern board games, out-of-print and new wargames, adaptations of miniature games, card games, etc.

Designing a module takes no programming experience, as there is a built-in module editor interface for creating and editing modules. There are support documents that are provided with the Vassal program download package that describe how to use Vassal, how to do play-by-email turns and the basics of creating modules. The Vassal program and the modules can be downloaded for free from the www.vassalengine.org website. The module pages also provide a place to register as a player of a game, which allows you to contact other Vassal users who play that game.

A vibrant, international online community has developed around Vassal. There is a Yahoo group for Vassal where the program’s creator, Rodney Kinney, answers questions and participates in discussions. There are people with Java programming skills that assist him with fixing bugs and implementing new features on Vassal, as it is open-source software. And in addition to the players and module designers, there are folks who organize online campaigns and tournaments.

While playing a board game with Vassal isn’t exactly the same as playing face-to-face with friends, it is certainly the next best thing. And you have the opportunity to get to know people from all around the world who share your interests in gaming. There are other board game-playing utility programs out there, but none are as quite as stable, easy to use, and widely supported as the Vassal game engine.