War College & Origins University
Hosted by: the national security decision-making game &
Armchair DragOons
Our Mission:
Share the positive benefits of gaming and the topics it prompts us to explore. We provide a forum for professionals and talented amateurs to share their expertise on:
Gaming Trends and Techniques in
Education
Business
Defense
Entertainment
History
Current Events
Science and Technology
Our Seminar track is designed to promote thoughtful viewpoints and civil discourse on historical and contemporary gaming topics. We hope you will enjoy our presentations from both professional and talented amateur "relative" experts. Our goal is to provide thoughtful and entertaining options for your consideration.
Special Note: Unless otherwise stated, the views expressed in these events are those of the participants, not their employers or the event organizers.
Highlights for Origins 2025!
The National Security Decision-Making Game Team with:
Global Hotspots, Technology (AI, Drones, Cyber topics), and Historical (American Revolution, Treaty of Vienna 1815, Canada’s FLQ crisis & more…)
American Civil War topics
Space and NASA-related topics.
NASA Solar System Ambassadors are back!
Game designer/creator seminars
History of Wargaming & Defense Wargaming
War College Games:
Highlight in our Origins University program games that target the professional delivery of defense, business, and educational games. If you want to be acknowledged and included in this part of our community, contact us.
NSDMG Experiences:
Contemporary Games: Domestic/International tension between one or more among 23 nations (12-100 players)
Cold War Games (early 1960s): Domestic/International tension between nations in one or more among 7 nations (12-100 players)
Cuban Missile Crisis: Tightly focused on the critical days of tension with historical/variable events for players representing key grouops within the USA, USSR and Cuba (7-36 players)
Futurist/Science Fiction versions of our Contemporary and Cold War games: Explore alternative history and new challenges.
Experimental Games: Crisis of the Union 1860, Road to WWI, National Security Council Crisis Matrix game, and Doomsday mega-game
Seminars covering topics such as professional wargaming, understanding the news, terrorism, drones, submarine warfare, EMP, pandemics, WWI, WWII and World Hotspots Overview.
Volunteer with us!
If you would like to assist as a volunteer, sponsor, or speaker to support the program at Origins Game Fair 2026, please contact Merle Robinson at murnonsdmg@gmail.com
LArry Bond
Merle S. Robinson
Mark McDonagh Capt. USN (ret.)
Gordon Bliss
David march
james kirtley
van young
Matthew B. Caffrey Jr.
Scott mCmann
christopher weuve
David g cox
Lily Zahor
Dana Lombardy
luis desy
james g. ryan
carol abbott
Supporting Organizations
The National Security Decision-Making Game
The oldest continuously running group at Origins (since 1990)!
Now a non-profit designed to educate the public regarding the decision-making processes of past, present and future groups/nations including but not limited to: how culture, politics, military capabilities, economics, technologies and information flow impact decision-making; how wargaming/simulation techniques provide insights for understanding such decisions; and how fictional works often illustrate such interactions.
Armchair Dragons
Organized and mustered into service in 2018, the Regiment of the Armchair Dragoons are authorized for both garrison activities (evaluation of strategy gaming material, discussion of strategy gaming topics) as well as expeditionary missions (convention programs, live-streaming of games).
The Armchair Dragoons stand ready to execute, support, and/or enable missions on behalf of the strategy gaming community.
Connections Online
CONNECTIONS ONLINE (CNX ONL) is the premier online/distributed conference for the wargaming practitioner community. We are an online conference dedicated to advancing and preserving the art, science, and application of wargaming (including business and non-war topics) by bringing together wargaming professionals and dedicated hobbyists interested in the theory and practice of wargaming for analysis, education, training, and fun.
Connections Online is part of the Connections series of international conferences, which includes regular events in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, as well as occasional events in other parts of the world.
Central Ohio Civil War Roundtable
Meetings - Second Wednesday of every month (except December) at 7:00 pm Location: La Navona 154 N Hamilton Rd, Gahanna, OH 43230. Membership is not required to attend a meeting.
Established in 1989, the Roundtable studies all aspects of the American Civil War era with emphasis on prominent military events/personalities. All levels of knowledge are represented within our group, we have published authors, Civil War Trust Color bearers and board members, prominent book collectors, and anyone with an interest..
Columbus Barracks Civil War Roundtable
Meetings - Third Wednesday of each month from 7:00 P.M. to 8:30 P.M (except December) at the Old Worthington Library 820 High Street Worthington, OH 43085
Coastal Defense Study Group
The Coast Defense Study Group (CDSG) is an organization dedicated to the study of seacoast fortifications. Its primary goals are the preservation and documentation of coast defense sites for current and future generations.
Historic Naval Ships Association (HNSA)
The Association is a non-profit organization whose membership is comprised of naval ship museums and memorials, individuals, businesses and organizations that all help to promote our mission of preserving and presenting historical vessels to the public.
NASA Solar System Ambassadors
The NASA Solar System Ambassadors program is a public engagement effort that works with motivated volunteers across the nation to communicate the science and excitement of NASA's space exploration missions and discoveries with the people in their communities.
Council on America’s Military Past, USA, Inc.
Organized to identify, locate, preserve and memorialize the military installations and units that no longer serve the role for which they were created, mounting member interest soon included other subjects including soldier’s life and customs of service.
