Public Opinion Built Into Wargames

This tabletop used by U.S. and allied forces gives players an 'Influence Meter' that rewards restraint and penalizes indiscriminate strikes, treating public opinion as a scarce battlefield resource alongside missiles and interceptors. It operationalizes information warfare and civilian‑harm costs in the same decision loop as targeting and maneuver. — If planners are training with public sentiment as a formal constraint, future campaigns will be designed around information effects and legitimacy as much as kinetic success.