Wargame in the context of "Combat sports"

A miniature wargame is a type of tabletop wargame in which military units are represented by miniature figurines on a sand table. These wargames are played with the primary appeal being recreational rather than operational, using model soldiers, vehicles, and artillery on custom-made battlefields, often with modular terrain, and abstract scaling is used to adapt real-world ranges to the limitations of table space. The use of physical models to represent military units is in contrast to other tabletop wargames that use abstract pieces such as counters or blocks, or computer wargames which use virtual models. The primary benefit of using models is immersion, though in certain wargames the size and shape of the models can have practical consequences on how the match plays out. Models' dimensions and positioning are crucial for measuring distances during gameplay. Issues concerning scale and accuracy compromise realism too much for most serious military applications.

Miniature wargames can be skirmish-level, where individual warriors are controlled, or tactical-level, where groups are commanded. Most wargames are turn-based, involving movement and combat resolved through arithmetic and dice rolls. The setting of a game determines the type of units used, with popular historical themes including WWII, the Napoleonic Wars, and the American Civil War, while Warhammer 40,000 is the leading fantasy setting. Models, historically made from lead or tin, are now typically made of plastic or resin, with larger companies favoring plastic for its mass-production advantages. While some companies sell pre-painted models, most require assembly and customization by players. In historical miniature wargames, generic models are used, but fantasy wargames, like Warhammer, feature proprietary models, making them more expensive.

Dungeons & Dragons (commonly abbreviated as D&D or DnD) is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) originally created and designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules (TSR). It has been published by Wizards of the Coast, later a subsidiary of Hasbro, since 1997. The game was derived from miniature wargames, with a variation of the 1971 game Chainmail serving as the initial rule system. D&D's publication is commonly recognized as the beginning of modern role-playing games and the role-playing game industry, which also deeply influenced video games, especially the role-playing video game genre.

D&D departs from traditional wargaming by allowing each player to create their own character to play instead of a military formation. These characters embark upon adventures within a fantasy setting. A Dungeon Master (DM) serves as referee and storyteller for the game, while maintaining the setting in which the adventures occur, and playing the role of the inhabitants of the game world, known as non-player characters (NPCs). The characters form a party and they interact with the setting's inhabitants and each other. Together they solve problems, engage in battles, explore, and gather treasure and knowledge. In the process, player characters earn experience points (XP) to level up, and become increasingly powerful over a series of separate gaming sessions. Players choose a class when they create their character, which gives them special perks and abilities every few levels.

A campaign setting is a setting for a tabletop role-playing game or wargame campaign. Most campaign settings are fictional worlds; however, some are historical or contemporary real-world locations. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place. A campaign setting is typically designed for a specific game (such as the Forgotten Realms setting for Dungeons & Dragons) or a specific genre of game (such as historical fantasy or science fiction), though some come from existing media (such as movies, shows, novels, or comic books). There are numerous campaign settings available for purchase both in print and online. In addition, many game masters create their own, which are often called "homebrew" settings.

Examples of major campaign settings include the Dungeons & Dragons campaign settings and the World of Darkness, and licensed settings such as the Star Trek science fiction universe, and the Avatar: The Last Airbender fantasy world.

A melee (/ˈmeɪleɪ/ or /ˈmɛleɪ/) is a confused hand-to-hand fight among several people. The English term melee originated circa 1648 from the French word mêlée (French: [mɛle]), derived from the Old French mesler, from which medley and meddle were also derived.

The 1812 tabletop wargame Kriegsspiel, and H.G. Wells' 1913 Little Wars, referred to the hand-combat stage of the game as a melée, or mêlée, respectively. The term was brought over to tabletop role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, and in turn to role-playing video games, to describe any close-combat encounter.