Fog of war The fog of war is the uncertainty in situational awareness experienced by participants in military operations . The term seeks to capture the uncertainty regarding one ' s own capability , adversary capability , and adversary intent during an engagement , operation , or campaign . Origin . The concept was introduced by the Prussia n military analyst Carl von Clausewitz in his posthumously published book , " Vom Kriege " ( 1837 ) , which appeared in English translation in 1873 under the title " On War " : Levels . The nature of the ambiguity described as the fog of war varies according to the level at which participants are engaged . Grand strategic . Ambiguity is related to the political intent , capabilities , and logistical strengths of an adversary . Sources of information include diplomatic intelligence , secret ( or special ) intelligence , strategic modeling , and data derived from open - source intelligence . Affected participants seek to understand intent of and political motivations . Outcomes at this level may encompass military action but are more concerned with sociopolitical and economic outcomes from which it might cascade if left unattended . Military strategic . Militarily , the ambiguity experienced at this level relates to the structure , strength , capability , and disposition of own and adversary offensive and defensive assets . Own - force ambiguity can be caused by failure to report material deficiencies or an unwillingness to escalate concerns , leading to an optimistic view of own capabilities . Adversary ambiguity may be a result of inaccurate intelligence , sources being subverted or deceived , or adversary intelligence presenting a superior picture allowing one ' s decision cycle to be compromised . In addition , if unanticipated situations occur they can hamper the execution of long term planning . Operational . Within the operational theatre the commander undertakes tasks as directed by the Military Strategic level , ambiguity continues to relate to adversary capability and intent but is coupled with own directive ambiguity , the commander not having the full sight of the strategic imperative . As operational tempo increases at this level the ambiguity experienced by the commander is susceptible to delays in communication of the tactical situation and the ebb and flow of own force , and adversary force interaction . The commander seeks to penetrate the fog of war through significant use of reconnaissance assets and a comprehensive Joint Operational Picture . Tactical . Ambiguity stems from several factors at the tactical level , both by deliberate means by the enemy ( including active deception and / or electronic attack on communications and sensors ) as well as factors inherent to battle resulting in lack of comprehension by commanders as to the tactical environment , the logistic status of their own units , how they are interacting with each other , or their intentions . This lack of comprehension can stem from many factors , individually or in combination , such as poor reconnaissance ; inaccurate intelligence ; or faulty communication . The tempo of decision making at the tactical level is much greater than at other levels , increasing the risk of escalating ambiguity as assumptions build and resources are allocated based on those assumptions . Experience . The practical experience of the " fog of war " is most easily demonstrated in the tactical battlespace . It may include military commanders ' incomplete or inaccurate intelligence about the enemy ' s numbers , disposition , capabilities , and intent , regarding features of the battlefield , and incomplete knowledge of the state of their own forces . Fog of war is caused by the limits of reconnaissance , by the enemy ' s feints and disinformation , by delays in receiving intelligence and difficulties passing orders , and by the difficult task of forming a cogent picture from a very large ( or very small ) amount of diverse data . When a force engages in battle and the urgency for good intelligence increases , so does the fog of war and chaos of the battlefield , while military units become preoccupied with fighting or are lost ( either destroyed by enemy fire or literally lose their way ) , reconnaissance and liaison elements become unavailable , the minimum distance for effective communication increases , and sometimes real fog and smoke obscure vision ( hence obscuring communication ) . Much of the modern military ' s technological efforts , under the rubric of command and control seek to reduce the fog of war . Although even the most advanced technology cannot eliminate it , military theorists continue to develop ways to reduce it . Simulations and games . Abstract and military board games sometimes try to capture the effect of the fog of war by hiding the identity of playing pieces , by keeping them face down or turned away from the opposing player ( as in " Stratego " ) or covered ( as in " Squad Leader " ) . Other games , such as the " Kriegspiel " chess - variant , playing pieces are hidden from the opponent by tracking them on paper or by using a duplicate , hidden game board . Solitaire games also by their nature attempt to recreate fog of war using random dice rolls , card draws , or flowcharts to determine events , for example " Ambush ! " . Complex double - blind miniatures wargame s , including cloth model training exercises for military commanders , may make use of two identical maps or model landscapes , one or more referees providing limited intelligence to the opposing sides , participants in the roles of sub - unit leaders , and the use of radio sets or intercoms . The term " fog of war " has become jargon in military and adventure video and computer games , in the more limited sense of enemy units or characters being hidden from the player . Often this is done by obscuring sections of the map already explored by the player with a grey fog whenever they do not have a unit in that area to report on what is there . The player can still view the terrain but not any enemy units on it . One early use of fog of war was the 1978 game " Tanktics " designed by Chris Crawford , which was criticized for its fog of war system detracting from the fun of the game . Crawford later noted that " when the games get too realistic , they lose their appeal " . Two of the most successful Blizzard franchises , " Warcraft " and " StarCraft " , also use a similar fog of war which only reveals terrain features and enemy units through a player ' s reconnaissance . Without a unit actively observing , previously revealed areas of the map are subject to a shroud through which only terrain is visible , but not changes in enemy units or bases . This feature would gain further popularity through the " Defense of the Ancients " mod and its successors in the MOBA genre . " Total Annihilation " and " Supreme Commander " are two examples where the use of radar is crucial to detecting units within the fog of war . EA Games ' " Command & Conquer " franchise has incorporated a similar fog of war through the series , as has Activision ' s " " ; the same type of effect is present in Ensemble Studios ' Genie Engine which powers games including " Age of Empires " and " " . Similarly , in " Classic Empire " video game , a player can only observe an enemy unit if it is in the vicinity of one of the player ' s units or cities . In some games , such as " " , it is possible for the player to artificially recreate a fog of war against his opponent . In turn - based strategy games of the " Advance Wars " , " Field Commander " and " Fire Emblem " series , " Fog of War " refers to a fog which shrouds the most part of a map . Sid Meier ' s turn - based franchise " Civilization " and its spin - off " Alpha Centauri " obscure parts of the map not occupied by the player or allies until the advent of orbital flight is reached by the player . By extension , " fog of war " is also used to describe the limited view distance of first - person shooter s , where unlimited view is either considered bad for gameplay or , more often , used because of technical limitations , in that a fog of war allows for the rendering of a smaller part of the game area . In the " Commands & Colors " series of boardgames , designed by Richard Borg , the fog of war is simulated by a deck of cards from which the players can pick their actions . Different sides of the battle usually have a different number of cards ( each one describing a possible action ) and players have to choose which card to use . It often happens that the best action imaginable in that moment is impossible to do because the player does not have a useful card for it . This is to simulate the difficulty of in - battle communication in the heat of the moment .