View source for Software:Vassal (game engine)

{{Infobox software
| name = Vassal Engine
| logo = [[File:VASSAL-logo.png|VASSAL's official logo.]]
| screenshot =<!-- Deleted image removed:  [[Image:VASSAL-screenshot.png|right|250px|Vassal screenshot.]] -->
| caption = Screenshot of a typical Vassal module.
| collapsible =
| developer = The Vassal Team.
| released = {{Start date|2002}}
| programming language = [[Java (programming language)|Java]]
| platform = Cross-platform
| size =
| language = Multilingual ([[Social:English language|English]] and 6 other languages)
| genre = [[Software:Game engine|Game engine]]
| license = [[Software:GNU Lesser General Public License#Version 2|GNU LGPLv2]]+
| website = [https://vassalengine.org vassalengine.org]
| latest_release_version = 3.7.7
| latest_release_date = {{release_date|2024|01|11}}
| operating_system = Any
}}

The '''Vassal Engine''' is a [[Software:Game engine|game engine]] for building and playing online adaptations of board games, tabletop games and card games. It allows users to play in real time over a live Internet connection, and also by email (PbeM). It runs on all platforms, and is free, [[Open-source software|open-source]] software.<ref name="gfw">{{cite journal |last1=Geryk |first1=Bruce |editor1-last=Green |editor1-first=Jeff |title=Line of Attack: Your monthly guide to hard-core wargaming |journal=Games for Windows |date=August 2007 |issue=9 |page=92 |url=https://archive.org/details/games-for-windows-2-jan.-2007/Games%20for%20Windows%20August%202007/page/92/mode/2up |access-date=3 August 2021 |publisher=Ziff Davis Media |language=English |format=Print Magazine}}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media| people = Ardwulf's Lair| date =7 October 2015| title =Exploring the Vassal Engine for Online Boardgaming and Wargaming| language =English| url =https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwQX1IKNQ-A| access-date =22 Jul 2021}}</ref> For example, there is a Star Wars Miniatures module, where players can play with up to three others in a digital replica of the table-top game.

It is written in [[Java (programming language)|Java]] and the source code is available from [[GitHub]] under the LGPL open source license.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://vassalengine.org/ |title=Official Vassal Website |access-date=2006-08-18 |archive-date=2021-07-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210722114217/https://www.gstatic.com/prose/brandjs.js |url-status=live }}</ref>

== History ==
Vassal began as VASL (Virtual Advanced Squad Leader), an application for playing ''Advanced Squad Leader''.<ref>{{cite web|author1=R.Flaibani|title=The Master and His Vassal|date=14 December 2010 |url=http://iltredicesimocavaliere.wordpress.com/info/the-master-and-his-vassal-in-english/|access-date=20 April 2015|archive-date=31 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150331015609/https://iltredicesimocavaliere.wordpress.com/info/the-master-and-his-vassal-in-english/|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Available modules ==
Vassal modules exist for over 1000 games.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Category:Modules - Vassal |url=https://vassalengine.org/wiki/Category:Modules |access-date=2023-12-14 |website=vassalengine.org}}</ref>

==Copyright and licensing==
In September 2008, [[Company:Games Workshop|Games Workshop]] issued a cease-and-desist order regarding V40k to Tim Davis, the V40k module maintainer at that time.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg246/Dezartfox/scan0001copy-1.jpg |title=GW V40k Legal Action |access-date=2008-12-30 |archive-date=2021-04-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210401035915/http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg246/Dezartfox/scan0001copy-1.jpg |url-status=live }}</ref> The module is still played.

Games Workshop has also issued a cease-and-desist order regarding ''Space Hulk''.

==Similar projects==

Similar engines for making board games include ZunTzu<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.zuntzu.com/ |title=ZunTzu - the Online Boardgaming Platform |access-date=2019-01-17 |archive-date=2019-01-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190126215611/http://www.zuntzu.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and Boardgame.io.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://boardgame.io/ |title=Boardgame.io - Open-Source Game Engine for Turn-Based Games |access-date=2021-07-22 |archive-date=2021-02-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210214154205/https://boardgame.io/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

== References ==
<references/>

==External links==
* [https://vassalengine.org Official Vassal website]
* [https://github.com/vassalengine/vassal GitHub page for the engine]

{{Video game engines}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vassal Engine}}
[[Category:Free software programmed in Java (programming language)]]

{{Sourceattribution|Vassal (game engine)}}