{{Infobox software | name = Vassal Engine | logo = VASSAL's official logo. | screenshot =<!-- Deleted image removed: right|250px|Vassal screenshot. --> | caption = Screenshot of a typical Vassal module. | collapsible = | developer = The Vassal Team. | released = {{Start date|1996}} | programming language = Java | platform = Cross-platform | size = | language = Multilingual (English and 6 other languages) | genre = Game engine | license = GNU LGPLv2+ | website = [https://vassalengine.org vassalengine.org] | latest_release_version = 3.7.20 | latest_release_date = {{release_date|2026|02|06}} | operating_system = Any }}

The '''Vassal Engine''' is a 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.<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 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 an application for playing ''Advanced Squad Leader''. This program was named VASL, an acronym for "Virtual Advanced Squad Leader." In 2002, this was expanded into a generic board game engine now called Vassal, with VASL being changed into just one out of many modules for Vassal.<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><ref>https://vassalengine.org/about.html</ref>

== Available modules == Vassal modules exist for over 3400 games.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Module Library - Vassal |url= https://vassalengine.org/library/projects| access-date=2026-02-10 |website=vassalengine.org}}</ref>

==Copyright and licensing== In September 2008, Games Workshop issued a cease-and-desist order regarding the Vassal module for Warhammer 40K to Tim Davis, its 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''{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}.

==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== {{Portal|Free and open-source software|Video games}} * [https://vassalengine.org Official Vassal website] * [https://github.com/vassalengine/vassal GitHub page for the engine]

{{Video game engines}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vassal Engine}} Category:2002 software Category:Free software programmed in Java