Game of the Week, Mar 10 to 16
Hi everyone,
This week, Wargame Design Studio shines a spotlight on Modern Campaigns: Fulda Gap '85, an operational Cold War-era game set in 1985. In this hypothetical conflict, NATO and Warsaw Pact forces face off at the Fulda Gap, a region that was considered a key strategic location for potential Soviet invasion forces into Western Europe.
Game Overview
Modern Campaigns: Fulda Gap '85 plunges players into an alternative history scenario where Warsaw Pact forces surge across the inter-German border in the summer of 1985. The master map features over 136,000 hexes and covers the entire area, with the Rhine River bend in the west, Denmark in the north, and Berlin in the east. As you command either NATO or Warsaw Pact forces, you’ll make strategic decisions that could shift the course of history.
There are 35 Scenarios included. All the historical forces that had been allocated to the campaign are included. As a bonus, a number of scenarios are set in 1974, with applicable period equipment.
The longest campaign scenario is 161 turns, with most scenarios a very playable sub-30 turns.
The tables of organization reflect the equipment used by each formation across all combatants. You will find a range of national forces: Soviet, East German, Polish, United States, West German, and Canadian.
The game represents an obviously hypothetical Cold War gone Hot situation, but it is based on the available historical plans and deployments. There are even rules for the unthinkable: chemical and nuclear munitions. Players can ultimately decide whether to use these shock weapons or not.
We included a lot of historical documentation and notes with this title, you can review each by clicking on the links below.
There have been a range of books covering both the forces of NATO and the Warsaw Pact in the 1980’s, as well as works of fiction that extrapolated what a theater-wide war in Europe would look like. Following are some representative books for anyone that would like some more background on this perilous period. You can click on the book images below to be taken to Amazon, where applicable.
Informational
NATO and Warsaw Pact: Force Comparison 1987 (PDF download)
Fiction for backstory
Following are some in-game screen shots of what to expect. Each image can be clicked for a full-sized view.
As mentioned, the build we are making available today is the newest 4.05.1. This version includes a range of new features, and you can read the Changelog here. All new purchases will be this latest version.
If you don’t already own this title, what are you waiting for? You can buy it directly from the dedicated product page.
We hope you enjoy this week's Game of the Week. Like all WDS titles, there is a lot of game play included at a very attractive price.
Are there air assets in the game? Can you call in airstrikes? If there is airsupport, is it fixed wing or helicopter?
What about airborne or air cavalry units?
This is one of my favourite games, and certainly my favourite WDS title so far. I think the main campaign is just so well put together, and the scenario is really exciting with how quickly it moves along, despite the epic scale.
Masterpiece, IMO, and I don’t use that term lightly.
@Chris Irwin Same LOL
@Thomas Poulson Have you ever read “An Army In Crisis: Social Conflict And The U.S. Army In Germany, 1968-1975” by Alexander Vazansky? I heard firsthand from a guy how bad moral was in when he was stationed in Germany around the time you were and couldn’t believe the stories. It sounded like a frat house, but not the good stuff! Drugs, race riots, more drugs, and everything bad you could think of was happening there. I am not surprised to hear that the equipment was as poor as you say. Wow!
@Rich Hamilton & WDS Team Thank you for making “NATO and Warsaw Pact: Force Comparison 1987” downloadable and free inside this post. Always appreciate the access to scholarly work!
@Jens – because there are a lot of scenarios in both the games you mention that are not included in Danube Front. The only thing that is duplicated is the map.
Great game, but i have the same question as with the North German plain, if you got Danube Front, why would you need these two games? Great as they are. :)
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