Firefight: Modern U.S. and Soviet Small Unit Tactics

Firefight is an absolute classic for those who love tactical wargames and want to understand how the 'first battle of the next war' might have played out in the late 1970s. Developed with support from the US Army, the game is more than just a hobbyist title: it served as a training tool to demonstrate the lethality and range of modern weaponry of that era. You take command of small units, such as infantry fireteams or individual vehicles, on a battlefield where each hex represents 50 meters and each turn lasts a mere 40 seconds. The experience is intense and deeply rooted in military doctrine, requiring you to think like a real commander while positioning your forces and managing indirect artillery fire.

The game shines through its clever use of Combat Results Tables (CRT). Forget about complex mental math; here, terrain protection—like woods or hull-down positions—is already baked into the tables, making the combat system much more fluid and intuitive than other titles from that period. You will alternate between fire, movement, and indirect fire phases, always trying to outmaneuver your opponent with combined arms tactics. The system is divided into three levels of complexity (Firefight I, II, and III), allowing you to start with the basics and layer on realism as you master the rules. It is a lesson in simulated history that puts you in the center of a potential conventional conflict between the US and the Soviet Union, testing your tactical skills on detailed geomorphic maps. If you are a fan of military simulations that prize accuracy and tactical challenge, this is a must-have for your collection.