Next War: India-Pakistan

Get ready for a tense journey into the near future with Next War: India-Pakistan, the latest volume in GMT Games' acclaimed Next War series. This two-player wargame immerses you in a hypothetical conflict between India and Pakistan, focusing on the ever-disputed Jammu and Kashmir region. It's not a game for wargame novices, but if you're an experienced player, you'll feel right at home with a system that balances depth and engaging gameplay. The Standard Game rules are quite accessible for veterans, allowing for quicker matches. But if you're looking for the full experience and want to feel the true weight of modern warfare, the Advanced Game is where the magic happens. In it, you have full control over airpower and can explore the nuances of each side's forces. Advanced campaign scenarios, with optional rules, transform the game into a true 'mini-monster' experience.

The detailed map represents the Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir region at a scale of roughly 7.5 miles per hex, covering everything from the Thar Desert to the Himalayas. Ground units represent brigades, divisions, and support units from India, Pakistan, China, and the USA, with attack, defense, movement, and efficiency attributes. Air units simulate fighter, bomber, and attack squadrons, with all-weather capabilities, range, average pilot skill, and performance in air-to-air combat, close air support, and strike missions. Each game turn includes phases for weather determination (which impacts air and ground operations), initiative, air/naval operations, special operations (in the advanced game), strikes (with missiles, artillery, and even tactical nuclear weapons), movement and combat, arrival of reinforcements, and victory determination. The combat system considers not only unit strength but also efficiency (training, doctrine, morale) and terrain, resulting in a brutal combat results table that reflects the attrition of modern warfare. And yes, you can use tactical nuclear weapons, but beware: doing so might alienate your international allies! Scenarios range from limited objectives to full campaigns, with varying levels of Chinese and US intervention, and the International Posture Matrix allows for exploring various intervention options. The question is: can you control Kashmir without the world going nuclear?