Modern War #16 - Visegrad 4: The Coming War in Eastern Europe

From the Publisher:

The Magazine:

Putin as Warlord – Alt Newsstand Cover Article: A warlord is a supreme leader who exercises military and civil control over a large geographic area due to the presence of armed forces loyal to him rather than to any other authority. To be successful, he has to be a man of vision, daring, strength and charisma. He must then use those qualities to bind the nation and his military to him to accomplish his goals. Vladimir Putin is Russia’s warlord.

Other Articles:

Visegrad: The Coming War in Eastern Europe: The Visegrad alliance of Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia, was originally formed in 1991 as a stopgap protective measure until those countries could obtain full NATO membership.

French Foreign Legion's 13th Demi-Brigade: This unit has spearheaded many of France's military operations.

AirSea Battle: On 12 May 2013 the US Department of Defense officially announced the establishment of the “AirSea Battle concept.”

Focus On The Iraqi Army: In the first week of January 2014, Al Qaeda seized two major cities in Iraq's Anbar province: Fallujah and Ramadi.

Matthew Bunker Ridgway – The First Cold War General: In Korea, Gen. Matthew Ridgway not only exhibited a new style of personal leadership, he also adapted to the demands made on generals in the Cold War era by showing he was able to plan and fight a “limited war.”

Russian Attack Helicopters: Attack Helicopters have become an integral part of modern military tactics.

Sigma 64: Ignored Vietnam Wargames: Trying to predict the future of military operations was a major concern of President Lyndon Johnson.

The Game:

Visegrad 4: The Coming War in Eastern Europe covers a hypothetical conflict between the forces of the Eastern NATO and Russia. With the US in retreat in the world, and the Russians getting overly aggressive, it could be that a resurgent Russia could make an attempt to take back its classic sphere of influence. This, factored in with the fact that Russia is the primary energy source for much of Europe, has made them overly powerful. The biggest threat to the Russian energy dominance is amazingly the country of Poland. Recent technological breakthrough in ‘Fracking’ has made the Polish shale resources the number one competitor to Russian energy domination. So, once again, the two nations may well be on a collision course to destiny.

The other assumption made for the background of the game is that Germany, caught in the grips of an isolationist government, and not willing to risk rocking the boat with its primary source of energy, declares Poland the aggressor and that it will be neutral in the NATO “violation”. The US, already weakened from its own internal problems, is unable to force them to honor their commitments. The resulting chaos and confusion will delay the entry of much of the NATO forces and force Poland and its neighbors to go it alone.

Game Scale:
Game Turn: 1 week
Hex: 35 miles / 56 kilometers
Units: Brigades or equivalent

Game Inventory:
One 22 x 34" full color map
One dual-side printed countersheet (176 5/8" counters - 128 for this game, 48 for Red Dragon / Green Crescent published in Modern War Magazine #1).
One 16-page Visegrad 4 rulebook

Solitaire Playability: High
Complexity Level: Medium
Players: 2 or more
Playing Time: 4-10 hours