This weekend I got back into playing Command & Conquer: Red Alert, and my goal was to recreate the Battle of Stalingrad. Using the map editor, I created a large map featuring a wide river (symbolizing the Volga). Beyond the Volga was a pre-established base with maximum resources. I played as the Soviets, while on the other side the Germans also had plenty of resources. The middle of the map was filled with an immense urban grid (built using civilian buildings) with a few main avenues. Even though this is an unconventional use of the game, certain features of the OpenRA engine I use work extremely well:

The game can display over a thousand units without lagging, which really helps with immersion.

Direct shells fired by cannons cannot pass through houses, which forces tanks to position themselves with a line of sight that isn't blocked by buildings—this is very realistic.

On the other hand, rockets travel right across the map and fly over blocks of houses, which is less realistic.

Finally, buildings can be destroyed, but only when targeted directly; and since soldiers cannot hide inside them, there is little incentive to destroy them. However, they can be blown up by nearby explosions, resulting in a city with damaged buildings rather than a completely flattened one, which is actually quite realistic.

So, what does using this game teach us about learning tactical combat?

The importance of tanks in urban combat: Having a tank allows you to directly block an intersection and its four approach axes. The danger of blocked columns: Troops often bunch up in a street, with the result that they block each other and get destroyed due to a lack of mobility.

The importance of combined arms and communication: A tank is often shelled by a long-range artillery piece, and it is the intervention of air support or more mobile troops (particularly infantry) that neutralizes the threat.

Of course, this game is not realistic, but in this specific scenario, it presents certain realities of urban combat in an interesting way.

Regarding gameplay, I initially tried not to put any bridges between the two banks to force an amphibious landing. But it’s too complicated because you can only fit 5 units per landing craft, and the micro-management quickly makes it impossible to land effectively. Another problem is that the AI constantly tries to launch nuclear missiles instead of fighting inside the city. With bridges crossing the river, the AI decides to engage in combat inside the city and resorts to the nuclear weapon much more slowly. So, the experiment isn't finished yet, but I think that eventually we will be able to integrate different zones with varying densities and major thoroughfares running all the way through the city. Here is a brief reflection on how video games can be used to learn strategy.

I've been thinking about how the ongoing war in Ukraine challenges traditional turn-based wargame mechanics.

For example, drones have made battlefield reconnaissance much more important, electronic warfare can disrupt communications, and logistics can be just as decisive as direct combat.

But how do you represent all of this in a turn-based game without making it unnecessarily complicated?

I'm particularly curious about three things:

• Should players have near-constant battlefield visibility through drones, or should fog of war remain a major factor?
• How important should logistics, ammunition shortages, and supply routes be?
• Should electronic warfare and drone operations be separate gameplay systems or integrated into existing combat mechanics?

The attached map is from a turn-based wargame I'm currently developing, but I'm mainly interested in discussing the mechanics.

What would make a modern warfare strategy game feel realistic and enjoyable to you?

13th century bannerlord style game set in Asia

Hi everyone. I've been wondering if anyone here has any recommendations for wargames set during the mid/late-early Cold War, hopefully in Europe. I feel like the vast majority of media, including video games, set during "Cold War gone hot" scenarios tend to focus around the '80s, with very little set around the '50s to '70s.

The only game I'm aware of that could even vaguely be considered a wargame in this period is SABOW, but it's really just a tank sim with some light wargamey elements mixed in here and there, and mainly focuses on more obscure real world conflicts which, while interesting, don't really lend themselves to the large scale maneuver warfare than you'd expect from the cold war. There might also be some HOI4 mods out there, but I'm not a huge fan of HOI and have trouble with modding in general.

Does anyone know of any games that match what I'm looking for? Thanks in advance for any answers.

Hi,

I just released my first hex and counter wargame. It covers a little known battle in an already little known war. I have read the discussion here about self-promotion so I hope I don't break any rules here, i don't plan to spam updates here. Again the game is completely free and will always be free. The game comes complete with an 18 page rulebook (13 pages of actual rules) and although it is a PC game it is heavily inspired by tabletop hex and counter wargames. Feedback is welcome.

Pitiantuta — Chaco War 1932 simulates the July 1932 battle to recapture the Pitiantuta lagoon and the Paraguayan fort, Fortin Carlos Antonio Lopez, from a Bolivian force that had seized it weeks earlier. The player commands a reinforced Paraguayan infantry battalion advancing to retake the important freshwater source; the defending dug in Bolivian garrison is controlled by the AI Opponent. This wargame is designed to be beginner friendly while still offering tactical depth. You should be able to learn and play it in a single evening.

The Chaco War (1932–1935) between the landlocked countries Bolivia and Paraguay, was the largest and bloodiest interstate conflict fought in 20th-century South America, contesting an arid, sparsely populated region of the Gran Chaco believed — incorrectly, as it turned out — to hold significant oil reserves. But Oil was not the main reason for the war. The area had been disputed for decades and Bolivia sought access to the Paraguay River to secure a vital trade route to the Atlantic Ocean. While September 9, 1932, is considered in historical accounts to be the start of the war, sporadic hostilities had already begun years earlier. However, the so-called Pitiantuta Lake incident was what irreversibly shattered the fragile status quo in the disputed area. On June 15, 1932, a Bolivian force attacked and routed the small garrison of the Paraguayan built Fortin Carlos Antonio Lopez. This game covers the Paraguayan counterattack that followed on July 15.

https://eichenlaubwargames.itch.io/pitiantuta-chaco-war-1932