Next War: India-Pakistan

The ink was hardly dry on the documents following the partition of British India in 1947 before war broke out between India and Pakistan. Since the partition, four major wars and numerous smaller conflicts have been waged over much of the same ground. In 1947, 1965, 1971, and 1999 India and Pakistan fought in the mountains of Kashmir and on the plains of the Punjab region to the south. Today, both sides are armed with thousands of armored vehicles, hundreds of advanced aircraft, and dozens of nuclear weapons. With tensions high and both sides heavily armed, another conflict may be just a matter of time. Next War: India-Pakistan, the next volume in GMT's series of Next War games and a follow-on to Next War: Korea, allows players to fight a near future war between India and Pakistan. Due to the nature of a potential conflict, only a portion of the Indo-Pakistani border is featured so that the fighting centers around what it always has: the fate of the Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir. Special rules govern such things as the expanded role bridges play in the region play as well as the fact that both sides in the conflict are nuclear-armed nations. The People's Republic of China and the United States can make an appearance, but they might withdraw in the event of a nuclear exchange. The question is: will this war settle once and for all who will control northwest India? Note: the Next War series is not an introductory wargame. Rather, we have intended herein to create a system (and a series) that will allow detailed study of modern warfare in various venues as well as engaging gameplay. That said, the Standard Game rules encompass a fairly straightforward rule set that will, we think, be considered "easy to learn" by experienced wargamers. So, players who choose to play Standard Game scenarios can have a relatively quick game when that's what suits them. The real flavor of a war in the theatre, however, comes through in the Advanced Game, where you get much more control over airpower and can more clearly see each side's strengths and weaknesses. For players who want a "mini-monster game" experience, playing the Advanced Game Campaign Scenarios with some or all of the optional rules will definitely "deliver." Ownership of Next War: Korea will NOT be required to play. Ground units in Next War: India-Pakistan represent the brigades, support units, and divisions of the armies of the India, Pakistan, China, and the United States. All ground units are rated for their attack and defense strengths, movement capabilities, and unit efficiency. Air units represent fighter, bomber, and attack squadrons of the major combatants and are rated for All-Weather Capabilities as well as their range, average pilot skill, and their abilities in Air-to-Air Combat, Close Air Support, and Strike missions. The game's map represents the area in and around the Punjab district of Pakistan and the Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir at a scale of roughly 7.5 miles per hex. A game turn is generally composed of: Weather Determination, Initiative Determination and Air/Naval Phase, Special Operations Phases in the Advanced Game, Strike Phases in the Advanced Game, Movement and Combat Phases, Arrival of Reinforcements and Replacements, and Victory Determination. Combat resolution examines not only unit strengths but also unit efficiency, as well as the terrain where the combat takes place. In this installment, players will have the option to secure release authorization for and use tactical nuclear weapons in the playing area. There are several Standard Game scenarios. In Next War: India-Pakistan, Jammu & Kashmir is once again aflame. Can you, as the Islamic Republic of Pakistan's commander, conquer Kashmir and hold it against the enemy? Can you, as the Republic of India's commander, attack and defeat the enemy without the conflict going nuclear?