PG-HQ Forums

The Iran-Iraq War 

What do you guys thinks, would this make a good Modern War PG game?

Probably. Heavier on the chemical weapons idea. Maybe a some FAE rules too.

FAE? It would require a big box game treatment which would require multiple boxes and/or supplements to do it justice. There are phases to that war which all look and feel a bit different. I think a smaller conflict might be easier to model.... the Toyota wars, the war between South Africa and Angola, sumo-Vietnamese war, etc.

FAE=Fuel-air explosive, aka Thermobaric weapon. A method weapon developed in the early to mid 70's. The process is to create a highly oxidized fuel cloud and ignite it, creating a concussive blast. Aspirationally referred to as the poor man's a-bomb (doesn't really come close but...). Replaced by cluster-bombs by most western powers due to the problematic nature of its use.

What was the "problematic nature of its use"? I thought it was quite effective on cave complexes but honestly I think I'm basing that on one news report I saw long ago.

FAEs vary in there effectiveness based on atmospheric conditions. If air is dense or moist, the cloud may not spread fast enough. Too dry, the cloud may evaporate too soon. Wind dispersed the cloud. Essentially each deployment needs some tuning. When they work, they usually work well. Caves are stable environments, so FAEs would work better there. I think the marines used them in Afghanistan.

Russians srtill use them..... ask the Ukrainians.

Obviously I doubt the subject would create a more than one book game interest. But I feel it could be done with 40-50 scenarios to represent and touch on enough battles of interest from 1980-1988 to keep most gamers interested. 6 maps and 352 counters, not counting markers to keep Mike/AP interested. There is enough written material that is very doable. BUT, why waste my time if AP never publishes it?!

If they were cranking games out the door, it would be one thing, but waiting many years down the road, doesn't keep my interest in doing this.

Jay, you can always try your hand at designing a non-PG game with a 17" x 22" to 34" x 22" map, and one sheet (216 9/16" or 176 5/8") of counters. There are several publishers that can work within these parameters.

Even Hollandspiele have the next 12 months mapped out and they outsource ordering and shipping.

I'm not sure how popular an Iran-Iraq game would be. I think people like to be able to think of one side as the good guys.