The Dogs of War

About this board game

The Dogs of War is a 2–4 player wargame with an approximately 600-minute play time, depicting a 1985 Warsaw Pact assault against NATO positions in West Germany.

Based on Central Front and NATO: Division Commander, this second module of the C3 series focuses on Command, Control and Communication. The game covers mechanized warfare at a scale of 5 km per hex and 3 hours per turn, with regiment- and battalion-sized ground units.

Players contend with more than the opposing army: their own plans and the passage of time can be equally dangerous. Commanders must deal with confusion, disorder, ambiguous activity, and the OODA Loop while using national doctrines, tactical strengths, and weaknesses to shape the battle.

• Chemical and nuclear weapons, attack helicopters, engineers, and close air support
• Electronic and intelligence warfare, artillery interdiction, and counter-battery fire
• Reconnaissance units, ribbon bridges, prepared defenses, and command, control, and communication problems
• Specific Warsaw Pact and NATO events, plus random events that increase battlefield chaos

Distinctive military characteristics influence play. West German Auftragstaktik provides flexibility, British engineers enable extensive use of prepared defensive positions, and BAOR faces logistical deficiencies and ammunition shortages. Soviet sappers, assault-from-the-march doctrine, and a vulnerable Warsaw Pact supply network add further operational considerations.

The Dogs of War includes two campaign games and four smaller scenarios. Campaigns cover the Warsaw Pact offensive in the BAOR sector and an escalation into all-out chemical and nuclear warfare, while the smaller scenarios feature defenses, airborne assaults, delaying actions, and a British counter-attack. The game includes a large plasticized map, more than 1,000 counters, cards, rule and scenario booklets, player aids, and two ten-sided dice.