Modern Tactics #1: Afghanistan

About this board game

Modern Tactics #1: Afghanistan is a platoon-level asymmetric combat game for 1–2 players, with play lasting about 300 minutes. Set during 2006–2009, it uses alternating impulses to portray the uncertainty and friction of modern battlefield operations.

Coalition patrols and insurgent forces trade actions across villages, vineyards, compounds, and wadis. Spend impulses to move, fire, breach, rally, or call support, then prepare for your opponent to answer action for action. Careful positioning and measured tempo are essential as every exposure can carry a cost.

Leaders extend command and help steady morale, while suppression and opportunity fire punish reckless movement. Infantry engagements can also expand to include vehicles and supporting fire, with LAVs, MRAPs, tanks, mortars, off-board artillery, and gunships integrated into the tactical battle.

• Alternating impulse play: Trade actions in a responsive back-and-forth flow.
• Command and morale: Use leaders to coordinate forces and recover from battlefield pressure.
• Combined-arms combat: Bring vehicles, mortars, artillery, and air power into infantry fights.
• Human battlefield tension: Civilians, unknown contacts, IEDs, and rules of engagement complicate every decision.

The scenario set covers raids, convoy escorts, and set-piece assaults, offering varied challenges within a hex-and-counter system. With roughly 50 meters represented by each hex and turns lasting a few minutes, Modern Tactics #1: Afghanistan focuses on close tactical choices rather than abstract grand strategy.