Red Strike

About this board game

Red Strike is an operational war game for 2–6 players, with a listed play time of 21,600 minutes, simulating a hypothetical NATO and Warsaw Pact clash in summer 1989.

Set against the possibility of a Cold War gone hot, the game covers land, air, and sea warfare in Central Europe and the North Atlantic. It also keeps the wider strategic situation around the world in view, creating a broad conflict that reaches beyond the main battlefield.

Red Strike is built around highly interactive detection and interception mechanisms. Both sides can carry out simultaneous actions and reactions, so players must constantly monitor the battlefield rather than simply wait for their turn. This structure is designed to minimize downtime and recreate a fluid “what if” conflict.

• Operational warfare across Central Europe and the North Atlantic
• Detection and interception systems supporting simultaneous reactions
• Air, ground, and optional naval responsibilities for team play
• A standalone North Atlantic naval and air war, or a component of campaign scenarios

The rules may seem complex at first, but they are intended to become second nature as play progresses. The same interactive systems also make the game well suited to teams, with players able to divide responsibilities between air, ground, and possibly naval forces, or assign ground forces by army, front, or corps.

The North Atlantic theater can have a decisive effect on events in Germany. Intercepting and sinking convoys carrying supplies and reinforcements may determine whether an operation succeeds or fails.

In 2023, Red Strike won Charles S. Roberts Awards for Best Operational Game, Best Hypothetical Game, and Outstanding Presentation. Pablo Bazerque and Yves Rettel also received the Chad Jensen Memorial Breakthrough Designer Award.