The Next War: Modern Conflict in Europe

About this board game

The Next War: Modern Conflict in Europe is a two-player, 360-minute simulation of a Soviet-led Warsaw Pact invasion of NATO’s central European front in the late 1970s.

Played at brigade and divisional level, the game spans three maps covering territory from the far north of Denmark through Germany and Austria to Italy’s industrial heartland. Its standard rules create a complete land game that can be played independently, offering a faster way to experience the conflict.

A defining feature is the combination of combat and movement: land units fight as part of their movement rather than treating these as entirely separate activities. Units can also greatly exceed their basic movement allowance, but doing so brings an increased risk of fatigue and attrition.

Players can expand the standard experience with optional rules covering weather, supply, chemical and nuclear warfare, air and naval operations, airborne, airmobile and amphibious operations, helicopters, special forces, and electronic warfare. These additions create many possible situations while also increasing record keeping and playing time.

• Campaign game: three basic 60-day scenarios—Sudden War, Spring Maneuvers, and Tension—based on different outbreak timings and force readiness.
• Smaller scenarios: six operations set in Berlin, Vienna, the Baltic, Fulda, the North German Plains, and the Main Front.
• Components: three large maps, two map extensions, 2,400 die-cut counters, rules and scenario books, two Charts & Tables folders, and an Air Allocation Display.

With its broad geographic scope, layered optional systems, and multiple scenario formats, The Next War provides a substantial historical conflict simulation that can be approached as a faster land game or an expansive campaign.