"A general Middle Eastern War?" Topic

A few days ago at my local Books-a-Million I saw this:

link

and I bought it. No, my store didn't have the game version, just the magazine. I thought it was a very interesting magazine because it looks at the current situation in the Middle East and discussed what a possible scenario for a general war in the MIddle East would look like. It is a nightmare scenario for the US with Iran taking full advantage of US distractions around the globe and its general war weariness to launch a series of rebellions in Iraq and the gulf states. Then using that "Shia spring" to send in their armies to support these revolts and secure vital strategic locations and resources.

The game starts with only Arab forces on the board having to stand against the Iranian RGC and Artesh (Army) while Al-Qods supported irregulars try to overthrow the various Arab regimes. The Arabs have to hold out until US forces arrive, like the cavalry, to save the day. What makes the scenario even more interesting is that US reinforcements can vary from game to game. You never know what "state" the US is in and whether or not it will intervene in decisive force, so the game isn't a forlorn hope for the Iranian player.

Anyway, that sort of scenario seems really far-fetched to me. I don't think the the Iranians are really that good and have the capability and know-how to project their forces across such a huge area and against foes that are probably better armed than they are… and who are fighting against a foreign invader that they view as heretics to boot!

So without straying too much into Current Affairs land what do you think? Is a war like this even possible or is it just too far-fetched? Would it make for an interesting backdrop for miniature wargaming? On the face of it I would say yes, at least to the wargame part. You get to use conventional and irregular forces, wild mixes of equipment ranging from the bleeding edge M1A2 Abrams to outdated but upgraded T-55s, M-60s, and who knows what else.

So how about it? Want to see if Iran can make their Supreme Leader a King of All Kings? Or is this just TOO current for you to even bother with? I don't think so. One of the great things about wargaming to me is that it gets me to look at 'situation' and get better acquainted with the people, geography, and politics and gives me a chance to "game out" and get insights into what's going on. Having fun is just the icing on the cake.

Anyway, what do you think?

"Is a war like this even possible or is it just too far-fetched?"

Umm, given what is going on right at this moment, then no, not far fetched at all, not even the prospect of super power intervention and the potential for triggering WW3. The specific scenario given is a bit unlikely, but when you've got NATO countries about to invade Soviet, sorry 'Russian' client countries, who needs Iran.

Well, it has been forty years since the last proper bust up, so long overdue.

I like gaming stuff like this. Arab-Israeli, Turkey-Syria, Soviets in Afganistan, Cold War what ifs; its all very interesting to me. Now if our troops are actively involved, thats a whole nuther story, and a liitle too close to home.

That's interesting Chucka. I was a soldier in the US Army back in 1990 and I got sent to the great sandbox and saw action with the 1st ID. Before I deployed I grabbed everything I could to read up on what was going on and I grabbed James Dunnigan's game and played with it a bit to see what could happen. When I got there we did a number of sand table exercises, really miniature wargames, to see how our attack on the Sadaam Line would play out. It was enjoyable, to a degree, and it gave us a lot of confidence that our attack would succeed… and it did, way better than we imagined it. In fact we didn't lose a single man or vehicle whereas in our games the BLUEFOR always took about 25-50% losses (like intel assumed).

What made me feel uncomfortable was years later when some guy who had been in my battalion put out a scenario for Steel Panthers to cover "Fright Night" and he used the names of actual TCs and officers… I wasn't too thrilled to watch my tank go up in flames and then watch everyone on my crew, me included, die… not pretty.

So I'm half there and half not.

Sounds interesting.

Normally, I'd say a decapitation attack would be sufficient to end the war, and the smart play to deal with things. However, their "Spring" is so widespread, I doubt that would resolve the issue, so harsher tactics might be needed.

Won't be pretty for either side, but would still make for an interesting what-if.

I suppose none of us who have friends and relatives in harms way want to see this happen. I have to work to remember that the folks with a prurient interest in these potential events aren't evil. Just wargamers.

Yep, and you can bet the real military guys are busy gaming what-ifs currently.

Lots of events seem to be in motion at once.

I believe that game is a re-make of the old '70s SPI Oil War game. The scenarios in that game mostly covered a Russian invasion of Iran and an Iraq v. Iran war game if I recall correctly.

While the new version seems pretty far fetched, events are changing so quickly in that region it is impossible to say who will be at war in 6 months.

The current Arab Spring reminds me of the numerous African Liberation movements in the 60s.

Yes UK, I believe that this game is at least a remake on the premis of the SPI game. I wonder if it's the same system? One interesting thing is that the units in the game don't have the standard wargame stat line of Attack-Defense-Movement. Unit counters only have one stat called "combat factor" which is for both attack and defense. Movement is on a national basis and factors in logistical support and command over the air. The Iranians start the game with 6 movement factors but this number changes as the game moves along and as US airpower makes itself felt.

Anyway, I liked the article so much that I got the game.

I liked Oil war as a system, but the scenarios where not worth replaying. With the US on the board, there was no chance of anything but a massive stomp. Perhaps it was a good simulation of the situation, but it was not a good game.

owen