Flashpoint Campaigns: Red Storm Player's Edition

The game engine/equipment tables take into account numerous factors with armor/penetration data for each nation, explosive reactive armor (ERA), fire control systems native to each tank, cluster munitions for both aircraft and artillery, all allowing for a viable demonstration of each sides tactics resulting in an interesting exploration of ‘the war that never happened’.

This game neatly fills a gap in the war gaming genre with combat set in the cold war era 1979-1989, featuring 3 main NATO countries vs Western Group Soviet forces (other forces due for release in the next expansion).

There are a multitude of factors you need to keep account of with every unit; if you're like me, you like as much complexity as possible in your wargame, and thanks to the way this game is structured and the difficulty settings you can configure prior to the start of a scenario/campaign, you can really control the level of micromanagement you are looking for.

I particularly like the quick visuals and sound effects when units attack.

Multiplayer support through asynchronous play-by-email adds another layer of longevity, allowing players to engage in thoughtful, extended matches against human opponents.