Modern War #16 Visegrad

“There’s a gap in military history magazines”, said Dr. Cummins, “There is no publication covering just the last 40 years. Military history did not end after the Vietnam War. No magazine focuses only on recent and current conflicts. No magazine shows you what might happen tomorrow – until now. Modern War: Military History in the Making will fill that gap.”

Modern War, available bi-monthly beginning in September 2012 at bookstores and newsstands nationwide such as Barnes & Noble, will explore the Cold War era, recent conflicts spanning from 1990 to present, as well as potential new wars. Articles will go in-depth to analyze the “how” and “why” of conflicts supported with copious maps, charts and photographs. Regular columns will examine weapons, systems and new arenas.

Visegrad: The Coming War in Eastern Europe covers a hypothetical conflict between the forces of the Eastern NATO and Russia. With the US in retreat in the world, and the Russians getting overly aggressive, it could be that a resurgent Russia could make an attempt to take back its classic sphere of influence. This, factored in with the fact that Russia is the primary energy source for much of Europe, has made them overly powerful. The biggest threat to the Russian energy dominance is amazingly the country of Poland. Recent technological breakthrough in ‘Fracking’ has made the Polish shale resources the number one competitor to Russian energy domination. So, once again, the two nations may well be on a collision course to destiny.

The other assumption made for the background of the game is that Germany, caught in the grips of an isolationist government, and not willing to risk rocking the boat with its primary source of energy, declares Poland the aggressor and that it will be neutral in the NATO “violation”. The US, already weakened from its own internal problems, is unable to force them to honor their commitments. The resulting chaos and confusion will delay the entry of much of the NATO forces and force Poland and its neighbors to go it alone.

The game includes one map (22"x34”) and 176 counters.