North German Plain '85 Review
Can NATO survive a tidal wave of Commie steel?
by WILLIAM R. TROTTER
Reprint from June 2004 PCGamer Magazine
Germany, 1985 -
the setting for one of history's most cataclysmic what-ifs: a full-scale Soviet invasion. From the opening moments of the surprise Communist offensive, the fighting is extremely dynamic, the tactical situation is fluid, and NATO's piece- meal mobilization of its resources makes the strategic situation a real nail-biter.I consider all four of John Tiller's previous Modern Campaigns games to be first-rate, but I think North German Plain is the most challenging and exciting of the lot. The high-intensity armored combat forces you to sacrifice scores of units just to buy time for the Alliance's stronger formations to mobilize. The helter-skelter nature of the enemy's offensive makes prioritizing difficult - the situation looks equally dire in every direction.
Another layer of challenge comes from the AI's aggressive use of deep-penetration Spetsnaz commandos and airborne assaults on critical bridges, road junctions, and supply dumps. The wildly varied nature of NATO's component armies also gives this game a more intriguing "flavor" than most. The largely conscripted units fielded by Belgium and the Dutch aren't exactly elite formations; you can depend on the all-volunteer British battalions to make a "good show" wherever you commit them, but there aren't enough UK units, and it takes a dangerously long time for the big, heavy American formations to reach the battlefield.
The AI seems faithful to the situation - it presses each and every Pact attack until the forward units simply disintegrate. It also tries to avoid prolonged urban combat. I found only one aspect of the computer's behavior to be disappointing: Given the proven effectiveness of the British Rapier and French Roland missiles, the Pact's aircraft losses are smaller than NATO's.
I definitely recommend playing through some of the scenarios before tackling one of the two monster campaign games (161 turns, each representing three hours of real time), lest you be overwhelmed by sheer complexity. Tiller and crew have done full justice to the subject: NGP '85 is a superbly detailed, utterly gripping wargame.
[Modern Campaigns || North German Plain '85 Game page || NGP '85 Designer Notes || NGP '85 Screenshots]