Danube Front '85

After the perceived failure of détente in the 1970's, the 1980's saw an escalation in the intensity of the cold war. The war in Afghanistan, arming of Nicaragua, invasion of Grenada, US deployment of cruise-missiles to Europe, Soviet shoot-down of the Korean airliner, killing of a US Observer in East Germany and many other belligerent activities by the superpowers were all very real increases in tension. Regardless of intentions, the effect was disdain, distrust & more paranoia on both sides.

As the west, led by the USA, began to pour money into force modernization programs, the USSR & Warsaw Pact began to feel the unease of a shift in the 'correlation of forces' - the balance of power. Training for war took on a more serious tone; exercises became even more realistic and thus more intimidating to the other side. A collision of the superpowers became almost inevitable. Thus the stage was set for a clash of titans, a struggle that would be fought on the fields, forests, hills & in the towns of Germany in 1985…

Danube Front '85 is the third segment in the Modern Campaigns - Germany, series. The module continues the familiar interface & game scale from Fulda Gap '85 & North German Plain '85: 1 hex equals 1 mile & 3 hours per turn. The map area for Danube Front '85 encompasses over 65,000 hexes, representing all of Southern Germany including the US 7th Corps & West German 2nd Korps sectors.

With this title, players will not only be able to play out the critical battles for the Munich Plain, but a combined Grand Campaign covers the entirety of the Central Front; from Abenra, Denmark in the north to Linz, Austria in the south and from the Ruhr in the west to Berlin in the east, the battle area covering all of the possible area that would have been contested.

There are 48 Scenarios, covering not only the Danube Basin region but also representing battles for Berlin, AFNorth (Schleswig-Holstein & Denmark) and north Austria. The Grand Campaign covers the main Warsaw Pact assault into Western Europe. A series of illustrated "Historical documents" written by Marc Bellizzi provide one possibility of how a war in the region might have unfolded. Using declassified documents as well as the US Army's Soviet Area Studies Office estimate of a Warsaw Pact invasion, Marc has detailed with orders, briefings, battle maps and graphic overlays a realistic portrayal of how the Warsaw Pact would attack, and NATO defend. The Campaign scenario covers the first 30 days of the offensive and breakthrough until the time the offensive loses momentum. Smaller scenarios cover specific actions and situations. Many scenarios have a special play-by-email version where conditions such as supply, release of reserves, and victory levels have been altered for play balance.
The all new rebuilt Order of Battle is a real shining facet of the new game. Glenn, Blackie, Marc and others spent the better part of an entire year gathering data and seeking out sources to bring you what we feel is one of the most accurate and up-to date examples of the forces available to each of the sides in the region for an operational game. Because the Armies of each side were in a state of flux in 1985 (modernization, unit rotations, etc.), an Order of battle and a scenario editor are included which allow players to customize the game. There's no limit on the scenarios that can be created and the sub-map feature allows the main map to be "chopped up" into the size that best fits the situation.

As is the hallmark of all John Tiller games, Danube Front '85 brings changes to the game engine for the series that enhance the campaign being wargamed:

• Tactical Nuclear Weapons
• Non-Persistent & Persistent Chemical Agents
• Special Forces; new Helicopter rules & capabilities
• Armies of Czechoslovakia, Denmark & Austria
• New combat units and an all new, rebuilt Order-of-Battle

As always, all new features will be rolled out for free to the previous titles in the series. These include:

• Added new partisan unit type with new effects on supply and units moving in the rear
• New game effects whereby indirect fire is twice as disruptive to HQ units as normal
• Added new Quality Fatigue Modifier optional rule
• New command effect: detached units (those beyond the command range) can no longer call in Artillery or Air Support
• A number of specific AI improvements have been made in an effort to make the game more enjoyable against the computer
• Scenario Editor: we've added the ability to define a Direct A/I Order to assist the AI in attacking over major obstacles such as rivers, thus making the game system more tenacious on the attack
• Also added the ability to highlight a single unit which allows A/I orders to be given to that unit.

Danube Front '85 provides multiple play options including play against the computer AI, Play by e-mail (PBEM), LAN & Internet "live" play, and two-player hotseat.

Minimum Requirements:

• Pentium-based 500mhz+ PC
• 64 megabytes of RAM
• 300 megabytes of hard drive space
• Windows 98/2K/XP/Vista operating system.
• DirectX 8.1+ is required and will install if not already present and not superseded. Win95 is not supported