Ground units in Next War: India-Pakistan represent the brigades, support units, and divisions of the armies of the India, Pakistan, China, and the United States. All ground units are rated for their attack and defense strengths, movement capabilities, and unit efficiency.
The game's map represents the area in and around the Punjab district of Pakistan and the Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir at a scale of roughly 7.5 miles per hex. The map stretches from edge of The Great Indian Desert to just inside the Himalayas and encompasses portions of both sides of the border.
•Weather Determination. Bad weather can severely hamper air operations and can significantly slow ground operations.
•Initiative Determination and Air/Naval Phase, wherein Air Superiority levels and air availability are determined.
•Special Operations Phases in the Advanced Game allowing players to utilize their special operators in various recon and raid missions behind enemy lines.
•Strike Phases in the Advanced Game allowing players to launch air strikes, cruise missiles, artillery and tactical nuclear weapon strikes.
Combat resolution examines not only unit strengths but also unit efficiency (representing training, doctrine, and morale), as well as the terrain where the combat takes place. The CRT tends to be very bloody in nature, reflecting what we believe will be a degree of attritional warfare early due to the lethality of modern weapons. As in many games, casualties represent not only actual combat losses but also losses of unit cohesion brought about by the rapid pace with which modern armies are able to engage and exploit on the battlefield.
There are several Standard Game scenarios. Some are small and focus on limited objectives while others are variations of a campaign game encompassing the entire map.
In a break from the standard set in Next War: Korea (and its follow-on Next War: Taiwan), the scenarios in Next War: India-Pakistan posit specific at-start situations and objectives (or victory conditions). In some scenarios Pakistan is the aggressor while in others the Indian side is on the attack, in all cases there are varying levels of Chinese and United States intervention.
The International Posture Matrix à la Flashpoint: Golan is still present to allow players to experiment with a variety of intervention options for the US and PRC.