The Reviewing Stand

Third World Wars

by Rodd Burr


THIRD WORLD WARS is a set of rules for campaigns between fictitious third world countries using World War II and post-WWII equipment. While the rules were originally developed using TRACTICS to resolve the tactical combats, the author believes they can be used with any set of rules for the modern period.

The rules are relatively simple and are intended as a set of guidelines for getting a campaign started rather than as a complete, highly detailed, tightly written set of rules. Since the assumption is made that all military equipment is purchased from superpowers rather than locally produced, the economics rules are quite simple and merely give each country an annual income of which it can spend a certain percentage to purchase equipment from the appropriate supporting power if allied with either NATO or Warsaw Pact, or from both if neutral.

Each government can be either Fascist, Democratic, or Communist, with corresponding advantages for each. Of the three, however, Democracies are most highly penalized in all areas. This unfortunately does not reflect the greater ability of Democracies to mobilize their economies for a long term war as opposed to the advantages for short term actions of a more totalitarian form of government, as demonstrated by the U.S. and Britain versus Germany during WWII. The strategic resolution system of the rules relies primarily on the referee. Each unit is given an objective and a route of movement.

The referee is supposed to calculate these and determine the first place where a conflict occurs or the first unit to achieve its objective, whichever comes first after he introduces any modifiers he feels are called for. The rules allow for two general categories of movement, highway, and cross country. Additional rules provide rudimentary coverage of supply, ports, national morale, annual changes in national income (Gross National Product) and percentage available, and surrender and weapons destruction. Optional rules add outside alliances for free weapons at the cost of possible occupation by the "allied" superpower, espionage and counter intelligence, guerilla warfare, and weather.

The rules also include shopping lists from each of the super powers along with costs. No map is provided with the rules, so the players must find their own to use in the campaign. The rules are 35 pages long and are reduced type, which doesn't contribute to their legibility. Overall they are a simple framework for a straightforward modern campaign and will be useful to those who are looking for a starting point and don't overly concern themselves with realism or completeness of rules. They are availabie for $4.95 from Juggernaut, Inc., P O. Box 17638, Philadephia, PA 19135.

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