Next War: India-Pakistan (NWIP) is unusual in the Next War series in that it involves scenarios where both of the main nations (India and Pakistan) are on the offense. As a result, there isn’t one “playbook” for the each side since, depending on the scenario in question, they must look at the map, their armies, and potential allies from a different perspective. In this series of articles, I’ll take a look at the situation for both sides from both angles (offense and defense) to try to help players think through some of the early decisions they are confronted with in the scenarios of NWIP.
Pakistan’s Choices on the Attack
While only two of the six scenarios in NWIP feature Pakistan on the attack (the “Kashmir” standard rules scenario and the “Border War” advanced scenario), in a lot of ways the choices confronting a player taking the Pakistani side on the attack are the most interesting, and involve the highest risk, in the game. I’ll go through a few of the big ones.
Pakistan Choice #1 Get some help?
The short answer for a Pakistani player on the attack is “yes, get a lot of help”. In a straight up fight between India and Pakistan, India has a lot of advantages across the board if the scenario goes past about Turn 4, so Pakistan will need to offset that somehow. If players are using the International Posture Matrix, the level of Chinese intervention is in the hands of the dice. In this case, a higher Chinese intervention level is an unquestionably good thing for the Pakistani side. However, if using the Alternate Intervention Level Determination method, where players choose an intervention level at the “cost” of victory points given to their opponent, then the choice gets a bit more difficult. The VP cost for Chinese intervention levels are +3VP, +5VP, +18VP, and +25VP for Intervention Levels 1 through 4, respectively. As you can see, there is a pretty dramatic break point between Level 2 and Level 3, with level 3 providing the powerful Chinese air contingent and 10 cruise missile points as well. Level 4 gives all that plus a major ground component of three airborne divisions and a motorized infantry corps.
So, is all that cool Chinese stuff worth giving the Indian side 18 or 25 victory points? In my view, for scenarios where Pakistan is on the attack, the answer is a clear “yes”. The PRC air units give the Pakistan side the edge in the air war unless the Indian side selects the massive US air contingent. Even if the Americans do come to help, they get to the fight about two turns after the full weight of the Chinese air force is in play, so there is a window between Turns 1 through 5 where a combined Pakistan/China air armada should rule the skies. The Pakistani player also has the option to include up to four PRC stealth air units (2 x J31 and 2 x J20). While they cost 5VP each, they can make a big difference if the Indian player goes for full Russian or US support. Chinese ground forces, which come at Level 4 are also arguably worth the additional 7VP because they make the conquest of Kashmir possible. Without the Chinese airborne divisions the Pakistan side will be hard pressed to get into the valley at all, and even if they do the Indian player can probably reinforce in time to push them back out.
It’s also worth noting that the UN mod for Level 3 is “+1” but drops to “+0” for Level 4. That is a huge difference because if the Indian player selects either US Level 4 or Russia Level 4 there is no chance of UN resolutions ending things early unless someone uses a nuke. And, as the Pakistani player, you have to be the first one to do so, leaving the choice in your hands.
But… not getting any Chinese help does have some advantages. First, you aren’t giving away any VP, so any you earn goes straight into your VP pot without having to dig out of an initial hole (assuming you used the Alternate Intervention Level method). Second, your best shot (basically, your only shot) at a win without the Chinese is a short war where Pakistan uses its initial advantages to seize key terrain and inflict damage on India’s Army. You then hope for the war to end via a UN resolution or automatic victory before the big Indian and, if chosen by the Indian side, Allied reinforcements arrive and start pushing you back. Such a “short war” win requires a lot of luck on combat and other rolls, but is possible if you choose the right places to attack (more on that next).
Pakistan Choice #2 Where to Attack?
So where to attack? Unlike in Next War: Korea, your force is not powerful enough to attack everywhere at once. The Indian Army is also, once it all arrives, larger and more mobile than your force, so you have to think about protecting Pakistan from a counter-invasion as well! First, here is a map showing the rough areas of the six Pakistani at start Army Corps as well as (potential) reinforcements from China and the three reinforcing Pakistani Corps.
This map also shows the location VP available (in the green circles) in certain “clusters” of VP the map. As you can see from the map, location VPs are concentrated in the flat and open Punjab area (38VP), the rough terrain of the state of Jammu (depicted on the map by the rough/highland terrain running roughly the line Pathankot (3120), Jammu (3314), and Poonch (3908) with about 29VP, and finally up in the Kashmir Valley itself (with ~22VP). All have their advantages and disadvantages.
“Punjab” Sector
The first sector is the flat open terrain of Punjab, consisting of the flat hexes from the left board edge to about hex column 30XX. It is attacker friendly (and loaded with VP), but it is also counter-attack friendly as well. It also has many more fortified hexes than the other sectors. Moreover, the Indian Army’s big reinforcements (three full corps with a lot of armor and mech units) all come in here on the ground, so they are pretty much guaranteed to arrive on schedule. The Indians also have numerous board edge supply sources that provide them with lots of options for where to counterattack.
Basically, the Indians have the advantage of interior lines here. The terrain also isn’t quite as open as it appears due to the two major rivers and numerous minor rivers and canals that help the defender, block ZOCs, and make retreats potentially lethal if there isn’t a bridge handy. With all that being said, the very large numbers of VP available here make this sector attractive for a “short war” approach that seeks to quickly grab key terrain in the early turns and then play defense until the clock runs out due to an automatic victory or good UN rolls.
“Greater Jammu” Sector
The middle sector of the map is what I’ll call “Greater Jammu”. It is the southern portion of the long disputed state of Jammu & Kashmir, and covers the area on the map of rough, rough woods, and highland woods between hex columns 32XX and 40XX. It is almost as VP rich as Punjab, with VP for towns and cities doubled in the “Border War” scenario (towns = 2, cities = 4). There are two main areas for potential attack. The first is the somewhat isolated towns of far western Jammu: Poonch (3908), Rajouri (3709), Sunderbani (3611), and Akhnoor (3413). The terrain here is brutal, consisting of mostly highland woods and secondary roads. However, its proximity to Pakistan means the Indian side will have great difficult reinforcing it (the two airfields are the fastest way in via air transport, but using them requires air superiority). So, here it is Pakistan with the interior lines advantage, along with proximity to a built in supply source in the form of the Islamabad urban hex. A single Chinese airborne division can also be very effective here since they are light infantry as well as being airmobile capable.
The second zone in this sector is the area around the cities of Jammu (3314) and Trikuta Nagar (3315). The terrain in this area isn’t quite as rough as further east, but in addition to the rough and rough woods the Indian player has several major and minor rivers that aid the defender. Despite these difficulties, the payoffs of a major push here are many. First, there are a lot of VP in the form of the two cities (4VP each) and the three nearby towns. There are two airfields as well. Second, an attack that seizes the two cities and the strategic town of Udhampur (3516) effectively cuts the Indian defense in half. Doing so isolates both any remaining Indian forces in eastern Jammu (discussed above) and more important puts the Indian forces in Kashmir at risk of being either attacked from the rear or potentially even isolated.
Kashmir Valley Sector
The final big sector is the Kashmir Valley itself, defined by the high mountain hexes on the sides of the valley. This area has 22 VP, so it has the fewest VP of the three areas. However, the terrain in the valley itself is relatively open compared to further south in Jammu. In addition, the VP locations are concentrated in a relatively small area, so it is easier to defend if taken. Of course, getting into the valley is the hard part. A purely ground based assault faces a daunting series of mountain hexes, fortified hexes, and easily blocked or interdicted secondary roads. A concerted attack by the two Pakistani corps in the area (X and FCNA) has a shot of success, but probably not a good shot. However, with Chinese assistance (most notably the three airborne divisions) the chances of success here grow substantially. The area is also very difficult for the Indians to reinforce, with units having to come all the way from Punjab on the ground or flown in to one of the two airfields or the lone airbase. So, with Chinese help an attack here can be very difficult for the Indians to hold off indefinitely. An attack without them still puts a lot of pressure on the Indian player and will at the very least draw reinforcements that might go elsewhere.
So how to choose? The best approach is probably to conduct a main offensive in one of the three main areas with a less ambitious supporting attack elsewhere. That leaves one of the three areas where the Pakistan player should probably just hold terrain or maybe gingerly attack if the Indian defenses are thin. Trying to attack into all three of these areas will lead to an overextended Pakistani Army, with or without Chinese help. If the game goes long, the Indian advantage in raw numbers will probably allow them to take back any terrain taken early.
Pakistan Choice #3 Where to put the Supply Depots?
It may not sound like an exciting choice to make, but proper placement of supply depots in NWIP is absolutely critical. The reason for that is the location of the on map supply sources, which for Pakistan are the four urban hexes: Multan (1002), Lahore (2314/2415), and Islamabad (3703). While Lahore is well placed to provide supply for an offensive aimed at Amritsar, Multan and Islamabad are a long way from, well, anything. Multan can provide supply along roads on the left hand side of the map, but is of little use to the Pakistan player on the offense. Islamabad is close to the front in Kashmir, but the rough terrain and secondary roads greatly limit its reach.
And speaking of reach, you have to keep two things in mind. First, supply “reach” in the Next War series is determined in terms of motorized movement class MPs. So, 8MP for a depot (4MP for a MSU) may sound like a lot, but once you get away from a road (1 for secondaries, ½ for primaries, ⅓ for highways) things can get difficult quickly: Flat Woods (2), Rough/Rough Woods (3), Highlands (4), Highland Woods/Marsh (6), and Mountain (NA). And, those are the MP trace cost in good weather. In storms it’s even worse. However, HQs can extend this reach by another 4 motorized MPs, so a well placed depot can keep an offensive going pretty far into India. With that mind placement of the three at start supply depots is especially important. Where to put them depends on your answer to the previous “where to attack” choice.
Starting on left of the map, if an attack is planned across the Sutlej River toward Abohar (1417) / Bathinda (1621), then a supply depot should be placed as close to the border as possible to maximize its 8MP reach. The town of Haveli (1614) is a favorite spot for me. Close, but not on, the border. However, there are two bridges to cross using that location, so another choice might be near the city of Bhawalnagar (1112) way over on the left edge of the map. The downside to having depots out on that flank is the terrain: flat as a pancake. That makes the depots easy to find with SOF recon missions, and easier to target with air strikes. If placed in a flat hex, they definitely need to be guarded with a brigade sized unit as well.
Lahore is a supply source with 6MP reach, extended 4MP by an HQ. So, in the center portion of the map it can provide supply by itself for attacks toward Amritsar (2517), Pathankot (3220), and Jammu (3314). Doing so does require the roads and bridges to be secured. An attack focused on the “Narowal Gap” in hexes 2916/2917 toward Pathankot could benefit from a depot near the city of Narowal (2816). And, if the Pakistan player wants to push beyond the city of Jammu toward the mountains, then a supply depot in the city of Sialkot (3113) is a good idea to ensure reach into the rough terrain around the “twin cities” of Jammu and Trikuta Nagar. Note that using a depot here means you are foreclosing initial attack options somewhere else, so if this part of the map is not the focus of the Pakistan attack, think about just relying on the Lahore inherent supply source instead of using a depot. As a backup plan, an MSU (you get only one) could extend supply lines if you
encounter unexpected success.
This brings us to the final, and most difficult to supply, sector of the map. An attack into either the Jammu Highlands or the Kashmir Valley requires supply depots as close to the border as possible. Even then, with the secondary roads and the nightmare off road terrain, the reach of the depots will be limited. One good thing about this area is that the rough terrain protects the depots from SOF recon and air strikes, both of which are more difficult in the rough terrain. A downside is how the dependence on the secondary roads makes your entire supply network vulnerable to interdiction strikes or raids, a single one of which can nix a supply route since the road will be out of action. A final thing to point out is the map edge supply source in 5005. It has a reach of 6MP, so think of it as an urban hex for trace purposes. It gives the Pakistan player the ability to provide supply on the far right side of the map without using a depot, but doesn’t reach very far along the poor quality roads.
Up here, my prefered depot locations are the fortified rough hex in 3608, which supports a push into the Jammu Highlands area pretty well. Note that you can also rely on the Islamabad urban hex for an attack into this area, but only along the road running back to it from 3807. Attackers coming in from the south will be OOS if you only depend on Islamabad here.
In Kashmir proper, my normal spot for a depot is in or near the town of Muzaffarabad (4304). A depot here can support a push all the way through the valley along the roads.
Those are three of the “big choices” a Pakistan player has to make on the attack. In the next installment, I’ll go into detail on ideas for deploying and attacking (or not) with each of the Pakistan Army Corps.