Save Afghanistan, Comrade!

Save Afghanistan, Comrade! is a Solitaire board-wargame of the Soviet war in Afghanistan. Soviet and Afghan regiments and police battle Mujahadeen formations, foreign fighter contingents, and local chiefs and warlords for Provincial control throughout the country. It is December, 1979. Hafizullah Amin, a dedicated communist, leads Afghanistan ineffectually. In Moscow, the Politburo chafes under his failure to unify an increasingly unraveling ally. The aging Leonid Brezhnev has been slowly persuaded that, absent decisive Russian action, Afghanistan will fall from the Soviet orbit. In what they see as a quick “regime change”, the Politburo directs Soviet forces to deploy throughout Afghanistan under the guise of assisting Amin. On December 27, 1979, Amin’s palace is stormed and he is shot dead (then grenaded for good measure) and replaced by pliant Soviet puppet Babrak Karmal. Success! Or is it...? Welcome to the Great Game, Cold War version. “Save Afghanistan, Comrade!” pits you as the Soviets and communist Afghans against the Mujahadeen for dominance there. You have until Summer, 1992 (50 quarterly turns) to clear the Provinces of Mujahadeen to win. Or will you, like Brezhnev, find the Mujahadeen to be an indomitable enemy?