"What If" PC Wargames

[Grim.Reaper]

Unless they are out there (besides some of that at HPS) and I have missed them, I often wonder why there are not more "what if" wargames released versus always drawing on history such as WWII and recent modern conflicts.  I know some games like TOAW have scenerios, but would be nice to see some full fledge games.  I would love to play some games that represent possible modern wars such as:

- Israel vs Iran
- US vs China
- Modern Korean Conflict
- US vs Soviets
- Modern Middle Eastern Conflict
- WWIII convential war
- Really, you could just about insert any potential conflicts between minor countries, might even find those more interesting then global power conflicts.
- etc.

I know in the real world some of these might not happen or end in nuclear destruction, but if somehow they could represent keeping it confined to a convential war, would be kind of fun to give them a whirl.  I am guessing they don't exist because most people enjoy historical and wouldn't be enough buyers.

[Epee1]

I was going to post something not quite PC, but stopped, and this is probably why you don't have more diverse games.

[Jack Nastyface]

The interesting thing is that you WILL find some of these conflicts modelled in boardgames.  As for computer games...there are more than a few FPS games that deal with some these, and a couple of tactical games...but you are right...there aren't many dedicated strategy games that deal with these scenarios (save perhaps WWIII).

[jomni]

Well you can do those match ups easily in Steel Panthers. 

[JasonPratt]

Shrapnel has a game based on Korean War 2. "Raging Tiger", based on their ProSim engine.

(Many of their ProSim engine games simulate US vs. Soviet battles, although set in training grounds. Raging Tiger goes for the full pseudo-historical approach.)

Back when "War in the Pacific" was new, a standalone super-mod was commercially released at about the same time, War Plan Orange, which ran on the basis "What If WW2 in the Pacific kicked off in the 20s shortly after WW1?"

Those are the two most extensive what-if wargames I know about. Obviously there are official missions like "Patton Drives East" campaigns for Strategic Command 2 and SC:Global.

But really, most grand strategy wargames function like "What If" simulators to various degrees. As only one example off the top of my head, much of the point of World War 1 Gold (and its original buggy version for that matter) involves choosing different large-scale plans and emphases, and trying out how they might have affected the conflict.