Regiments

Regiments is a Real-Time Tactics (RTT) game developed by Bird's Eye Games and published by MicroProse Software, released in August 2022. The game is set in the dramatic historical fiction scenario of 1989, where the Cold War has suddenly escalated into a full-scale conventional war across the Inner German Border (FRG). It is often compared to the Wargame and World in Conflict series but distinguishes itself with a focus on operational depth, single-player experience, and streamlined micro-management.

Setting the Stage: 1989 Warfare

Regiments plunges the player into the intense, mechanized conflict between NATO (USA, West Germany, UK, Belgium) and the Warsaw Pact (Soviet Union, East Germany) forces. The game meticulously models over 100 authentic vehicles from the era—including the Leopard 2, T-72M, and M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle—combining them into historically accurate formations.

The core of the experience lies in commanding entire platoons of units (3-4 vehicles/squads) rather than individual tanks or soldiers. This design choice dramatically reduces the "click-fest" micro-management of typical RTS games, allowing the player to focus on high-level tactical and operational decisions.

Gameplay: Operational Flow and Sustainment

The game features two main modes: Skirmish and Operations. The latter is the main campaign, offering a plot-focused narrative across several interconnected battles:

• Phases and Persistence: Operations are broken down into multiple Stages and Phases (individual battles). Damage, losses, and resource expenditure are persistent across these phases, forcing commanders to prioritize force preservation and logistical sustainment—a rare element in the genre.

• Force Customization (Task Forces): Players command a core Regimental group but can spend Operational Authority (the in-game currency earned from objectives) between phases to purchase and deploy temporary Task Forces—additional platoons or powerful off-map support elements like artillery, air strikes, and helicopters. This allows for on-the-fly force adaptation.

• Tactical Aids (TacAids): Rather than having to micro-manage every support unit, the game gives players powerful off-map Tactical Aids (like timed artillery barrages, illumination flares, and smoke screens) that recharge over time, emphasizing their role as a commander.

• The Retreat Mechanic: Units that take heavy damage can be ordered to retreat off the map to repair and resupply, returning to the deployment pool after a cooldown. This replaces complex on-map logistics units and reinforces the crucial need to preserve experienced platoons.

Regiments is praised for its challenging and competent single-player AI, which actively maneuvers, counter-attacks, and uses terrain intelligently, making the experience rewarding for single-player wargame enthusiasts.