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A Region on the Brink

The year is 2025. What began as a trade partnership has evolved into a militarily coordinated bloc as ASEAN responds to mounting pressure and coercive activity in disputed waters. Following the success of previous joint exercises, ASEAN launches ASEX-25, a bold, week-long demonstration of unity featuring land drills in Malaysia and major naval and air operations north of China’s 9-Dash Line.

Beijing views a unified, militarized ASEAN as a direct challenge to its regional ambitions. In response, China deploys its Maritime Militia and Coast Guard forces to harass and disrupt the exercise—triggering a dangerous escalation ladder that could ignite the entire theater.

You command ASEAN forces through this unfolding crisis.

Campaign Structure – Escalation by Design

Tides of War unfolds across six tightly focused scenarios, each covering up to 24 hours of operations and 1–2 primary objectives. The campaign traces a deliberate path from gray-zone coercion to full-scale conventional conflict:

• ASEX-25: Non-kinetic confrontation as maritime militia vessels intrude into exercise zones. Issue warnings, conduct boardings, and use non-lethal force to maintain order.

• Pay to Park: Militia flotillas anchor provocatively near the Paracels, drawing coast guard forces into tense standoffs.

• Apocalypse No: Intelligence reveals a convoy reinforcing Chinese island bases with missiles and SAM systems. Submarine forces must intercept.

• Paracel Strike: ASEAN launches precision strikes on militarized island facilities. Mainland air power responds.

• One Vision, One Identity, One Community: A new Southern Theater commander seeks decisive retaliation, deploying a carrier group into contested waters.

• The Battle of the South China Sea: Full-theater engagement as ASEAN’s combined air forces fight to preserve naval power and regional balance.

Continuous Loss System: Every Decision Matters

A defining feature of Tides of War is its Continuous Loss Script design:

• Losses and damage carry forward between scenarios.

• Attrition accumulates across the campaign.

• Early caution, or recklessness, directly shapes the final battle.

The first five scenarios become a strategic balancing act: complete objectives while preserving combat power for the climactic confrontation. Survival, restraint, and force protection are just as important as aggression.

Design Philosophy

Unlike platform-focused showcase scenarios, Tides of War emphasizes:

• Escalation management

• Gray-zone and hybrid conflict

• Submarine interdiction

• Joint air–naval warfare

• Theater-level force preservation

Each scenario serves as a focused operational study in crisis escalation, testing both tactical skill and long-term operational judgment.