Urban Operations

Urban Operations: Second Edition is a detailed modern tactical wargame for 1–6 players built around the problems that make fighting inside cities fundamentally different from fighting across open terrain. Concealed wooden blocks and hidden information create fog of war while command distance, logistics, collateral damage, visibility, close-quarters combat, rooftops, tunnels, and breaching shape the battlefield. Sixteen historical and hypothetical scenarios range from Mogadishu in 1993 to Fallujah, Basra, Grozny, and a Cold War battle around Fulda, making Urban Operations as much an exploration of urban tactics as a conventional contest of firepower.

The City Is Part of the Enemy

In Urban Operations, seeing a hostile unit is already an achievement. Buildings block sightlines. Forces disappear behind concealed information. Leaders struggle to coordinate units beyond effective command range. Streets that look harmless can become killing zones, while rooftops and underground routes turn the battlefield vertical.

The game originated as a training tool for France's National Centre of Excellence for Urban Warfare Training, and that pedigree shows in what it chooses to model. Winning is not simply a matter of moving stronger units toward weaker ones. Command, reconnaissance, logistics, positioning, civilian consequences, and maintaining an effective tactical picture all matter.

How the Game Works

Units maneuver across modular urban maps using movement allowances and terrain values while blocks and facedown information conceal exactly what each side has positioned around the city. Line of sight, elevation, buildings, obstacles, and command relationships determine what units can effectively see and do.

Combat models ranged engagements and close assaults along with distinctly urban actions such as occupying rooftops, moving through subterranean areas, and conducting tactical breaches. Leadership and command distance affect operational effectiveness, forcing players to think about how formations function together rather than treating every unit as an independent piece.

The Second Edition incorporates errata and clarified rules, revises maps and boards to improve the representation of three-dimensional terrain and line of sight, adds new player aids, and includes advanced Combined Combat rules. Easier introductory scenarios provide a route into the system before tackling the larger engagements.

Sixteen scenarios cover both historical operations and hypothetical conflicts, with campaign material allowing several battles to be connected into broader operational narratives.

Why You’ll Love It

• Models urban warfare as a distinct tactical environment rather than ordinary combat with buildings added to the map.
• Hidden blocks and secret information make reconnaissance and uncertainty central to play.
• Command, logistics, collateral damage, close combat, elevation, tunnels, and breaching create a remarkably rich simulation.
• Sixteen scenarios cover very different forces and conflicts, including Mogadishu, Fallujah, Basra, Grozny, and Fulda.
• The Second Edition incorporates rules clarifications, revised terrain presentation, improved aids, and new advanced combat options.
• Supports solitaire play as well as multiplayer scenarios with several commanders on a side.

Game Details

🧩 Players: 1–6
⏱️ Playtime: 90–300 minutes, depending on scenario
🎂 Age: 14+
🗂️ Genre: Modern tactical wargame, military simulation, hidden information, scenario-based combat
🎯 Complexity: Heavy — a detailed simulation of command, terrain, logistics, visibility, and urban tactical operations
🔁 Replayability: Very high — 16 scenarios, multiple campaigns, concealed information, different force structures, and varied urban environments create substantial depth
🎮 Great for fans of: Tactical wargames, military simulations, hidden-unit systems, scenario-driven conflict games, and players interested in the particular challenges of modern urban combat

What's in the Box

• 7 Different Game Maps
• 199 Die-Cut Counters
• 160 Wooden Blocks
• 144 Playing Cards
• 16 Scenario Player Aids
• 2 Player Aids
• 3 Campaign Rules Booklets
• 2 Sticker Sheets
• 2 Dice
• Ziplock Bags
• 1 Rules Booklet