Tanks of August is a two-player game of the conflict in Georgia and the two separatist entities of South Ossetia and Abkhazia during mid-August 2008. The Russian player is attempting to destabilize Georgia, destroy infrastructure and her armed forces, and render it unable to join NATO, thus leaving it as a “buffer zone,” as would happen in Ukraine during the next decade. By consolidating the separatist entities of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Georgia would face a dilemma: recognize the independence of the two breakaway regions and try to join NATO or remain a “frozen conflict” and therefore unable to join NATO or the European Union in the foreseeable future.

Each game turn represents one day. The map scale is set at 10 km (6.2 miles) for each hex. Combat units are battalions with higher level headquarters providing additional capabilities. Air power and other supporting arms are abstracted using strike markers and events.

22 x 34-inch game map, 176 5/8-inch counters.