A spiritual successor to Wargame: European Escalation, also developed by Eugen, it takes place in a World War III setting in the Fulda Gap, portraying a conventional conflict between NATO and the Warsaw Pact.
Players control individual units meant to represent historical military vehicles and infantry formations of the Cold War.
Single-player play takes the form of skirmishes against the AI, scripted battles set in specific places, and a turn-based strategic campaign.
[3] While the tactical gameplay is similar to Wargame, Warno has received considerable quality of life improvements and gameplay changes seen in the Steel Division titles, including allowing the AI to carry out smart orders for player units, the reworked deck system incorporating the orders of battle of in-game divisions, and variants and traits of units in the armory.
Warno also incorporated dedicated single-player content, such as (turn-based) Army General campaigns and (real-time) Operations, from Steel Division 2.
Unrest in the Baltic and Armenia is crushed and, spurred on by the inaction of the West, the USSR launches a takeover of Finland, installing a pro-Soviet government and bringing that country firmly in their sphere of influence.
As of September 2024, there are five Army General campaigns taking place across various parts of the conflict and in the CENTAG and lower NORTHTAG areas of operations.
Now the battered 1-11th ACR has fallen back to the town of Bad Orb, with the Soviet 39th Guards Motorized Division hot in pursuit.
Backhand Blow (25 June 1989) - The Soviet offensive towards Frankfurt has been contained, though the city of V Corps rear support area are still under threat.
The VDV's 900th Air Assault Battalion is tasked with seizing the town of Kitzingen and establishing a bridgehead over the Main river.
The 900th must hold this location against counterattacks by the American's and West Germany's, while they await reinforcements that are surely on their way.... Götterdämmerung (28 June 1989) - Tasked with screening the southern flank of the Warsaw Pact's thrust into CENTAG, the NVA's 11th Mot.-Schützendivision found itself overextended and soon blocked by NATO forces.
The 1st Battalion of Mot.-Schützenregiment MSR-17 is tasked with defending the town of Stegaurach on the approaches to Bamberg in order to give its parent division a chance to reorganize.
Running the Gauntlet (21 June 1989) - The Warsaw Pact's offensive into NORTHTAG quickly brushes aside resistance west of the Eble-Seiten Canal.