Bundeswehr General Karl Blackstiirm, incensed by events since the reunion of the two Germanies, has moved to seize control of the government. Central to his plan to restore the country's destiny as head of a new European world order is the seizure of the U.S. nuclear and chemical weapons stockpile at Kriegspiel Munitions Depot. The only things that stand in his way are Kriegspiel's tiny garrison and the soldiers of the U.S. Army's neighboring 195th Infantry Brigade (Mechanized), who are preparing to redeploy to the United States as part of the post-Cold War "peace dividend."Posing as terrorists, Blacksturm's German commandos assassinate U.S. Army Europe's top leader and eliminate key civilian politicians, paving the way for the attempt to seize Kriegspiel. The 195th Brigade's new commander, Col. Alexander Stern, a veteran mechanized infantryman, and his deputy, Green Beret Lt. Col. Mark Griffin, become reluctant partners in the desperate effort to prevent the Bundeswehr's 11th Panzerbrigade from reaching its objective.

Kregspiel is a chillingly realistic story that could just as easily appear in tomorrow's newspapers as in the pages of a novel. Todd Stone's detailed descriptions of armored combat and dismounted infantry actions reflect his more than four years' experience training with U.S. and Bundeswehr forces in Germany and his more than a decade's service as a mechanized and light infantry officer in the U.S. Army.