Jaws of the Dragon is a brigade level wargame of a US-China war happening tomorrow. It can be played by 2-200 people and is just as much a game as it is a toolbox, ready to have new rules, units, and capabilities added or modified.
General Information
File Status: the status and up-to-dateness of the files on this webpage (as well as un-uploaded content) can be seen here. Contact by email for updated copies or unuploaded files.
Main Files
Combat Rulebook v5.2 (Rules Only version, Rules and Footnotes version, and Footnotes/Sources Only), Unit Handout (for players who are unfamiliar with modern units). A4 sized. Megagame handbooks can be found here (Player and Control) with more documents in their dedicated section below.
Order of Battle Information
- Order of Battle 2025 v1 (US Letter sized)
- Order of Battle to Units (including unit setups) document (US Letter sized) shows how I arrived at the units from the Order of Battle and how I calculated the combat power of land units via their subcomponents from various sources. The Missile Salvo Calculator (Excel file) shows how the number of missile salvos were derived based on the number of missiles in inventory and their characteristics.
Reinforcement and Setup Information
- Reinforcement Sheet – Advanced rules for US reinforcements can be found in the TRANSCOM module Out of the Blue below instead.
- PLAGF Unit Setup Sheet (A4 sized)
- Taiwanese Army Setup (A3 sized, though you needn’t bother printing it, I recommend just opening it on a computer to use during setup)
Missile Cards
Australia (JASSM), Taiwan (All types), Japan (Type 88 and Type 12 AShM), Chinese (All Types), US (LRASM, JASSM, JASSM-ER, MALD – each of these are independent sheets and multiple copies will likely be needed owing to the size of the US inventory).
These cards may not be the exact numbers required. See the Missile Salvo Calculator excel file to determine the exact number you require and print additional sheets as required. Alternatively you can just keep count with a sheet of paper. I recommend printing on cardstock and/or laminating them. All cards are sized as US Letter.
Maps
- Operations Map – Top and Bottom (each A0 size)
- Air Map – Top and Bottom (each A0 size)
- Taiwan Map (A0 size)
Physical Counters
Black and White Counters – Sized for 2cm wooden blocks, using printer label paper, they will need to be cut out and stickered. It should take ~1 hour to cut out and sticker blocks per page. Older (outdated) Color Counters are here.
Cyber
Cyberattack Capabilities – Contains capabilities for United States, China (MSS and PLA), Taiwan, Japan, Australia, Philippines, Canada, United Kingdom, and France. Rules for these can be found on pg. 28-29 of the most current Control Handbook for Megagames (see below, or here), and the supporting control sheet can also be found in that section.
Scenarios and Briefings
Taiwan Blockade Scenario
Briefings (A4 Sized, designed to be printed double sided). These include:
- The situation SITREP (general briefing).
- 74 individual player briefings and 5 press player briefings.
- National briefings for each country (Taiwan, China, US, Japan, Philippines, Australia, UK, Canada, and France).
- Intelligence briefs for each country.
- A bevy of supporting briefings from negotiation positions, background diplomatic briefings, introductions to Chinese crisis thought, mobilization information, nuclear targeting, coast guard rules of engagement, and a guide to formal diplomatic language.
There is also a fake news article that can be used.
Note that this scenario is optimized to have a good game as opposed to the most likely or dangerous Chinese blockade options, and as such the Chinese COA has some major flaws if they were to attempt a blockade in this manner (of which the largest bad move is seizing Japanese sovereign territory).
If you choose to use the Taiwan Blockade Scenario, see this paper for how long Taiwan could hold out: Taiwan Airlift Paper. Note this paper is somewhat out of date (written 2022), the initial food stockpile for Taiwan is likely 3 months (with rice at 7 months).
Stalled Invasion Scenario
General Briefings: SITREP, Background Information (Mildly outdated)
Country Briefings: United States, China, Taiwan, Japan, Philippines, Australia, United Kingdom, France, Canada, Press
Taiwanese Election Scenario
Briefings: General, United States, China, Taiwan, Japan, Philippines, Press
Play Aids
Tracking Sheets (Recommended Play Aids)
Several sets of tracking sheets can be used to help play. All are A4 sized.
- The Ground Unit Tracking Sheets are used to keep track of ground unit attrition.
- The Naval Unit Tracking Sheets are used to keep track of missile inventories (lamination recommended).
- The Minefield Tracking Sheet is used to keep track of minefields and minesweeping.
Weather (Optional Play Aid)
Cards to put on the boards to make it easier to see weather effects are here, and an Excel generator is here. I recommend 10 pages of cards so there are enough for the Operations Map and Air Map.
Alliances (Optional Play Aid)
The Alliances sheet helps keep track of the larger geopolitical situation in the region, including tracking access, basing, overflight, intelligence sharing, and military support. The sheet is A3 sized.
Nuclear Forces (Optional Play Aids)
The Nuclear Force Tracking Sheet can be found here (A3 Sized). Rules for how it works can be found on pg. 30 of the most current Control Handbook for Megagames (see below, or here) The United States Nuclear Handout (modeled on the US Black Book and nuclear procedures) for strategic nuclear options can also be used if desired (US Letter sized).
Additional Modules
Only You Can Give Up (Will to Fight) v7
Only You Can Give Up is the will to fight module for Jaws of the Dragon, intended to cover the psychological side of the war. The following files are US Letter sized unless otherwise noted.
- The module Rules and Cards.
- The tracker is here (A3 sized), the supplementary tracker sheet can be found here (adding Australia, UK, Canada, and France) (A4 sized). Individual National sheets are here (A4 sized). The UN Sheet is here (A4 sized).
- The Will to Fight effectors sheet is here (A4 sized). The delta control tracking sheet is here (A4 sized).
- Apathy and Sanctions cards can be found here.
And the Kitchen Sink… (Support Deck) v6
And the Kitchen Sink… is the support deck module for Jaws of the Dragon, include all capabilities not otherwise covered in the game. Rules and cards, note that the cards may take some time to open. These are US Letter sized.
Super Smash Sats Ultimate (Space Module) v4
Super Smash Sats Ultimate is the space module for Jaws of the Dragon. The module as a single document can be found here, the cards separately can be found here. These are US Letter sized.
Out of the Blue (TRANSCOM Module) v2
Out of the Blue is the TRANSCOM module for Jaws of the Dragon looking at US reinforcement flow into theater. The rules and the airlift sheet are both A4 sized. The reinforcement sheet is here and is A3 sized, though A2 sized (e.g. double sized) is recommended for use.
Other Stuff
Megagame Handbooks (Blockade, 2025)
The most current megagame handbooks for Players and Control can give you an indication of how to run the game as a megagame with the full spectrum of activities (military, diplomatic, intelligence, ect.). These are for the Blockade scenario, but can be easily used for any of the other scenarios. A4 Sized.
Other files for support of a megagame:
- Cyber Control Sheet – To allow the cyber control to track cyberattacks, sweeps, and who to talk to. A4 Sized.
- Priority Intelligence Request Cards (A4 Sized)
- Name Tags – In one file here, or separately for players, control, and extra player rolls (which do not have briefings written for them). A4 Sized sheets, with each nametag being 53mm x 89.5mm.
Old Megagame Rulebooks (Stalled Invasion, 2023)
Old megagame rule books for Players and Control can give you an indication of how to run the game for a large number of people with a focus on combat. These were done for the Stalled Invasion scenario. A4 Sized.
Agent Cards
Cards to represent high level HUMINT sources. Specific rules for these (if desired) are in the Blockade Megagame Rulebooks (pg. 16). US Letter Sized.
Special Forces Cards
Cards for special forces units of the various actors in the game. US Letter Sized.
Digital Game Boards (Outdated)
Operations Map, Air Map, Taiwan Map, Missile Tracker, Counter Sheet (these may not properly open in Powerpoint, but will import correctly into Google Slides). All of the boards already have the units set up for the Blockade scenario.
A digital version of all the Counters for the game. (Outdated)
Backend Information
I was commissioned to write this wargame for King’s College London Crisis Simulations and have since run it for the Crisis Sim (2022, 2025), the Wargaming and Conflict Simulation: Principles and Practice and the Future of War course in the Department of War Studies at Kings College London, the Global China Studies Society at University College London, the Oxford University Strategic Studies Group, at NATO WIN, and for a group of officer cadets at Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth.
Reviews
Reflections from the megagame version with the blockade scenario can be found here: https://spprojectblog.wordpress.com/2025/05/17/jaws-of-the-dragon-megagame-report-jaws-of-the-dragon-megagame-report-london-10-5-2025-jaws-of-the-dragon-megagame-report/ (Game Control perspective), and here: https://midasintelligence.blogspot.com/2025/05/jaws-of-dragon-wargaming-next-taiwan.html (Player perspective)
Evan D'Alessandro 