Matrix Games

Decisive Campaigns: Twilight in the East is the fifth installment in the distinguished Decisive Campaigns series of operational scale turn-based wargames. Shifting over to the brutal combat of the Eastern Front, this installment covers an array of battles and campaigns from Operation Barbarossa in 1941.  Along with this new front and new Eastern Front-specific rules, Decisive Campaigns: Twilight in the East reintroduces PBEM++ multiplayer to the series, making setting up games with opponents more easily than ever before.

Reducing the scale of the battlefield to 1km per hex, each day to four turns (including a night turn) and tracking the actual components of each battalion-scale maneuver unit brings Operational Wargaming to life.  Decisive Campaigns: Twilight in the East is a classic hex and counter wargame with an exceptional level of historical detail.

At release, Decisive Campaigns: Twilight in the East ships with a slew of scenarios of varying sizes covering various flashpoints of Operation Typhoon– the Wehrmacht’s desperate attempt to take Moscow as the freezing winter approaches in the waning days of 1941. These cover battles around Tula, Naro Fominsk, Borodino, Kalinin, and many others. 

The small-sized scenarios are perfect for players looking for an introduction to wargames, while experienced wargames can test their mettle on larger scenarios, including the northern pincer action of Operation Typhoon, or even the full 80-turn campaign scenario with hundreds of battalions of various force types at the player’s disposal, including armor, artillery, infantry, cavalry, headquarters, and more all on a map ranging from Torzhok and Kalinin in the North all the way to Tula in the South.

©2026 Matrix Games Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Decisive Campaigns: Twilight in the East, Matrix Games Ltd. and their Logos are all trademarks of Matrix Games Ltd. All other marks and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Developed by VR Designs & Matrix Games Ltd.

The Definitive Operational-level WWII Wargame:

Decisive Campaigns: Twilight in the East, just like its predecessor, maintains its status as the definitive operational-level wargame covering the most important periods of WWII. It builds upon the successes of Ardennes Offensive, while making key refinements and improvements to push the series further:

• Mature Game Engine: A game engine based on years of testing, fine-tuning, proven performance, and minimal stability issues.

• Battalion-level Scale of Warfare: Combat and maneuvers proceed over maps at a scale of 1km per Hex with battalion-sized units with each day split into 4 turns.

• Flexible Scenario Designer: A wargame classic! Editor and designer tools to make any East Front scenario desired.

• Realistic Logistics: Revised and streamlined Logistical, Supply and Transport rules to better reflect the realities of operational combat.

• Dynamic Troop Graphics: UI dynamically updates vehicle and infantry graphics, their camo patterns and clothing based on the weather and terrain conditions around them.

• Break Contact Fire: New combat rules introduced for units to disengage from unfavorable odds.

• Fire Brigade Mode: A new unit mode that lets units mutually support each other by directly maneuvering into a hex with friendly defenders during an enemy’s turn and add their strength in defense.

• Blind Attack: Players now have the ability to attack hexes without the need to spot an enemy unit.

• Improved User Interface: The supply system, combat odds, unit movement – all areas that have been improved for greater readability and gameplay clarity.

New Eastern Front Rules:

• Expanded Winter Mechanics: Game rules that cover freezing conditions due to the harsh winter conditions of the theater, winter clothing, as well as winter camouflage.

• Permanent Field Works: Mechanics that allow for the placement and construction of permanent fortifications, expanding player options in defensive strategy.

• Defensive Line Mode: A new ability of units to cover multiple hexes of ground to cover gaps in the line due to the vastness and distances of operations on the Eastern Front.

• Rail Gauges: A new rule to cover the unique differences between German and Soviet rail usage for strategic maneuvers and infrastructure.

PBEM++ Multiplayer:

• Fully integrated PBEM++ multiplayer makes its long-awaited return since its first introduction in Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa. Players can expect to use the latest version of Sliterine’s PBEM++ multiplayer system to play any scenario offered by Twilight in the East. Accept challenges, send messages to your opponent, and outperform your opponents in tense battles covering key engagements in the waning months of 1941. Traditional Play-by-Email is also supported.

Full Scenario List:

• 8 small scenarios: 

  • Naro Fominsk – The Wehrmacht’s desperate direct assault towards Moscow

  • Borodino – The Soviets valiantly blunt the initial assaults of Operation Typhoon

  • Khimky – A successful Soviet counter-attack as the Wehrmacht runs out of steam at the end of 1941

  • Soltsy – The Wehrmacht attempt to close a widening gap in their lines as they push towards Novgorod

  • Aleksin – The Soviet 238^th Rifle Division successful stops the German attempts to reach the railway Moscow- Tula and cut the Tula supply line.

  • Yakhroma Bridgehead – On November 28th 1941, a detachment of the 7^th Panzer Division led by Oberst von Manteuffel takes a precious intact bridge a few kilometers north of Moscow

  • Mtsensk – an early Wehrmacht breakthrough leads to a climactic tank battle at the outset of Operation Typhoon

  • Tolochin – a Wehrmacht spearhead rushes to capture key crossroads and bridges to maximize gains at the outset of Operation Barbarossa

• 7 medium scenarios: 

  • Tula – Guderian attempts to take or bypass the major strongpoint of Tula as part of the Southern pincer of Operation Typhoon

  • Torzhok Road – the 1^st Panzer Division attempts to encircle Soviet forces on the Volga River

  • Yelnya – the Soviets counter-attack to slow down the Wehrmacht’s progress before Operation Typhoon officially starts

  • Kalinin – At 3:00 am on December 5th 1941, General Konev’s Kalinin Front starts the Soviet counteroffensive 

  • Kashira – Guderian, failing to break through the Tula defences, goes around it and heads 80 km north toward Kashira, the last obstacle before Moscow

  • Klin – On December 6th 1941, with the Germans worried about the northern attack on Kalinin, Zhukov’s Western Front joins the attack threatening to encircle many German divisions around Klin

  • Suchinichi – The Wehrmacht attempt a desperate relief effort towards forces surrounded and cut-off by a Red Army counter-offensive in the early months of 1942

• 3 large scenarios:

  • Vyazma – The Wehrmacht position themselves to defeat a major concentration of Red Army forces to open a direct path towards Moscow

  • On to Moscow – After taking Vyazma, the Wehrmacht looks to make as much headway and potentially take Moscow before they run out of Steam and the blistering cold significantly complicates logistics

  • Assault on Moscow – the scenario covers the northern pincer action of Operation Typhoon, as the Wehrmacht attempts to surround Moscow, while the Red Army bolsters its increasingly stiff resistance and desperate defense

• 1 massive scenario:

  • Operation Typhoon - The desperate final offensive of Axis forces to take Moscow, before the winter fully settles in and stalls any further major offensives. 

Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system:

• OS: Windows 10, 11


• Processor: 1.5 GHZ


• Memory: 4 GB RAM


• Graphics: 8MB video memory, 1280x768 or higher resolution


• DirectX: Version 9.0c


• Storage: 1 GB available space


• Sound Card: DirectX Compatible 9 Sound Card