Harpoon/YMMV


 * Fandom-Specific Plot: After the The Great Politics Mess-Up in the early 90's there was a scramble to create new scenarios that worked in the collapse of the Soviet Union. Some include:
 * Gorbachev was overthrown in a coup, killed and/or exiled by "Old USSR hardliners" in a replay of Red October. The "hardliners" to rebuild the Soviet military machine in about ten days and on the eleventh day launch a surprise attack on Europe.
 * Ex-Soviet Union "disintegrated" and rogue newly-formed republics attacked NATO/whatever with immense and totally unrealistic assets.
 * Sometimes the war broke out for no discernible reason ("We are at war for reasons which are not of your concern. Your mission is...")
 * It could happen that the surprise was SO total that the US had NO assets in the Atlantic, and UK had to go against the Soviets all alone.
 * If so, USA actually had no assets available for WWIII due to the turmoil caused by the Second Civil War.
 * NATO/BLUE orders usually started with "FROM THE THEATRE COMMANDER TO TF COMMANDER YYYYYYY".
 * There were more submarines in the Baltic than in the Atlantic - but all diesel ones.
 * Red Storm Rising reigned, and if the scenario didn't start with Keflavik already controlled by the Soviets, then NATO had to race to Keflavik before the Soviet got there.
 * ...Meanwhile, US subs where attacking the Kola Peninsula with Tomahawks...
 * ...This, of course, if NATO wasn't "resurging" and sending one to three battlegroups into the Barents Sea.
 * One scenario out of three had a convoy in it.
 * Captains escorting UNSPEAKABLY VITAL convoys to what-the-place were actually advised to ignore the "ships running aground" messages.
 * The USA had good reasons to be nervous about the Northern Front, since Norway used to secede from Europe and join the Soviets/CSI at random times,and for no discernible reason.
 * Once a week a submarine from either side defected, and had to be hunteddown/protected until the defection was complete.
 * For reasons unknown Qaddafi launched AGAIN random missile strikes against Lampedusa/Sicily, calling the full fury of Italian Navy upon him.
 * Norway was either fully occupied by Soviet Forces on Day 1 of the invasion, OR still hanging by a thread months later.
 * Months after the conflict began there still were three US carriers and two Kievs in the Atlantic, all with a full complement of airplanes and hi-tech weapons for their battlegroups.
 * George Bush Sr. was serving a second mandate, and a Second Confrontation with Saddam erupted for some reason or other.
 * Saddam had no weapons of mass destruction.
 * WWII battles from Midway to the Battle of Britain used to be refought regularly.
 * Soccer World Cup "classics" like Italy vs. France, Germany vs. UK and France vs. UK didn't happen on the pitch but on the battlefield.
 * If France was not "the only ally left to US" then it was the US' bitterest enemy.
 * Conflicts between Peru and Ecquador were fought in the Indian Ocean!