Mud, Blood & Steel - The Battle of Hoveyzeh January 5-7, 1981

Mud, Blood & Steel: The Battle of Hoveyzeh January 5-7, 1981“The Iranians are good fighters; they are very stubborn, high-achievers; not afraid of death; loyal to their leaders. Nevertheless, they are human and have limits. Religion is not enough.”—Iraqi Major General Aladdin Hussein Makki Khamas. Background:By the end of 1980 Iraq's invasion of Iran had degenerated into bloody stalemate all along the front. Iran was able to mobilize over two hundred thousand newly recruited citizen-soldiers into their Pasdaran, and both sides rushed additional regular army troops and equipment to the front lines. The Iranian military high command wanted to await the end of the winter rains to launch an offensive in the Spring that would drive the Iraqi's out of Islamic Republic.However, the Iranian clergy, that headed the government, did not trust the lay and military leaders, many of whom the clergy suspected of harboring pro-Shah or anti-fundamentalist adherents, and ordered a more limited but immediate offensive in early January. Dubbed Operation Nasr (Victory), the offensive at Hoveyzeh sought to break through and drive back the Iraqi units that threatened the crucial city of Ahwaz.The Game:Game turns, each with many rounds as both players reveal top cards from their decks at the start of each round of play. The side with the highest card drawn wins the Round. If the winning player’s card is odd, that side can do 3 Activations or pass. If the winning card is even, that side can do up to 2 Activations or pass. On ties, the side that did not get to perform any Activations in the previous round can perform two. The side drawing the first joker gets no Activations that Round and instead that player rolls a die to determine if a Random Event is in effect. When the second joker is drawn, the turn ends immediately. Play continues until one Player has exceeded his Morale Level or the final game turn with the winner based on victory points.