In June 2014, Islamist extremists seized control of large areas of Iraq and Syria—including Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city. We Are Coming, Nineveh! is a tactical/operational-level game that tells the story of the most intense part of the campaign that followed, the liberation of west Mosul by Iraqi security forces between February and July 2017.

In this two-player game, players assume the role of either the Iraqi security forces or Daesh (also known as ISIS). They first decide on operational priorities. With their objectives established, they then select which additional capabilities they wish to bring to the fight. With more than four dozen different options—units, weapons, fie support, intelligence, advisors and training, defensive preparations, and more—each game will be different from the last.

All this is the prelude to an intense tactical game, wherein two sides fight for control of the streets and neighborhoods of the city. Blocks and area movement are used to recreate “the fog of war.” A detailed map depicts the complex urban geography of West Mosul, notably the dense builtup area of the Old City. Event cards can be triggered at any time, generating tactical vignettes, posing difficult moral choices, or inflicting collateral damage. Gameplay is intuitive, engaging, and extremely realistic.