Description
**This is a Pre-Order for a game expansion that is set to release sometime between May and July**
Labyrinth: The Forever War, 2015 – ? is a 1-2 player card-driven boardgame simulating at the strategic level the ongoing bid by Islamist extremists to impose their brand of religious rule on the Muslim world. It continues where Labyrinth: The Awakening, 2010 – ? left off and adds new event cards and rules to cover the last five years of history. Since publication of Labyrinth and its first expansion, fans of the game have expressed a desire to update it based on more recent events, and a variety of event card ideas and variants have been freely shared online.
- Growth and then Collapse of the physical Islamic State Caliphate
- Increased Iranian/Saudi Arabian Rivalry and Proxy War
- Government Repression of Expression (Syria, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, etc.)
- Increased Women’s Rights Activism across the region
- Increased Russian and other International involvement in the Middle East
- Incredible violence outside the Middle East from ISIL and others across Europe, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and elsewhere
- Impact of President Donald Trump and his personality on US Foreign Policy
- Continued activity of African Jihadists
- Plight of International Refugees
- Emerging Main-Power Rivalry between the US, Russia, China, EU and the UK
US ceding some degree of autonomy in portions of the globe in exchange for greater regional security
Except for the first item on this list, none of these have been fully resolved, though some have made movements in one direction or the other. Labyrinth: Forever War is designed to explore each of the above issues as part of the larger conflict between the West and Jihadist elements, which continues to this day, even if at a lower intensity than seen in the previous 15 years.
During the time from covered by the Labyrinth: The Forever War expansion (2015-to present), much has transpired: the physical Islamic State has collapsed, and no new nations have fallen into Civil War. Governance has improved in other areas too, with both Syria and Nigeria in the process of stabilizing, though the conflicts in Yemen and Libya still are unresolved and the former is growing to replace Syria as the country with the current greatest threat to the human condition within its borders. Forever War will explore all of the above in a competitive political-military simulation, and as a current events game, perhaps help each of us understand the ongoing and evolving global rivalries in a better light.
Labyrinth The: Forever War comes with four scenarios, two of which can be linked to the previous games to allow up to 360 event card combinations for near endless variety and discussion. No new major rules are introduced in this expansion, allowing players familiar with Labyrinth and Awakening to get right into the game with minimal reading. The Rule and Play Book includes game expansion design analysis and a detailed description of all 120 events cards and the thoughts behind the effects represented in the game. The solitaire system will allow play for both sides and will include enhancements to the Bots for all three games in the series. For fans of the Labyrinth series and of current events in general, this bargain purchase will add increased value and enjoyment to your collection and provide many hours of gaming enjoyment and political discussion.
Players: 1 to 2
Playtime: 3 hours
Ages: 12+
COMPONENTS
- Combined Rules of Play and Play Book
- 120 Event Cards
- 3 Double-sided 8 x 11 Card Stock Reference Cards (1 side for updated tables and 5 sides for Bot charts)
- 13 new markers (16 Events (3 double sided)) 9/16 of an inch and 1 larger 9/16 x 1.5 inch counter
- Large, Game Expansion style Zip-loc bag in-lieu of box