Gaming urban counterinsurgency in Iraq: Fardh al-Qanoon update

Over at his Smart War Blog, graduate student Robert Hossal recently released the draft map, counter set and rules for his simulation of 2007 Baghdad Security Plan—all part of his class assignment  in Professor Philip Sabin’s well-known course on conflict simulation at the Department of War Studies, King’s College London. His progress on the project is well worth following for the insight it offers into a range of issues, ranging from the innovative use of game design as an instructional technique to how a designer might model complex stabilization and counter-insurgency operations. Plus, I like the white-on-black Jaysh al-Mahdi markers, Robert!

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For a less serious take on insurgency and counter-insurgency in Iraq, there is also the (in)famous Iraq-themed version of RISK we’ve been known to play at McGill from time-to-time…