Valley of Tears: The Yom Kippur War, 1973

About this board game

Valley of Tears: The Yom Kippur War, 1973 is a detailed Battalion Combat Series wargame for 1–4 players covering the war from 6 October 1973 through the ceasefire enforced by the Superpowers and the UN.

Recreate the conflict across the Sinai and Golan fronts using four full-color maps precisely drawn from actual Israeli tactical maps. The game includes official wartime code names for defensive positions and presents the largest tank battle since World War II, as Centurion and Patton tanks confront T-62s shaped by Soviet tactical doctrine.

Valley of Tears expands the BCS with a dedicated air warfare system. F-4 Phantoms and MiG-21 Fishbeds compete for air superiority, while air units can undertake SEAD missions to suppress SAM threats, Deep Strike missions against enemy air bases and infrastructure, or more effective Close Air Support missions.

• Eight scenarios, including the full two-front campaign and separate Sinai and Golan campaigns
• Scenarios covering the Iraqi Intervention, Dual for the Golan, Aryeh Dov, Africa, and Operation Stouthearted Men
• Four 22-by-34-inch maps, approximately 1,400 counters, player displays, charts, and dedicated rulebooks

The Israeli player must contend with the unexpected mass use of Sagger missiles and RPG hand-held weapons, while both sides manage casualties and the dangers of a modern battlefield. Victory without excessive losses is crucial: a win can still become a Pyrrhic victory.

Winner of the 2023 Charles S. Roberts Award for Best Modern Game, Valley of Tears challenges players to master armor, air power, defensive positions, and operational decisions across one of the defining conflicts of the post-World War II era.