We Are Coming, Nineveh

About this board game

We Are Coming, Nineveh! is a tactical and operational-level wargame for 1–2 players, with approximately 90 minutes of play time, covering the Iraqi government campaign to liberate western Mosul from Daesh forces.

The game focuses on the campaign from 19 February to 9 July 2017, one of the largest and most difficult urban operations of the post-World War II era. It presents this important battle with low complexity, making it accessible to players who are new to wargaming while still offering a detailed treatment of the operation.

Victory is not measured by a single outcome. Instead, the game evaluates three central aspects of the campaign:

• Speed: how quickly the operation is completed.
• Casualties: the losses suffered by Iraqi government forces.
• Collateral damage: the damage inflicted on the city of Mosul.

This creates a difficult balance between operational achievement and its human cost. You may capture the Old City faster than the historical case, but doing so could result in heavier casualties or greater collateral damage.

By combining an accessible rules framework with a rich depiction of a major urban campaign, We Are Coming, Nineveh offers a focused historical gaming experience. Its subject is both a challenging military operation and a campaign whose results cannot be judged by speed alone.

The game won the Charles S. Roberts Award for Best Tactical Wargame of 2023.