Yom Kippur

About this board game

Yom Kippur is a 2–4 player wargame about the 1973 Arab-Israeli conflict, with games lasting about 120 minutes. It recreates the combined Egyptian and Syrian attack launched on 6 October 1973 during the Yom Kippur holiday and Ramadan.

The game features two hex-based maps and overlays that create a three-dimensional hills effect. The smaller map covers the Golan Heights and the frontier regions between Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan, while the larger map focuses on the Sinai around the Suez Canal.

In the basic game, players use only the Sinai map. Each turn represents two days and is divided into 10 phases: the Egyptian player takes four phases, followed by six Israeli phases. Units can move during each phase, with combat resolved through calculations based on the number of units involved.

The advanced game uses both maps and supports two, three, or four players. It adds aircraft combat, with aircraft divided into bombers, interceptors, and fighter-bombers. Turns contain nine phases, split between four Arab phases and five Israeli phases.

Victory is determined by comparing points earned from territorial control, surviving forces, destroyed objectives, and eliminated units. Key scoring opportunities include:

• Israeli points for occupying Damascus or other Syrian cities
• Points for intact or reduced bunkers and units west of the Canal
• Arab points for occupied Israeli cities, controlled passes, and Israeli units eliminated
• Additional points connected to bridges destroyed and units exiting along the coast road

With basic and advanced rules, two operational fronts, and optional aircraft management, Yom Kippur offers a structured simulation of a pivotal modern conflict.