CANCELLED - Undeniable Victory Megagame

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED AND REFUNDS ISSUED 
Undeniable Victory Megagame 
The Iran Iraq War - 1980s politics and conflict in the Middle East 

Ben Moore's megagame of the Iran-Iraq War is coming to Cambridge.

How would you navigate serving under a dictator as a political appointee, or trying to run a war which you're neither trained nor equipped for - all the while facing internal factionalism and international pressure? Now you can find out in this scenario which uses the historical events of the Iran-Iraq War which can serve to educate through gaming.

There will be difficult decisions for the Iranian and Iraqi teams, with options available for military and diplomatic roles that will test the players' skills in strategy and negotiation, as well as exploring other possible outcomes for the conflict. 
If you would like to read more about a previous run of this scenario, you can do so on the PaxSIMS website which details the last time it was run in November 2019 in Ottawa when the designer was visiting for a NATO conference, or an after-action report from the first run in the UK. 
FAQ
Q: What's a Megagame?
A: Megagames are unique experiential games for 30 to 300 players, built to model the political, military, economic and social aspects of a crisis. They are fun and engaging while offering insights into the challenges that figures face when the world turns upside-down. Megagames are driven by narrative rather than victory points, and often built as lifelike simulations of the real world. Megagames are written to make the players feel, think, experience, and learn. 

Using the Iran-Iraq War as an example does not condone the actions of either side, but it does help highlight what is often an overlooked piece of recent history in the West. 
Q: What is Undeniable Victory?
Undeniable Victory is a game for up to 50 players which replicates the political, strategic, and tactical challenges of the Iran-Iraq war, 1980-1988.
In 1980, Saddam's Hussein's Ba'athist Iraq invaded Ayatollah Khomeini's revolutionary Iran. Saddam hoped to take advantage of an Iran weakened by revolution, with the goal of cementing Iraq's ascendancy in the region. The result instead was a vicious stalemate between two largely inexperienced armies, indelibly marked on both sides by the egos of the two dictators, Saddam and Khomeini. How will you respond to their demands?
Players can take roles in the ruling councils of either state, in their respective militaries, or the international arena hoping to influence the course of the war to their own advantage.
Note that dictatorial roles will not be filled by players.
Q: But I’ve never done this before!
A: Don't worry, Megagames are designed to be learned as they are played, and there are no "wrong moves". We will send you an information package 1-2 weeks before the event date for you to review game mechanics, your role, and background.
Megagames are designed to be learned on the fly, just like real life. They are about experiencing an event or storyline, rather than mapping out a path to victory. In a Megagame, it is much better to fail so spectacularly that we can share our views on it afterwards in an informal debrief (such as the pub), rather than attempt to beat everybody in a race to the finish.
Above all, experienced players and the control team (aka, the game facilitators) are present, supportive, and concerned that everybody has a good day. We won’t let you do anything too strange--unless you really want to.