In The Rise of Al-Qaeda, the Coalition player still represents the US-led West but one operating much more through the United Nations than American unilateralism. The “Global War on Terror” track remains a key mechanic and still represents the Coalition’s ability to work multilaterally in pursuit of counterterrorism and counterinsurgency efforts. The Coalition player still has to navigate between “Hard” and “Soft” power strategies but will face the challenge of operating in a predominantly “Soft” power world whilst the US military is committed in Bosnia and Somalia.
The Jihadist player still represents a disparate, international movement of revolutionary Islamists but one not yet symbolically united behind the leadership of Bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda. Alongside their internationally mobile cells, the Jihadist player will have to work with local guerrilla pieces—which can’t move but will contribute to Civil Wars and “Jihad” operations.
The result is a set of modifications giving players a new experience with the Labyrinth system, appropriate to the different era of the 1990s. More than this, though, several of the new systems can readily be brought “forward” in time, into the later games, should players wish.
We’re really excited to present this next step in the evolving Labyrinth game series to you. Labyrinth: The Rise of Al-Qaeda opens up a new chapter of the historical sandbox the game has always presented, which has led players to return to the system again and again—now there’s even more reason to come back!
Components:
One Double-sided Countersheet (includes 4 Country Mats - Bosnia/Kosovo, Caucasus, Israel/Palestine, and Iraq)
One 28-page Combined Rules & Playbook
Three Double-sided Player Aid Cards
120 Event Cards
5 Bonus Cards for the Base Game
24 Octagonal Cylinders (12 blue, 12 green)
6 Red Cubes
One Ziplock