1979: Revolution in Iran Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Map Locations
• Setting Up
• Sequence of Play
  • Draft Phase
  • Action Phase
• Event Cards
• Political Influence
• SAVAK & Guerrillas
• Activities & Reserves
• Royalist Activities
• Coalition Activities
• Support & Opposition
• Stability Phase
  • Leaders in Power
• Resolution Phase
  • Late Era
• Hostage Crisis Events
• Optional Rule: Second Land Reform Event
• Victory Conditions
• Example of Play
• Publisher

Components

• Rulebook
• Playbook
• Game board
• Player aid
• 2 six-sided dice
• 101 Event cards
• 4 Leader cards
• Token sticker sheet with instructions
• 20 National Front Influence tokens
• 10 Tudeh Influence tokens
• 6 Ulama Influence tokens
• 6 Bazaari Influence tokens
• 3 Toilers Party tokens
• 3 Resurgence Party tokens
• 6 Guerrillas tokens
• 6 SAVAK tokens
• 7 markers for played events & buried cards
• 6 markers for tracking Turn, Nationalization, Reserves, Opposition & Support
• 20 Royalist Military Influence cubes

Second Edition Rules version 2.3

Map Locations

Most locations highlighted on the game board represent cities with connections between to indicate adjacency. Two special areas are not cities for the purpose of event text and activities: 1) the oil resource space located between Abadan and Isfahan and 2) the Azerbaijan region space (shaded red on the map).

The Azerbaijan region area, Tabriz and Tehran are each adjacent to one another. Tokens are either in the Tabriz city space or in the surrounding Azerbaijan region space.

The A & B boxes on the map can be used as overflow if there are too many tokens in a single city or map area. Place the tokens in the A or B box and place the A or B token in the map location.

Setting Up

Setting up the game begins with separating the event cards. Remove the four leader cards and place them faceup beside the board. Separate the Early Era event cards (green backs) from the Late Era event cards (brown backs). Shuffle the Early Era cards and place them in a stack. These will be used for turns 1-3.

Search the Late Era cards for four Hostage Crisis Events. Place those cards faceup near the board. Those cards will be used Turn 4 and later.

• A Place one Ulama influence in Qom.
• B Place one Bazaari influence in Tehran, Isfahan and Abadan.
• C Place all National Front and Tudeh Party influence into a draw bag or cup. The Coalition player draws six influence tokens from the draw pool. Place two in Tehran, one each in Isfahan, Yazd, Shiraz and Kerman. Royalist player may place 4 Military influence in any cities on the map.
• D Place the Mossadegh leader card in the Leader in Power box. Using the track markers, set Support at 3 and Opposition at 0.
• E Set the Nationalization marker on the "4" space. Set both Reserves at 0.
• F 16 Military Influence should be in the available pool on the board.
• G Turn marker begins at 1. Shuffle and draw from the Early Era deck to begin.

SAVAK units, Guerrilla units, Toilers Party influence, unused Bazaari and Ulama influence tokens should be set aside (they will enter play via events).

Sequence of Play

1979 is played over a series of turns. Each turn consists of the following phases.

• Draft Phase – Players are dealt 8 event cards and draft their hands for the turn.
• Action Phase – Players alternate playing one card from their hand until they have no remaining cards.
• Stability Phase – Players roll a Stability Check to determine if the Leader in Power will be replaced. Players will add either Support (if they have a leader in power) or Opposition (if they do not) to their roll.
• Resolution Phase – This final phase is when Leader Card effects are checked to determine if Support is reduced. Active events are removed from play, and game ending conditions are checked before proceeding to the next turn.

Draft Phase

Beginning with the Royalist, each player is dealt 8 event cards from the active deck (Early Era for Turns 1-3 and Late Era for Turns 4-7). Each player selects one card, and the remaining cards are passed to their opponent. This process is repeated until both players have selected their complete hand of eight cards.

Action Phase

The player with a Leader in Power acts first. Each player alternates playing a card. Each play of a card is an action round. If the active player's card is green (Unassociated) or matches their faction color, they may choose to play the card for either its event or use the card's action point (AP) value to perform activities. The player with a Leader in Power may bury a card beneath their leader card instead of playing it once per turn (see Leaders in Power).

When playing an event card associated with an opponent's faction, the active player can only conduct activities with its value. However, the opponent will have an opportunity to activate the event. In these instances, the active player chooses when to perform activities, either before or after the event can be triggered. The opponent chooses if the event will be executed.

When your opponent plays one of your event cards, you may trigger the event for free if you do not have a leader in power. If your leader is in power, your leader card will specify which influence must be activated or removed to execute the event.

If a player has no event cards in their hand, they must pass.

Event Cards

Event cards have a value in the upper left of one, two, or three action points. Cards with a red band are Coalition events. Cards with a white band are Royalist events, and cards with a green band are unassociated.

Event cards that are played for activities are used only for the AP noted on the card and placed in the discard pile when finished.

When triggering events, execute as much of the event text as possible. Event cards played for their event by either player will be removed from the game after the action round ends unless the event text states "do not remove."

Cards that have an Active Event symbol beside the event name are Active Events. These events are placed in the Active Event Box for that player's faction until removed. Only one event may be in a faction's Active Event Box at any time. If another active event is triggered, it will replace the previously active event. Unassociated Active Events are placed in the box of the acting player.

Personality Events remain in play until either a change of Era or they are canceled by another event.

Cards with the CIA/MI6 symbols in the upper left are not removed from the game when played. Such events are placed in the CIA/MI6 Event Box until final scoring. Special Note: At game end, the SAVAK event will be removed from play and placed in the CIA/MI6 Event Box.

A card's anatomy: Card Value and Faction (upper left corner), Event Name, Event Effect Text, and Historical Background text. For example, the "Ali Shariati" card (value 3, unassociated) reads: "Place all Ulama influence tokens not on the map in the Coalition player draw pool." Historical background: "Prominent philosopher that argued for the emergence of educated clergy to take a more active political role."

Political Influence

The primary capital required to endure Stability Checks, trigger events and remove your opponent from power is political influence. Royalist Influence is comprised of Military influence and Resurgence Party influence (Late Era). Coalition Influence is comprised of National Front and Tudeh Party influence tokens.

The Royalist has a pool of 20 Military influence, represented by white cubes. Military influence each have a value of 1. Military influence is not ready or active for the purpose of events. It is the only influence that can be moved on the map with activities.

All other influence is represented by double-sided tokens. Each will have a symbol on its ready side and a value of 1, 2 or 3 on its active side.

The Coalition player begins with two types of influence in their draw pool, National Front (green) and Tudeh Party (red). Bazaari, Toilers Party, Ulama and Resurgence Party influence will be available in the supply beside the game board during play and is added to either the map or Coalition draw pool as specified by events. When influence is added to the Coalition draw pool from the supply, do not inspect the value before placing it in the bag. It is recommended that the Coalition draw pool be placed in a cup or bag to ensure blind draws.

If an event card specifies that the Coalition player will place two National Front influence, the player will draw one at a time from the Coalition draw pool until two such tokens have been drawn. The specified influence is placed, while all other drawn tokens are returned to the draw pool. The Coalition player may always inspect the value of influence before placing it face down on the map. The Royalist may not inspect ready influence on the map.

Influence tokens have a value of one when ready and the printed value when on their active side. Events and leader cards referring to "points of influence" refer to this value.

When National Front influence is removed from the map, it is returned to the Coalition draw pool. Tudeh Party influence is returned to the Coalition draw pool when removed from the map during the Early Era (before Turn 4). During the Late Era, Tudeh influence is placed in the game box when removed from the map.

Military influence is returned to its pool on the board when removed from the map. All other influence tokens are returned to the supply when removed from map by events and activities.

SAVAK & Guerrillas

Unlike influence, SAVAK and Guerrillas represent units. Units are not ready or active. SAVAK units allow the Royalist player to conduct the Arrest Dissident activity in areas where they are present.

Guerrillas represent armed resistance, chiefly Azeri cells, Fedaian units and Islamic Mujahedin. Guerrilla units are double-sided, depicting the Fadai and Mujahedin respectively, but all guerrilla units function the same mechanically. If an event would place guerrillas when all are currently in play, the Coalition player may relocate a guerrilla.

Activities & Reserves

During an action round, a player may perform as many activities as they can afford with the combined value of APs provided by the event card being played and available points from their reserves. Players may not use Reserves to perform activities if they play an event during their action round.

The Royalist and Coalition players each have unique activities to choose from. Some activities require the presence of units only available in the Late Era (turns 4 and later).

When playing a card for activities, the active player may invest any amount of AP from a card into their reserves. Points added to the reserves may be used in a later action round. Invested points in Coalition Reserves may never exceed the Oil Strike Marker. Any AP added to reserves may not be used in the same action round it was added.

Royalist Activities

Place Military Influence: Military influence may be placed for 1 AP per cube. It can only be placed in cities or locations that already have Military influence. The Royalist player will use this activity to prevent successful oil and labor strikes, remove guerrillas and maintain support when the Shah is in power.

Invest in reserves: Any points from an event card may be invested in reserves as AP to be played on activities conducted in a future action round.

Mobilize: Military influence may be moved from one location to another for 1 AP per influence moved. During the Early Era, Military influence must mobilize to adjacent cities/locations along connections. In the Late Era, roads and railways allow Military influence to move to any location for 1 AP per influence. The Royalist will need to mobilize influence to respond to threats and place future influence on the far reaches of Iran.

Purge Documents: Event cards in the CIA/MI6 box may be removed for an amount of AP equal to the value of the removed card. Place purged cards in the game box. The Royalist will purge documents to minimize the loss of VP from played CIA/MI6 events.

Establish Estates: When the Shah is in play, a card from the Royalist hand may be buried for 3 AP. The buried card will not contribute AP to this activity. All buried estates are placed facedown in the Royal Estates Box. Events on buried cards are not triggered or revealed. The Royalist will establish estates to score VP and bury undesirable Coalition events.

EXAMPLE: Using 3 AP from the "PLO Trains Guerrillas" card (value 3: "Place one guerrilla unit in Tabriz, Isfahan and Shiraz"), the Royalist player chooses to bury the "Economic Crisis (1960-63)" event from their hand ("Each non-investment activity conducted by both players costs an additional 1 AP for the remainder of the turn"). The buried card is placed facedown in the Royal Estates box and the Economic Crisis event is not triggered. The Coalition player then chooses whether to trigger the PLO Trains Guerrillas event.

Coalition Activities

Place Influence: Influence from the Coalition draw pool may be placed for 1 AP per token in any location. Declare where the influence token will be placed, then draw the influence. You may examine the value of any influence you place. For optimal placement, each influence should be placed one at a time. In the Late Era, Tudeh Party and Toilers Party influence are removed from the game when drawn. The AP remains spent. Do not draw a replacement. Placed influence should be on its "ready" side. The Coalition will need to place influence to stage future strikes and demonstrations.

Oil Strike: In a city or oil resource space, activate ready Tudeh Party and National Front influence for 1 AP per token. At least one Tudeh Party influence must be activated to perform this activity. Add the values of all activated influence (do not include influence in the area that was previously active). The Royalist player will roll a die and receive a +1 modifier if any Military influence is present. The Royalist player may also spend from the Royalist reserves for an additional +1 per reserve spent, but all points must be spent prior to the roll. If the modified roll is less than the sum of the activated influence, the Coalition player may advance Nationalization toward NIOC control or lower Support by 1. Lower the Oil Strike marker by one on the Coalition Reserves. If the Oil Strike marker is not on the Coalition Reserves, place it on the "3" space. Coalition Reserves may never surpass the Oil Strike marker. The Coalition will rely on oil strikes to advance the Nationalization track or reduce Support for the shah.

EXAMPLE: The Coalition player has 3 AP to spend and chooses to conduct an Oil Strike in Abadan. To perform this activity, they must be in an oil resource location (check) and activate a minimum of one Tudeh Party token (check). The Coalition spends 1 AP to activate each of the three ready influence tokens in the location. The Coalition reveals a total value of "6." The Tudeh Party marked with an X was activated prior to this activity, so it does not contribute its value to the Oil Strike.

The Royalist player then chooses whether to spend points from their reserves to modify the upcoming roll (+1 per point spent). They elect not to, but they still receive a +1 modifier for having Military influence present in the city. The Royalist player rolls "4" and adds +1 for military presence, but "5" still results in a successful Oil Strike, because it is less than the activated Coalition influence (6).

The Coalition player may either advance Nationalization or reduce Support by 1. Because the Oil Strike marker is not on the Coalition Reserves, it is placed on the "3" space.

Labor Strike: In any city, activate ready National Front and Tudeh Party influence for 1 AP per token. In the Late Era, Bazaari influence may also be activated for this activity, but a minimum of one non-Bazaari influence must be activated. Combine the values of all activated influence (do not include tokens in the area that were already active). The Royalist player will roll a die and receive a +1 modifier if there is any Military influence present. The Royalist player may also spend from the Royalist reserves for an additional +1 per reserve spent, but all points must be spent prior to the roll. If the modified roll is less than the sum of the activated influence, the Coalition player may increase Opposition by 1. If successful, the Coalition will roll a die. On a result of 1-3, decrease Royalist Reserves by one, on a 4-5 by two and eliminate all Royalist reserves on a 6 result. The Coalition will use labor strikes to increase opposition when Royalist leaders are in power.

EXAMPLE: The Coalition player has 3 AP to spend and 1 point available in the Coalition Reserves. They choose to conduct a Labor Strike in Yazd. The Coalition spends 3 AP and 1 AP from reserves to activate four ready influence tokens in the city. The Coalition reveals a total value of 7.

The Royalist has 3 points in reserves and chooses to spend 1 to modify the roll (+1). Additionally, the Royalist receives +1 for Military presence in Yazd. The Royalist rolls "4" which is modified to a "6." The Coalition succeeds. Opposition increases by 1.

The Coalition rolls a die to determine how many points of Royalist reserves are lost. The result is a "4," so the Royalist reserves are reduced by 2.

Invest in reserves: Any points from an event card may be invested in reserves as AP to be played on activities conducted in a future action round. Coalition reserves cannot exceed the Oil Strike Marker.

Mass Demonstrations: For 1 AP per city, activate as many ready influence tokens as you choose. The Coalition uses mass demonstrations to undercut Support for the Shah or maintain Support for Mossadegh.

NOTE: Keep a close eye on the balance of influence each player has at the close of the Action Phase. Ready influence is needed for conducting activities, but well-timed demonstrations can tip the balance in your favor when comparing influence during the Resolution Phase. Demonstrations can be pivotal toward eroding the Shah's support or withstanding Stability Checks with Mossadegh.

Guerrilla Strike (Late Era): In any location with both Military influence and a guerrilla unit, spend 1 AP to attempt to remove a Military influence. Roll a D6. Succeed on 4+ if no SAVAK or 5+ if SAVAK is present. Return the Military influence to the pool and increase Coalition Reserves by 1 if successful. Each guerrilla may only attempt one guerrilla strike per action round. The Coalition will launch guerrilla strikes to score extra reserves and reduce Military influence.

Support & Opposition

Both players will likely have a leader in power over the course of the game. How long they remain in power is determined by how their leader withstands Stability Checks.

A Stability Check requires that both players roll a D6. Support is added to your roll during stability checks if you have a leader in power. Opposition is added to your roll when you are attempting to replace the leader in power with one of your own. If the Opposition result is greater than the Support result, the leader in power is removed and the next leader is brought into power (Mossadegh is replaced by the shah, the shah is replaced by Khomeini).

A faction with a leader in power may force both players to re-roll a failed Stability Check, but they must remove points of their influence equal to the difference between results (after adding Support and Opposition to the roll). This may be re-rolled more than once, as long as the faction in power can remove the required influence.

When a Stability Check results in a change of leadership, the outgoing leader is removed from the board with any cards buried beneath it and set aside until final scoring. Do not reveal buried cards. Support is set at 3 and Opposition is set at 0 unless otherwise stated on the leader card when a new leader is placed.

In addition to the Stability Phase of each turn, if Opposition cannot be increased by an event or activity because it is maxed at 3, a Stability Check is immediately triggered. Any instance where Support cannot be lowered due to it being 0, also triggers an immediate Stability Check. Additionally, some events will specify that players conduct a Stability Check during the Action Phase.

No more than one Stability Check may be performed in an action round.

Stability Phase

The Stability Phase begins when both players no longer have any Event Cards in their hand. During this phase, players conduct a Stability Check (see Support & Opposition) to determine if the leader in power will be replaced.

In the event of a failed Stability Check, leaders are replaced as follows:

• Mohammed Mossadegh is replaced by Reza Pahlavi.
• Ahmad Qavam is replaced by Mohammad Mossadegh.
• Rezah Pahlavi is replaced by Ayatollah Khomeini.
• Mehdi Bazargan is replaced by Ayatollah Khomeini.

When Mehdi Bazargan (unassociated Event Card), the Royalist will roll Support and the Coalition will roll Opposition. The Royalist may also remove influence to reroll Stability Checks for Mehdi Bazargan.

Leaders in Power

Once per turn, a faction with a leader in power will have an opportunity to bury an Event Card from their hand under their leader. This card is not revealed until final scoring, and the event effect is not triggered. Additionally, each buried card is worth its value in VP.

Burying an Event Card under a leader in power during an action round may not be combined with activities.

Each tarot-sized Leader Card should be kept beside the game board until used. When a leader is removed from power, set aside the leader with all buried cards facedown beneath it. The buried cards should not be revealed until scores are calculated at the end of the game.

Each Leader Card will highlight bonus scoring opportunities (if any), how players may trigger their faction's events when played by an opponent, and how Support is checked during the Resolution Phase of each turn.

For example, the Mohammad Mossadegh leader card ("Incorruptible Populist") reads: "Scoring: Each Coalition event buried under this leader card is worth one more VP than its value. Dwindling Oil Revenue: At the end of each turn, Support is reduced by one if Tudeh and National Front influence is less than all other combined influence. To trigger a Coalition event played by the Royalist player, you must activate or remove either one National Front influence or one Tudeh Party influence. Late Era: At the start of Turn 4, remove Mossadegh if he is still the Leader in Power and replace with Mohammed Reza Pahlavi."

The Mohammed Reza Pahlavi leader card ("Authoritarian Monarch") reads: "At the Start of Turn 4: Remove Mossadegh if he is still the Leader in Power and replace with Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. Establish Estates: Royalist player may now perform Establish Estates activity for 3 AP once per turn. Buried cards are not triggered or revealed to opponent. Eroding Support: At the end of turns 4 through 7, Support is reduced by 1 if military influence is less than all other combined influence. To trigger a Royalist-associated event played by the Coalition player, you must remove one military or Resurgence Party influence."

Resolution Phase

The final phase of each turn is the Resolution Phase. First, resolve Dwindling Oil Revenue/Eroding Support for the leader in power (if applicable). Second, trigger any Active Events effect due to resolve during the Resolution Phase, starting with the Coalition. Finally, remove all Active Events in play.

Late Era

Before the Draw Phase on Turn 4, remove all personality events in play. CIA/MI6 personalities should be placed in the CIA/MI6 Event Box. All other personalities and the Early Era discard pile should be placed in the game box.

The Royalist player may retrieve the SAVAK and/or the Consortium Agreement of 1954 event cards before shuffling the Late Era event deck. If the Royalist player chooses to retrieve them, these cards are the first (and possibly second) of their eight cards dealt during the Draft Phase. These cards must be the first card(s) drafted by the Royalist player if retrieved. Shuffle the rest of the Late Era deck (do not include the Hostage Crisis Events) and deal the cards until each player has a hand of eight to begin drafting.

The Coalition player will draft one card as normal if only one event was retrieved by the Royalist player. If both events were retrieved, the Coalition player will draft two cards before hands are exchanged.

The following steps occur in the Late Era after the Draft Phase of Turn 4:

1. If either Mossadegh or Qavam is the leader in power, replace with Reza Pahlavi.
2. All active Ulama and Bazaari influence are returned to the supply. Active Tudeh Party influence is removed from the game. Active National Front influence is returned to the Coalition draw pool.
3. Remove all Toilers Party influence tokens on the map or in the supply from the game.
4. For the remainder of the game, Tudeh Party influence is removed from the game, not returned to the Coalition draw pool when it is removed from the board.
5. Any drawn Tudeh Party or Toilers Party influence drawn from the pool during Place Influence activities is removed from the game. The AP is considered spent for these removed tokens.
6. Remove the Oil Strike Marker from the Coalition Reserves and return it to the supply.

Cards retrievable at the start of the Late Era: the SAVAK card (value 3, Personality) reads: "Add the SAVAK units to the Royalist token pool. You may place a SAVAK unit in any city for 1 AP as a Royalist activity." Historical background: "Secret police, domestic security and intelligence service responsible for arrest and torture of dissidents, censorship and surveillance." The Consortium Agreement of 1954 card (value 3) reads: "Remove the Nationalization marker from the game. NIOC control is no longer a victory condition for the Coalition player." Historical background: "The Shah ratifies 25-year agreement to denationalize oil industry, granting American and British interests control of production."

Hostage Crisis Events

At the start of Turn 7, collect all cards in the discard pile, add the three Hostage Crisis events and the Operation Eagle Claw event. Shuffle together to form a draw deck. If there are fewer than 16 cards in the draw pile, deal to the Royalist player first, and alternate until all cards are dealt. Draft as normal, but the Coalition player will receive one more card than the Royalist if there is an odd number of cards remaining.

Hostage Crisis events are unassociated events with a value of 1 when buried or used for activities. Each triggered Hostage Crisis adds VP during final scoring equal to the influence value of a token drawn from the Coalition pool. Place the token on the card so its value is not visible to the Royalist player. If the Coalition draws a guerrilla unit instead of an influence token, draw again until an influence is drawn.

The Hostage Crisis card (value 1, unassociated) reads: "Coalition draws one influence from the draw pool and places as ready on this event card. Set this card aside to score the drawn VP for the Coalition Player during end game scoring."

The Operation Eagle Claw card (value 3, Hostage Crisis Event) reads: "Each player rolls a die. The Coalition player may add +1 to their result for each point of reserves spent prior to the roll. If the Coalition player rolls the higher result, then set this card aside to score 3VP for the Coalition Player during end game scoring."

Optional Rule: Second Land Reform Event

For those that may be seeking a greater challenge for the Royalist Player, a second Land Reform event card can be added to the draw deck with the Hostage Crisis Event cards before Turn 7. This optional rule is not recommended when first learning the game, but it can level the playing field for a more experienced Royalist player. Most playtests were conducted using this optional rule.

Victory Conditions

Each player has five sources that determine their final score. In the event of a tie, the Coalition wins if Khomeini or Mehdi Bazargan is the leader in power. If scores are tied and the shah is in power, victory goes to the Royalist.

The following contributes to the final Royalist score.

• Cards buried under the Shah leader card will add their value in VP.
• Cards in the CIA/MI6 Event Box each subtract 1 VP from the Royalist final score.
• Cards buried in the Royal Estates box each add their value in VP.
• Add VP equal to the numbered space the Nationalization Marker occupies at game end (0 VP if the marker was removed).
• If Guerrillas outnumber Military influence in the Azerbaijan region, subtract 2 VP from the Royalist score (only if Siakhal Incident was played).

The following contributes to the final Coalition score.

• Cards buried under the Mossadegh leader card will add their value. Add 1 VP for each buried Coalition event card.
• If Khomeini is the leader in power, add 5 VP.
• Each "Land Reform" event that uncovers a buried Coalition card will add the value of the uncovered event card to the Coalition score.
• Guerrilla presence (one unit or more) in Tehran adds a total of 1 VP.
• Hostage Crisis cards played for their event are set aside and added to the final score (1 VP to 3 VP each).

The game will end under one of the following conditions.

1. Ayatollah Khomeini becomes the leader in power.
2. Turn 7 ends.
3. The Nationalization status is in NIOC Control (star space) during the Stability Phase of any turn, resulting in a Coalition victory (disregard scores).

Example of Play

For our example of play, we will be following Turn 4 of a game between Mandana and Ben to demonstrate a blend of various mechanics as well as examples of activities that are only available during the Late Era of the game. Mandana is playing the role of the Coalition. Ben is playing as the Royalist.

The end of Turn 3 closed the Early Era. All face up Toilers Party, Bazaari and ulama influence was returned to the supply. All face up National Front influence was returned to the Coalition draw pool. All face up Tudeh Party influence was removed from the game. Reza Pahlavi's (the shah) leader card replaced Mossadegh's leader card in the Leader in Power Box.

We begin with the Draft Phase of Turn 4. Normally, each player would be dealt eight cards, but as the Late Era begins, the Royalist player has an option of retrieving the SAVAK and/or The Consortium Agreement of 1954 from the Late Era event deck. Ben decides to pull the SAVAK event from the deck. Since Ben has one card in hand already, he is dealt seven cards and Mandana is dealt eight.

Heading into the draft, Ben is holding SAVAK (49), White Revolution (68), Queen Soroya (52), Dr. Ali Alimini (77), Traditional Sectors (78), National Front Abroad (80), Land Reform (66), and Ayatollah Sayyed Ruhollah Khomeini (86). Because Ben pulled the SAVAK event from the deck, he must select it as the first card in the draft. Despite that, he will know which card Mandana takes when this hand of cards returns to him in the draft.

Mandana is dealt Ashoura (62), Nixon Doctrine (85), Protests in Mashhad (90), Oil Revenue (50), Premier Assassinated (81), 40th Day of the Qom Massacre (73), Muharram Upheavals (59) and The Immortals (65). Mandana chooses Ashoura for her hand, then both players exchange undrafted cards for their next selection. This continues until both players have drafted a hand of 8 cards.

Ben's final hand is SAVAK, Nixon Doctrine, Queen Soroya, Dr. Ali Alimini, Oil Revenue, Ayatollah Sayyed Ruholla Khomeini, 40th Day of the Qom Massacre, and Muharram Upheavals.

Ben begins the Action Phase by playing Muharram Upheavals for 2 AP, hoping that the Coalition will want to play another active event later this turn. Ben asks Mandana if she will trigger the event before he decides to conduct activities. Mandana triggers the event and it is placed in the Coalition's Active Event Box. Because the Coalition does not have a leader in power, this does not require Mandana to activate or remove influence. (Muharram Upheavals, value 2: "At the end of the Resolution Phase, flip any National Front or Tudeh influence tokens from active to ready." Historical background: "Muharram observances to commemorate the death of Imam Hussein served as prototypes for mass demonstrations during the revolution.")

Ben spends 2 AP to Purge Documents and removes the General Fazallah Zehedi card from the CIA/MI6 Event Box.

Mandana plays Traditional Sectors for 3 AP. With no targets, Ben chooses not to trigger the event. Mandana spends 1 AP to Place Influence in Qom. She draws a National Front influence (value 3). She secretly inspects the value and places it facedown in Qom. She then spends 1 AP to Place Influence in Tehran and draws a Toilers Party token. Toilers Party influence drawn in the Late Era is simply removed from the game, but the 1 AP is still spent. With her final 1 AP, she attempts to Place Influence in Tehran once more. She draws a National Front (value 3) and places it facedown. (Traditional Sectors, value 3: "In each city with National Front influence and either Ulama or Bazaari influence, remove one National Front influence." Historical background: "Land reform and women's suffrage angers Shi'i clerics, seminary students and conservative bazaar merchants.")

Ben buries the Ayatollah Sayyed Ruhollah Khomeini event facedown under the leader card. The event card is not revealed until scoring at the end of the game. Ben places a token at the top of the board in the Royalist Card Buried space as a reminder. This can only be done once per turn.

This is the primary release valve for the Royalist, and the Khomeini event card is devastating when played early. (Ayatollah Sayyed Ruhollah Khomeini, value 3, Personality: "During the Action Phase, whenever Opposition would be increased or Support would be reduced, conduct a Stability Check prior to the increase/reduction." Historical background: "Charismatic cleric that rose to political prominence with opposition to the shah's capitulations to the United States and combination of clerical conservativism with radical populism.")

Mandana plays the Ashoura event. Two National Front tokens (both value 2) are drawn for Qom and placed. One National Front (value 3) is placed in Tehran. A Tudeh Party influence is drawn for Mashhad, but in the Late Era, drawn Tudeh influence is removed from the game. Mandana draws one National Front (value 3) influence for Shiraz.

Finally, the event allows Mandana to activate two non-Military influence in Qom to increase Opposition by one. She activates a 2 and 3 value National Front influence in Qom. Because the Ashoura event was triggered, the event card is removed from the game. (Ashoura, value 2: "Draw to place two influence tokens in Qom, then one each in Tehran, Mashhad and Shiraz. You may then activate two non-military influence in Qom to increase Opposition by 1." Historical background: "Khomeini leads a march of thousands on the tenth day of Muharram. He is later arrested.")

Having no reserves, Ben elects to play the Queen Soroya event. The Royalist Reserves are increased to 3. He places one ulama influence selected randomly from the supply into the Coalition draw pool. Queen Soroya is then removed from the game.

Mandana follows up by playing the Immortals for 2 AP. She spends 1 AP to Place Influence in Tehran, drawing a National Front (value 2). She invests the remaining 1 AP in the Coalition Reserves. (The Immortals, value 2: "Place the Immortals token in Tehran. The Immortals token counts as Military influence. This token may not be targeted by events or Coalition activities." Historical background: "The Shah's Javidian Guard was an elite special forces unit.")

Ben is now given an opportunity to trigger the event, but he must remove one Military influence from the map, because Mohammed Reza Pahlavi is the leader in power. Ben removes one Military influence from Tehran and returns it to the supply. He places the Immortals special influence token in Tehran. The Immortals event card is then removed from the game.

Ben decides to play the SAVAK event. Because it is a personality event type, its only immediate effect is adding SAVAK units to the Royalist token pool, but it will remain in play for the remainder of the Late Era. The SAVAK event card is placed face up near the game board. (SAVAK, value 3, Personality: "Add the SAVAK units to the Royalist token pool. You may place a SAVAK unit in any city for 1 AP as a Royalist activity." Historical background: "Secret police, domestic security and intelligence service responsible for arrest and torture of dissidents, censorship and surveillance.")

Mandana plays White Revolution for 3 AP to conduct a Labor Strike in Tehran. She flips three National Front influence tokens to active for 1 AP each. (White Revolution, value 2: "All Royalist influence may be reorganized on the map. Add two Ulama influence to the Coalition player's draw pool. Place this card face down under the Shah leader card instead of the discard." Historical background: "The Shah launches a series of modernizing reforms to strengthen ties with the rural peasantry and broaden political support.")

Ben has Military presence due to his Immortals special token which counts as one Military influence, but he decides to spend all 3 points of the Royalist Reserves to oppose the strike. Ben rolls a 3 and adds 4 to his result (+1 for Military presence and +3 for the spent reserves) for a total of 7. Because his result does not meet or exceed the total influence activated for the strike (8), Opposition is increased by one. If the Royalist player had reserves remaining, Coalition would then roll to see how many points were lost to the strike.

With Mandana's activities complete, Ben removes one Military influence from Bandar-e Abbas to trigger the White Revolution event. Three ulama influence tokens are randomly selected from the supply and added to the Coalition draw pool. White Revolution is placed facedown under the leader card.

Next, Ben chooses to play Nixon Doctrine for 3 AP. He begins by spending 1 AP to Place SAVAK in Tehran. He then spends 2 AP to remove two 3-value National Front influence tokens from Tehran to the draw pool. The event card is then placed in the discard pile. (Nixon Doctrine, value 3, Active Event: "Royalist player receives +1 to all Stability Check rolls for the remainder of the turn. Remove 3 Military influence and place them on this event card. During the Resolution Phase, return the Military influence to any areas on the map." Historical background: "Iran provides regional stability for Western Interests.")

Because Ben triggered the White Revolution event on her previous action round, Mandana decides to play Premier Assassinated for the event. She increases Opposition by one, but she is unable to remove a guerrilla unit or Bazaari influence in Tehran, because there are neither. Afterward, the event card is removed. (Premier Assassinated, value 2: "If White Revolution event has been played, conduct a Stability Check and remove one Bazaari influence or Guerrilla unit in Tehran." Historical background: "Premier Hossein Ali Mansur assassinated by a seventeen-year-old member of Fedayan-e Islam.")

Ben notices many high-value influence tokens in Qom that could lower Royalist support at the end of the turn. He decides to play the 40th Day of the Qom Massacre event for 3 AP. He performs the Place SAVAK activity for 1 AP in Qom. Then he performs the Arrest Dissidents action to remove the National Front value-3 and value-2 token for 1 AP each.

If Ben had chosen to target ready influence with the Arrest Dissidents activity, success would have required a die roll, but the activity is automatically successful when targeting active influence. (40th Day of the Qom Massacre, value 3, Personality: "Flip active influence in cities to ready. In Tabriz, flip all influence to active and remove one Military influence." Historical background: "Memorial services are held mourning the dead in cities across Iran, but in Tabriz violence erupts when a protestor is shot dead by police.")

Mandana is then given an opportunity to trigger the event. Because there are very few Coalition influence tokens active, she elects not to use the event. The card is placed in the discard pile.

Once again, it is Mandana's turn to act. She plays National Front Abroad for 2 AP to place influence in Mashhad and set the stage for the Protest in Mashhad event card that she is holding for later in the turn. Mandana draws a National Front (value 3) and places it in Mashhad. Her second drawn influence is a Tudeh Party (value 2) which is not placed but removed from the game. Because the event was not used, National Front Abroad is placed in the discard pile.

Knowing of the Land Reform card in the Coalition hand, Ben decides not to Establish Estates this turn. Instead, Ben plays Oil Revenues for 3 AP. He performs the Mobilize activity for 1 AP to move a Military influence from Shiraz to Mashhad. Because this is the Late Era, the activity does not require Military influence to move from an adjacent location. He spends 1 AP in Mashhad to add one Military influence. Finally, Ben spends his last 1 AP to arrest the active National Front 2-value token in Tehran, where he has a SAVAK unit present.

Ben will not be able to Establish Estates this turn. Mandana chooses to play Land Reform for 2 AP. She spends 1 AP to Place Influence and draws a National Front (value 3) in Mashhad. (Land Reform, value 2: "Select one random estate card and reveal it. If the event card is Coalition-associated, you may either trigger the event effect or set the card aside with the land reform card for end game scoring. If the event card is Royalist-associated or unassociated, place the estate in the discard pile.")

With her last 1 AP, she performs the Mass Demonstrations activity in Mashhad. Mandana may activate as many influence tokens in Mashhad as she wishes. She activates two 3-value National Front tokens in Mashhad. The Land Reform event is placed in the discard pile.

Ben has one last card to play before the Stability Phase, when there will be a mandatory Stability Check. He would normally play the Dr. Ali Amini event to avoid the check, but with the Protest in Mashhad event card in the Coalition hand, Ben will be facing a Stability Check one way or another. (Dr. Ali Amini, value 3, Personality: "Placement of SAVAK units and Arrest activities cost 1 AP more. Royalist may not conduct the next Establish Estates activity. Ignore the next Stability Check. After that Stability Check has been ignored, remove this card from play." Historical background: "The Shah concedes to US pressure and names his rival, US ambassador, as premier.")

Ben opts to play the event card for 3 AP of activities. He begins by spending 1 AP to Place SAVAK in Mashhad. He follows by performing two Arrest Dissidents activities in Mashhad, removing both active National Front influence tokens for 1 AP each. The event is discarded.

Mandana frowns slightly. Her last event is no longer able to be played. The Opposition is currently at 3, but she no longer has more influence in Mashhad. She resigns herself to position her influence for next turn instead. She plays the card for 2 AP, starting with a Place Influence activity in Isfahan, placing a National Front (value 2) token. She then performs the same activity again in Isfahan, drawing a second National Front (value 1) token. The event is placed in the discard pile. (Protests in Mashhad, value 2: "If Support is 0 or Opposition is at 3, activate Ulama and National Front influence in Mashhad. If Ulama and National Front influence value is greater than Military and Resurgence Party influence in Mashhad, conduct a Stability Check." Historical background: "Protests erupt in Mashhad after the death of a cleric in a road accident. A handful of demonstrators are killed in the resulting upheaval.")

With both players having no remaining cards, the turn proceeds to the Stability Phase, where players will perform a Stability Check.

Support and Opposition are both at 3. Each player will roll a die. Ben will be adding +3 to his roll, because his leader is currently in power and adds the Support to his result. Mandana will be adding +3 to her roll, because the Opposition is added to the result for the player that does not have a leader in power.

Ben rolls 1 and adds 3 (Support) for a result of 4. Mandana rolls a 2 and adds 3 (Opposition) for a result of 5. If this result were allowed to stand, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi would be removed from power, but Ben may remove Military influence equal to the difference between the two results to force both players to roll again.

Without hesitation, Ben removes one Military influence from the Azerbaijan region space and both players roll again. Ben rolls a 6 and adds 3 (Support) for a result of 9. Mandana rolls a 4 and adds 3 (Opposition) for a result of 7. The shah lives to fight another day, thus ending the Stability Phase.

Play proceeds to the Resolution Phase. The shah's leader card indicates Eroding Support occurs if Royalist influence is less than all other combined influence. The Immortals token is counted, but SAVAK units are not. Ben has 16 Military influence on the map. Mandana has 5 ready National Front influence and 1 Bazaari influence. Ready influence tokens have a value of 1 each. The Support level remains at 3.

We check the active event, Muharram Upheavals. No influence tokens are active, so the event has no effect. The active event is then removed from the box and play continues with Turn 5.

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