8/2/2019 Fardh Al-Qanoon Rules 1.0
1/12
1.0
8/2/2019 Fardh Al-Qanoon Rules 1.0
2/12
Page 2 Fardh al-Qanoon (1.0
Introduction
A. IntroductionFardh al-Qanoon is a simulation o the 2007 coun-
terinsurgency operation in Baghdad, also reerred to
as the Baghdad Security Plan. The simulation takes
place rom February 2007 to November 2007 in
month-long turns as the US-led Coalition and MahdiArmy vie or control o the Iraqi capital.
Players & Objecives
One player represents the Coalition, and another
the Shia Mahdi Army. The Sunnis o Baghdad are
represented in a non-player action that aects the
game.
The Coalitions goal is to secure control o Baghdads
districts and Sunni neighborhoods by November
2007 while minimizing casualties and violence. The
Mahdi Armys goal is to maintain a strong presence
in Baghdad and prevent the Coalition rom securing
the city.
B. How does the game work?
Basic Sequence o Play
Manpower Phase
During the Manpower Phase, the Coalition assigns
units to districts and the Mahdi Army moves Militias.
Sunni Acion Phase
The Sunni actions actions are determined,
Baghdad Phase
The Coalition has an opportunity to reassign units,
the Mahdi Army activates Militias, and players have
the opportunity to engage in combat.
Rese Phase
Changes are determined beore the next round.
ConcepsInelligence
1. Intelligence enables the Coalition to seek out
Militia units hidden amongst the population and
to reassign units in districts during the Baghdad
Phase.
Mahdi Will
2. Will represents the Mahdi Armys ability to con-
trol the Shia Militias operating in Baghdad. The
Mahdi Army requires Will to raise new Militias
and to activate ones that become dispersed.
Secured vs. Unsecured3. Districts and Sunni neighborhood spaces are by
deault Unsecured areas.
4. An area is Secured as soon as the Coalition
meets its the Manpower Requirement and there
are no Active Militias present.
5. An area becomes unsecured immediately once
the Manpower requirement is no longer met or
there are Active Militia units present.
6. Securing a district does not secure Sunni neigh-
borhood spaces within the district. They must be
secured separately.
C. Components
Map
Uni Pools
1. The Coalition unit pool (labeled Coalition FOBs
on the top-let o the map holds units stationed
in large, secure Forward Operating Bases and
not deployed amongst the population.
2. The Mahdi Army unit pool on the top-right o
the map holds unused Militia units that can
be recruited by the Mahdi Army during the
Baghdad Phase.
Disrics
3. The city o Baghdad is divided into 9 named
districts. Each district has a Manpower Require-
ment, a Mahdi Stacking Limit, and a Develop-
ment space, while some districts have one ormore Sunni Neighborhood spaces.
5
MANSOUR 6
Mahdi Stacking LimitManpower
RequirementDistrict Name
8/2/2019 Fardh Al-Qanoon Rules 1.0
3/12
A counter-insurgency simulation by Robert Hossal Page 3
Components
The Green Zone serves as Karkh districts Devel-opment space.
4. Units can be placed in a district or on a Develop-
ment or Sunni space within the district.
5. Thick white lines between
districts along the Tigris River
represent bridge connections.
Sunni neighborhoods
6. Sunni neighborhoods are a distinct area
within a district that require separate orces to
protect. Each Sunni neighborhood has a Man-
power Requirement.
Neighborhoods can
either be in a normal,
Attacked, or Cleared
state.
7. They are considered Attacked ater the rst
successul attack by a Mahdi Army Militia. In At-
tacked state, neighborhoods can be returned to
normal by the Coalition during the Reset Phase.
8. I Sunni neighborhoods are successully attacked
again beore the Coalition returns them to nor-
mal, they become Cleared, which is irreversible
and hurts the Coalitions victory score. Cleared
neighborhoods cannot be secured.
Dice
9. The game is played with two six-sided dice.
Couners10. The game uses a total o 65 counters: Mahdi
Army Militia (14), Coalition BCT (5), Coalition
Battalion (15), Joint Security Station (9), Violence
marker (10), Attacked marker (7), Month (1),
Mahdi Will (1), Relations (1), Coalition Casualties
(1), and Intelligence (1).
11. Violence counters are placed in districts and
Sunni neighborhoods at various points in the
game. The counter can be ipped over to its 2x
Violence state to represent two incidents oviolence or convenience, rather than using two
counters on the yellow Violence side.
Coaliion unis
Comba
12. The Coalitions combat units are Battalions
and BCTs (Brigade Combat Teams). Each has a
Manpower value: 1 or Battalions and 3 or BCTs.
Join Securiy Saions (JSS)
13. Joint Security Station counters have two sides:2x and 3x. When rst built, JSS counters are
placed on the 2x side, which multiplies all
Coalition Manpower points in the district they
are in (including in Sunni neighborhoods within
the district) by 2 , while the 3x side multiplies
Manpower points by 3.
14. There can never be more than one JSS counter
DispersedActive
JSS2x
Battalion
1
BCT
3
2x and 3x sides of a
Joint Security Station
Active and Dispersed
states of a Militia
A Coalition Brigade
Combat Team (BCT)
A Coalition Battalion
JSS
3x
Violence 2xViolence
Will
ClearedAttacke
d
CAS
INTEL
Violence
Attacked
Relations
Intel
CoalitionCasualties
Relations
Mahdi Will
Month
front/back
Game Counters Unit Counters
5
Manpower Requirement
A Development space
8/2/2019 Fardh Al-Qanoon Rules 1.0
4/12
Page 4 Fardh al-Qanoon (1.0
Game Setup
in a district.
Mahdi Army unis
15. The Mahdi Armys units are Militias, which can
be in two states: Active and Dispersed.
16. Active Militias can attack and are vulnerable to
attack by the enemy. These represent groups omen who are actively bearing arms and ready to
ght.
17. Dispersed Militias are hidden among the popu-
lation and represent the latent ability to quickly
organize armed men or combat. Dispersed
Militias are normally sae rom attack, but Intel-
ligence enables the Coalition to raid them.
D. Game Setup
Coaliion Reinorcemens
1. Place the ollowing Coalition units next to the
indicated space on the Month track. When that
months turn begins, place the unit in the Coali-
tion FOBs space.
March: 1 BCT, 1 Battalion
April: 1 BCT, 1 Battalion
May: 1 Battalion
June: 1 BattalionIniial Couner Posiions
2. Omnitrack: 0 Casualties, 3 Intel, 6 Will.
3. Place the Month counter on the February space
o the Month track and the Relations counter on
the -2 space o the Coalition-Sunni Relations
track.
4. Violence counters: 2x Violence in Rusaa,
Violence in Adhimiyah.
5. Mahdi Army: 1 Active Militia in Adhimiyah andSadr City; 2 Dispersed Militias in New Baghdad, 1
Dispersed Militia in Karadah and Rashid.
Oher couners
6. Place all remaining Coalition units in the Coali-
tion FOBs space and all remaining Militias in the
Mahdi Unit Pool. Violence counters and Attacked
counters are placed aside until needed.
E. Manpower PhaseCoaliion
1. The Coalition may move or place any o its units
in the 9 districts or Coalition FOBs space.
2. Units may only be placed on Developmentspaces in Secured districts (reer to Section
B-4). I a district becomes Unsecured during the
round, units on the Development space are not
moved o.
Mahdi Army
3. The Mahdi Army may move each Active
Militia unit either into an unsecured Sunni
neighborhood in the same district, an adjacent
unsecured district (districts across the Tigris river
connected by a bridge are considered adjacent),or an unsecured Sunni neighborhood in an
adjacent unsecured district. Militias may never
be placed in Development spaces.
Militias that have been moved may be rotated
90 degrees on the map to indicate they cannot
move again this round.
4. Dispersed Militias may be moved in the same
manner except it costs 1 Will per unit and they
can move into secure areas.
5. At no point in the game can the number oMilitias in a district exceed the Mahdi Stacking
Limit.
F. Sunni Action Phase1. Sunni action actions are determined by rolling
or the number o events, type o events, and
targets i necessary.
Number o evens
2. Roll one die and subtract 1 or each Sunnineighborhood that has a Cleared counter on it.
The modied result determines the number o
Sunni Actions according to Table 1. I no actions
occur, move on to the Baghdad Phase. Other-
wise, complete the next step or each individual
event.
8/2/2019 Fardh Al-Qanoon Rules 1.0
5/12
A counter-insurgency simulation by Robert Hossal Page 5
Baghdad Phase
Type o even
3. Roll two dice and add the Coalition-Sunni
Relations modier (the number on the currently-
occupied space on the Coalition-Sunni Relations
track). The result determines the type o action
according to Table 2.
Terroris Atack
4. Roll or target.
5. I the targeted district is unsecured, place two
Violence counters in it. Otherwise, the terrorist
attack ails.
Sunni Violence
6. Roll or target.
7. I the targeted district is unsecured, place a
Violence counter in it. Otherwise, SunniViolence ails.
Cooperae wih Coaliion
8. The Coalition gains 1 point o Intelligence.
Sunni Awakening
9. An Attacked counter can be removed rom
a Sunni neighborhood space, or the Coalition
gains 1 point o Intelligence i no Attacked
counters are on the board.
Even arge10. I the event requires a target, roll two dice to
determine where the action takes place accord-
ing to Table 3.
G. Baghdad Phase
Coaliion reassignmen
1. The Coalition can spend 1 point o Intelligence
per unit to move a unit in a district into or out o
a Sunni neighborhood or Development space.Any number o units in any districts may be
moved within the same district.
2. The Coalition can spend 1 point o Intelligence
per unit to move a unit rom the Coalition FOBs
space into a district or Sunni neighborhood. Up
to 2 units may be moved rom the FOBs space.
Mahdi Acivaion
3. The Mahdi Army may spend 1 Will per unit to ip
a Dispersed Militia in an unsecured area over to
its Active state.
There is no Will cost i there is an incident o
violence in the same district. (Since Sunni neigh-borhoods are considered part o the district they
are in, Dispersed Militias in unsecured Sunni
neighborhoods can be activated or ree i there
is an incident o violence in the district but not
the Sunni neighborhood.)
4. To activate a Dispersed Militia in a secured area,
the Mahdi Army must spend 2 Will and roll a
die (add 1 or each incident o violence in the
district). I the modied result is 1, the Dispersed
Militia is returned to the Mahdi Unit Pool. I
it is at least 5, it becomes Active, otherwise it
remains Dispersed.
Iniiae atacks
5. The Mahdi Army and Coalition can choose to
initiate attacks in districts and Sunni neighbor-
hoods. Players alternate initiating attacks, and
each player can continue to do so until he or she
has no more units available to attack or does
not wish to. The Mahdi Army has the option o
initiating an attack rst.6. I a player has the ability to initiate an attack but
declines, he or she can still choose to initiate
an attack ater the other player does so. I both
players consecutively decline to attack, move on
to Mahdi Recruitment.
7. A player can use his units in attacks initiated
by himsel once per round. Once used, rotate
the unit counters 180 degrees on the map to
indicate they may not participate in combat
initiated by the player again this round. Theseunits can still be used in combat initiated by the
enemy.
Mahdi-iniiaed atacks
8. The Mahdi Army can use Active Militias to attack
Sunni neighborhoods or Coalition units in the
same district or Sunni neighborhood. Attacking
the Coalition results in combat (see Section I to
8/2/2019 Fardh Al-Qanoon Rules 1.0
6/12
Page 6 Fardh al-Qanoon (1.0
Reset Phase
resolve).
Atacking Sunni neighborhoods
9. Sunni neighborhood spaces that do not have a
Cleared counter can be attacked i at least one
Active Militia is present. Each neighborhood can
be attacked once per round.10. I there are no Coalition units present or the Co-
alition chooses not to deend the neighborhood,
roll one die and add 1 or every Militia (Active or
Dispersed) in the space. I the modied result is
greater than or equal to the spaces Manpower
Requirement, the attack succeeds.
I the attack ails, the Active Militias become
Dispersed and move rom the neighborhood
space to the district.
11. I a Sunni neighborhood space has Coalitionunits present and they choose to deend the
neighborhood, the Mahdi Army must engage in
combat with them rst. Ater resolving combat
according to Section I, an attack on the Sunni
neighborhood space succeeds i the Mahdi
Army is not orced out.
12. I the attack succeeds, the Mahdi Army im-
mediately receives as many points o Will as the
neighborhoods Manpower Requirement and
the Sunni Relations counter is moved back onespace (two spaces i there was no Coalition pres-
ence or the Coalition chose not to ght). Place
a Violence counter and an Attacked counter
on the Sunni space. I an Attacked counter is
already present, ip it over to the Cleared side.
Coaliion-iniiaed atacks
13. Coalition units can attack Active Militia units in
the same district or Sunni neighborhood space.
14. To attack Dispersed Militias (a raid), the Coali-
tion must spend 1 Intelligence per DispersedMilitia present in the area o combat (even i the
Mahdi Army does not use all o its available units
in combat). When a Dispersed Militia is attacked,
all Militia units in the same area may participate
in combat as i they were Active.
When initiating a raid, place a Violence counter
in the area o combat.
15. The Mahdi Army gains a point o Will each time
the Coalition initiates an attack against it.
Mahdi Recruimen
16. The Mahdi Army may take a Militia unit rom
the Mahdi Unit Pool and place it in Sadr City
or a district that has at least one incident oViolence (this includes an incident o violence
in a Sunni neighborhood within the district). It
costs 2 Will to place a Militia, either in Active or
Dispersed state.
17. Up to two new Militia units may be raised in
each eligible district.
18. Active Militias may only be placed in unsecured
districts, while Dispersed Militias may be placed
in secure districts as well. New Militias can never
be placed in Sunni neighborhoods.19. No Recruitment occurs in the November round.
H. Reset Phase
Mahdi Will
1. The Mahdi Army receives 3 points o Will plus 1
point o Will or every incident o Violence on
the map.
Coaliion Inelligence & Developmen
2. The Coalition gains 1 point o Intelligence or
every 2 Manpower points (beore Joint Security
Station multipliers) occupying a secure Sunni
neighborhood or a Development space in a
secure district.
Intel is not gained or occupying a Cleared
Sunni neighborhood.
3. Instead o gaining an Intelligence point or
occupying a Development space in a district, the
Coalition can remove an Attacked counter roma Sunni neighborhood in the district. Cleared
counters may never be removed or ipped to
the Attacked state. Note that this applies or
occupying a Development space only, nota
Sunni neighborhood.
Building a Join Securiy Saion
4. I the Coalition has met the Manpower
8/2/2019 Fardh Al-Qanoon Rules 1.0
7/12
A counter-insurgency simulation by Robert Hossal Page 7
Combat
Requirement o a district, a Joint Security Sta-
tion counter can be placed in it on its 2x side. I
a 2x JSS counter is already present, ip it to its
3x side.
Note that a Joint Security Station can be built
even i there are Active Militia present, so long as
the Manpower Requirement is met.
Remove couners
5. Remove all Violence counters rom districts and
Sunni neighborhoods.
6. The Mahdi Army can choose to return any
number o deployed Militia units to its Unit
Pool and ip any Active Militias over to their
Dispersed state.
Mahdi Atriion
7. I the number o Active Militias is greater than
the Mahdi Armys current Will, Active Militias
must be placed in Dispersed state until the
numbers are equal. The Mahdi Army may choose
which Active Militias become Dispersed.
8. The Mahdi Army rolls a die. I the result is at least
3, a Dispersed Militia in the city (i available)
must be returned to the Mahdi Unit Pool. 1 point
o Will can be spent to prevent returning the
Dispersed Militia.
Nex round
9. I the November round was just completed
or Coalition Casualties are at least 15, the
game ends and victory should be determined.
Otherwise, advance the Month counter one
space, turn any rotated units back to the proper
position, place any Coalition reinorcements in
the Coalition FOBs space, and begin the next
round.
I. CombatResolving comba
1. Combat can only occur between Coalition
units and Active Militias in the same district or
Sunni neighborhood space. The only exception
is when the Coalition is attacking a Dispersed
Militia (a raid), in which case Dispersed Militias
can participate in combat as well.
2. The Coalition rst chooses its units to be used in
combat, then the Mahdi Army chooses its units.
3. Add up the total number o Coalition Manpower
points (taking Joint Security Station multipliers
into account) and total number o Militias in-volved in combat, then consult the appropriate
box on the Combat Results Table.
4. The rst number on the Combat Results Table
represents the minimum roll on one die required
or all o the Mahdi Armys Active Militias (or all
Militias, i the attack is a raid) to be orced out
o the area o combat.
Active Militias orced out o a district must
retreat to an adjacent unsecured district in
Dispersed state, or return to the Mahdi UnitPool i they cannot. Units cannot retreat into
an unsecured district i they would exceed the
Mahdi Stacking Limit.
Militias orced out o a Sunni neighborhood and
Dispersed Militias orced out o an area ater a
raid return to the Mahdi Unit Pool.
5. The second number on the Combat Results
Table represents the minimum roll on one die
required or a Coalition Casualty to be incurred.
6. A dash () on the Combat Results Table indi-cates no possibility.
7. The Mahdi Army player rolls the die to deter-
mine i his Militias are orced out, while the
Coalition player rolls the die to determine i he
incurs a Casualty point.
ManpowerPoints
Number of MilitiasCombatResults
2/51/61/1/ 3/4
2/52/61/61/ 4/4
3/43/52/61/6 5/3
5/34/43/61/6 6/2
6/35/44/52/6 6/2
/26/35/42/5 /11-2
3-5
6-8
9-11
12-14
>14
4321> 4
2/6
Minimum roll to orce Militias
out o area o combat Minimum roll or 1
Coalition Casualty
8/2/2019 Fardh Al-Qanoon Rules 1.0
8/12
Page 8 Fardh al-Qanoon (1.0
Victory
Special rules
8. The ollowing modiers apply ater taking Joint
Security Station multipliers into account:
For combat taking place in Sadr City, shit up
1 row on the Combat Results Table or the
required dice rolls.During a raid combat, the Coalition gains a +3
Manpower modier.
J. Victory1. There are three possible results: Coalition Vic-
tory, Qualied Coalition Victory, and Mahdi Army
Victory.
Deermining he resul
2. The Coalition receives 4 Victory Points or everysecured district and 1 point or every Sunni
neighborhood that has not been Cleared. It
loses 1 point i at least 2 Sunni neighborhoods
have been Cleared.
3. The Mahdi Army receives as many points o Will
as there are Coalition Casualties.
4. Subtract the Mahdi Armys total Will rom the
Coalitions Victory Points to determine the Net
Score.
Coaliion Vicory
5. I the Coalition has at least 35 Victory Points
and the Net Score is at least 20, it achieves a ull
victory.
Baghdad is secured and the Mahdi Army has
been sufciently weakened to allow the Coali-
tions control over the city to last. The population
is condent that their saety and security is best
assured by the government.
Qualifed Coaliion Vicory6. I the Coalition has at least 35 Victory Points but
the Net Score is less than 20, it achieves a quali-
ed victory.
The city is secured, but the Mahdi Army retains
its strength and inuence. The immediate mis-
sion has been achieved, but the population is
unsure o its long-term prospects.
Mahdi Army Vicory
7. I the Coalition has ewer than 35 points Victory
Points, the Mahdi Army achieves victory.
Despite its progress, the Coalition has ailed
to secure sufcient control o the city and the
Mahdi Army remains an important player inBaghdad. The population does not eel that the
government can adequately protect it rom
violence.
K. Example of PlayThe example of play covers the February round, and
some of the March Manpower Phase.
The game begins in February with the Manpower
Phase. The Coalition has 3 BCTs and 11 Battalions
to place, or a total o 20 Manpower Points. The rstpriority is to establish Joint Security Stations so that
securing districts and Sunni neighborhoods will
be easier. Since Mansour has two Sunni neighbor-
hoods, the Coalition moves to secure it rst and
places a BCT and 3 Battalions in the district. Since
there are no Active Militias there, Mansour is now
Secured.
Karkh district only requires 4 Manpower to secure,
so the Coalition places a BCT and Battalion there
as well. Another BCT and 3 Battalions are placedin Karadah, while the remaining 4 Battalions
are placed in the Sunni neighborhood space in
Adhimiyah, which is vulnerable to attack by 2 Active
Militias.
The Mahdi Army moves the Active Militia rom Sadr
City to the unsecured Sunni space in unsecured
New Baghdad, where it is guaranteed a successul
attack. The Dispersed Militias in Rashid and Karadah
are both moved to the Sunni space in Rashid (at a
total cost o 2 Will), which oers a more attractiveand rewarding target than the Sunni space in
Karadah.
The Manpower phase is over and the Sunni Action
Phase begins. A 4 is rolled, which Table 1 indicates
is 2 Sunni actions. Two dice are rolled or the rst
event, summing up to 6. Because the Relations
Counter is at the -2 position, the modied result is
4, which Table 2 indicates is a Terrorist Attack. Two
8/2/2019 Fardh Al-Qanoon Rules 1.0
9/12
A counter-insurgency simulation by Robert Hossal Page 9
Example of Play
dice are rolled or a target, giving the result o 5:
Kadhimiyah. The Coalition has not secured it yet, so
a Violence counter is placed in the district on its
2x side to represent the attack and the atermath
reprisal violence. The second Sunni event roll results
in 9; with the -2 Relations modier it is 7, which
Table 2 indicates as Nothing happens.
With all Sunni actions resolved, the Baghdad Phase
begins with Coalition Reassignment. Because the
Coalition secured the Sunni space in Adhimiyah, the
Mahdi Armys Active Militia in the district could not
move in. The Coalition could spend Intelligence to
move some units out o the Sunni space so that they
could attack the Active Militia, but the Coalition opts
to ocus on security rather than combat.
The Coalition does not reassign any units, so Mahdi
Activation begins. The Mahdi Army spends 2 Will toactivate the 2 Dispersed Militias in Rashids Sunni
space, enabling them to attack later in the phase.
Opting not to activate any other Dispersed Militias,
the Mahdi Army moves on to initiate attacks. Each
player alternates initiating an attack, beginning with
the Mahdi Army, who decides to start with an easy
target: the New Baghdad Sunni space.
A successul attack requires rolling the Sunni spaces
Manpower Requirement or higher on one die. A +1
modier is added or each Militia taking part in theattack, so even on a roll o 1, the Mahdi Armys result
would meet the Sunni spaces Manpower Require-
ment value o 2. An Attacked and Violence
counter are placed on the Sunni space, and 2 Will is
added on the Omnitrack. Because the Coalition did
not even have a presence in the space, the Relations
counter would be moved back 2 spaces, although
in this case it can only move back 1 space beore
reaching its lowest level.
The Coalition would have the option o initiating
an attack now, but none o its units are in the same
area as a Mahdi Militia, so the initiative returns to
the Mahdi Army, who chooses to attempt an attack
in Rashids Sunni space using both its Active Militias.
The Mahdi Army rolls a 2, but has a +1 modier or
each Active Militia, giving a modied result o 4,
which just meets the spaces Manpower Require-
ment value. The attack succeeds, and an Attacked
counter and Violence counter are placed in the
space while the Mahdi Army gains 4 Will (or a
current total o 8). The Relations counter cannot be
moved and urther back than it already is.
Once again, the Coalition has nowhere it can initiate
an attack, and neither does the Mahdi Army. Since
the two players attacks are skipped consecutively,
play moves on to Mahdi Recruitment. The presence
o Violence counters allows the Mahdi Army to
raise new Militias in Adhimiyah, Kadhimiyah, New
Baghdad, Rusaa, and Rashid (in addition to Sadr
City, where Militias can always be raised). The Mahdi
Army decides to raise 2 Militias in Rashid, one each
in Active and Dispersed states, or a total cost o
4 Will. This placement allows the Mahdi Army to
go or a second attack against the Sunni space in
Rashid next month, permanently clearing it. TheDispersed Militia gives the option o sneaking into
Sunni spaces in Mansour or Karadah, orcing the
Coalition to spend its manpower securing the Sunni
population.
The Mahdi Army has 4 Will let, but expects to gain
10 during the Reset Phase, so he raises 2 more Dis-
persed Militias in Kadhimiyah, giving him the option
o sneaking into Sunni spaces in Adhimiyah, Karkh,
or Mansour. With Recruitment over, the Reset Phase
begins. The Mahdi Army receives 3 points o Will as
always, plus 7 additional points or the 7 incidents o
Violence represented on the map. While the Mahdi
Army is gaining a lot o Will at this early stage o
the game, it has to be careul about spending it too
quickly, as it will have ewer chances to gain Will
later as the Coalition increases its control o the city.
Maintaining a reserve o Will allows the Mahdi Army
to attempt to shatter the security established by the
Coalition late in the game.
The Coalition gains no Intelligence since its units are
not occupying any Development spaces, and the 4Manpower points in Adhimiyahs Sunni space do not
generate the 2 points o Intelligence they normally
would because the district is not secured. Since the
Manpower Requirements o Mansour, Karkh, and
Karadah have all been met (regardless o whether
they are secured or not), Joint Security Stations can
be built in each. JSS counters are placed on their
8/2/2019 Fardh Al-Qanoon Rules 1.0
10/12
Page 10 Fardh al-Qanoon (1.0
Game Tips
2x side.
All Violence counters are removed rom the map.
The Mahdi Army does not choose to remove any
Militias or switch any Active Militias into Dispersed
state. The Mahdi Armys 10 points o Will allow it
to have up to 10 Active Militia on the board, and
it only has 5, so no Active Militias are orced to be
Dispersed. Lastly, the Mahdi Army rolls a die or
attrition, resulting in a 4. A Dispersed Militia must
be returned to the Mahdi Unit Pool, but the Mahdi
Army opts to pay 1 Will to avoid that.
The Month counter is advanced to March, and the
Coalitions 1 BCT and 1 Battalion reinorcements are
added to the Coalition FOBs space. The Manpower
Phase begins with the Coalition once more.
With its 2x Manpower multipliers granted by JSS
counters in Mansour, Karkh, and Karadah, the Coali-
tion can aord to move units while still keeping the
districts secure. It decides to secure Rashid next,
which has a Manpower Requirement o 8. BCTs rom
Mansour and Karadah and the BCT reinorcement
in the FOBs space are moved to Rashid, establishing
9 points o Manpower. The district is not secure,
however, because an Active Militia is present. I that
Militia were not there, the district would be secure
even though there are two Active Militias in the
Sunni space, since they are only operating in theSunni neighborhood.
An example o comba
For this example, there are two Active Militia, 1 BCT,
and 3 Battalions in Karadah with no JSS counter.
The Coalition has the initiative and decides to
attack. The Mahdi Army gains 1 point o Will every
time the Coalition initiates combat against it.
Since the Coalition chooses its units rst, it decides
to use all o its available units as part o the attack,which means it wont be able to launch another
attack in Karadah or the rest o the round. Its total
Manpower is 6. I the Mahdi Army committed 1
Active Militia to the ght, the Coalition would have
a guaranteed chance o ejecting all Active Militias
rom the district with its minimum required roll o
1, so there is no point in not choosing to use both
units.
The appropriate box on the Combat Results Table
is consulted, with required minimum rolls o 3 and
6 to eject the Mahdi Army and inict a Coalition
Casualty, respectively. The Mahdi Army rolls or the
rst number, resulting in a 4. The Coalition rolls or
the second, resulting in a 6. Both Active Militias
must become Dispersed and move into an adjacentunsecured district without exceeding the Mahdi
Stacking Limit, or else return to the Unit Pool, but
the Mahdi Army at least inicted a point o Casualty
upon the Coalition, which contributes to their end
game score.
L. Game Tips
Coaliion
The game is generally chaotic in the rst ewmonths and then ollowed by shorter, less combat-
oriented rounds near the end. The Coalition must
decide on a balance between using its resources to
ght the Mahdi Army, protect Sunnis rom sectarian
violence, and establish security in general. Focusing
on the Mahdi Army early generally makes it more
difcult to secure districts later, since so much ocus
is put on ghting rather than patrolling, gathering
intelligence, and establishing Joint Security Stations
Ignoring the Sunni communitys needs makes
negative actions like terrorist attacks and Sunni-
initiated sectarian violence more likely. These can be
mitigated i districts are secured, but it also means
positive developments like Sunni cooperation with
the Coalition are less likely to occur, and suppres-
sion o the Sunni community means ewer possible
actions during the Sunni phase.
The Coalition must establish as many Joint Security
Stations as early as it can, since the orce multiplier
eect allows it to use its orces more eectively.
Without JSS counters, the Coalition has a total o 30Manpower points by June; ully-developed 3x JSS
counters make that worth 90 points.
Ater building several Joint Security Stations, the
Coalition has the exibility to go on oensive
operations and clear Militias out o the districts it
seeks to secure. Raiding Dispersed Militias returns
them to the Mahdi Unit Pool, but Intelligence is hard
8/2/2019 Fardh Al-Qanoon Rules 1.0
11/12
A counter-insurgency simulation by Robert Hossal Page 11
Game Tips
to gather in the rst ew rounds o the game. Near
the middle and end, the Coalition can gather sub-
stantial amounts o Intelligence and easily raid any
Dispersed Militias that attempt to inltrate secured
areas and break district security.
Successully attacking Active Militias results in
them retreating to adjacent unsecured districts in
Dispersed state, which is important to keep in mind
as you get into oensive operations. Clearing a
district without securing adjacent areas rst gives
the Mahdi Army the opportunity to sneak into your
assumed sae areas.
As the game progresses, the Mahdi Army will ideally
be orced back into Adhimiyah or New Baghdad,
and then Sadr City. While it is possible to win
without securing Sadr City, not doing so will make
the margin o victory much thinner. On the otherhand, combat is more difcult in Sadr City, and it
is possible to suer severe casualties i the Mahdi
Army resists.
In terms o combat, large engagements are always
worse or the Coalition. Casualties become ar
more likely with each additional Militia involved
in combat, so it is always preerable to keep the
Mahdi Army spread out until the end o the game,
where they will hopeully be holed up in Sadr City or
another Shia-heavy area.Mahdi Army
The Coalitions lack o momentum makes the early
months o the operation crucial or the Mahdi Army.
There are basically two choices or a Mahdi player:
strive or ull victory (a difcult task), or settle or
denying the Coalition a ull victory.
For the rst ew months, the Mahdi Army has the
opportunity to attack and clear Sunni neighbor-
hoods, establishing a large reserve o Will and
hurting the Coalitions endgame score. Losing
Militias may seem trivial at rst given the large
amount o Will, but it is important to preserve some
capacity or the latter part o the game.
As the Coalition spreads throughout the city and
establishes Joint Security Stations, it will become
harder and harder to move units and raise new
Militias. Violence will decrease, meaning less new
Will generated or the Mahdi Army. Knowing when
to abandon a district is important, as is exploiting
opportunities to distract the Coalition by inltrating
secure areas with Dispersed Militias.
At some point, which may come at a dierent time
in every game, the Mahdi Army will have to choose
what endgame scenario to pursue: Mahdi victory
or denying the Coalition ull victory. Deciding at
the right time allows you to use your resources
accordingly; risking your Will or an outright victory
will likely mean not having enough to deny the
Coalition ull victory i you ail.
Massing orces is crucial, because even i the
Coalition masses orces to match yours, combat is
more difcult or them with each additional Militia.
When acing one Militia, or example, the Coalitions
chances in combat deteriorate only slightly romhaving a 12 Manpower orce to a 2 Manpower orce.
Additional Militias severely increase the danger o
casualties and improve the Mahdi Armys chances o
remaining in an area.
The best way to avoid the endgame stalemate in
Sadr City is to dictate where the Coalition must send
its orces. Distract their attention with inltrations,
hal-hearted attacks on Sunni spaces, and moving
into seemingly-sae areas. Joint Security Stations
oer the Coalition a signicant Manpower bonus,granting them the momentum to roll back your
presence district by district. Forcing the Coalition to
respond to your presence in rear and sae districts
will stall their advance, giving you more time to
solidiy your orces or a last stand. Maintaining a
hold over just 2 districts by the end o November is
enough to snatch complete victory over the Coali-
tion.
8/2/2019 Fardh Al-Qanoon Rules 1.0
12/12
Page 12 Fardh al-Qanoon
Charts & Tables
Sunni Violence
Nothing happens
Cooperate withCoalition
Terrorist Attack
Sunni Awakening
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
2, 3
11, 12
Karkh
Kadhimiyah
Sadr City
Adhimiyah
Rusaa
New Baghdad
Rashid
Mansour
Karadah
Table 1 Table 3
Table 2
3, 4
1, 2 1
14
4321 >4
Top Related