Somali Pirates, designed by Joseph Miranda, is a wargame set in a hypothetical
Coalition campaign to destroy the power of pirates based in Somalia, as well
as to otherwise gain control of that country. The assumption of the game is that
the pirates, in league with local warlords and Al Qaeda, have become strong
enough to be an even bigger threat to the region than they are now. In response,
various powers launch military action against them.
There are two players in Somali Pirates: The Coalition, who wants to destroy
the pirates, and the Pirates, who want to survive, as well as to maximize their own
power and wealth. Central to play of the game is the Netwar Index. Each player
has a Netwar Index that indicates how successful he is in achieving his goals...
effectively, representing the amount of public support that each side is getting.
The Netwar Index affects various aspects of the game, such as mobilization of
reinforcements, and is also part of gaining victory.
Both players have a set of counters that represent their naval, land, air and
special operations forces (SOF). Players move their pieces across the spaces on
the map and engage in various kinds of conflict in order to destroy enemy forces,
seize critical geographical regions, and change the Netwar Index (hopefully in
their favor). Both sides can mobilize new units by paying for them with Netwar
Points. Given the asymmetry of the situation, each side in the game will have
several unique rules..
The game includes one map of East Africa and environs, from the Red Sea
to the Indian Ocean, and one counter-sheet (228 counters) representing various
pirate and Al Qaeda forces, local militias and warlords, plus the principle Coalition
forces (primarily NATO and the United States, and even a potential inclusion of a
Chinese expeditionary force).
