Clash in the Strait

A game that simulates a hypothetical current diplomatic and military confrontation between Spain and Morocco. First, six months of tensions are simulated (one month per turn), during which a confrontation in the so-called “Gray Zone” is played out via a card game. Players provoke their opponent to earn victory points through event cards and low-intensity military actions (air and naval incidents involving patrol boats in hot zones).

You can also earn VP by competing on four political tracks where the two countries clash, or by seeking U.S. support to back your position against your rival—in which case, you’ll support the U.S.’s various foreign policies around the world. And all of this must happen before the conflict escalates, which could lead to four days of war between the two countries if that’s the case.

There are several ways to win the game. In the conflict in the gray zone, you simply need to reach 80 VP to win, though you can also win automatically if you manage to move the “Bilateral Relations” marker all the way to the end of the track marked with your flag. You also win automatically if at any point your “Alignment with the US” marker exceeds the “US Stance” marker in the conflict. If the conflict escalates into full-scale armed conflict, you win by reaching 120 VP or by achieving automatic victory milestones through the capture of military objectives.