Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
How it plays
How does it play?
1979: Revolution in Iran is a national-level strategic wargame covering the events leading up to the 1953 coup, the Islamic Revolution, and the turbulent period in between.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Dice Rolling
Roll dice to introduce uncertainty into actions, production, movement, or resolution.
Hand Management
Time and sequence a limited hand of cards to preserve future options.
Open Drafting
Select cards or items from a shared face-up display.
Action/Event
Cards can provide player actions, trigger events, or force a choice between them.
Chit-Pull System
Draw tokens to determine which units, factions, or events activate next.
Simulation
Model a real or imagined system through detailed cause-and-effect rules.
Read the full game description
1979: Revolution in Iran is a national-level strategic wargame covering the events leading up to the 1953 coup, the Islamic Revolution, and the turbulent period in between. You play as either the Coalition, pushing to nationalize the oil industry and later rise to oppose the Shah and remove him from power, or as the Royalist, fighting to keep the Shah, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, in power and protect American and British oil interests. 1979 is a card-driven wargame for two players. Unlike many other event card games, each turn begins with a draft of event cards before alternating action rounds. Factional influence is each player's primary resource. It is used to trigger events, take actions and most importantly, mount opposition to those in power. Scoring is not open information, keeping tension front and center from start to finish. Do you have what it takes to change the course of history? —description from the designer