Makers defend planned board game on Troubles after outcry

It pits the IRA against the British army and the Royal Ulster Constabulary, it lets players plant bombs and make political deals, and it promises to wrap up the conflict within six hours.

- Rory Carroll Ireland correspondent

Welcome to the Troubles - the provisional board game version. The brainchild of a US games company, The Troubles: Shadow War in Northern Ireland 1964-1998, is played with dice, tokens and a deck of 260 cards.

The game is not yet complete or available for purchase, but disclosure of its existence yesterday prompted an outcry in Northern Ireland, where a victims' rights group said it could retraumatise people.

"They're oversimplifying what is a very complex issue," said Kenny Donaldson of the South East Fermanagh Foundation. Victims and survivors could feel "triggered" by the game, he said. "Many will feel that it has the effect of minimising their suffering."

The proposed game overlooked the conflict's enduring legacy, added Donaldson. "What would be the likely response of 9/11 families were these US producers to make a comparable board game about 9/11, with players being the FBI, or a terrorist murdering a pilot?