A military board game based on the 17th Century conflict between New England settlers and Native Americans known as King Philip’s War has been criticized by some Native American groups who say that the game trivializes the conflict and perpetuates Indian stereotypes.

According to the Associated Press, the King Philip’s War board game has still not been released.  MultiMan Publishing, which specializes in war games, plans to distribute the game once it gets enough orders to justify production.  The game was designed by Maryland social studies teacher John Poniske, who has already removed a reference in the game’s promotional materials to “our Puritan ancestors.”

In the two-player game one participant wins by capturing and killing the Indian leaders King Philip (Metacom) and Canonchet, while the other can triumph by capturing Boston and the Plymouth colony.  A special die produces different combat outcomes such as ambush or massacre.

Former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling who is one of the financial backers of the board game company defended the game: “If everyone intent on keeping historical events stopped at content that might seem offensive, we'd lose sight of the horrific mistakes this nation, the world and the human race are capable of, and that would be a horrific thing.”