Ploughing in the COIN Field:

Recent Developments in Commercial

Insurgency Wargames

MORS 81.1Virtual Symposium

15 June 2013

Civilian Game Designers and Modern Era Operational/Strategic-level IW/COIN Games

• Mike Anderson: Marine Expeditionary Unit Simulator• Rich Davis: Chad - The Toyota Wars• James Dunnigan: Minuteman: the Second American Revolution• Karsten Engelmann: Colombia• Irad Hardy: South Africa• Lawrence Harris: National Liberation Front• Kim Kanger: Ici, C’est La France!, Tonkin• Nick Karp: Vietnam 1965-75• Ben Madison: Liberia – Descent Into Hell• Joseph Miranda: BCT Kandahar, Battle for Baghdad, Decision: Iraq, Greenline: Chechnya, Holy War:

Afghanistan, Indochina, In Country, Nicaragua, Sealords, Somali Pirates, Tet ‘68, Winged Horse• Philip Orbanes: Viet Nam• John Poniske: Hearts and Minds: Vietnam 1965-75• Javier Romero: Partizan• Volko Ruhnke: A Distant Plain, Andean Abyss, Cuba Libre, Labyrinth• Dick Rustin: Tito• Blake Smith: Insurgency• Brian Train: A Distant Plain, Algeria, BCT Kandahar, District Commander, EOKA, Greek Civil War, Green

Beret, Kandahar, Next War in Lebanon, Operation Whirlwind, Red Guard, Shining Path, Somalia: Interventions, Tupamaro

COIN games – the road not taken

Unpopular, morally ambiguous and unglamorous subject

Game variables difficult to quantify Asymmetric situation with unfamiliar mechanics Abstracted play of a nebulous conflict with no

clear endpoint

A Good COIN Game Design: Shows the relative importance of factors Has asymmetry of means, methods, objectives

and information Has transparent assumptions and mechanisms Is not meant to be strongly definitive or

predictive Is mutable Stimulates discussion!

Green Beret

KANDAHAR

 Historical Antecedents AGILE-COIN game - http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/647051.pdf  Tacspiel - http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf&AD=AD0811508   Tactical Games Boots on the Ground - http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/68876/boots-on-the-ground  Lock n’ Load: A Day of Heroes - http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/25727/lock-n-load-a-day-of-heroes  Operation Anaconda - http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/107027/operation-anaconda  Phantom Fury - http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/91010/phantom-fury   Operational Games Battle for Baghdad - http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/29848/battle-for-baghdad BCT Kandahar - http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/126708/bct-kandahar  Green Beret – forthcoming http://modernwarmagazine.com/  Kandahar – forthcoming http://modernwarmagazine.com/  SeaLords - http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/25994/sealords-the-vietnam-war-in-the-mekong-delta  Urbansim - http://ict.usc.edu/prototypes/urbansim/  Strategic Games Algeria - http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/11293/algeria-the-war-of-independence-1954-1962  Andean Abyss - http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/91080/andean-abyss A Distant Plain - http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/127518/a-distant-plain  Cuba Libre - http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/111799/cuba-libre  Decision Iraq - http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/116739/decision-iraq  Greek Civil War – forthcoming http://shop.strategyandtacticspress.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MW011  In Country - http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/130042/in-country-vietnam-1965-75  Labyrinth - http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/62227/labyrinth-the-war-on-terror-2001

(list available at http://brtrain.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/mors811-links-page.docx )

Thank you!

Questions?

email:brian.train@gmail.com

http://brtrain.wordpress.com/game-links-and-resources/