(*) Note: Appreciation and kudos goes out to Second Chance Games as they partially offset this cost with their Euro Friendly Shipping arrangement with GMT.
Inside the geography jumps up from a beautifully mounted map board (see below, a geography map straight from teh classroom, bended with some lovely photo art, class!):
Then there are the meeples, the event cards, the rules, the bot instructions and the scenarios (see below, a long winter night or two will be spent around this one for sure):
It is a thing of pure beauty to behold and a nice companion to "A Distant Plain".
Inside the geography jumps up from a beautifully mounted map board (see below, a geography map straight from teh classroom, bended with some lovely photo art, class!):
Then there are the meeples, the event cards, the rules, the bot instructions and the scenarios (see below, a long winter night or two will be spent around this one for sure):
It is a thing of pure beauty to behold and a nice companion to "A Distant Plain".
Nice!
ReplyDeleteI have the first edition. Only managed to get it on the table two or three times. I find it utterly frustrating, which is, as it should be!
I love the idea of the COIN games, and I'd love to play them more... but I am utterly crap and figuring out how to actually get anything done ever - which is probably the point. They are unwinable wars.
Thanks Tim, I understand your love/hate with COIN. This and A Distant Plain I see as more of a historical simulation and learning experience or learning through play than a "game to win". The bucket list item will hopefully be ticked this winter ;)
ReplyDeleteOh I absolutely agree! My frustration with the game doesn't indicate dislike or hatred of it. so it's not "Love/Hate", but rather, "Love, but frustrated"... I LOVE that it IS frustrating and I feel like that is kind of the point (or should be). I also totally see it as a simulation/learning experience rather than a game to "win". I mean, how CAN one win a guerilla war? I think the object is how can we end this without losing the most!?
ReplyDeleteI've never been one that wants to "win" games. "Was the game interesting" is much more important to me, and the COIN games are utterly fascinating to me!
The frustrations for me twofold. One is the built-in frustration of the game - where you are playing with an ally that has entirely different motivations and victory conditions. Which is why I love the games.
The other frustration comes from certain neurodevelopmental challenges I have that often make it very hard from me to read, understand, and retain complicated rules and thus play with what I feel like is a relative amount of competency... That, combined with the internal friction of the game and overwhelming number of choices in how to prosecute your war... Gets to be a bit much... But I still WANT to be able to play them!!!!
Sometimes I feel like, if, y'know, I had unlimited time at my disposal, I could set up the game and just run it with the bots to see how things play out to LEARN the game... but who has time and space to do that!?
I think the one COIN game I actually played to a conclusion was Andean Abyss... So fun. I mean, Drug Cartels were one of the factions!?
Anyway, hope you can check off that bucket list item and let us know how it went!
Hello Tim,
ReplyDeleteI think we are of like minds on this one ;)
I think by the nature of the beast they are they are necessarily "simple in parts" but "complex in whole"
A Distant Plain was an extremely useful wargaming learning tool for the British Army and Foreign Office (according to the UK Connections website (Wargaming Professionals)
So COIN like Fire In The Lake firmly straddles the mark between Professional and Hobbyist!
Looking for for the "learn burn" as I follow in your footsteps!
Best Wishes
Mark