Trying to suggest a COIN game is a lot like trying to suggest a beer. What do you like? What don’t you like? 5 different people will put these games in 5 different orders and I’d nod at all of them and say “yeah that feels right”. For this article I’ve decided to list them in the order I’m likely to pull them off the shelf. I’m not ranking them from “least to best” or “easiest to hardest” list, it’s more my desire to play them.
As I wrote in Part 1, COIN games are deeply personal so trying to rank or order them in a list is tricky. This isn’t the list, it’s just my list. If you have a particular pull to any of the conflicts in this series, the best advice is just to start there. If you don’t, maybe I can help you decide where to jump in.
5. Fire in the Lake
COIN aficionados are probably already scratching their heads. Fire in the Lake is the highest ranked COIN on BGG and many people consider the way it explores this complex conflict as top notch. I can’t really disagree with them. The NVA gathers in the north, providing a constant source of pressure. The VietCong pop up like weeds seeding chaos and frustrating the two Counter Insurgent factions. The relationship between the US Government and the ARVN is tense and arguably more intertwined than the analogous relationship in A Distant Plain.
This one is big, meaty, and will push the strategic elements of your brain to their limits. I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface of this game and wouldn’t consider myself proficient. On top of all the classic COIN game elements I talked about in Part 1, Fire in the Lake’s coup cards simulate the various changes in governmental policy. Various Vietnamese leaders take power and change the capabilities of the ARVN. The very foundation on which you fight shifts and changes like jungle muck underneath your foot. Oh yes, there is a reason this game is so popular and it’s because it’s a fantastic game.
And yet, it isn’t my favorite. To be frank, the conflict in Vietnam is not one that particularly interests me. I was born in a Latin American country that observed this war via television. While my grandpa was a US Marine, he was a part of the Korean War. I have little to no personal connection to Fire in the Lake. While the same holds true for some of the other games, Fire in the Lake’s game mechanics are very similar to A Distant Plain, which resonates on a deeper personal level. The only reason this is first on the list is because ADP sits right next to it on the shelf.
4. Andean Abyss
Andean Abyss is both the first COIN and the last one I picked up. My incorrect opinion was that later COINs had likely improved on the system so much that there wasn’t a point to seek this one out. It wasn’t until Wagner Moura introduced me to Colombia through Netflix’s Narcos that I decided to finally explore this Abyss. Now, Andean Abyss takes place after Pablo Escobar’s reign of terror came to an end atop a tiled roof but that didn’t stop me from kicking on the soundtrack and spreading the board out on the table. There are still some familiar sights-Medellin is still a key city and drug cartels are even one of the factions-but Andean Abyss will drop you into the rebellious aftermath of Pablo’s era.
Complexity wise, Andean Abyss leans towards the heavy side. FARC zones move around the board locking various factions out of the action. The President will change throughout the game, changing the resources the Government has available to fight the insurgency. I love that the Cartels will ship drugs that can be intercepted and “spent” by the different factions for resources or bonus actions. For the experienced, playing as the paramilitary AUC can be fun as it has no similar parallel in other titles. A ruthless and violent organization, they’ll oppose anyone in their path to crush the left-wing Marxist revolutionaries. Not the best entry point to the series, but then again Narcos Season 3 is on the way and that might be enough to get some friends to try it.
3. Liberty or Death
Of all the COIN titles, Liberty or Death is the most different. Each faction has two conditions that need to be met to win, though they aren’t all unique. Rather than have victory conditions that intertwine indirectly, each faction in LoD shares half of their victory condition with someone else. Both the French and the Patriots want popular Opposition to the Crown, it’s their secondary condition that makes them different. Concerned with settling the land, the Patriots hope to build forts and remove Native American presence. Less concerned with settling a large continent, the French hope to weaken the British Military by imposing heavy casualties. This binds allies together stronger than in the other COINs and gives it more of a team feel.
The combat is also dramatically different and feels more like traditional wargames. Dice pools are formed and tables are consulted before determining who wins on the back of some dice rolls. Revolutionary combat was brutal and public with armies massing on large fields and LoD captures that in the way combat directly affects the population’s support of the Crown. Combat is risky as a large win for your opponent can shift support in their favor. Liberty of Death offers a unique look into a well-studied conflict. I highly recommend it as a 1st or 2nd purchase as it provides a very different take on a familiar COIN formula. It also gives me another opportunity to share one of my favorite pictures of me and my son.
2. A Distant Plain
If you know me, you might be surprised this isn’t atop the list. I’ve written before about how A Distant Plain “blew my mind” the first time I played, and because of that it’s still one of the few games I’ve ever rated a 10 on BGG. ADP is my favorite COIN because of how personal an experience it provides. I grew up with the War on Terror and associated conflicts raging in the background of my life. My uncle entered Afghanistan in the early days of the Post-9/11 conflict as an embedded journalist and friends have signed up and deployed to that region as I’ve grown older. ADP is extremely relevant in today’s world.
It also has my favorite gameplay. The Coalition drags Government forces across the dusty board, helping the Government gain control as easily as the Government stabs them in the back by sapping support. Across all titles, the Warlords remain the toughest strategic nut for me to crack though the most fun to play. They’ll work with the Taliban for the most part, but there are always plenty of opportunities for them to work with the Coalition. It’s a constant reminder that the US can’t claim the moral high ground in everything they do.
ADP comes off my shelf more often than Fire in the Lake primarily because it’s slightly simpler but gives an equally rich experience. I can’t recommend this game enough, just watch out for the Coalition Air Lift victory.
1. Cuba Libre
This brings us to Cuba Libre. Do not mistake its relative simplicity for a lack of engaging play. CL is simple not because the mechanics are simple-it’s still a COIN game-but because the victory conditions are direct and brutal. Alliances occur because of a need to help each other and pull down the victors, not because of parallel goals. Castro’s insurgents are fighting a very direct war of control while the Directorio is playing a political game. The government scrambles to keep support of the population while the US Mafia (Syndicate) is simply trying to keep their financial money laundering scheme afloat.
Cuba Libre is fast and tense, with a very clear arc. The Government starts out in an extremely powerful position but rapidly sees that support erode as its attacked politically and militarily by the insurgents. The 26July guerillas begin packed on the east side of the island but, left unchecked, can quickly become entrenched and a difficult force to recon with. For people who enjoy negotiation and winning on the back of whispered promises, the Syndicate is one of the best choices in the COIN family.
The COIN series has captured me since my first play, and there are at least THREE more titles and an expansion for Cuba Libre in the works. It’s a very flexible system. Despite originally being designed for modern insurgencies, it’s been adapted to musket-era warfare in Liberty or Death and I understand it works great in Falling Sky, set in the time of the Roman Empire. I hope that these two articles can shed some light on why I love these games so much and help you choose an entry point if you haven’t experienced them yet.
Have any questions or feedback? Drop us a note in the comments below or email us at contact@goonhammer.com. Want articles like this linked in your inbox every Monday morning? Sign up for our newsletter. And don’t forget that you can support us on Patreon for backer rewards like early video content, Administratum access, an ad-free experience on our website and more.
