We had a first shot at a multi-player game of A Distant Plain on Friday. This is the third volume in GMT's COIN (counter-insurgency) series, coming on the heels of Cuba Libre. Avid readers of this blog will know that I played through a few turns of Cuba Libre in solo mode and can read that again here.
A Distant Plain covers the war in Afghanistan between 2003-13, with the key factions being the Coalition forces (NATO), the Afghan government in Kabul, the Taliban and the Warlords, largely non-Pashtun drug lords, etc. It is a bigger and more sophisticated beast than Cuba Libre and takes longer to play. Unlike Cuba Libre, two factions are meant to be formally allied although with different victory objectives, namely the Afghan government and the Coalition. It is not possible for them to win as a team.
Instead of the US posture track in Cuba Libre, we have a Pakistan government posture which dictates the degree to which the Taliban can make use of their base areas in Pakistan. Also new is Lines of Communications, basically the main highways through the country, which can provide resources to the government but can also be hijacked by warlords and sabotaged by Taliban.
We played a full four player game, and this was largely a learning exercise for most of us. The system can take a bit of getting used to, and the strategic game can be frustrating, but then who ever said counter-insurgency warfare was easy?
Each player has a very different suite of actions and capabilities to choose from. I was playing the Coalition, and my two priorities were trying to reduce the foreign military in Afghanistan and increase support for the government around the country. This was quite difficult but I did not realise I could also close down bases rather than just reduce the amount of troops in-country.
The Coalition and the Government player share the same resource track as well, and it is possible for the Coalition player to reduce the Patronage score which the Afghan government needs to help it to meets its victory conditions. It is an interesting relationship, as I needed to cooperate with the Kabul government to keep the Taliban at bay, but I was also aware that Kabul was looking most likely to win, hence would have needed to reign him in to give myself a chance of victory.
All players were trying to get to grips with their various roles in the first couple of hours, but after that the game moved along at a fair clip. It is not a short game, and I get the impression that whereas Cuba Libre could be played in an evening, A Distant Plain requires a bit more than that.
I think the Coalition is a tough role to play in the game, despite having the best troops, air lifts and air strike capabilities. The victory conditions for the Coaltion means the fewer men you have on the board, the better for you, which flies in the face of most conventional military simulations.
We eventually called it a night a one in the morning, which was probably sensible. The Government was in sight of victory with the Taliban not far behind. I think it is fair to say I was coming last.
I think A Distant Plain would benefit from playing via Vassal and there was some talk around the table of revisiting it in this format. Alternatively, I think, like Firefly, it is a game that really warrants the commit of a good six hours or so to play to an adequate conclusion.
A Distant Plain covers the war in Afghanistan between 2003-13, with the key factions being the Coalition forces (NATO), the Afghan government in Kabul, the Taliban and the Warlords, largely non-Pashtun drug lords, etc. It is a bigger and more sophisticated beast than Cuba Libre and takes longer to play. Unlike Cuba Libre, two factions are meant to be formally allied although with different victory objectives, namely the Afghan government and the Coalition. It is not possible for them to win as a team.
Instead of the US posture track in Cuba Libre, we have a Pakistan government posture which dictates the degree to which the Taliban can make use of their base areas in Pakistan. Also new is Lines of Communications, basically the main highways through the country, which can provide resources to the government but can also be hijacked by warlords and sabotaged by Taliban.
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| The game in full swing - Taliban rampage across Afghanistan |
We played a full four player game, and this was largely a learning exercise for most of us. The system can take a bit of getting used to, and the strategic game can be frustrating, but then who ever said counter-insurgency warfare was easy?
Each player has a very different suite of actions and capabilities to choose from. I was playing the Coalition, and my two priorities were trying to reduce the foreign military in Afghanistan and increase support for the government around the country. This was quite difficult but I did not realise I could also close down bases rather than just reduce the amount of troops in-country.
The Coalition and the Government player share the same resource track as well, and it is possible for the Coalition player to reduce the Patronage score which the Afghan government needs to help it to meets its victory conditions. It is an interesting relationship, as I needed to cooperate with the Kabul government to keep the Taliban at bay, but I was also aware that Kabul was looking most likely to win, hence would have needed to reign him in to give myself a chance of victory.
 |
| A closer look - blue cubes are Afghan government army and police |
All players were trying to get to grips with their various roles in the first couple of hours, but after that the game moved along at a fair clip. It is not a short game, and I get the impression that whereas Cuba Libre could be played in an evening, A Distant Plain requires a bit more than that.
I think the Coalition is a tough role to play in the game, despite having the best troops, air lifts and air strike capabilities. The victory conditions for the Coaltion means the fewer men you have on the board, the better for you, which flies in the face of most conventional military simulations.
We eventually called it a night a one in the morning, which was probably sensible. The Government was in sight of victory with the Taliban not far behind. I think it is fair to say I was coming last.
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| Green pieces = warlord troops and poppy farms in Balkh |
I think A Distant Plain would benefit from playing via Vassal and there was some talk around the table of revisiting it in this format. Alternatively, I think, like Firefly, it is a game that really warrants the commit of a good six hours or so to play to an adequate conclusion.
It's a compelling and entertaining game. It has a feel of a multiplayer puzzle, and I want to play again so I can try to solve it.
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