Ambush Alley
Introduction
Wargaming low-intensity conflicts has been a problem since wargaming has been a hobby. It’s a more difficult prospect to wargame a conflict where one side can’t tell friend from foe, has rules of engagement it must follow and often deals with civilians who have taken up arms and all the moral quandaries that bring with it.
The modern advent of guerillas comes from the very word guerilla, which was born of those Spanish civilians who took up arms against Napoleon’s French Armies during his ill-fated invasion of Spain. The word first appeared in the Oxford Dictionary of 1809 and referred to the hit and run raiders who hit the French columns where they were weak and fading away before stronger French forces could crush them. It’s been a successful formula throughout the ages in a variety of conflicts, and it’s been called many names: “Guerilla Warfare, ““Low-Intensity Conflict (LIC),” “Asymmetrical Conflict,” and “Wars of Liberation.”
But due to their murky nature, they’ve not been often simulated on the wargaming table in the past. But that’s changing with the recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq and the constant low-level global conflicts comprising the War on Terror or the War on Drugs (who, depending on where you are, often go hand in hand.) There are a million LICs all over the world, and not all of them are even fought by militaries on either side. Look at your average SWAT raid on a drug lab or Old West gunfight. These, by definition, are LICs. Let’s look at a few games on the subject that I think do well to illustrate the difficulties of LICs and how the murky natures of those conflicts can be gamed out?
LIC Boardgames:
The COIN (Counterinsurgency) Series by GMT:
GMT
GMT’s COIN Series has been immensely popular with wargamers and has been a real departure from the usual “hex and counter” fare one usually finds in a boardgame. The series has covered everything from the Gallic Revolt against Caesar to the current conflict in Afghanistan, and a few interesting conflicts in between, like the 1959 Cuban Revolution and the Drug War in Columbia in the 1980s. The game turn is asymmetrical, with play events determined by a deck of cards, so you really don’t have the same thing happen twice in the same game. And, the nice part is, once you have learned one game, you know the basics for all the others. I wish I could say I have played any of these games (yes, Wargaming sin on my part, I will do penance.), but I’d love to give them a try.
Mosby’s Raiders: Guerilla Warfare in the Civil War by Victory Games:
Board Game Geek
This is a solitaire game where you play Moesby and his raiders hitting various Union targets in and around Northern Virginia (local chap he was) during the Civil War. The game is fast-moving and plays wild and wooly. I rather liked it, and I think it did a good job of simulating the complex subject matter. It simulates the life of a guerilla well, hit where the enemy is weak, and then run and hide when you become too successful, and the proverbial heat is on. I highly recommend this game. While it’s out of print, you can find a copy on Board Game Geek for a reasonable price.
Board Game Geek
This is an awesome little card game I played many times as a fun little “time-waster” at my old wargaming club in NYC. The game was a brutal little slugfest where you play both the government and the rebels to score points for your side. The government players are often constrained by various rules of engagement, and the dreaded UN Peacekeeper card can always derail your plans at the worst possible moment. For a beer and pretzels card game, Avalon Hill did a fine job simulating the basics of COIN, and its many frustrations. Prices on BGG currently are pretty reasonable for this game, and I’d recommend it highly.
Board Game Geek
Gunslinger is a quirky card-driven game about the LIC all Americans are most familiar with. The Old West. It was full of range wars, gunfights, rival gangs, and everything in-between. I will admit the Old West isn’t one of my gaming periods, but I do rather like the system displayed here. It’s two feet per hex, and you run your character like a poker deck (how very thematic). Once you decide, you draw a card for what happens. Pretty simple, and pictures on the BGG site suggest the game is very adaptable to miniatures play (a big plus for me). Sadly, like all AH products from the 80s, it’s out of print, and demand for the game is high, so expect to pay a premium for this one.
Miniatures Gaming for LIC Conflicts?
Ambush Alley
Most skirmish games in my last article would do well to cover the LIC conflicts one finds extant in the world today, but there are some larger-scale games that would also do well to cover the unique nature of various LIC scenarios.
Ambush Alley Games Force on Force
Ambush Alley
If you like asymmetrical warfare, get this game. I’ve played this game, written for this game, and generally, it’s my go-to modern warfare game. The game is based on a simple principle: 4+ on a dice roll is a success. It’s also a “bucket of dice” game which I like. It’s also a very deadly game, where even rifles span the table, and using cover is a requirement. I also like how the game covers guerillas, not as an afterthought, but as a balanced force that can, if handled properly, cause a lot of mayhem. The guerillas in the game enter through a series of “hot spots” where they can, if the non-guerilla player isn’t careful, have guerillas popping up behind him. And, unless the non-guerilla player gets aggressive about killing those hot spots, he’s going to continually face more and more guerillas. That said, if he gets too aggressive, like say to civilians, or worse, in front of the media? Then they might start a riot or lose victory points. Medics, Snipers, Military Working Dogs, Drones, it’s all there. Shawn Carpenter, the designer of the game, did a fine job with the series, and it’s a real shame the game is out of print, with supplements that range from Afghanistan today, to Vietnam, to African Bush Wars, and Classified operations around the globe. The rules work well in 15mm, 20mm, and 28mm (having played and run the game in all three scales). The game could do anything from Afghanistan to the raid on the meth house down the block. It’s really that versatile. The PDFs of all these supplements are still available for reasonable prices, and I say, if you like modern skirmish gaming, get this book.
Contact Front by Gods Eye Games
Gods Eye Games
I like this game, I will admit I have not broken it out on a table
yet, but Carl Titterington has written a very approachable set of rules about
the war in Afghanistan. It handles larger scale stuff than, say, Skirmish
Sangin, and some have favorably compared it to Force on Force. I agree with
that assessment, and there’s a lot to like about these rules. They’re simple,
simulate the restrictive ROEs most Western forces find themselves in. I also
like the force lists with the variable victory conditions. Both sides can claim
victory, just like in real life. I’d highly recommend these rules and am
looking forward to playing them. And, with the Special Forces supplement,
Carl’s expanded the focus of Contact Front globally. The rules are geared
towards 20mm, but I suspect they’d run well with 15s and 28s as well.
Gunfighter’s
Ball by Knuckleduster Games
Knuckleduster
I’ve promised myself one of these days: I am going to do Western Gunfights. You don’t need a lot of figures, they’re very small conflicts (The OK Corral fight only had a dozen or so participants on both sides), and it lends itself well to campaigns. I like the fact the game runs off a deck of playing cards and real poker chips. Yes, very atmospheric. I will admit, I’d like to try the game out myself. I have a friend who has the rules and wants to play, and I will write a more detailed review, but between the free rules available for download, and the miniatures line, color me intrigued. I will do a more detailed review when I get a chance.
Well, that’s it for now. I hope this has whetted everyone’s appetite for more LIC ideas. There are tons of smaller wars out there. Find one to game!
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(This article is credited to Jason Weiser. Jason is a long-time wargamer with published works in the Journal of the Society of Twentieth Century Wargamers; Miniature Wargames Magazine; and Wargames, Strategy, and Soldier.)