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The British Way: Counterinsurgency at the End of Empire box art

The British Way: Counterinsurgency at the End of Empire

Game ID: GID0323125
Game Info
Year
2023
Collection
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Description

The British Way: Counterinsurgency at the End of Empire is the first of several COIN multipacks, containing four separate wargames exploring a series of thematically related insurgencies. Between 1945 and 1960, the British fought four major “emergencies”, as they referred to their counterinsurgency campaigns, each trying to manage their retreat from empire. The four games in this pack focus on exploring British counterinsurgent responses to a variety of different opponents, including communist insurgents in Malaya, militant nationalists in Kenya, and smaller and more clandestine terrorist organizations in Palestine and Cyprus. The games adjust the core COIN mechanics to provide a compelling new way of handling two-player conflicts, while also streamlining several mechanics to quicken gameplay. The British Way offers an approachable introduction to the COIN series for new players, while presenting experienced players with four mechanically distinct games to explore and compare.

—description from the publisher

Description

The British Way: Counterinsurgency at the End of Empire is the first of several COIN multipacks, containing four separate wargames exploring a series of thematically related insurgencies. Between 1945 and 1960, the British fought four major “emergencies”, as they referred to their counterinsurgency campaigns, each trying to manage their retreat from empire. The four games in this pack focus on exploring British counterinsurgent responses to a variety of different opponents, including communist insurgents in Malaya, militant nationalists in Kenya, and smaller and more clandestine terrorist organizations in Palestine and Cyprus. The games adjust the core COIN mechanics to provide a compelling new way of handling two-player conflicts, while also streamlining several mechanics to quicken gameplay. The British Way offers an approachable introduction to the COIN series for new players, while presenting experienced players with four mechanically distinct games to explore and compare.

—description from the publisher

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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 2
This page: 2
Sentiment: pos 1 · mix 1 · neu 0 · neg 0
Mentions per page
Showing 1–2 of 2
Video SEZnCNM3zxw Watch It Played Discussion at 26:20 sentiment: positive
video_pk 87358 · mention_pk 228175
Watch It Played - The British Way: Counterinsurgency at the End of Empire video thumbnail
Click to watch at 26:20 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
Positive
Pros
  • Approachable introduction to the COIN series
  • Educational value
  • Connects different board game communities
  • Simpler and shorter than other COIN games
  • Lots of content in the box
  • Mechanically distinct games within the pack
Cons
  • Learning one game means learning 85% of others, focus on passion over ease of learning.
Thematic elements
  • Managing British retreat from Empire through counter-insurgency
  • British counter-insurgency campaigns from 1945-1960
  • Historical simulation
Comparison games
  • COIN series games
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • coin system — The game adjusts the core coin mechanisms to provide a compelling new way to handle two-player conflicts while also streamlining several mechanisms to Quicken game playay.
  • Modular scenarios — There are four games in the pack focusing on exploring British counter and surgery responses to variety of different opponents.
  • Two-player conflict — It's two players and they are simpler shorter more approachable games to play.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • I love Gloom Haven but due to the time and setup and tear down and having to replay many missions my wife and I haven't finished any of the games until now.
  • I love buttons and bugs and for $15 I was able to take the cutest Gloom Haven on the planet which is a phrase I never thought I'd be saying on a business trip with me and play through three scenarios on the desk in the hotel.
  • The size and simplicity and the duration all make this game a winner for me and most likely the first Gloom Haven I'll finish.
  • I really enjoyed my play of buttons and bugs which I was not expecting.
  • I enjoyed it that much I thought it was great and at some point there's a Twist and you go what how okay cool let's do that.
  • This coin system has been the most remarkable bridge between different parts of the hobby that just really stands out and shows that it must be something very very special.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video _f6CRguEx5Y Rolling Dice & Taking Names Discussion at 0:24 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 2329 · mention_pk 142858
Rolling Dice & Taking Names - The British Way: Counterinsurgency at the End of Empire video thumbnail
Click to watch at 0:24 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
  • Potentially interesting event-driven decisions
  • Multiple scenarios for replayability
  • Direct two-player interaction
Cons
  • Event cards can restrict options
  • No map described in discussion; unclear balance
  • Uncertainty about replayability
Thematic elements
Comparison games
  • Ethnos
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • Compound Scoring — Variant scoring if you're ahead at the end of rounds.
  • End-of-round lead-based scoring variant — Variant scoring if you're ahead at the end of rounds.
  • event cards — Cards that can force actions and limit options.
  • Events — Cards that can force actions and limit options.
  • Limited operation vs full operation — Choice each turn between performing one action or a full operation.
  • Multiple scenarios — Three scenarios on the map to vary gameplay.
  • Positive Player Interaction — Competitive play with direct disruption to the opponent.
  • Scenario / Mission / Campaign Game — Three scenarios on the map to vary gameplay.
  • Two-player interaction — Competitive play with direct disruption to the opponent.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • I do not like when event cards force me to have no options
  • this is not Ethnos
  • it's a completely different scaled down game set collection
  • Ethnos to me was an intense area control game
  • this is literally just set collection and managing boards
  • it's a clever economic game because you've got factions coming out on the board
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
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