While the dramatic events of the People Power Revolution are familiar to many people, far fewer know the events that led to the mass protests and to Marcos’ deposition. The event deck in People Power covers these lesser known events – the events of February 1986 are simulated via a different method – and they are no less dramatic. These events range from assassinations to nonviolent protests; from corrupt bargains to public works projects; from public trials of military figures to private paranoia that almost destroyed the NPA. This article looks at a few examples of events from People Power – note that all cards shown in this article are prototype art.

Much like other COIN Event Decks, this deck starts with eligibility. As People Power plays shorter campaigns of 10 cards, and a maximum of 3 campaigns, the Event deck includes only 36 cards – 6 groups of 6 cards, representing one set of every possible eligibility order. Cutting down to this number ensures a roughly equitable distribution of faction eligibility order in the constructed deck, as well as making sure that the events can be specific and memorable. Those familiar with COIN will recognize the hallmarks of the cards – faction order, multiple event options, and flavor text. COIN designer Brian Train has noted multiple times that building an Event deck is the hardest part of making a COIN game: he is not lying! Ken and I went through dozens of variations of these events just to get the correct titles and flavor text, and that doesn’t even account for the changes made for game balance. There are so many events to choose from, and so much to consider about what makes an event memorable, fun to play, and historically relevant.

People Power uses “Election!” cards as the interphase card, like Propaganda, Coup, Winter Quarters, or Epoch cards in other volumes. Each Election card (except for the final Election card) features a momentum effect for the next campaign; while these are called Elections, one of them features the assassination of Ninoy Aquino rather than an Election. This pivotal moment deserved to be featured on its own card. The other Election cards represent historical elections that were held in 1982, 1984, and the Snap Election of 1986 that led to the end of the Marcos regime.

People Power’s sequence of play allows players to take a Limited Operation and remain eligible, which has a major impact on the way that Events are balanced. The first is that in People Power, players do not see one card ahead into the deck. That means that an event that is too strong cannot be predicted and mitigated, which is a frustrating experience for players. However, on a single card any number of factions can perform a Limited Operation and remain eligible, which makes it easy to wait for a strong event to roll around. Thus, the events needed to be strong enough to induce a Limited Operation. The compromise was to make the events stronger for the second or third eligible faction in general, meaning that a first eligible player would want to act to deny the event to the next eligible faction (by giving up on a Special Activity). Some events are still strongest for the first eligible faction (or equally strong for all factions), but this variation in strength is a key factor in the dynamic jockeying for position in the 3-player Sequence of Play.

People Power has no Capability cards in the deck, so the basic game is easier to learn (and teach). In fact, Ken and I tried to keep the Event deck accessible while still making it interesting. One example of this is Kampanyang Ahos, which removes some Guerrillas or Police from play for the remainder of that campaign. We made sure that everything you needed to know to play the card was printed on the card, rather than using the Momentum concept for a single non-Election card. This particular card represents the NPA purges in the early to mid 1980s which reduced the effectiveness of the NPA as a fighting force (and may have cost them the victory). Another way that we kept the deck simple is that there is no period events option – all the cards are shuffled and used in each game. This can lead to interesting ordering of cards, like Ninoy Speaks Against Marcos being played after Ninoy Aquino Murdered. In this case, the former card would simply represent the legacy of Aquino’s speeches, or the reprinting of a particularly famous speech in the newspaper. Either way, we felt that this tradeoff was well worth making rather than asking players to construct the deck according to special rules – especially players expecting a simpler COIN game.

I have learned an immense amount about Filipino history and culture while editing the cards for People Power. As with all other COIN games, the Playbook will feature histories for each card, as well as tips on playing the event, so you can learn while you play the game. Since each card references a specific event, you should be able to tie those events to the books you read or documentaries you watch, and turn People Power into a playable history of the Philippines.

Next week we will look at the culture of the Philippines, expressed in the hand signs of the People Power Revolution.

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Previous Articles:

Laban! Chapter 1: Corruption and Patronage in People Power

Laban! Chapter 2: Support, Opposition, and Resistance in People Power

Laban! Chapter 3: Violence and Nonviolence in People Power

Laban! Chapter 4: The Reformers in People Power

Laban! Chapter 5: The New People’s Army in People Power

Laban! Chapter 6: The Government in People Power