In the previous InsideGMT article on All Bridges Burning, we looked in in more detail at some historical particularities the game deals with. It is understood that as a topic the Finnish Civil War is relatively little known, and so gamers may appreciate detailed looks at some aspects of the history and how these are simulated in the game.
In this article we’ll look in more detail at some of the Moderates faction’s commands and special activities.
As a gaming topic, the Finnish Civil War is relatively unknown. Gamers might therefore appreciate thematic guidance as to what they are thematically doing when interacting on the game board. A previous InsideGMT article already provided a basic account of the general faction characteristics and aims. In the next two InsideGMT articles on All Bridges Burning, I want to go in some detail highlighting some of the historical particularities pertaining to the Finnish Civil War and how these are handled in the game.
The Finnish civil war goes down as a particularly bloody conflict: in the space of a mere five months over 36 000 people died (of 3.1 million), a staggering 9 700 of the victims executed or murdered. Terror was an inseparable part of how both sides conducted the war.
In this fourth InsideGMT article showcasing the game (the first three articles can be found here), we’ll look at the game’s concept of Terror, both, in its role in the mechanics of game play as well as historically.
This is the third InsideGMT article on All Bridges Burning, a COIN system game for three-players dealing with the political and military events surrounding the Finnish Civil War of 1918. In the first two articles (found here and here), the focus was somewhat on illustrating the historical background of various design decisions made during the development of this game. In this article I want to try to give everyone a better idea of how the game plays not forgetting, however, to explain the historical background to the design choices I’ve made as well.
Exactly a hundred years ago today, in the night from 27 to 28 January 1918, the Red Revolt was launched in Finland. The revolt also triggered the Finnish Civil War, one of the first of the 20th century socialist revolutions. Alongside the larger ideological struggle, the revolt also had a very particular background in the Finnish societal and political landscape of the day.
The war was tightly bound to class conflict in a rapidly modernizing society for which the unexpected social upheaval in the Russian Empire gave room to roam. –Tepora and Roselius in The Finnish Civil War 1918
This article is the second in the series (see Part One here) showcasing the features of All Bridges Burning, a new COIN Series system game on the Finnish Civil War, currently on GMT Games’ P500 list. In this article we’ll take a historical look at the game’s three-faction make-up and describe the political dimensions of the game as they are manifested in the concept of Polarization and the Political Display mechanic.
All Bridges Burning is a COIN Series system game simulating the political and the military events of the Finnish Civil War of 1918 including a period of build-up to the conflict. It is the first COIN Series volume to have been designed for three players.
In All Bridges Burning, the three factions –the Reds, the white Senate, and the blue, non-violent, Social Democratic faction– compete for getting to define the shape of post-conflict Finland. The game is divided in two phases of pre-war build-up and the war itself. Alongside the player controlled factions, also simple German and Russian non-player sides bring their military force to bear.
Triggered by one of the first socialist revolts of the 20th century, the Finnish Civil War was in part about drawing the borders between the socialist and the democratic world systems, and in part about societal issues internal to Finland itself.
Every year when we roll out our Yearly Sale, we get lots of requests from customers asking for a variety of information about the games that they can buy in the sale. Which games have the lowest stock levels, which games of a certain series are available, which hot games are available, which games have the highest retail values (usually for the folks who are looking to resell some or all of their sale purchases), etc. So this year, as we approach the GMT Sale that starts on Tuesday, September 3, Rachel and I have created this Buyer’s Guide to try to give you some of that information to help out with your buying choices. We encourage you to use this information and the links below to build your sale carts on the GMT website between now and Tuesday when the sale begins. I hope you find this Buyer’s Guide useful.
Wargamers often praise a rules system for the “narrative” it provides during play. I assume what they mean is, if we were to describe in detail the course of the game as we played it, the result would sound very much like a historical account. If so, I would agree that the “narrative” is one of the most satisfying aspects of our hobby.
In a year when boardgaming conventions have – by necessity – had to cancel all events, many organizers are seeking to rebuild their convention communities by taking them online. The popular San Diego Historical Games Convention (SDHistCon) wants to do just that and keep its wargaming community alive and thriving.
