The British Way covers four counterinsurgency campaigns between 1945 and 1959. In each of these campaigns, the British attempted to control their exit from empire while facing an insurgent opponent. This period of British counterinsurgency influenced subsequent counterinsurgency doctrine and campaigns by both the British and other countries. In future articles, I will cover background and mechanics on each of the individual games, but first I want to provide background on the argument being made in the multipack and explain what exactly a “COIN multi-pack” is. I specifically want to address what I see as the two major themes of The British Way.

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Major Themes of The British Way:

The first theme is directly related to the name of the game itself. The phrase “The British Way” is commonly used by scholars in a debate over whether the British had a uniquely successful and enlightened approach to counterinsurgency in the post-World War II period, compared to other countries such as the French and American counterinsurgency experiences. (Note: Phrases such as “The British Way of War” or “American Way of War” are commonly used in the field of strategic studies within debates about strategies and experiences of specific countries).

A widely held view up until the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan was that the British formulated an “ideal” set of counterinsurgency practices from their experiences in the conflicts covered in the multi-pack (Palestine, Malaya, Kenya, and Cyprus). This view of a particular British “way” of counterinsurgency emphasized the focus on hearts and minds and the minimum use of force as the reason why the British were more successful than other countries at counterinsurgency in the 20^th century. In 2001, the British Ministry of Defense COIN manual even stated “the experience of numerous small wars has provided the British army with a unique insight into this demanding form of conflict.” This view was widely accepted by some scholars and even American officials trying desperately to formulate COIN practices after the invasion of Iraq resulted in a protracted insurgency.

However, this view of a particular British “way” of counterinsurgency has become increasingly contested, with a new wave of scholars using a wider set of historical sources questioning this portrayal of British counterinsurgency. This new wave of scholars (head to The British Way’s BGG page for my bibliography and reading suggestions) have argued that coercion played a far larger role than previous accounts had acknowledged, and that the British experience with counterinsurgency was not as unique or enlightened as has been claimed. As David French argues, if there was a common way to British counterinsurgency it “was not the pursuit of ‘hearts and minds’. It was being ‘nasty not nice’ to the people.”

This debate over whether a unique British “way” existed and what counterinsurgency methods were used is the core theme of The British Way multi-pack. The multi-pack allows players to engage with a synthesis of these academic debates while exploring the major methods of counterinsurgency used in each conflict. By containing multiple COIN games in one package, the multi-pack allows players to make comparisons across the different conflicts to see the similarities in certain approaches, and how the British were forced to adapt their methods to different settings and opponents.

The second major theme deals with the game’ subtitle, “Counterinsurgency at the End of Empire.” In the post-World War II period, European colonial empires were faced with increasing pressures to grant independence, with the struggle for independence in India concluding shortly after the end of the war (depicted in another COIN game, Gandhi). Although The British Way primarily focuses on providing a unique educational and strategic experience for each of the games, the pack also is about this broader process of decolonization. The global changes following World War II and their impact on Britain’s retreat from empire come through in several mechanics of the individual games. Those playing the British must balance their use of coercion due to the increasingly watchful international community, particularly in Palestine and Cyprus. Events across the games also represent major events of decolonization such as Indian Independence, the Suez Crisis, and debates in the British parliament.

The British Way also addresses the broader processes of decolonization in its “End of Empire” Campaign scenario. This scenario links the four games together with a unified scoring system, decolonization random events (including crises in other colonies), and the option for the British player to select a Colonial Policy during each of the four games. The campaign offers players a narrative experience, where the British player must balance winning the conflicts in each of the four colonies against preserving British prestige throughout their overall exit from empire. Additional historical notes for the Campaign Events and playbook article will be provided for those wanting more background on the impact of decolonization.

What is a COIN Multi-Pack?

Next, let me clarify a few points about this new type of COIN product, the multi-pack. We’ve defined a COIN multi-pack as a single product that offers multiple thematically related but mechanically distinct COIN games. It’s similar to the old SPI quad-games or more recent GMT products that offer multiple distinct games in one box (e.g. No Retreat Battles or Rebel Fury). The goal is to let players experience a period or region of history where multiple insurgencies occurred, while also allowing room for some conflicts that might be too small for a full COIN volume. Each of the COIN games in a multi-pack shares some similar general structures, but has its own unique rulebook, cards, player aids, and map – just like how two full COIN volumes share some general mechanics but have distinct gameplay to reflect their unique conflicts. When possible, multi-packs will also offer additional scenarios that link at least some of the separate games together into a broader campaign. For those interested in Cold War era insurgencies, development and discussion is underway for two potential future multi-packs involving Cold War battlegrounds.

We hope that multi-packs will allow players to draw comparisons across several different conflicts. These comparisons will be supported by the historical material included in each multi-pack. Each individual game’s rulebook will have the usual COIN background event notes and articles for that conflict. However, a combined playbook will also include comparative articles that compare and contrast common themes across the games and cover the broader background of the period in which each multi-pack is set.

We hope players will enjoy this new take on the COIN series and are very thankful for all the support, questions, and testing from the community that we have received so far. The next InsideGMT article in this series will cover the background and unique game mechanics of The British Way: Palestine.

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