COIN Series, Volume II
Cuba Libre will be easy to learn for Andean Abyss players—both volumes
share the same innovative COIN system. Like Volume I, Cuba Libre is
equally playable solitaire or by multiple players up to 4—and with a
shorter time to completion than Andean Abyss. But Cuba Libre’s
situation and strategic challenges will be new. A deck of 48 fresh
events brings 1950s Cuba to life and includes …
• The Twelve: The first wave’s escape to the Sierra Maestra—inspirational legend or harbinger of defeat?
• El Che and Raúl: Brilliant in the field, or bungling hostage-takers?
• Operation Fisherman: Can the Marxists pull off a second invasion?
• General Strike: Urban disruption or rebel embarrassment?
• Radio Rebelde: Are the masses tuning in, or just the Army direction finders?
• Pact of Caracas: Can the rebels unite?
• Armored Cars: Mobile striking power, but in whose hands?
• Rolando Masferrer: Brutal pro-government tactics—will they help or hurt?
• Fat Butcher: Can the Mob’s enforcer protect its casinos?
• Sinatra: Frankie’s Havana show a boom or bust, and who collects?
… and much more.
New twists match the COIN system to the situation in 1950s Cuba:
• It’s the insurgents who build lasting capabilities, while the Government is limited to fleeting bursts of momentum.
• The Syndicate’s bases are Casinos—expensive to build, but so important to Cuba no army will destroy them.
• Syndicate special activities include calling in the “muscle” of Government troops and police to protect mob assets.
• Stacks of Syndicate cash awaiting launder can fall in anyone’s hands—even the corrupt Government’s.
• The Government has its own terror tactic—reprisals—and can skim a portion of Syndicate profits.
• The eroding US Alliance with Batista overshadows all Government
actions, not just through aid levels but also through the day-to-day
ability of troops and police to operate.
• Even if Batista flees, the struggle may not end—the counterrevolutionary government may even become stronger!
Multiplayer, 2-Player, Solitaire
Cuba Libre provides up to 4 players with contrasting roles and
overlapping victory conditions for rich diplomatic interaction. For 2-
or 3-player games, players can represent alliances of factions, or the
game system can control non-player factions . Or a single player as the
Cuban Revolutionaries can attempt to topple Batista and seize power for
themselves. The non-player sides will fight one another as well as the
players, but too much power in the hands of any one of them will mean
player defeat.