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A splendid game about a far-from splendid war of sabotage, political manoeuvre and violence.
The 3rd Cuban War of Independence (1895 - 1898) is depicted in this light, strategic take on the big decisions of managing both the Spanish attempts at maintaining control over Cuba, and the Cuban campaign for independence. It's 2-player game, one player controlling the Spanish player and the other the Cuban. If certain conditions are reached the Cuban player may end up coordinating US intervention also. Cuba, The Splendid Little War, has a strong insurgency and counterinsurgency feel with some basic resource management, not too dissimilar from GMT's COIN series but with totally different mechanics, play sequence and depth. It is certainly not a spin-off, copycat or imitation of the COIN series or vice versa.
You're guaranteed a wholly unique gaming experience, but chances are, if you liked/disliked COIN, you'll feel the same about Cuba, The Splendid Little War.
"So....what do you actually do in it!?"
It's interesting to note that there are some actions the Spanish player can do that the Cuban player cannot, and vice versa. I'll start with listing the actions both players can undertake...
Lobby the US: each player can affect war sentiment within the US. Cuba could de-prioritise military engagements and 'on-board' action for the pursuit of drawing the US into the conflict, and Spain could play conservatively in order to give the US no justification or inclement to intervene.
Move: Reposition and reorganise troops on the ground.
Attack: Target and engage enemies within your province or city.
Now for the Spanish-only actions...
Request reinforcements: Increase military strength at cost of 'Public Support' (more on that
later...)
Protect the fields: Assign troops to protect fields required for resource production, at the cost of defence strength.
Form search & destroy columns: Enhance the ability of troops to hunt and kill enemies.
Now for the Cuban-only actions...
Recruit fighters: Gain more combatants but beware, such activities draw unwanted attention from the authorities in the form of 'target markers', signifying that the Spanish
have caught on to rebel activities and will have an easier time finding them.
Burn the fields: Starve Spain of its profiteering from Cuba's agricultural production. Doing so lowers 'Spanish Public Support', but not doing so during a game turn raises it!
You will notice many actions have positive AND negative consequences, so choose wisely and plan your strategy.
A little note on 'Spanish Public Support'
Whilst it's true that the Spanish player needs to be weary of US intervention, they also need to avoid a decline in their own 'Spanish Public Support'. When fields are burnt, troops are killed, cities are lost and more troops are shipped off to this unpleasant conflict, public support wavers, and if it drops too low, the Spanish player risks defeat regardless of how
things are going militarily.
"How long is the rulebook?"
26 well set out pages with illustrations and examples of play. These rules are fairly light with a gentle learning curve. The content is logical and progressive.
"What drives the play?"
I would say the action phase is the main driver of play, but Cuba, The Splendid War is accompanied by event cards which can help or hinder either player. Disease, ambushes, assassinations and the reactions of US press are examples of event cards. A few dice are included and determine the effectiveness of certain actions. Rolls can be subject to DRMs (die roll modifiers) for various situations.
"Does it run solo"?
No. At least not very well. Perhaps there'll be a solo expansion or a fan-made variant, but for the moment it's strength is competitive 1v1 play.
Summary
A well presented, small-scale, light, multi-dimensional strategy game with a flowing turn sequence and an easy to read rulebook.
