People Power: Insurgency in the Philippines, 1981-1986 GMT Games

You can say that the story of “People Power” in the Philippines started with one airplane arriving in Manila and ended with another one departing. On August 21, 1983, exiled opposition leader Benigno Aquino Jr. returned from the United States to his homeland. He expected to be arrested, but also fatefully contemplated, as his plane approached Manila, the possibility that he might not survive the homecoming. Tragically, moments after disembarking, he was shot dead by a conspirator on the airport tarmac.  

This episode would embolden and mobilize the opposition to the Marcos regime and set in motion  a chain of events that would conclude with the departure of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos some three years later, after more than twenty years of autocratic rule. This is a story of greed and corruption at the highest levels of government, of a dictator who ruled with an iron fist, and of a grass-roots opposition that stood up to him, revolted, and eventually drove him from power in disgrace.  It was a revolution that displayed that there is great power in a united, determined group of individuals. Just a few short years before the Iron Curtain fell in Germany, Filipino patriots showed the world the power of a people united to topple a tyrant. At its heart, it is the story of “People Power.”

People Power: Insurgency in the Philippines, 1983-1986 is volume XI of the highly-praised and popular COIN Series originally designed by Volko Ruhnke. People Power features three separate factions, instead of the customary four.  

• The first faction is the Government, symbolized by the personal rule of Ferdinand Marcos, his wife Imelda, and his political cronies and military forces. 
• Second are the NPA. Inspired by successful Marxist revolutions in China, Cuba and Nicaragua, these insurgents sought a national uprising from both the urban and rural populace and desired to replace the Marcos government with their own brand of autonomy.
• The third and final faction is the non-violent Reformers, embodied by Aquino’s widow, Corazon. She, along with her allies and supporters in that moment of tragedy, revived a platform of social justice and unrelenting momentum that would irrevocably change the Philippine political landscape immeasurably.

For players new to the COIN Series, or for those looking to teach the the series to their friends, People Power will serve as an excellent introductory game. Aiming for a 2 hour playtime and accessible complexity, People Power utilizes many of the basic COIN Series mechanics in new and familiar ways. The 22″ x 17″ map aids in introducing the game to a new player, as it presents only two types of terrain – Cities and Countrysides (where the latter amalgamates the rural settings of the island nation as well as much lightly-habitable terrain of jungles and mountains). Don’t let the fast play and basic systems fool you, though. There are still plenty of strategic puzzles and inter-player backstabbing to be had! Also, People Power includes a new feature for the COIN Series – a Key Personality mini-hand procedure that represents the effectiveness of various generals and power brokers adding a new dimension to player actions and decisions.