China's War: 1937-1941

China’s War: 1937–1941

July 7, 1937: a nighttime skirmish at the Marco Polo Bridge near Beijing erupts into an invasion and occupation of China by the Imperial Japanese Army that would not end until 1945. Western sources call it the “Second Sino-Japanese War”; in China, it is the “War of Resistance”; and in Japan, it is blandly referred to as “the China Incident.”

China’s War: 1937-1941 examines the first five years of the conflict, when China stood alone against the Japanese Empire. Each player takes the role of a Faction seeking to attack or defend the Republic of China: the aggressive Japanese, the harried Government (represented by the Guomindang party), the rebellious Chinese Communist Party, or the unruly, fractious Warlords who are obedient when convenient but have their eye on gaining state power.

Using military, political, and economic actions and exploiting various events, players build and maneuver forces to influence or control the population, extract resources, or otherwise achieve their Faction’s aims. A deck of cards regulates turn order, events, victory checks, and other processes. The rules can run non-player Factions, enabling solitaire, 2-player, or multi-player games.

China’s War 1937-41 is a 1- to 4-player board game depicting the first four years of the Second Sino-Japanese War (known in China as the “War of Resistance”, and in Japan as “the China Incident”). Each player takes the role of a Faction seeking to at¬tack or defend the Republic of China: the aggressive Japanese (JPN), the harried Chinese Nationalist Government (NAT), the revolutionary Communist Party of China (CPC), or the regionally-based, fractious Warlords (WLD). Using military, political, and economic actions and exploiting various events, players build and maneuver forces to influence or control the population, extract resources, or otherwise achieve their Fac¬tion’s aims. A deck of cards regulates turn order, events, vic¬tory checks, and other processes. A separate Non-Player rule¬book enables solitaire, two-player, or three-player games.

China’s War is Volume XIII in the COIN Series of games that uses similar rules to cover a variety of modern and premodern insurgencies.

Game Details

• Players: 1–4 (full solitaire system)
• Map: Area movement
• Time scale: about 1 year per 12-card campaign
• Designer: Brian Train

Components

• One 22" × 34" Mounted Game Board
• 52 Event Cards
• 24 Non-Player Cards
• 164 Wooden Pieces
• One Full-color Countersheet
• Four Fold-out Player Aid Pamphlets
• Two Propaganda/Assault Aid Sheets
• One Non-Player Aid Sheet
• Two Non-Player Aid Foldouts
• Four 6-sided Dice
• One Rules of Play Booklet
• One Playbook
• One Non-Player Rulebook
• One 3" Box