Gandhi: The Decolonisation of India - Full Game Playthrough

Introduction

The Covid-19 lockdown demanded a project, a way of occupying me in those moments when the isolation and anxiety needed an outlet. The idea that emerged was to play a solo board game and record the narrative of the emerging story.

It also provided the perfect excuse to explore GMT Games’ COIN series, which had always tempted me but into which I had never jumped.

I bought Falling Sky, their game about Caesar’s campaign in Gaul, tracking the play turn-by-turn on Twitter for the first part of the game.

Twitter in the end felt like the wrong channel. My endless tweets became tiresome. So I decided to move towards a blog, which felt less intrusive. I also used the opportunity to buy a second COIN, so impressed had I been by Falling Sky.

I chose Gandhi: The Decolonisation of India, 1917-1947. I set up this blog to track the turn-by-turn play of that game, a process which continues; as I write this, I am about half way through and, as the British, I am getting a pasting.

It is a project to help me through the Covid-19 lockdown, played in fits and starts, a turn or two a day.

I was sure it would provide me with distraction and entertainment.

What I didn’t expect was that the medium of a board game would be the inspiration for me to engage for the first time with the history of India’s independence movement.

I mash up the rules, no doubt, I make awful game-play decisions, no doubt, I create incomprehensible posts with indecipherable accompanying graphics, no doubt. I also have a huge amount of fun, without a doubt.

What you’re reading here is a compilation of all those individual posts into a single entry, to which I add every time I play a new turn. If you stumble across this, please indulge my mistakes.

If you’re wondering whether to play a COIN game, never having done so, I hope this gives you a taste. I also hope you do choose to play a COIN game. They are remarkable.

---

Gandhi: Turn 1 - A revolution is brewing

Gandhi: The Decolonisation of India has two scenarios. A short game that starts in 1930 and the long version that starts in 1917.

I’m going for the long version and playing the British. An elegant, automated non-player system will select the actions of the three non-player factions.

I don’t intend explaining the rules in detail but hope they emerge in broad terms through the playthrough. The GMT Games website contains the rule book, several articles outlining tactics and couple of explainer videos.

Game turns are driven by cards, with the current turn dictated by the card on the right. The card on the left is also revealed to show what is coming up; this knowledge can influence the decisions factions take.



Turn 1 - 1st action - Revolutionaries - Special Activity: Infiltrate

The Revolutionaries take the first step and it’s an aggressive one. A charismatic young Indian lawyer has started to make a name for himself leading a fledgling non-violent movement against the British Raj. The first of his protests have sprung up in Bombay Presidency. Non-violence is not, however, on the Revolutionaries’ agenda. Using their Infiltrate special action, they get amongst Gandhi’s early supporters and turn some of them towards their more violent methods.

Turn 1 - 1st action - Revolutionaries - Operation: Attack

Having weakened the resolve of the Indian National Congress, the Revolutionaries increase their attack in Bombay Presidency and, with protests already taking place in the province, see the levels of unrest increase (denoted by the placing of the ‘unrest’ marker).

Turn 1 - 2nd Action - Congress - Demonstrate

Unsettled by the flare up of violence so close to their leader in Bombay Presidency, Congress activists get to act second this turn. They choose to demonstrate, marching from the nearby city of Bombay. They are able to bring Muslim League supporters, who are equally aghast at the Revolutionaries‘ aggression. The British watch on bemused as Bombay empties of activists.

---

Gandhi: Turn 2 - Constitutional Reforms

Turn 2 - 1st Action - British - Play Event: Simon Commission Report

The Raj seeks to quell the emerging trouble through the imposition of constitutional changes. Lord Simon’s Commission proposes provincial autonomy to draw the sting from the Indian sense of grievance. The report placates activists, who melt away in Delhi and Calcutta, while the protests and unrest in Bombay Presidency end. It’s a significant early victory for the British civil service. 
This is one of those instances where war games such as this present alternative histories. For a start, the Simon Commission convened a decade later than the date of the current game state. It was widely rejected as no Indians featured on the Commission. If this card is played by a non-British faction, it in fact increases levels of activism and unrest, to reflect that unpopularity. 

As it is, the version of history imagined in this playthrough posits that the Commission’s findings proved popular, which is why four activists, a protest marker and an unrest marker are removed from the board.

Turn 2 - 2nd Action - Muslim League - Rally Operation + Infiltrate Special Activity

The Muslim League’s first steps are to start building activist numbers in the north. A rally action recruits support in Karachi, Calcutta and Punjab. They follow up in the latter to infiltrate a sepoy unit which abandons its British pay-masters. 

---

Gandhi: Turn 3 - Gandhi’s Rallying Cry Answered

Turn 3 - 1st action - Congress - Operation: Rally

The impact of the Simon Commission was short-lived. The mood in India is calm and Gandhi, sensing complacency in the British, rallies support around him in Bombay Presidency and in four provinces in the north, where political tensions with the Muslim League look set to surface.

Turn 3 - 1st action - Congress - Special Activity: Satyagraha

For now, Gandhi’s work around Bombay is done. He embarks on a long march north to the Punjab where his arrival attracts a new activist to his cause.

Turn 3 - 2nd Action - Revolutionaries - Limited Operation: Attack

With Gandhi now in the north, the Revolutionaries turn their attention back to the Bombay Presidency where they launch an attack. It’s poorly coordinated, however, and comes to nothing. 

---

Gandhi: Turn 4 - Raj Forces Head to the North

Turn 4 - 1st Action - Raj - Operation: Deploy

The British start to get nervous at the concentration of activists in the Punjab and East Bengal, so deploy large numbers of sepoys, supported by some British army troops, to Delhi and Calcutta.

Turn 4 - 1st Action - Raj - Special Ability: Martial Law 

This, however, is not merely a show of strength. Martial Law is declared in East Punjab. One activist is removed for each of the three Raj pieces in the province while the level of passive opposition to the British shifts to neutrality. Governor-General Linlithgow orders stringent measures to crack down on any potential unrest.

Turn 4 - 2nd Action - Muslim League - Play Event: Quit India Movement

The Muslim League, usually a non-violent movement, reacts with fury to the crackdown in East Bengal. That fury erupts in Punjab where a nascent Quit India Movement [in reality it actually emerged in the 1940s and was opposed by the Muslim League; for this playthrough we must finesse that history!] results in sporadic violence and the hasty retreat of British forces. The Raj has lost control of the Punjab.

---

Gandhi: Turn 5 - Raj Loses Control of Karachi

Turn 5 - 1st Action - Revolutionaries - Play Event: Chauri Chaura Massacre

The situation is getting out of hand for the British. After Raj police open fire on a peaceful rally in Karachi, the crowd rush them and set fire to their station. Suddenly, the Raj has lost control of Karachi, which finds itself politically neutral and in a state of unrest. 

Turn 5 - 2nd Action - Congress - Special Ability: Persuade

In the midst of the flare-up of recent violence, Gandhi and Congress return to the non-violent tools of persuasion. A sepoy unit on East Bengal is persuaded to drop arms while Gandhi himself talks around former supporters of the Muslim League in Punjab. There may have been no physical harm but Gandhi’s intervention is unwelcomed and the unity track [marked by the orange square at the top of the board] drops to ‘2’. 

Turn 5 - 2nd Action - Congress - Operation: Rally

Gandhi’s Congress party is starting to make real progress in the north. Following the successful persuasion of opposing units, the rally action brings fresh support in East and West Bengal. The Muslim League is virtually nowhere to be seen and the hopes of an independent Muslim state currently look unattainable. 

---

Gandhi: Turn 6: Linlinthgow Cracks the Whip

Turn 6 - 1st Action - Raj - Operation: Sweep

Linlithgow moves swiftly to reassert dominance. He sweeps troops from Delhi and Calcutta back into Punjab and the two Bengal provinces, exposing hidden guerrillas and returning the provinces to Raj control.

Turn 6 - 1st Action - Raj - Special Ability: Martial Law

Once again taking advantage of Linlithgow’s ability not to create unrest when using martial law, the Raj clears Punjab and East Bengal of activists. British military might and aggression look to have pushed back the non-violent tide for now.

Turn 6 - 2nd Action - Muslim League - Pass

The Muslim League can act now but want to remain eligible to play the forthcoming card in the next turn. They pass in preparation.

---

Gandhi : Campaign Round 1 - Linlithgow Summoned Home

The next card that is turned up is a Campaign card. Four of these are seeded in the deck at the start of the game. The first one can arrive at some between point the seventh and twelfth turn. In this instance, it has arrived at the earliest point possible. This could be a blow for the Raj as it removes Linlithgow’s special martial law ability at an early stage.

It marks a pause and reset in the game and a change in Governor-General. The years of Linlithgow’s martial law are over and the rather more academic (Fellows of All Soul’s College, Oxford), Lord Irwin arrives.

The following series of programmed steps take place:

• Check for victory

None of the factions is near their target.

• Resources Phase

A strike marker is placed on the railway out of Karachi, the one city that is not under British control. The Raj does not get those resource points but otherwise gets the value of all other railways for a total of 37 additional resources (they are now at 50, the maximum they can have.) 

Support Phase



Imperialism: The Raj can spend up to six resources in four areas to remove ‘unrest’ markers and shift support to spaces. Flush with cash, they quell the unrest in East Bengal and establish active support for their governance of India in West Bengal, Punjab and Bombay.
 
Constructive Programme: Between them, the non-violent factions can shift areas with their pieces and no Raj control two steps towards opposition. The number of states in which this can take place is determined by the ‘unity’ track which is at two. The two states chosen, with Congress, getting first choice are United Provinces and Bombay Presidency which shift to passive opposition to British rule.
 
Pakistan Movement: The Muslim League get to place a base in one area with no Raj control. Despite the numerous set-backs they have suffered under Linlithgow’s term in office, they manage to establish a base in West Bengal. It is the slightest of footholds. 

Secret Societies: The Revolutionaries now place a base of their own in one area with no Raj control. It goes in the space with the most guerrillas, Bombay Presidency, which is starting to look problematic for the Raj. 

• Redeploy Phase



A series of compulsory and optional movements now take place, as outlined in the table above. The major outcome is that Gandhi heads for the ever more contested West Bengal, where the new base has attracted the two sole Muslim League units. 

• Reset Phase

All pieces are turned to their inactive side, protest markers removed, the restraint and unity levels set to 3. Finally, one protest marker is placed back on the board in a space with Congress activists. The location chosen is Bombay Presidency, where the two Congress pieces are turned to their active side.

--- 

Gandhi: Turn 7 - The Pakistan Declaration

Turn 7 - 1st Action - Muslim League - Play Event: Pakistan Declaration Published in London

For the first time, the word ‘Pakstan’ is used in Choudhry Rahmat Ali’s Pakistan Declaration pamphlet. He writes: ‘Our religion and culture, our history and tradition, our social code and economic system, our laws of inheritance, succession and marriage are fundamentally different from those of most peoples living in the rest of India.’ Congress is horrified but Ali’s manifesto leads to two new Muslim League bases in Punjab and East Bengal. 

Turn 7 - 2nd Action - Congress - Operation: Rally

Gandhi lays down an early challenge to the new Governor-General, rallying supporters to himself in East Bengal and prompting further expressions of support in Karachi, Hyderabad and Sind.

Turn 7 - 2nd Action - Congress - Special Ability: Persuade

With the surge in support, Congress starts to work on its opponents, exposing a guerrilla unit in Bombay Presidency and persuading a Sepoy unit to return to their homes. 

---

Gandhi: Turn 8 - Spies in our Midst

Turn 8 - 1st Action - Raj - Play Event: Independence Fighters Take Up Arms

Lord Irwin puts his desk-based skills to work, as Indian political intelligence officers get wind of revolutionary fighter plotting violent insurgency. Guerrillas in Punjab and Bombay Presidency “disappear”.

Turn 8 - 2nd Action - Revolutionaries - Operation: Rally

The suppression of the rebels turns out to be a disaster. The Revolutionaries rally and, energised by outrage at the Raj’s brutality, new guerrilla units spring up in almost all corners of India. Lord Irwin has poked a virulent hornet’s nest. Is worse to come? 

Turn 8 - 2nd Action - Revolutionaries - Special Ability: Infiltrate

The answer is ‘yes’. The energised revolutionaries in East Bengal infiltrate Sepoy ranks, persuading some of them in the Raj’s distant north-east corner to take up arms against their former employers.

---

Gandhi: Turn 9 - Seeking Supremacy in Bombay Presidency

Turn 9 - 1st Action - Congress - Operation: Rally

Gandhi has few pieces readily available but, using what he has, he continues to exploit the ongoing protests in Bombay Presidency to drum up additional supporters.

Turn 9 - 1st Action - Congress - Special Activity: Satyagraha

Gandhi continues to shuttle from east to west and back again, travelling to the Punjab once more and raising fresh support there. Congress now has a presence in large parts of India but can they convert that into opposition?

Turn 9 - 2nd Action - Muslim League - Play Event

The re-establishment of bases in Muslim regions has created some momentum for the Muslim League. Even so, the British Raj could not have imagined the raft of Sepoy desertions from Punjab and Bengal. 

---

Gandhi: Turn 10 - Mass Troop Movement in North

Turn 10 - 1st Action - Raj - Command: Deploy

The British seek to maintain a strong grip on the north of India after the mass desertions. They deploy large number of Sepoys to two northern cities (for a cost of 6 resources), but this could be a long campaign and they can’t afford to over-stretch.

Turn 10 - 1st Action - Raj: Special Ability: Treaty

Having deployed his Sepoys to Calcutta, Lord Irwin now sends some of them into the two Bengal states. If he can feel secure in his control there, he will feel more comfortable in settling the challenges threatening him along the western side of India. 

Turn 10 - 2nd Action - Revolutionaries - Limited Operation: Attack

The British do not want to allow the Revolutionaries, who play next, the chance to implement the event card, which would allow them to place another base. Therefore, they choose not to use a Special Activity. This restricts the rebels to a single limited operation in just one area. Limited geographically, it may be, but the attack is not limited in effect. Four guerrilla units are activated and, in a violent assault, two Sepoy units are killed.

---

Gandhi: Turn 11 - Muslim Protests and Failed Talks

Turn 11 - 1st Action - Muslim League - Operation: Civil Disobedience

The ground work laid by placing their bases now pays off for the Muslim League: they provide the infrastructure for a wave of protests in the Punjab and Bengal. Muslim and Congress activists are flipped to their active side and, with their forces now outnumbered by protestors, the Raj loses control of these pivotal provinces.

Turn 11 - 1st Action - Muslim League - Special Activity: Infiltrate

The Muslim resurgence in West Bengal takes hold as another successful infiltration converts another Sepoy unit to the separatist cause. In Whitehall, questions are being asked as to why Linlithgow’s term as Governor-General was brought to an end. 

Turn 11 - 2nd Action - Congress - Play Event

The cerebral Irwin tries to talks his way to a solution. The Gandhi-Irwin pact results in the British Government calling a round table conference in London to discuss power sharing proposals. However, there is to be no meeting of minds. Winston Churchill describes it as a “nauseating and humiliating spectacle.” Back in India, the break-up of talks and the harsh words from Tory politicians prompt protests in Delhi and Bombay.

---

Gandhi: Turn 12 - British Take a Pinch of Salt

Turn 12 - 1st Action - Raj - Play Event

The British know this could be a long campaign and, with the ‘restraint’ level a ‘4’, the cost of acting is expensive. They therefore turn to economic warfare, refusing to relax the despised salt tax and raising 20 resource points, doubling their total in the process. 

Turn 12 - 2nd Action - Revolutionaries - Pass
The Revolutionaries have a powerful event coming up next turn. They pass to allow themselves the chance to enact it. A quiet turn comes to a swift end.

---

Gandhi: Turn 13 - Levels of Unrest Grow

Turn 13 - 1st Action - Revolutionaries - Play Event

Reactionary elements within the Revolutionaries use the furore raised by Gandhi’s Harijan Campaign to end untouchability to raise levels of unrest in East Bengal and Bombay Presidency. It’s a problem not just for the Raj but for the two non-violent factions: the Revolutionaries increase their score to 7 points (they gain points for the population levels of regions in a state of ‘unrest’). Another 8 points are all they need to be in a winning position. 

Turn 13 - 2nd Action - Muslim League - Pass
The Muslim League sense the next card, which they would be able to enact, could be powerful. They pass and the turn comes to an end.

---

Gandhi: Turn 14 - Infiltration, non-cooperation and assassination

Turn 14 - 1st Action - Muslim League - Special Ability: Infiltrate

Instead of taking the action (which would have seen Sir Michael O’Dwyer assassinated), the Muslim League continues to develop its strength in West Bengal. Theythey infiltrate the last remaining Sepoy unit there, which shows no inclination to remain loyal to the Raj.

Turn 14 - 1st Action - Muslim League - Operation: Non-Cooperation

The League follows up in West Bengal with acts of non-cooperation. The effect is to weaken backing for the Raj, the local population moving from active to passive support. British influence in Bengal loosens by the day. 

Turn 14 - 2nd Action - Congress - Play Event

Sir Michael O’Dwyer avoids assassination for just a short period, shot dead in central London by an Indian revolutionary, Udham Singh. Gandhi calls it an “act of insanity” but the repercussions nonetheless play to Congress’ advantage: a troop unit in Delhi and two Sepoy units in Punjab are diverted away from their military duties and forced to police the growing protests in those two increasingly febrile areas. 

---

Gandhi: Turn 15: Bureaucratic Manoeuvres

Turn 15 - 1st Action - Raj - Operation: Sweep

Lord Irwin responds to the alarming loss of control in north and south. Using his organisational skills, means the sweep action costs just one resource in each area rather than the four it would normally cost (‘4’ is the current restraint level). Large scale manoeuvres from the cities of Karachi, from where troops move along the undisturbed railway, Calcutta and Madras see the Raj re-exert control in Punjab, East Bengal and Madras Presidency. On the surface, things look rosier but Irwin’s resources are thinly spread.

Turn 15 - 1st Action - Raj - Special Activity: Govern

Preferring to stick with the pen rather than the gun, Irwin sets about governing in both north and south. A quiet insistence on the rule of law is enough to see revolutionaries in East Bengal and Madras Presidency put down their weapons for now.

Turn 15 - 2nd Action - Revolutionaries - Play Event

If Irwin thought he could govern the forces of violence into submission, he was wrong. Using the cover provided by the huge and boisterous gatherings at which the nationalist flag is waved in open defiance of Raj orders, the Revolutionaries’ rough-house tactics lead to casualties among both British troops in Bengal and Congress supporters in Bombay Presidency and, thus far unaffected, Sind.

---

Gandhi: Turn 16 - Massacre Stokes Sikh Fury

Turn 16 - 1st Action - Congress - Play Event

Lord Irwin may be trying to rule by the pen, but his military leaders have not received the message. A massacre of over 400 unarmed citizens at Amritsar in the Punjab has repercussions across the country, even in the far south. [The historical timeline of my game has, of course, deviated entirely from that of events as they actually unfolded.] Unrest in Madras draws away the attention of Raj forces while the opposition to the regime grows.

Turn 16 - 2nd Action - Muslim League - Operation: Demonstrate

The Muslim League has been penned into West Bengal but, emboldened by the successes in whittling away Raj forces, now demonstrates in neighbouring East Bengal, to where two activist units move. Active opponents (two active Muslim League units and three active Revolutionary activists plus two bases) outnumber Raj units. East Bengal is the latest province to slip from British control. 

 Turn 16 - 2nd Action - Muslim League - Special Activity: Infiltrate

The demonstrations in East Bengal have a rapid impact as the Muslim League follow up by infiltrating another Sepoy unit. The British can no longer reply on local Indians to bolster their forces. 

---

Gandhi: Turn 17 - Unrest Grows as Revolutionaries Near Victory

Turn 17 - 1st Action - Revolutionaries - Special Activity - Infiltrate

The Revolutionaries continue their back and forth struggles with Congress in Bombay Presidency, infiltrating members of Gandhi’s supporters and persuading them that his peaceful progress is slow progress and that more direct action is needed if they are to secure independence. A Congress unit is replace by a Revolutionary piece. 

Turn 17 - 1st Action - Revolutionaries - Command: Unrest

Now the Revolutionaries set about sowing unrest, in Sind and United Provinces, where their robust activities prove popular and shift support away from Congress and to neutrality. With an additional three points worth of population living in a state of unrest, the Revolutionaries are just three points away from being in a victorious position. This is a serious problem for all other three factions. 

Turn 17 - 2nd Action - Raj - Pass

The Raj needs to turn its attention to dealing with the Revolutionary threat. If they played now they would be restricted to a Limited Operation in just one area, insufficient for what they need to do. So, knowing they will get the chance to play first in the next turn, they pass, claim three extra resources and bring the turn to a close. 

---

Gandhi: Turn 18 - Raj Pegs Back Revolutionaries Before War Intervenes

Turn 18 - 1st Action - Raj - Operation: Sweep

The Raj’s numbers are stretched but Irwin manages to sweep a Sepoy unit into Madras Presidency from Mysore and a troop unit from Punjab into United Provinces. With no active activists in either space, the Raj reasserts control on both regions but it is a tenuous control at best. 

Turn 18 - 1st Action - Raj - Special Activity: Govern

Having manoeuvred his forces into place, Irwin now governs in two areas. With no active adversaries present in either, Irwin ‘buys’ Imperialism to remove the unrest in Karachi and Madras Presidency, also quelling opposition in the latter at the same time. The level of population in a state of unrest drops by 3 while the level of overall opposition to the Raj drops by 2. The cost of 12 resource points is steep and the British advances are subject to swift reversal. 

Turn 18 - 2nd Action - Muslim League - Play Event

The escalating global conflicts elsewhere in the East start to draw British resources away from India. Five Sepoy units are sent from three separate regions to support British efforts against growing Japanese aggression. Suddenly both Delhi and Punjab have slipped from British control. 

---

Gandhi: Turn 19 - Gandhi Settles Nerves
Turn 19 - 1st Action - Congress - Special Activity: Satyagraha

Gandhi travels from the Punjab into neighbouring United Provinces [UP]. His departure from the Punjab leads to the Raj reasserting control there only for them to lose control in UP when he arrives there. More happily for the British, Gandhi’s charisma quells the unrest in UP. Revolutionaries have lost significant ground in the past couple of turns as the unrest they sowed fizzles away. But for how long?

Turn 19 - 1st Action - Congress - Operation: Demonstrate

Now Gandhi’s supporters begin to demonstrate across the north of the country, as well as in Bombay Presidency, seeking out regions where protests are already taking place. However, they are currently having little success in generating opposition to British rule. Gandhi’s revolution looks thin on the ground at present. 

Turn 19 - 2nd Action - Revolutionaries - Play Event

Finding themselves squeezed out in the north, the Revolutionaries turn their attention to the middle of country. Inspired by articles in Gandhi’s Young India newspaper, the take their protests to two key railways, threatening 8 points worth of resources to the British. This is a new headache with which Irwin must deal.

---

Gandhi: Turn 20 - Muslim League Numbers Increase Across the North
Turn 20 - 1st Action - Muslim League - Special Activity: Negotiate

The Muslim League continues to struggle to make any progress and, with Bengal a quagmire of conflicting interests, it is difficult for them to make large inroads. Their peaceful aims lead them to negotiate in East Bengal, resulting in an end to unrest and protests in the province. It also pushes the Raj restraint level up to 5, making their actions as expensive as possible. The outcome is a double-edged sword for the British. 

Turn 20 - 1st Action - Muslim League - Operation: Rally

Having remained in the shadows, the Muslim League now makes a decisive move. They rally, two activists emerging in each of the three regions that have Muslim League bases, together with an additional unit in Karachi and Punjab. Can they now use this as a springboard to turn some of these areas in Muslim states?

Turn 20 - 2nd Action - Raj - Limited Operation: Deploy

Irwin moves to bolster his dwindling numbers in the north, deploying a troop and five Sepoy units to Delhi and wresting control of the city. 

---

Gandhi : Campaign Round 2 - Imperialist Governor General Heads for India 

The deployment of forces to Delhi is Irwin’s last act. His attempts at compromise with the forces of independence have seen the Raj’s position weaken. London’s response is to send Lord Reading, a Jewish, Liberal politician with a progressive attitude to civil rights. 

• Check for Victory

Raj: 25 points (-14 from their victory target)
Revolutionaries: 5 points (-10)
Congress: 4 points (-17)
Muslim League: 0 points (-15)

The Revolutionaries are the nearest to victory but none of the factions is close.

• Resources

There are no activists on railways, so no strikes. The Raj controls all cities and therefore remain in control of all railways, generating 40 resource points. They are now at a maximum 50 resources. At least Lord Irwin kept control of the finances.

• Support

Raj: The one city or province with Raj control, troops and sepoys where buying Imperialism can have an effect is Delhi. Spending three points increases support there to active. 
Congress: Gandhi’s support mushrooms as opposition to the Raj hardens in Bombay Presidency, United Provinces and Bihar. 
Muslim League: The emboldened Muslim League remove all support for the Raj in Punjab and East Bengal while opposition grows in West Bengal, where they also place a second base. 

The Revolutionaries place a second base in Bombay Presidency. 

It has been a catastrophic sequence of events for the British. Lord Reading looks on aghast at the situation he has inherited.

• Redeploy & Reset

The factions coalesce their pieces around strategically significant locations. The British are now effectively restricted to the cities, with Sepoys in a handful of states and provinces. Gandhi has managed to establish opposition in several provinces but his supporters are scattered and he himself as headed, in splendid isolation, to Central Provinces. The Muslim League may not have many points on the board but the last few turns have been good for them and they will be looking to establish individual Muslim states. Finally, the Revolutionaries have fallen back but are well positioned in the four regions where they are present. 

• State of the nation after two campaigns

The points situation as we enter the second half of the game shows how large is the task the British face: 

Raj: 15 points (-24 from victory) 
Congress: 12 points (-9 from victory) 
Revolutionaries: 6 points (-9 from victory) 
Muslim League: 2 points (-13 from victory)

---

Gandhi: Turn 21 - Unrest and Protest Greet New Governor General

Turn 21 - 1st Action - Revolutionaries - Operation: Unrest

Revolutionary forces decide to send the new Viceroy a swift message about the challenges he will face. They take an unrest action. A guerilla unit in Madras Presidency and East Bengal is activated, causing unrest in both provinces. The Revolutionaries see their points total rise by 4, the value of those new populations now in a state of unrest. The restraint level is also dropped to just 1. If the unity level also drops to 1, then India will be in a state of crisis. 

The Revolutionaries choose not to take a Special Activity. By so doing, they prevent Congress, who are next faction to play, from being able to use a powerful card event.

Turn 21 - 2nd Action - Congress - Limited Operation: Civil Disobedience

Congress is limited to an operation in just one space. There are a number of regions that could all be selected, but it is in Madras Presidence, where unrest has recently broken out, that they choose to protest. Placing the protest marker turns the two Congress pieces there to their active side. As there are only two Congress pieces in the province, they are prevented from moving out onto the railway; a third piece there would have allowed them to do so. 

---

Gandhi: Turn 22 - First Muslim State Created in Punjab

Turn 22 - 1st Action - Muslim League - Play Event

Muslim League representatives agree at a mammoth session in Delhi to drop demands for a separate Muslim electorate if Congress will concede ground on key legal and constitutional demands in Muslim-dominated provinces. It’s an uneasy settlement but results in Punjab becoming the first Muslim State while simultaneously reducing levels of Congress influence in Bengal, where both provinces shift from passive opposition to passive support for the Raj. 

Turn 22 - 2nd Action - Raj - Operation: Deploy

Lord Reading needs to get his forces out into the country. With restraint at ‘1’, it only costs 1 resource to deploy to each city if Sepoys are involved in the action (if Troops alone move to a city, it is free). Furthermore, Lord Reading’s special ability makes the first space chosen for an operation free of cost. Sending troops and Sepoys to all five major cities therefore costs the British just 4 resources. Now what can Reading do with his additional numbers? 

Turn 22 - 2nd Action - Raj - Special Activity: Martial Law

After his initial demonstration of strength, Lord Reading goes a step further. He declares martial law in Madras Presidency. It is brutal and two Sepoy units do the Governor General’s dirty work leading to the loss of two Congress pieces. The province is back under British control [I had forgot to ‘uncontrol’ it earlier when active Congress pieces equalled the number of Raj pieces; this rectifies my rules error], but the unrest doubles, strengthening the position of the Revolutionaries in the far south.

---

Gandhi: Turn 23 - Revolutionaries Rise, Then Fall

Turn 23 - 1st Action - Revolutionaries - Special Activity: Aid

The Revolutionaries begin by trying to send all their remaining exposed guerilla units underground. First the piece in East Bengal slips into the shadows. To try and repeat the process in another area requires a role of 3 or under. A 4 is rolled and the unit in Madras Presidency remains exposed. 

Turn 23 - 1st Action - Revolutionaries - Operation: Unrest

Now the Revolutionaries get down to work. A unit goes active in both Karachi and the new Muslim State of Punjab. If the Muslim League hopes to move peacefully towards an independent nation, violent Indian nationalists have plans to dash those aspirations. 

The track along the top of the board shows that the Revolutionaries now have 13 points (the number of their bases on the board [3] + the population size of the regions experiencing unrest [10]). If they are on 15+ points by the time of the next Campaign round, they would win the game. Will they other factions put their differences aide to deal with the threat and prevent India collapsing into chaos. 

Turn 23 - 2nd action - Congress - Play Event

The Revolutionaries over-stretch themselves. They rob a train near Karkori in the United Provinces, prompting a backlash that sees 40 of them arrested and 4 Eventually hanged. Three units are gathered up hiding in Madras Presidency and another in Karachi. In playing the event, the Congress faction has clipped the Revolutionaries’ wings, helping not just themselves but the Raj in the process. 

[It’s worth noting that in a multi-player game, the level of inter-factional cooperation must be a significant and enjoyable feature of the COIN games. In a solo play through, this emerges more obliquely, as in this instance.]

---

Gandhi: Turn 24 - Muslim Independence Gathers Pace in the North, the Raj Fights Back in the South

Turn 24 - 1st Action - Muslim League - Play Event

The Ottoman Empire’s collapse at the end of World War I brought an end to the last Caliph, or political ruler of all Muslims. Efforts to restore a new Caliph gain traction in East Bengal where an emboldened Muslim League secures popular support for a Muslim State.

Turn 24 - 2nd Action - Raj - Operation: Sweep

Lord Reading now begins an effort to reassert control, starting in the south of the country. With restraint at ‘1’, his actions are not a drain on resources. A series of moves result in him taking control of Coastal Andhra, while Sepoys move into Mysore (which is a Princely State, not a province, and therefore cannot be entered by troops).

Turn 24 - 2nd Action - Raj - Special Activity: Govern

The process of cleaning up in the south continues. Lord Reading can govern in two space with Raj forces. He removes the two unrest markers in Madras Presidency, for a total cost of 6 resources, and clears the exposed Revolutionary guerilla unit in Bombay Presidency. Two Revolutionary bases and two Congress pieces remain in the province, however, so there is still work to be done.

---

Gandhi: Turn 25 - Revolutionaries Refuse to Lie Down

Turn 25 - 1st Action - Revolutionaries - Operation: Rally

The Revolutionaries are not prepared to sit back and now their network of bases comes to their aid. First they place a new base in Punjab, swapped for two units (‘2’ being the current level of unity). Dice rolls of 4+ are now needed to act in further regions. They roll successfully three times. Three new units resurface in Bombay Presidency (number on bases [2] + 10, demonstrating how painstaking the process will be for the Raj to clear these areas of opponents. Then further units turn up in Karachi and East Bombay, drawn by the unrest there. 

Turn 25 - 1st Action - Revolutionaries - Special Activity: Infiltrate

The Revolutionaries continue their activities in East Bengal where the declaration in favour of a Muslim State has stirred up nationalist feeling. A revolutionary unit replaces a Muslim League piece in a region where allegiances shift with the rising of the sun. 

Turn 25 - 2nd Action - Congress - Pass
The Congress get to play first next turn so, rather than be restricted to a limited operation by playing now, they pass.

---

Gandhi: Turn 26 - Gandhi Tries to Regain Momentum

Turn 26 - 1st Action - Congress - Special Activity: Satyagraha

Gandhi knows that Congress is lagging behind and the dream of an peacefully achieved independent India seems a long way off. He marches from Central Province to Bombay Presidency, removing the unrest there when he arrives and generating new support. 

Turn 26 - 1st Action - Congress - Operation: Rally

Gandhi now rallies. He can do so in the area where he is present, attracting pieces equivalent to the population level there (2). Where a short while ago, the British had looked back in control in Bombay Presidency, things are now once again in the balance. Congress can also rally in further spaces equivalent to the restraint level. This is currently just 1, so they are restricted to placing two units in Madras Presidency.

Turn 26 - 2nd Action - Muslim League - Play Event

Muslim League activists continue to make things almost impossible for the Raj in the east, taking their protests to the railways and occupying both lines out of Calcutta. If the British can’t clear them by the time of the next Campaign round, that will be deprived of 10 resource points.

---

Gandhi: Turn 27 - Revolutionaries Exert Grip on East Bengal
Turn 27 - 1st Action - Revolutionaries - Special Activity: Infiltrate

The Revolutionaries continue to demonstrate how precarious is the Muslim League’s hold over East Bengal. Once more they infiltrate the League, replacing one of Jinnah’s units with a piece of their own. 

Turn 27 - 1st Action - Revolutionaries - Operation: Unrest

Now the Revolutionaries bring unrest back to Bombay Presidency, reducing the level of opposition to passive and putting the brakes on Congress’ recent progress. Once again, the Revolutionaries are just three points short of their victory target.

Turn 27 - 2nd Action - Raj - Limited Operation: Sweep

The British look to deal with the renewed Revolutionary threat. A Sepoy sweeps into Bombay Presidency which then allows the British units there to each activate a Guerilla piece. It means they lose control of the province (4 active adversary pieces [3 Guerrillas + Gandhi] + 2 Bases exceeds the 5 Raj cubes) but will allow them to assault the exposed Guerillas at a later stage.

---

Gandhi: Turn 28 - Protests, Railway Occupations, Gandhi Arrested, Crisis

Turn 28 - 1st Action - Congress - Operation: Civil Disturbance (Part 1)

India has been free of protests for a while. Gandhi changes all that as acts of civil disobedience break out in Bombay Presidency and Bihar. Units there are activated. Then, in the Presidency, because there are at least three Congress pieces, one of them moves onto the adjacent railway, further threatening the Raj’s economic prospects.

Turn 28 - 1st Action - Congress - Special Activity: Satyagraha

Gandhi then pulls a smart move. A Special Activity can be played in the midst of an Operation. In this case, Gandhi marches south to Madras Presidency. Once there, he attracts a new follower.

Turn 28 - 1st Action - Congress - Operation: Civil Disturbance (Part 2)

Gandhi now resumes his civil disturbance. He can carry out this operation wherever he is, even having moved and even having carried out the operation in his starting space. Now in Madras Presidency, he provokes a protest which sends all three activists to their active side, in turn removing control from the Raj, whose two cubes are now outnumber by active adversaries. Finally, because there are at least 3 Congress pieces in the province, once of them can move onto the railway running out of Madras. Lord Reading’s headache has become a migraine.

Turn 28 - 2nd Action - Muslim League - Play Event

The Aga Khan allows his palace to be used as a prison and Gandhi, his wife and supporters are incarcerated there. His removal returns Madras Presidency back to British control but what is seen as an aggressive act against Congress by one of India’s most important Muslim leaders drops the unity level to 1.

With both unity and restraint at 1, India has descended into crisis.

Turn 28 - Crisis

At the end of a turn in which India enters crisis, the Raj can place a die-roll’s worth of cubes from out of play onto the map. Reading rolls a 1. Unlucky. A single Sepoy piece is dispatched to United Provinces which falls under British control.

---

Gandhi: Turn 29 - Carrot and Stick Approach from the Raj Reaps Rewards

Turn 29 - 1st Action - Raj - Special Activity: Govern

The British seek to re-establish control by using the govern action. In Karachi, they spend 6 resources to remove the unrest and then increase support to passive, while in Madras Presidency the 6 resources are used for a range of measures that prove popular and increase support to active.

Turn 29 - 1st Action - Raj - Operation: Assault

After the consensual acts of government, Reading shows a more authoritarian streak. He launches an assault in Bombay Presidency which removes an active adversary for every cube in the province. His special ability makes the action free. Three Revolutionary units are killed, while two Congress pieces join Gandhi in jail.

In response to an assault action, Congress can place two protest markers. Both United Provinces and Punjab break out in protest at the arrests of Congress supporters and the more deadly treatment of Revolutionaries.

Turn 29 - 2nd Action - Revolutionaries - Play Event

The Revolutionaries play the ‘British Seek to Divide and Rule’ event. Taking advantage of ongoing disputes between Congress and the Muslim League, the Revolutionaries set up a new base in Sind province where support for the Raj also increases as a result of the British appearing to be honest brokers amongst the warring factions of indpendence. British diplomacy and Revolutionary zeal make for interesting bed-fellows.

---

Gandhi: Turn 30 - Muslim Independence Comes a Step Closer

Turn 30 - 1st Action - Congress - Play Event

Congress plays the ‘Alkali Movement Unites Sikhs’ event. The Alkali campaign to regain control of Gurdwaras, Sikh places of worship, from local appointees proves popular. It provokes a protest in West Bengal and the removal the passive support for the British regime.

Turn 30 - 2nd Action - Muslim League - Operation: Rally

The Muslim League is struggling to sustain its advances but nonetheless manages to rally in the north-west, replacing a piece in Punjab to place its last base there and recruiting a new unit in Baluchistan.

Turn 30 - 2nd Action - Muslim League - Special Activity: Negotiate

There is perhaps, however, merit in the Muslim League’s quiet, incremental approach. Now they negotiate in West Bengal, which free of both British control and unrest, is ripe for converting to the cause of an independent Muslim State. The protests there die down, the activist pieces go are flipped back to their inactive sides. The cause of Muslim indpendence is gaining traction.

---

Gandhi: Turn 31 - More Arrests and Activity on the Railways

Turn 31 - 1st Action - Raj - Special Activity: Martial Law

Lord Reading’s instincts may be in favour of civil liberties, but he seems to have developed a taste for throwing Congress supporters in jail. His declaration of Martial Law in Bombay Presidency sees two Congress pieces join Gandhi in prison. The protests there end, opposition is quelled but the level of unrest increases.

Turn 31 - 1st Action - Raj - Operation: Garrison

Concerned at the potential loss of income caused by the protests on the country’s railway lines, Reading now garrisons, sending Sepoys onto the lines out of Calcutta and Madras. He is clearly setting things up for a future assault action to clear the protestors from those railways and add more people to the ever-filling jails.

 Turn 31 - 2nd Action - Revolutionaries - Limited Operation: Rally

As evidence of just how difficult governing the country is becoming, no sooner have the British cleared Bombay Presidency of adversaries than the Revolutionaries rally there. The presence of two bases is potent. They rally to the value of bases + 1. Three guerillas re-emerge and Reading’s quagmire thickens.

---

Campaign Round 3

Lord Reading’s tenure is over. It looks like he garrisoned the railways in the nick of time. He had to compromise his civil liberty instincts and finds himself replaced by a man with genuine authoritarian roots. As the game enters its final stages, is India about to see a surge in bloodshed?

Check for Victory

• Raj: 32 points (-7 from their victory target)
• Revolutionaries: 12 points (-3)
• Congress: 8 points (-13)
• Muslim League: 12 points (-3)

All factions improved their positions but the Muslim League, who have had a superb campaign, and the Revolutionaries are closest to achieving their aims. The most disappointed will be Gandhi who has failed to generate widespread opposition.

Resources

There are no protests on any railways and because Lord Reading managed to get two cubes onto each of the railway lines that had activists, none of those railways go on strike. With all cities under Raj control, the British coffers are filled to their maximum (50 points). However, they must then pay 2 resources for every activist and Gandhi in jail. This costs 14 resources, a hefty price to pay.

Support

There are four spaces that have Raj control and both Sepoys and troops. Spending 3 resources for each action, the British increase support in Coastal Andhra, Calcutta and Karachi and remove the two unrest markers in Bombay Presidency. It is a display of financial largesse which appears to have won friends.

Finally, two activists for each space where the Raj acted are released from jail, while Gandhi is freed too and sent to Kashmir in the far north.

With Unity at 1, the non-violent factions are limited to one space for their support actions. Opposition to the Raj strengthens to active in Bihar, while the passive support the Raj enjoyed in West Bengal shifts to passive opposition.

As the Muslim League and Revolutionaries have placed all their bases on the board already, they can’t place any new ones in the Pakistan Movement or Secret Societies.

Redeploy & Reset

There is significant movement in this redeploy phase. The British have managed to break out from the cities and have Sepoys in a number of provinces where the Raj has control. The Muslim League has spread its support across all Muslim provinces and states. The Revolutionaries have maintained pockets of strength in Bengal and Bombay Presidency. However, the position of Congress is unclear. Nonetheless, during the realignment of the campaign phase, opposition has grown.

State of the nation after three campaigns

It has been a busy campaign and all factions might feel some satisfaction, but the Muslim League will feel an intense excitement at how close they are to their dream of an independent state. The current position is shown on the right compared to the previous campaign phase on the left.The situation in Bengal has intensified. Two new provinces have declared for a Muslim state and there are Muslim pieces across all Muslim regions.

The points situation as we enter the final campaign shows how delicate is the balance of power in India:

Raj: 33 points (-7 from victory)
Congress: 12 points (-9 from victory)
Revolutionaries: 12 points (-3 from victory)
Muslim League:14 points (-1 from victory)

---

Gandhi: Turn 32 - Gandhi Tries to Muster Support but Raj Gains in Strength

Turn 32 - 1st Action - Congress - Operation: Civil Disobedience (Part 1)

Congress protests break out in Sind and East Bengal. However, these are risky tactics as they can benefit the Muslim League as well.

Turn 32 - 1st Action - Congress - Special Activity - Satyagraha

Gandhi interrupts his operation to march to the far south and see what opposition he can drum up in Madras Presidency. His arrival there brings out an activist in the region.

Turn 32 - 1st Action - Congress - Operation: Civil Disobedience (Part 2)

Now Gandhi completes his operation, sparking protests in Madras Presidency. This sends the Congress piece active, thereby removing British control from the province.

Turn 32 - 2nd Action - Raj - Play Event

The emergence of Nehru as a trusted aide to Gandhi would appear to provide Congress with the additional impetus they need [in reality, it did]. However [in this version of history], it simply results in growing bickering among Congress supporters and additional bolstering of local Sepoy support for the seemingly stable British administration. Three new Sepoy units in Bihar and two in Madras Presidency bring both regions under control of the Raj, which now finds itself just four points short of its victory target. 

---

Gandhi: Turn 33 - Muslim Independence Nears Reality but all Factions in Play


Turn 33 - 1st Action - Revolutionaries - Operation: Rally

Revolutionary forces are themselves close to victory but need to sow further unrest to reach that goal. Again utilising their two bases in Bombay Presidency, they rally two new units there.

Turn 33 - 1st Action Revolutionaries - Special Activity: Infiltrate

The Revolutionaries now seek to drive home their advantage and infiltrate a Sepoy unit, bolstering their forces in Bombay Presidency further.

Turn 33 - 2nd Action - Muslim League - Play Event

An attempt to call a conference in London to arrange a conference backfires when Gandhi decides to boycott. India is in ferment with all factions sensing victory. Opposition to British rule swells in East Bengal, Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir, the extra five points of opposition bringing Congress to within four points of victory but pushing the Muslim League past their victory total. Can they hold on till the end of this campaign round?

—-

Gandhi: Turn 34 - Gandhi Marches Again While Sepoys Head for Punjab

Turn 34 - 1st Action - Congress - Operation: Civil Disobedience

Gandhi’s has struggled to bring out his support outside the largely Muslim north, where activities benefit not just Congress but the Muslim League too. Protests in Punjab are a further example of this. With Restraint at 1, he is limited to acting in just this province as the region where Gandhi is present, Madras Presidency, is already protesting.

Turn 34 - 1st Action - Congress - Special Activity: Satyagraha 

The British appear to have Madras Presidency locked down, so Gandhi interrupts his civil disobedience activities to move and see if he can drive up opposition elsewhere. He returns to Bombay Presidency where his arrival brings out supporters and, resuming his civil disobedience, new protests.

Turn 34 - 2nd Action - Raj - Limited Operation: Sweep

The British need to do something to quell the Muslim move to independence. They can only perform a limited operation so target Punjab. As it is now a Muslim ‘state’, only Sepoys, not troops, can enter. They sweep in along the railway from Karachi and from neighbouring Delhi and United Provinces. The risk is that they leave themselves exposed to a counter-attack in those regions.

—

Gandhi: Turn 35 - Violence and Bloodshed Rocks British Empire

Turn 35 - 1st Action - Revolutionaries - Operation: Unrest

The forces of violence are quick to remind the other factions they are close to victory. A guerilla unit activates in Bombay Presidency, causing unrest to break out there and with active adversary units and bases now outnumbering Raj cubes, the British lose control of the province and a further two victory points.

Turn 35 - 1st Action - Revolutionaries - Special Activity: Assassinate

Now the Revolutionaries step up the violence in a way that shocks the crumbling British Empire to its core, an assassinate action taking out a troop unit in Bombay Presidency. Gandhi, in the province himself, can only watch on as death overtakes his desire for a peaceful removal of India’s colonial oppressors.

Turn 35 - 2nd Action - Muslim League - Play Event

The Muslim League are limited in their options so play the event in which the backing of communists and trade unionists lead to strikes that attract further support to their cause, largely from among Revolutionary supporters who are impressed by the Communists’ organisational skills.

—

Gandhi: Turn 36 - Sepoys Impose Martial Law as Support for Gandhi Swells

Turn 36 - 1st Action - Raj - Operation: Deploy

India seems to be slipping away from the British. Lord Chelmsford is fighting on multiple fronts and, desperate to get more troops in place, deploys to Karachi and Delhi. Is it too little, too late?

Turn 36 - 1st Action - Raj - Special Activity: Martial Law

In response to the violence meted out to British troops by Revolutionaries in the previous turn, Lord Chelmsford retaliates, declaring martial law in Bombay Presidency and Punjab. Congress and Muslim League activists are cleared from both areas, protests quelled and opposition in Punjab suppressed. Unrest, however, increases to the delight of the Revolutionaries. It is a case of my enemy’s enemy is my friend.

Turn 36 - 2nd Action - Congress - Play Event

After the Communists have moved in the north, Socialists move in the south.The Hindustan Socialist Republican Association and the Philosophy of the Bomb wins further support and increases the growing levels of opposition to the Raj, which drops in Madras Presidency and turns to opposition in Bombay Presidency. With opposition now spreading across India, Gandhi is just two points short of his victory total.

—

Gandhi: Turn 37 - Revolutionary Forces Spread Cross Country

Turn 37 - 1st Action - Revolutionaries - Special Activity: Infiltrate

The Revolutionaries continue to wreak havoc in Bombay Presidency, continuing to infiltrate Sepoy units who are starting to desert the British cause in droves.

Turn 37 - 1st Action - Revolutionaries - Operation: March

Having built up a mass of guerillas in Bombay Presidency, the Revolutionaries now head for regions currently without unrest but which are ripe for disorder: Karachi and West Bengal. Unrest in either place would take the Revolutionaries into winning territory.

Turn 37 - 2nd Action - Muslim League - Limited Operation: Demonstrate

The Muslim League is limited in its options but shifts two activists from West to East Bengal, perhaps with a view to removing the unrest there and clipping the wings of the Revolutionaries and their violent intent.

—

Gandhi: Turn 38 - Gandhi Jailed while Raj Clears Punjab of its Opponents

Turn 38 - 1st Action - Raj - Operation: Assault

Following up his earlier martial law in Punjab, Chelmsford now goes on the assault. Punjab, which had been emptied of Muslim League supporters is now cleared of a Revolutionary unit, as well as one of their bases and a Muslim League bases. Further south, Gandhi is thrown in jail together with Congress supporters picked up in Madras Presidency. The moves are designed to clip the wings of the British opponents but don’t yet deliver any additional points.

Turn 38 - 1st Action - Raj - Special Activity: Govern [followed by automatic Congress Protests]

In an attempt to gain those additional points of support, Chelmsford buys his way to active support in Madras Presidency and to remove one of the unrest markers in Punjab. However, this is expensive. He is running out of money and is going to need some useful card events if he is to snatch victory.

Congress is then allowed to place two protests at the end of a Raj turn in which the assault operation was used. Protests breaks out in response to Gandhi’s arrest in Bombay Presidency as well as in West Bengal.

Turn 38 - 2nd Action - Congress - Limited Operation: Rally

Congress really needs to accelerate its activities but it is limited to a single rally action in Madras Presidency, where two activists reappear. However, the far south has never brought them a long-lasting presence so there is little reason to think things will be any different this time.

—

Gandhi: Turn 39 - Muslim Protests Break Out in Far North

Turn 39 - 1st Action - Muslim League - Operation

The Muslim League is in the lead and doesn’t want to give unnecessary opportunities to its opponents. Therefore, in order to stop the Revolutionaries being able to play a powerful event, the League chooses to carry out a sole operation, generating a protest in the Northern Frontier.

Turn 39 - 2nd Action - Revolutionaries - Pass
In fact, while the revolutionaries are prevented from playing the event this turn, if they pass now they will be first player in the next turn and able then to take advantage of a powerful event.

—

Gandhi: Turn 40 - The Rule of the Raj Appears Nearly Over But Who Will Control India?

Turn 40 - 1st Action - Revolutionaries - Play Event

The bombing of the Central Legislature in New Delhi is another act of bloodshed but brings huge results for the forces of revolution. The waves of unrest it causes ripple into Bihar and as far south as Madras Presidency which all of a sudden no longer looks secure for the British. Just as seriously, the Revolutionaries have now reached their victory requirement of 15 points. India is on a knife-edge.

Turn 40 - 2nd Action - Raj - Pass
The British are desperately short of money (down to 7 resources). To have any chance of victory they need more. The only way to get more is to pass, which brings them 3 additional resources.

Turn 40 - 2nd Action - Congress - Special Activity: Persuade

Gandhi, watching on from jail, is desperate for the Revolutionaries to be pegged back. Congress activists work to persuade them to renounce their violence and enjoy some success in exposing guerilla units in West Bengal and Bombay Presidency. It makes them more vulnerable and may offer a way of denying them victory.

Turn 40 - 2nd Action - Congress - Operation: Non-Cooperation

Congress may have brought the curtain down on British rule in India. Acts of non-cooperation in Madras Presidency and West Bengal follow on from the earlier persuasion efforts. Support for the Raj drops in the south (denying the British of two points in the process), while opposition moves from passive to active in the West Bengal tinderbox. It brings Congress to within two points of victory but also pushes the Muslim League two points further past the winning post.

—

Gandhi: Turn 41 - British Fightback in Punjab Can’t Stop Muslim Independence Movement

Turn 41 - 1st Action - Raj - Operation: Sweep

The game can now end at any point now, whenever the final campaign card is turned up. This could be the Raj’s final action in India. They may, alternatively, have about three more but it is hard to see how they get enough points. Still, Lord Chelmsford does what he can, sweeping forces into Bombay Presidency and Sind, where control is gained for the time being.

Turn 41 - 1st Action - Raj - Special Activity: Govern

The British are not ready to yield the jewel in their crown without a final fight. Dramatic last attempts to retain control by governing sees their suppression of Muslim independence in Punjab completed, as the last unrest is removed before the state relinquishes its hard fought independent status. Will the League fight back?

Turn 41 - 2nd Action - Muslim League - Play Event

The loss of Punjab is a blow but the Muslim League has been playing a long game. The declaration of independence is more than just words. Protests in Sind, Northern Frontier and East Bengal come to an end amidst the jubilation with support in those areas drifting away from the British towards opposition, to the gain of both the League and Congress.

—-

Gandhi: Turn 42 - Revolutionary Attacks Foiled

Turn 42 - 1st Action - Revolutionaries - Operation: Attack

The Revolutionaries decide to go for a single operation to deny Congress a chance to play a powerful event. In seeking to sow the unrest they need to get them over the victory line, they go on the attack. First they target West Bengal, needing to roll less the number of guerillas they have there [3]. They roll a ‘5’. The attack fails. A further dice roll allows them to attach a second regions. This time they go for Karachi, again with three guerillas. They roll a ‘4’. Another failure. Another failed dice roll prevents a further attack.

Turn 42 - 2nd Action - Congress - Pass
In a risky move, Congress decides to pass so they can carry out a full action in the next turn, when they are first player. However, if the next card turned up is the last Campaign card, they won’t get the chance to act.

—-

Gandhi: Turn 43 - Congress Negotiation and British Violence Create Fresh Turmoil

Turn 43 - 1st Action - Congress - Operation: Rally

The gamble to pass in the previous turn looks to have paid off. Congress rallies with new supporters emerging in Sind, Bombay Presidency and Madras Presidency, where the Raj forces are now outnumbered and lose control of the province.

Turn 43 - 1st Action - Congress - Special Activity: Negotiate

With the denouement almost upon us, the most dramatic of interventions which throws the future of India into turmoil.  Perhaps the Muslim League became complacent, because they did not see Congress turning to that most peaceful of actions: negotiation. Because Congress pieces outnumber League pieces by one in West Bengal, they are able to remove the protest there but, most tellingly the self-declared Muslim state. Meanwhile, the Raj’s willingness to negotiate means that opposition, formerly active, now reverts to neutrality. In one move, the Muslim League loses six points and Congress four. Suddenly, no-one is in a winning position.

Turn 43 - 2nd Action - Raj - Assault

If this is to to be the Raj’s last action, its brutality shows why Indians have been so desperate to turf them out. A full-out assault in Bombay Presidency kills two Congress activists and three guerillas. It is a heavy price to pay for regaining control of the province and sparks a protest in United Provinces.

—-

Gandhi: Turn 44 - Assam Declares Independence as League Regroups

Turn 44 - 1st Action - Muslim League - Special Activity: Negotiate

This may be the evidence that peaceful means get you what you want. A quiet piece of negotiation by the Muslim League turns Assam, on India’s far eastern fringe into a Muslim State, gaining a degree of support for the soon to be departed British. It is enough to put the League into a winning position again.

Turn 44 - 1st Action - Muslim League - Operation: Demonstrate

With an eye on re-establishing a Muslim state into West Bengal, the Muslim League now demonstates, sending two activist pieces there from neighbouring East Bengal.

Turn 44 - 2nd Action - Revolutionaries - Limited Operation: Rally

Seeking final places in which to sow discord, the Revolutionaries place a new base in Karachi.

—

Gandhi: Turn 45 - Internal Divisions Scupper Muslim Independence Hopes

Turn 45 - 1st Action - Raj - Play Event

Chelmsford is almost out of money so, playing the event, the British cynically exploit east-west divisions to undermine the independence movement in West Bengal, where Congress and Revolutionary pieces are as numerous as those from the Muslim League. West Bengal’s status as a Muslim State is lost and with it four points for the League. It is a crushing late blow.

Turn 45 - 2nd Action - Congress - Special Activity: Satyagraha

The British risk losing control of one of their provinces to a persuade action if they choose not to release Gandhi. He’s thrown out of jail and heads to Bombay Presidency where he ends the protest and removes one of the two unrest markers there.

Turn 45 - 2nd Action - Congress - Operation: Non-Cooperation

Congress will have hoped to be active in more regions but, instead, they are restricted to just Madras Presidency where their non-cooperation removes the remaining support from the British, turning the state neutral.

—

Gandhi: Turn 46 - India’s Revolutionaries on the Verge of Victory

Turn 46 - 1st Action - Revolutionaries - Special Activity: Aid

In what is almost certain to be their last turn, the Revolutionaries set up a final attempt to generate the unrest they need for victory. Foreign aid helps the send guerillas underground in West Bengal and Karachi, perhaps in preparation for a final act of violence.

Turn 46 - 1st Action - Revolutionaries - Operation: Unrest

The plan worked. Having been sent underground, a cell in West Bengal was able to start agitating behind the scenes, sending the province back into a state of unrest. An activation roll to continue acting elsewhere failed, but this may be all the Revolutionaries needed.

Turn 46 - 2nd Action - Muslim League - Pass
In a high-wire act that has a 50/50 chance of success, the Muslim League passes to give themselves a chance of playing first in the next turn, when a powerful event might get them across the victory line. Will the gamble work?

—

Gandhi: Game End and Final Thoughts

Game End: India Collapses into Disastrous Civil Way

The Muslim League’s attempt to pass and play a powerful event fails: the final campaign card is turned up and the game ends.

The points are totted up to see if anyone has reached their target:

• Raj: 30 points (-9 short of their target)
• Congress: 17 points (-4)
• Muslim League: 8 points (-7)
• Revolutionaries: 16 points (+1)

Revolutionaries win...

The British leave India in haste as the country descends into civil war, with violence focussed around the outskirts of Bombay, in Karachi and most brutally in Bengal. It is a disastrous legacy, with Muslim hopes quashed in the final few turns and Gandhi’s Congress never gaining the momentum needed to overcome the appeal of violent insurrection.

Final thoughts

This was an extraordinary experience and a perfect Covid-19 distraction, though logging each move takes all the pace away from what I suspect is game play that can have plenty of momentum. I look forward one day to playing it around the table with three other people.

That said, the Arjuna AI system, played smoothly and only rarely made decisions I thought were questionable.

As a first time player, I made countless dumb decisions but, even so, it is tough being the British, fighting on so many different fronts. What I came to realise at the end was how important resource management is. Shifting levels of support is costly and I ran out of money in the critical last few rounds.

In this game, Congress played passively and never gained momentum. Constantly being drawn to the 2 population areas in Muslim territories meant they never touched those central Indian states that might swung the game their way. Any gains they made in Muslim provinces inevitably helped the Muslim League too.

As for the Muslim League, they were interesting to observe: slow to get going but, once their bases were out on the boards, increasingly powerful. Their narrative arc felt the most compelling. The end game could have come a few turns earlier when they would have won handsomely. However, they were stuffed by a strange, late negotiate decision by Congress in Bengal which lost the League six points in one go. They never recovered.

The Revolutionaries meanwhile were hard to quash. Hit them and they came back and back and back. Get five bases out and after that they only need to focus on a few provinces to deliver victory. I think the AI gives them an easier ride than human opponents might. It was left almost entirely to the British to deal with them when the non-violent factions might have done more to clip their wings.

Conclusion

This is an extraordinary game and game-system. It’s fascinating to engage with the history of India’s decolonisation through a game, particularly as the education system I came through in 1980s Britain had nothing interesting to say about our colonial history and its end.

The fact is, the British will lose (even if they win on the points track) and the game is superb at capturing that drift towards independence. The three Indian factions will gain over time, sometimes making leaps forward, then being pushed back before inching forward once more.

Sometimes you have to finesse the narrative: what does Congress ‘removing’ troops represent? They’re not killing so what does that removal of a Raj cube denote? At times, the cards emerge in a way that makes no historical sense but if that’s going to bother you don’t play a counter-factual game. It can also feel odd when a region becomes a Muslim State and yet support for the Raj remains active. Maybe I was playing a rule wrong.

However, those quibbles all pale into insignificance compared to the authentic story that emerges; the compromises that confront you from having competing yet complementary interests with other factions; and the mental challenge that is contained within a smooth game play.

I hope anyone who followed some of this play through found it offered a useful insight into how the game works. For me, it was both fun and a valuable distraction during lockdown and a reaffirmation of what a great hobby this is.

Finis