Not necessarily what game is best to run an insurgency in, but more how do I as the DM run a game where the players are guerillas and terrorists? How to guide the players, have the world realistically react to their actions, punish them for slip ups without just sending in the counter-terrorism squad. Stuff like that.
>>98094691Be gone from this board!
Easiest answer is to just read into the topic and see how real world insurgencies played out, and how the counter-insurgents responded. British and French decolonisation offers plenty of examples, with a big range of both types of insurgency and different approaches to dealing with them by the authorities, e.g. comparing the British approach to the Mau Maus in Kenya (forcibly relocating their coethnics to cut off their support networks, targeted air attacks on insurgent camps, big nasty prison camps, etc.) to the response to Irish Republicans (heavily empower civil police and detain insurgents via regular legal channels, try and plant spies in their orgs, give clandestine aid to govt-friendly guerrillas)
>>98094691GURPS
>>98094832I forget where the rules for guerilla shit were. Special Ops?
>>98094691What kind of terrorists?
>>98096425A terrifying terrorists!
>>98094691Depending on what tone you are going for, read sourcebooks for existing games that touch on this concept. For an almost noblebright example, Star Wars RPGs have books that expand on how the Rebel Alliance operates, how they evade notice from the Empire and oppose its activities without getting annihilated. Or for something closer to reality, the Delta Green books have sections on maintaining conspiracy cells, covert tradecraft for evading enemy agents, and ways for PCs to acquire illegal goods and services. GM-focused sections should help you actually run the concept.
>>98094865>Special Ops>Roleplay behind-the-lines strikes, hostage rescue, guerrilla warfare, and other special-ops missions. There's lots of detail on weaponry and information on the world's top unconventional-warfare units . . . Rangers, Delta Force, Spetsnaz, SEALs, Special Air Service, Sayeret Matkal, and more.Correct,Covert Ops as well will come in useful.
>>98094691The only way for an insurgency to work is if the government is really, really retarded and constantly massacres random people or makes things so hellishly bad that joining the insurgents is a chance for a better life. Seems like your PC's are just a single cell though. Not exactly a coherent organization. Is gonna be tough.
>>98097048>Or for something closer to reality, the Delta Green books have sections on maintaining conspiracy cells, covert tradecraft for evading enemy agents, and ways for PCs to acquire illegal goods and services. GM-focused sections should help you actually run the concept.Seconding Delta Green as the best system for running an insurgent campaign. GURPS might have marginally more historical minutia, but it's GURPS.
>>98094691So... Twilight 2000 and Merc 2000, the Game Designers' Workshop editions?
>>98097682Delta Green sucks ass outside of very specific mechanics, plus it's setting and lore. Why would anyone want to play that system if they don't have to?
>>98094691Probably my WIP that isn't in a playable state yet.
>>98094691twilight 2000?
>>98094691In XCOM terms:Unironically play a hex and chit wargame as the global map layer, and run the tactical missions in something like Delta Green for RPG stuff, and Zona Alfa (or other skirmish minis game) for the straight firefight sessions.
>>98094691>>98102710Ten seconds on search engine of your choice:COIN from the Andean Abyss lineage, by GMT games.Unfortunately they invented Kickstarter, but that's what you get from spooks going private.>In the 1990s GMT pioneered a pre-order system called "Project 500" or "P500", where customers pre-order a title and production does not begin until a set minimum of orders had been reached.
>>98097095>>98094865>>98094832>gurps special ops>has a 2e and a 3e version>no 4eMangurps has fallen so hard since 3e.There are 10x more 3e books than 4e.
>>98097556>The only way for an insurgency to work is if the government is really, really retardedSo the average government
>>98094691Generally the best way to be a terrorist is to minimize collateral normies care about where possible and attack your enemy forces in a way that enrages them so they chimp out on the local civilians. The alternative is the 'they can't protect you' strategy, which involves directly antagonizing the normies to get them to not collaborate. In all cases, your job is easier if your enemy is a force seen as foreign or coercive and not a representative of the status quo. Like if a commie faggot blows up a power station to stop a data center from going in, I don't care if the police chainsaw his head off - he knocked out my power on my day off and I had to eat tinned fish and crackers rather than make the Sunday dinner I was looking forward to.
>>98102755>current year>advertisement engines>>98102710Any hex and chit's you'd recommend for it? I was thinking about doing this with my 6mm figures
>>98094691Is Twilight 2000 really the only decent system for this
>>98103613>Like if a commie faggot blows up a power station to stop a data center from going in, I don't care if the police chainsaw his head off - he knocked out my power on my day off and I had to eat tinned fish and crackers rather than make the Sunday dinner I was looking forward to.Protest in general have this issue too. When the subway system stops working for the 5th time during the day because the protestors keep trying to zerg rush the subway stations or block the flow of the trains. People are not going to be happy about you and will end hating your ideas and movement even if they agree with you.Game wise a mechanic that tracks how much the population hates, fears or loves you could work. Allowing you to gain or lose resources.
>>98094691Not an rpg, but GMTGames COIN board games are great for emulating this feel. Favorite of mine is Labyrinth War on Terror which is getting a new expansion
This is what you want.https://www.scribd.com/document/425138857/Bombs-and-Balaclavas
https://patcosta.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/150-Questions-For-A-Guerrilla-Alberto-Bayo-Paladin-Press-1996.pdf
>>98104162Holy fuck this rulebook is faggy. I half expect for them to talk about red cards. They also just called the good eye doctor an insane genocidal tyrant aswell. Definitely goyim-coded but what did I really expect
>>98104252That bad? Damn, shame. The cover art and name seemed like it would be fun.
>>98104367The game seems good if a little simple and dependant on the GM for the narrative. I guess it can be compared to Fate? What I especially despise though is the Decisive Battles system. Where you have to and neutralize 4 of the factions to win the campaign which is just... tedious. You don't have the option of helping one or two of the factions either. it's kinda static aswell, the way it's designed your party's gonna have to do the brunt of the work since the factions don't meaningfully interact with eachother.Not my cup of tea. I'm sure some would enjoy it though.
>>98104453>make about terrorist that do horrible things>just don't play this terrorist and call the police if you doThe fuck is this? What kind of deluded mind thinks putting that kind of disclaimer a good idea?
>>98104453>when you throw darts to determine the tone of your insurgency game and land on "authoritarian leftist"
>>98104453>you CANNOT PLAY PRETEND as ISIS because YOU CANNOT, CHUDDY, THANKS FOR THE MONEYgenuinely unmedicated schizophrenics walking around, pretending to have jobs, exist in society, terrifying.
Are there any unit level wargames I could play solo for this feel? I want to control a model or two of 6mm infantry going around doing guerilla ops against a superior force, some roleplaying sprinkled in would be nice but I don't care if my rifleman has +10 social ability and my machinegunner has -10 awareness etc.I got a nice table that would be perfect for it.
>>98104252>>98104162Still better than Sigmata lolConversely, if you're looking for fiction books on the mentality and/or tactics of a modern-day insurgency, read Turner Diaries, The Brigade, or even Siege.
>>98103816COIN from the Andean Abyss lineage, by GMT games.They also have games about the GWOT and other such conflicts.Unfortunately they invented Kickstarter, but that's what you get from spooks going private.I found this using a search engine of my choice.>>98104453>make terrorism game>"no playing terrorists"These people should be terrorised.>>98105259/hwg/ might be a better ask. Spectre is one option, I think, but IIRC that is more aimed at westy specops vs brown mobs. Presumably it could be adapted, but last time I read it it seemed a bit operational operators operating power fantasy.
>>98103951I've always wanted to run a game about elite counter-terrorist operators that uses Labyrinth as the 'campaign map' and then zooms in on the gunfighting when the time comes.
>>98108998Labyrinth lends nicely to a campaign I agree. I'm not sure if your hypothetical campaign would just use the board as a map or maybe include and play around with some components of the game. Having the players stop a WMD or 3 plot, maybe improve the governance of the country they're in if they exceed and accomplish their missions etc etc.
>>98109115>include and play around with some components of the game.Oh yeah, exactly. I guess I meant 'campaign map' in the sense of it being an overview/tracker on the world's state-of-play. I'd even be playing the game (hypothetically) behind the scenes, so you get the emergent storytelling of seeing how the global situation drives the team's missions, and the success of those missions feeds into the larger world.
>>98109456Oh hell yeah. Dream campaign right there.
