Gandhi: The Decolonization of British India, 1917–1947 is Volume IX in GMT’s acclaimed COIN Series. Exploring one of the world’s most prominent experiments with nonviolent resistance, Gandhi takes us to the subcontinent of India, the jewel in the crown of the British Empire, for a detailed look at the final decades of the British Raj. 1 to 4 players compete to determine the future of India; will the transition to home rule be a peaceful one, will India be split apart by partition or civil war, or will it remain firmly in the grip of empire?
Gandhi offers a fresh perspective on the history of insurgency with the addition of a new type of faction to the COIN Series, the Nonviolent (NV) faction, while retaining the multi-faction, asymmetrical, card-assisted system of earlier titles in the COIN Series. COIN veterans will be able to jump right in. Other features include:
- Gandhi as the game’s sole leader piece.
- Nonviolent operations and special activities: Demonstrate, Civil Disobedience, Non-Cooperation, Negotiate, and Persuade.
- Nonviolent activists that are immune from Raj actions until engaged in Protest.
- Protests that build Opposition but leave Activists vulnerable to arrest by Raj forces.
- A Unity track that measures tensions between Hindu and Muslim communities.
- A Restraint track that measures the severity of the conflict in India, affecting the cost of Raj Operations, and the Nonviolent Protests and Revolutionaries Unrest.
- British Viceroys who come and go with each passing campaign and give the Raj faction a unique capability.
- A Jail box which holds Nonviolent forces arrested during Raj Assault Operations.
- Independent Princely States that are never controlled by any Faction, yet offer a haven for violent and nonviolent insurgents alike.
- Muslim States that are placed during the game by the Muslim League, creating protected areas possibly to become the future nation of Pakistan.
- Main and Short scenarios that allow for the study of different periods of the struggle against British rule in India.
- A new, card-based bot system called 'Arjuna' which supports solitaire, 2-player, and 3-player games.
In Gandhi, players will face a range of difficult and interesting strategic choices. Following in the innovative footsteps of previous COIN titles, Gandhi weaves together historical, political, and cultural threads and offers an opportunity to study nonviolent and violent resistance in one of the most significant colonial possessions from the age of European imperialism. Civil disobedience and non-cooperation, protests and unrest, imperialism and constructive programme, negotiation, assassination, persuasion, martial law, and many other options await.
“Gandhi made it impossible for us to go on ruling India, but at the same time he made it possible for us to abdicate without rancor and without dishonor.”
— British Historian Arnold Toynbee
COMPONENTS
- One 22” by 34” mounted mapboard
- One deck of 79 Event and Campaign cards
- One deck of 24 Arjuna cards
- 125 red, white, orange, green, and black wooden playing pieces, many embossed
- 12 small pawns
- One full-color countersheet
- Rules Booklet
- Play Booklet
- 4 Faction Player Aid sheets
- 1 Non-Player Aid sheet
- 1 Sequence of Play sheet
- 4 six-sided dice
Noble Knight Games
