China’s War 1937-1941 – COIN Goes WW2!

Mike Colello, 4 May 2026

The GMT Games’ Counterinsurgency (COIN) series continues to grow with the release of China’s War, a game designed by Brian Train. Brian is no stranger to the COIN series. He co-designed A Distant Plain with Volko Ruhnke (released in 2013) and Colonial Twilight (released in 2017). China’s War, the 13^th game in the series, is the first that takes place in World War Two. Brian also previously released a game covering this war in 1999 titled Battle for China by the Microgame Design Group.

click images to enlarge

Does it look like COIN?

China’s War ships in a standard GMT 3” box so there is plenty of room for all of the components. And yes, those components do indeed look like they belong in a COIN game.

• Wooden cubes, cylinders, and discs? Check.
• 22” x 34” mounted map board? Check.
• Deck of Event Cards? Check.

The game even includes four d6s that are colored to match each faction in the game. The map, cards, and counters are all designed by Matthew Wallhead.

Does it play like COIN?

The Second Sino-Japanese War is actually a very good fit for the COIN series. There are four factions involved: the Japanese, the Chinese Nationalist Government, the Communist Party of China, and the regionally based Warlords. Each faction has its own unique goals and sets of actions known as Operations and Special Activities.

The Japanese are the invaders and start off very strong at the start of the game. Their goal is to control the Lines of Communications (LoCs) shown on the map as railroads and rivers. The Japanese player must also keep their Commitment level high as its value is added to the economic value of all LoCs controlled.

The Nationalists are trying to resist the Japanese by keeping the support of China’s population on their side.

The Communists also want the Japanese gone but also want win over China’s population to grow their own organization. They have the lowest victory threshold but start off weak and isolated and must build up as the game progresses.

The Warlords wish to maintain control of China for themselves by controlling the population and building build bases, which increase their victory total.

The game is driven by the Event card deck which also determines turn order, and a victory check round if a Propaganda card is drawn. Propaganda cards also allow for opportunities to collect resources and to influence the population. Cards are played from the deck one at a time with the next available card shown face-up to the players.

Each card allows the player to choose between the card’s event or one of the factions possible Operations or Special Activities. A faction that carries out one of these options is usually ineligible to do so again on the next card. In addition, the first faction to execute an Event card limits the options available to the second eligible faction (e.g., if the first faction executes an Operation and Special Activity, the second faction may only choose a Limited Operation or the Event). Factions spend Resources to conduct Operations, which are often paired with a Faction-specific Special Activity.

Combat in China’s War is conducted by executing Assault Operations or Attack or Ambush actions for the Communist faction. The primary goal of combat is to eliminate enemy forces, the result of which can influence a faction’s Patronage value. Combat resolution is determined by calculating the Combat Value (CV) for both the attacking and defending faction. The CVs for the factions are as follows:

• Japanese Troops: 2 CV each (assaulting or defending)
• Nationalist/Warlord Troops: 1 CV each (assaulting or defending)
• Bases and Japanese Police: 1 CV each, but only when defending
• Active Guerrillas: Regardless of the actual number present, all defending Active Guerrillas together provide exactly 1 CV

Terrain can also contribute to CV. Defending forces in rough terrain province can add 1 CV to their total. The total CV value possible is capped at a maximum of 6. Combat is resolved by each side rolling a d6. If a side’s roll is equal to or less than their total CV, the opposing side must remove active pieces with a total CV equal to the die result. The faction executing the Assault chooses which pieces are removed from both sides.

One COIN?

China’s War includes an extensive Non-Player system called Sun Wukong that allows any faction to be replaced with a non-player faction. The system is adapted from the one that was designed by Bruce Mansfield and included with the game Gandhi. From the Sun Wukong rules book, the system components include:

• Sun Wukong Rules and Reference Booklet (26 pages)
• A deck of Sun Wukong Cards that provide instructions for selecting and executing Operations and Special Activities
• Non-Player Player Aid Cards
• Priorities Tables
• Eligibility Tables
• Event Tables
• Propaganda Round Instructions

So is it worth YOUR COIN?

For me the answer is yes! Games on the Second Sino-Japanese War aren’t all that common, especially at the strategic level. As with most COIN games, the rulebook and playbook contain designer’s notes and historical information that help players that are not familiar with the conflict to understand what is being simulated.

Each of the four factions play differently (one of the COIN series highlights) and the randomness of the Event Card deck adds to replayability. The rulebook is well written and only fifteen pages long. The playbook contains an excellent tutorial that walks you through nine turns of play. In addition, the playbook contains tips and background information for the event cards, extensive designer notes, and one page bibliography.

You can chat about this game in the Modern World section of our discussion forums

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