yellowmenace

Yes. they all operate in a similar fashion. In Cuba Libre, for instance, the Syndicate wants to open Casinos as part of their victory condition, but they've got very little manpower...six guerrillas total. So they don't really have the power to take over and maintain control of provinces. Buuut - what they can do is a maneuver called 'Muscle' where they can shift government troops to areas where they have Casinos...in effect, they bribe the government to shift resources to areas where they need protection. However, the government wins by fostering popular support - and the Syndicate can reduce this support by terrorizing the populace. They're all excellent examples of using mechanics to model asymmetrical goals.

Hey Rob, when you guys were talking about asymmetrical victory conditions - I couldn't help but think of Volk Ruhnke's COIN series of counterinsurgency games...particularly A DIstant Plain. Troy's instincts were spot-on. In any event, if you haven't played them they're worth looking at. Pretty remarkable stuff. http://www.shutupandsitdown.com/blog/post/review-distant-plain/