Brief Border Wars

Here is more background on each border war portrayed.

El Salvador vs. Honduras, 1969. This is one of history's shortest wars, clocking in at about 100 hours. People often joke that this was was provoked by one side losing a soccer match: in fact, like most wars, the war was the climax of years of political and economic pressure. The El Salvadoran government reasoned that a war with Honduras would unify the country politically by seeming to avenge the mistreatment of the hundreds of thousands of El Salvadoran immigrants in Honduras and diverting citizens’ attention from other problems. The war, while short, did not provide a solution to anything: about 2,000 people, mostly Honduran civilians, were killed; no land changed hands; infrastructure in both countries was damaged; both countries spent scarce money rebuilding their forces; and economic ties between the two countries were disrupted completely. In the game, both forces are largely similar - El Salvador has a slightly larger ground force, while Honduras has a bit more airpower - and both must contend with rugged terrain and poor roads in their efforts to seize or hold Honduran territory. 

Each game is small (40 to 50 counters each) and short (one to two hours), using a common set of basic system rules and a deck of special cards to control movement and combat. Each game also features rules additions and variations to reflect the nature of each conflict.

These games are ideal short matches to finish off an evening of gaming, or fill a lunch hour. Either way your sense of improvisation will be challenged, and you'll explore four of the interesting yet obscure small wars of the last 50 years.

Product information

• Complexity: 4 out of 10
• Solitaire Suitability: 5 out of 10
• Time Scale: variable (days to weeks per turn)
• Map Scale: variable (area movement maps)
• Unit Scale: variable (battalion to division)
• Players: 1-2
• Playing Time: 1-2 hours each
• Designer: Brian Train

Components

• Four maps at 17” by 22”
• One countersheet of 176 9/16” counters
• Four Player Aid Cards
• One set of 54 cards
• One rulebook
• Two 6-sided dice
• 1 Box and Lid set