Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
More strategic control
How it plays
How does it play?
Guide Japan, the Nationalist government, the Chinese Communist Party, or regional warlords through the opening years of the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Area Majority
Compete to have the strongest presence in areas that award control or points.
Dice Rolling
Roll dice to introduce uncertainty into actions, production, movement, or resolution.
Simulation
Model a real or imagined system through detailed cause-and-effect rules.
Area Movement
Move pieces between connected regions rather than along individual spaces.
Events
Triggered events alter the shared state, rules, or available choices.
Variable Phase Order
The order of phases changes according to player choices or game state.
Read the full game description
China's War: 1937-1941 is Volume XIII of GMT Games’ COIN Series and examines the first five years of the Second Sino-Japanese War. Each player controls a faction with distinct political, military, and economic priorities while a card deck governs initiative, events, and the rhythm of campaigns. Area control, resource extraction, shifting capabilities, and variable turn order create a strategic contest in which temporary cooperation never erases incompatible victory conditions. Included non-player rules support solitaire and every player count below four.
