COIN - Non-player questions and suggestions

I know Andy posted some suggestions a little while ago but I couldn't find them.

I've played Coin games multi-player but I've started playing Cuba Libre solo this week in between the Turkey eating and family stuff. The first time I played all 4 sides and that worked pretty good. Now I'm trying to play with the Non-player flow charts and I'm having issues with sub-optimum play by the non-players. Do people use the flow charts? Any other suggestions on soloing COIN games?

I do use the flow charts and they are more sophisticated for ADP and FiTL. It's a different game when playing with the AI, especially as the AI gets the advantage with no LimOps but the player still has to play LimOps where appropriate.

The negotiation aspect is, of course, missing from the game but I still find beating the AI quite hard. Don't think of the AI as equivalent to a human player (playing optimum moves etc), think of the AI as a blocking force you need to break through. Sometimes it helps you but more often than not it doesn't.

As the game is transparent (no hidden information), I do hear of a lot of people playing as you did, taking all roles. I find the AI most useful at the beginning of the game and when I'm stuck for a strategy in terms of 'What would the AI do?', if I am playing all roles. Sticking with the AI still gives me a challenging game, I still haven't beaten the AI in ADP or FITL or AA.

I managed to beat the AI in AA. Though i would use the AI move but sometimes improve on it if i saw an obvious way to do so.

Thanks, that makes sense. I think I'm also going back and playing physical copy of the game rather than on Vassal. The board size is pretty small and it's nice that all the units and bases fit stay on the board. I don't even need a table, I can set the board up on my desk in the basement and have room for the charts and my bourbon.

I find the physical copy does have advantages in viewing the overall picture.

I developed a player aid for ADP and FiTL to allow you to keep track of the history (resources etc) and to give you a memory aid of what changes to the rules, due to momentum effects are currently active. It really helps if you do an incorrect play or knock the board and need to backtrack a few moves. In VASSAL this is easy but on a physical board it can be a PITA.

PM me if you want the excel spreadsheets. I haven't posted it on BGG because I hate BGG.

They would be trivial to change for CL. You print it out and fill in tick boxes and a few numbers at the end of every player turn and it generates a complete paper history of your game.