Cuba Libre: Calixto Bot Update Pack

From GMT Games:

“We are not savages ignoring the rules of civilized warfare. We are a poor, ragged army as ragged and poor as was the army of your forefathers in their noble war for independence, but like the heroes of Saratoga and Yorktown, we respect our cause too deeply to disgrace it with barbarism and cowardice.”
 — Letter from Cuban Gen. Calixto García to American Gen. William Shafter

The Cuba Libre Calixto bot update pack brings the successful Jacquard bot system to Cuba Libre. Like its predecessors in Gandhi and Fall of Saigon, Calixto is quick to use and easy to implement but presents a challenge to any Cuba Libre player.

When selecting Operations and Special Activities, cards are drawn from the Calixto deck—there are six cards for each Cuba Libre faction. Each card examines the current state of the game and selects the appropriate action for the active faction. A single, faction-specific table then determines where that action will occur. The same table is used to select spaces for Operations, Special Activities, and Events, minimizing the need to flip between multiple player aids. 

Playing against Calixto feels like playing against a human opponent. It is unpredictable yet responsive to strategic needs, it goes after its enemies while keeping an eye on its ally, and makes moves until now limited to human players—like choosing a Limited Operation to block an opponent’s Event. Calixto can take the place of any faction in a Cuba Libre session and can be used in any combination of player and non-player setups.

Calixto is named after Cuban General Calixto García, who led Cuban forces during the Cuban Struggle for Independence from Spain. During the last stages of this struggle, when American forces intervened, Gen. García coordinated with American forces led by General William Shatter and successfully defeated the Spanish in the siege of Santiago de Cuba. Upon the Spanish forces' surrender, Gen. García was denied entry to Santiago de Cuba and resigned from the Cuban army in protest. García died shortly after the end of the Spanish-American War while on a diplomatic mission to Washington D.C. In his honor, a plaque was erected reading "Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori" - "It is sweet and fitting to die for the homeland."

Contents:

• 1 Rulebook
• 1 Reference Booklet
• 1 Foldout Player Aid
• 1 Propaganda Round Player Aid
• 24 Calixto Cards

DESIGNER: Volko Ruhnke & Jeff Grossman
DEVELOPER: Orjan Ariander & Steve Caler
COIN Series Developer: Jason Carr
Calixto Design: Kevin Crooks
Jacquard System Design: Bruce Mansfield