Operation PBSUCCESS: the 1954
Guatemalan Coup
Designed by Chris Bennett
Playtest version 0.3
October, 2020
Copyright 2020
Chris Bennett
Operation PBSUCCESS
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Jacobo Árbenz “was not a dictator, he
was not a crypto-communist. He was
simply trying to create a middle class
in a country riven by extremes of
wealth and poverty and racism”
-Stephen Schlesinger, co-author of
Bitter Fruit
In 1954, the United Fruit Company
had a problem. Land reform policies
being enacted by the democratically
elected Jacobo Árbenz in Guatemala
were making the executives of UFC
nervous. UFC not only owned all of
Guatemala’s banana production and
monopolized the banana exports, but
they also owned the country’s
telephone and telegraph service and
most of its railroad track. So it
had some leverage.
But Secretary of State John Foster
Dulles worked for Sullivan &
Cromwell, the legal firm which
represented UFC. And Director of the
CIA Allen Dulles was on the UFC
board of directors. So this became
the White House’s problem.
And since Eisenhower had won his
presidency on the back of his
promise to not only contain but to
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roll back Communism, it wasn’t
difficult to convince him to launch
an overthrow of the Guatemalan
government to protect UFC economic
interests. Especially since the 1953
CIA coup of the democratically
elected Prime Minister Mosaddegh in
Iran had been so successful from the
US perspective.
“Árbenz is not a Communist [but] will
certainly do until one comes along”
-John Peurifoy, US Ambassador to
Guatemala
Operation PBSUCCESS​ is a
fast-playing solitaire game that
simulates the 1954 coup of
Guatemala. The player takes the role
of the CIA-backed and Castillo
Armas-led rebels, fighting against
the Árbenz presidency.
But it also models the wider Cold
War political and economic issues
faced by President Eisenhower’s
team, his CIA leadership, the
surrounding Central American
countries, and even the United
Nations.
This card-driven game takes place
through the weeks and months of
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Operation PBSUCCESS
early to mid 1954. The map shows
parts of Guatemala, Honduras and El
Salvador. Colored wooden cubes
represent forces such as Árbenz
Loyalists and anti-Árbenz Rebels.
And elements on the map also track
dynamic elements including the
stability of the Árbenz regime, the
political costs of this operation to
the Eisenhower administration and
the loyalty of the Guatemalan Army
towards Árbenz.
The object of the player is to use
political, covert and paramilitary
operations to effect regime change
by isolating Árbenz and preparing
rebel forces to take the capital of
Guatemala City.
The game system will play the role
of the Árbenz government as it tries
to hold on to power.
No knowledge of this historical
event is necessary to play; but just
by setting this game up and playing
you will learn more about this
important event in early Cold War
history.
City. These locations are connected
with roads, and in some cases, by
rail lines.
The map sheet is also home to the
Turn Tracker and the Political,
Covert, Paramilitary and Air Support
boxes.
2.2 Player Aid
The Player Aid has several
components:
●
Trackers for Árbenz Power,
Eisenhower Support and Army
Loyalty.
●
Player Actions such as Train
Rebel Forces and Conduct
Propaganda
●
●
Conflict Table
Random Location selector
2.3 Armed Units
Armed forces in the game are
represented by different colored
cubes, which roughly amount to a
unit of 80-150 men.
●
Blue Cubes​ represent
anti-Árbenz Rebels, trained by
CIA paramilitary operatives,
led by Colonel Castillo Armas
and supplied with light
Soviet-style weapons. In
practice, these guerillas were
not very effective in pitched
battles.
●
Red Cubes​ represent Árbenz
Loyalists, well trained and
supplied with current weapons.
These units are Árbenz’s elite
forces and will stick with him
to the last.
●
Green Cubes​ represent
Guatemalan Army units, with
decent training and leadership
and armed with Soviet-style
weapons. But their willingness
2.0 COMPONENTS
The game is played with (1) 8.5”x11”
map sheet, (1) 8.5”x11” player aid,
(26) Blue cards, (10) Red cards,
(xx) cubes in red, green, blue and
white, (5) wooden discs in blue and
white, (4) tracking counters and (6)
six-sided dice.
2.1 Map Sheet
The map represents Guatemala and a
portion of the neighboring countries
of El Salvador and Honduras.
Guatemala has ​nine​ locations,
including the capital of Guatemala
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Operation PBSUCCESS
4
to fight against a coup
attempt depends on the loyalty
of their officers to Árbenz.
●
White Cubes​ represent Armed
Militia; untrained peasants
armed largely with hunting
weapons and with little to no
leadership.
2.4 Player Resources
During the game, the player will
earn, trade and use four different
resources which are represented by
pips on a die. Turn the die to the
proper side when a resource is added
or removed. Add a die or take one
away as needed for 7+ or 0 of a
certain resource.
●
Political​ (POL): this is
goodwill that has accumulated
and favors that can be called
in from Washington D.C. to
support the campaign. These
are often traded for other
resources as needed.
●
Covert​ (COV): these are covert
and off-the-books assets and
support that are used mainly
to affect the morale inside of
Guatemala and weaken the
Árbenz regime.
●
Paramilitary​ (PARA): these are
overt assets and support used
to establish rebel bases, and
to train and supply rebel
forces.
●
Air Support​ (AIR): these are
aerial assets including
planes, pilots, supplies and
airstrip access that are used
to conduct airstrikes in
support of the rebels.
2.5 Historical Cards
The game contains ​36​ blue and red
cards that represent people and
events that either did affect the
conflict or could have affected it.
●
Blue cards are largely
positive for the player.
●
Red cards are negative or
challenging for the player.
2.6 Bases
There are three blue wooden discs in
the game that can be purchased and
placed by the player as follows:
●
●
Two in Honduras
One in El Salvador
These represent bases that have been
setup across the border from
Guatemala to house and supply rebels
forces, represented by Blue cubes in
the game. Note that a base may not
be purchased in El Salvador until
there is at least one in Honduras.
Once purchased and placed, these
bases are not removed.
As shown by the arrows on the map,
the base in El Salvador gives access
to Jutiapa, the middle base in
Honduras gives access to Esquipulas,
and the right base in Honduras gives
access to both Bananera and Puerto
Barrios.
2.7 Rebel-Held
There are two white wooden discs in
the game that are placed when the
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Operation PBSUCCESS
Rebels have taken over a location
and then later move out of it.
The Rebel-held disc stays in that
location until a Red, Green or White
cube enters that location, in which
case the disc is removed.
2.8 Trackers
There are four cardboard counters
for the following places on the map
sheet and player aid:
●
●
●
Turn tracker​: Eight turns
Árbenz Power
○ Change 1 Green cube for
a Red cube in Guatemala
City, or if there are no
Green cubes there, then
a Green cube in any
other non-conflict
location.
○
Army Loyalty moves one
to the Left at the end
of the turn.
○
○
○
○
--- (White cube)
-- (White cube)
No Green cube movement;
only Red cubes may move.
○
Árbenz Steps down
immediately.
Eisenhower Support
○ Eisenhower ends Coup.
○ 1 POL, Only Covert
actions this turn.
○
●
2 POL, No Airstrike
actions this turn.
○ 3 POL.
○ 3 POL, 1 COV
○ 3 POL, 2 COV, 1 PARA
○ 4 POL, 2 COV, 1 PARA
Army Loyalty
○ Move up to 3 Green cubes
per turn.
○
Move up to 2 Green cubes
per turn.
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○
Move up to 2 Green cubes
per turn.
○
Move up to 1 Green cubes
per turn.
○
Move up to 1 Green cube
per turn, plus Shift
Árbenz to the Right at
the end of the turn.
3.0 SETUP
3.1 Map Sheet
Add cubes in the following
locations:
●
Guatemala City: (2) Red and
(2) Green
●
●
●
●
Gualan: (1) Red and (2) Green
Puerto Barrios: (1) Green
Chiquimula: (1) Green
Cuilapa: (1) Green
Add a counter to Turn 1 on the Turn
Tracker.
Add dice to the following boxes:
●
●
Political: 4 pips
Air Support: 1 pip
3.2 Player Aid
Add counters to the following
locations:
●
●
Árbenz Power: +1 LOY
Eisenhower Support: 3 POL, 2
COV, 1 PARA
●
Army Loyalty: Move 3 Green
Place one White cube in each of the
two rightmost blank spaces on the
Árbenz Power tracker. When the
Árbenz Power tracker reaches these
spaces, take the White cube from
that space, roll a Random location
and place the White cube there.
White cubes can be placed anywhere
regardless of the presence of other
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Operation PBSUCCESS
cubes. If a White cube is placed in
a location that is Rebel-held but
with no Blue cubes, the Rebel-held
disc is removed from that location.
4.0 WINNING AND LOSING
Once within Guatemala and in power,
Castillo Armas worried that he lacked
popular support, and thus tried to
eliminate all opposition. He promptly
arrested several thousand opposition
leaders, branding them communists,
repealed the constitution of 1945, and
granted himself virtually unbridled
power. Concentration bases were built
to hold the prisoners when the jails
overflowed.
The game lasts for eight turns.
The player wins immediately if any
of the following are met:
●
Árbenz track is all the way to
the right at any time.
●
A Rebel (Blue) cube occupies
Guatemala City with no
Loyalist (Red) cubes at the
end of a turn.
●
Any three locations in
Guatemala are rebel-held at
the end of a turn.
The player loses if any of the
following are met:
●
Turn eight ends and any
winning condition is not met.
●
Eisenhower track is at the far
left at the end of a turn.
5.0 SEQUENCE OF PLAY
5.1 Running the Turn
1. Draw one Blue and one Red card
up to three total. If it is
the first turn, draw two Blue
and one Red cards instead.
2. Add cubes as noted on the
Eisenhower track.
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3. Buy PARA/COV/AIR pips with POL
pips as needed throughout the
turn.
4. Play the leftover Blue card
from last turn (choose one of
the two Blue cards on the
first turn).
5. Do the first player action of
your choice. This is not
required.
6. Play the Red card.
7. Do any additional player
actions of your choice. You
may perform as many actions as
you have resources for.
8. Run the Árbenz AI.
9. Play out any Conflicts.
10.Make any shifts as a result of
the turn.
11.End of Turn 5 and later, shift
Eisenhower to the left.
12.Move Árbenz right one for each
location that is Rebel-held.
13.If Army Loyalty is ‘Shift
Árbenz Right’, then shift
Árbenz tracker to the Right.
14.If Árbenz Power is ‘Green to
Red’, swap out one Green cube
for one Red cube. First
priority to Guatemala City,
and then any location that has
both Green and Red cubes in
it. If neither is the case,
roll for a random location
with a Green cube in it.
15.If Árbenz Power is ‘+1
Loyalty’, shift Army Loyalty
Left.
16.Check Winning Conditions.
17.Move the Turn Tracker one to
the right
18.Start the next turn
5.2 Árbenz AI
Perform the following AI actions in
order. If there are questions about
cubes or location, make the AI move
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Operation PBSUCCESS
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that is the most challenging for the
player. Regime change is not easy!
Spend two PARA pips to establish a
Rebel base.
1. If there is a Blue cube inside
Guatemala, move the nearest
Red cubes and then Green cubes
towards that location. Move
one cube, and then one cube
for every Blue cube in a
location, if possible.
Priority to the nearest Blue
cube to Guatemala City.
2. If there is a location inside
Guatemala that is Rebel held
with no cubes in it, move the
nearest Green or Red cube to
that location. Priority to the
nearest location to Guatemala
City.
3. Any extra Red cubes that are
available should move at least
one location towards any Blue
cubes.
4. Because of coup fears, there
must always be at least one
Red cube in Guatemala City at
any given time. And no Red
cube may leave Guatemala City
if that would leave more Green
than Red cubes there.
5. Note that White cubes may
never move locations.
Train Rebel Forces​:
Spend one PARA pip for each Blue
cube (up to two Blue cubes total)
and place them into any Rebel base
or bases.
6.0 PLAYER ACTIONS
6.1 Paramilitary
Establish Rebel Base:​ (ONCE PER TURN
ONLY)
The Rebel Player can establish bases
in Honduras or El Salvador. Each
base can support up to two Blue
cubes. Honduras can hold up to two
Rebel bases, and El Salvador can
hold only one base. A base can only
be placed in El Salvador once there
is at least one in Honduras.
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Move Rebel Forces​:
Spend one PARA pip and move one or
two Blue cubes between Rebel bases,
adjacent map locations or a
combination of the two.
Blue cubes may move from Honduras
into Guatemala via Esquipulas,
Bananera, or Puerto Barrios only.
Blue cubes may move from El Salvador
into Guatemala via Jutiapa only.
Blue cubes may move from one
location to another inside of
Guatemala that are directly
connected with a road. Blue cubes
may not skip through a location to
get to another unless both locations
have no Red or Green cubes and they
use two different Move actions in
the same turn.
Note that only Red or Green cubes
can use the railways inside of
Guatemala to move between any
locations connected by the railway.
6.2 Covert
Conduct Direct Action​: (ONCE PER
TURN ONLY)
Spend one PARA pip, roll a die and
move the Army Loyalty tracker the
following number of spaces to the
right or the left. Add one to the
die roll for every additional one
PARA pip that is spent (max of +3).
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Operation PBSUCCESS
1-2​: Eliminate one Blue cube from
any location inside of Guatemala or
in a base.
3-5​: Move one to the right
6+​: Move two to the right
7+​: also, swap one Red cube for a
Green cube in any location the
player chooses.
Conduct Psy-Op​: (ONCE PER TURN ONLY)
Spend three COV pips and roll a die.
Add one to the die roll for every
additional one COV pips that is
spent (max of +3).
1-2​, Move Army tracker Left.
3​, No effect
4-5: ​Move one to the Right.
6+​, Move two to the Right.
7+​, also, force one Green cube back
to Guatemala City.
Raise Political Support​: (ONCE PER
TURN ONLY)
Spend two COV pips, roll a die and
move the following number of spaces
to the right on the Eisenhower
track:
1-2, No effect
3-5, Move one
6, Move two
8
Resolve a Conflict by each side
rolling a die for each of their
cubes in the location, switching
sides for each roll.
The player chooses which order of
locations to roll for Conflict. This
can be important if AIR cubes are
used for Airstrikes.
The defending side rolls first and
the attacking side rolls second. The
attacking side is the side who had a
cube enter the location last.
The side which is affected by the
roll may choose which of their cubes
is affected.
Árbenz AI always chooses to leave
Red cubes in a contested location if
there are Green or White cubes to
push, and will always sacrifice
White before Green before Red cubes.
Árbenz AI will push Red or Green
cubes in the following priority
order:
●
Towards another location that
is Rebel-held
6.2 Air Support
●
Airstrike​: (ONCE PER LOCATION PER
TURN ONLY)
Spend one AIR pip to allow all Blue
cubes in one location to reroll
their dice during Conflict.
Airstrikes may be called after a
Conflict roll.
Towards another location that
contains Blue cubes
●
Back towards Guatemala City
7.0 CONFLICT
7.1 Conditions and Results
If a Blue Rebel cube shares the same
location as a Red, Green or White
cube, it must stop there and is
considered in Conflict.
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7.2 Conflict Tables
Red​:
1-2​: no effect.
3-4​: push the cube to an adjacent
location away from Guatemala City,
preferably towards or across the
border.
5-6​: eliminate the cube from the
game.
Green​:
1-3​: no effect.
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Operation PBSUCCESS
4-5​: push the cube to an adjacent
location away from Guatemala City,
preferably towards or across the
border.
6​: eliminate the cube from the game.
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8.3 Árbenz Hardliners
During setup, add an additional Red
cube to Guatemala City.
9.0 OUTCOMES
Blue​:
1-3​: nothing
4-5​: push the cube to an adjacent
location of the player’s choice
inside Guatemala.
6​: eliminate the cube from the game
White​:
1-3​: no effect.
4-6​: push the cube to a location
away from Guatemala City, preferably
towards or across the border.
Notes:
Move the Eisenhower tracker to the
Left each time a Blue cube is
eliminated as the result of a
Conflict.
White cubes which are pushed as the
result of a Conflict are eliminated
from the game instead.
8.0 OPTIONAL RULES
Want more of a challenge? Want to
explore some other areas of play?
Give these optional rules a try.
8.1 Red Question
Instead of drawing a Red card at the
beginning at each turn (after turn
one), wait until it is time to play
the Red card to draw and look at it.
8.2 Backroom Deals
The player can pay one POL cube to
swap the order of the two Blue cards
at the beginning of any turn,
starting on turn two.
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It is worth playing this game a
number of times to explore the
different strategies and
possibilities.
Win on Turn 5 or earlier​: Massive
victory! President Eisenhower
invites the CIA team to a private
White House meeting. Covert funding
increases and regime change of
left-leaning countries becomes the
order of the day for the CIA. (​this
is the closest to what actually
happened in 1954​)
Win on Turn 6​: Solid win. Eisenhower
orders a secret commendation for the
CIA leadership involved in the coup.
More funding for covert ops in the
next CIA budget.
Win on Turn 7​: Grudging victory.
Eisenhower is happy but felt it took
more time and resources than
necessary. Covert funding stays flat
but changes need to be made in the
CIA.
Win on Turn 8​: Pyrrhic victory.
Eisenhower faces international
pressure from a CIA plan that makes
for too many headlines. Embarrassed,
he will think twice before approving
regime change again.
Loss​: Eisenhower sours on covert
regime change and the U.S. Cold War
stance takes a hit. Allen Dulles is
replaced as the head of the CIA and
John Foster Dulles finds his power
diminished.
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Operation PBSUCCESS
10
The Eisenhower Administration painted
the coup as an uprising that rid the
hemisphere of a Communist government
backed by Moscow. But Mr. Árbenz’s real
offense was to confiscate unused land
owned by the United Fruit Company to
redistribute under a land reform plan
and to pay compensation for the vastly
understated value the company had
claimed for its tax payments.
Under a succession of military rulers
who took power after the coup,
Guatemala descended into three decades
of a brutal civil war in which as many
as 200,000 people died, many of them
peasants killed by security forces.
For the United States, the election of
Castillo Armas was the culmination of a
successful covert operation against
international communism. Secretary of
State John Foster Dulles declared that
Guatemala had been saved from
“communist imperialism.” The overthrow
of Árbenz had added “a new and glorious
chapter to the already great tradition
of the American states.” Many
Guatemalans came to have a different
perspective. The new regime rounded up
thousands of​ ​suspected communists, and
executed hundreds of prisoners. Labor
unions, which had flourished since
1944, were crushed, and United Fruit’s
lands were restored. Castillo Armas,
however, did not long enjoy his
success. He was assassinated in 1957.
Guatemalan politics then degenerated
into a series of coups and counter
coups, coupled with brutal repression
of the country’s people.
DESIGNER NOTES
I am a big fan of critical gaming
and of intentional design. My intent
here was to highlight a lesser known
conflict in both Guatemalan and
American history. And to shine a
light on the reality of what happens
when unbridled capitalism is able to
pull heavily on the levels of power.
The peoples of Central and South
America are much worse off from the
excesses of half a century of
American covert wars, and we should
see our world for what it is. Only
then can we make it truly better.
Thank you to my playtester and
valued collaborator Margarita
Quihuis, and also to my fellow game
designer Joseph Schmidt, who made
this a better game.
Rules & design, Copyright Chris
Bennett 2020.
Photographs Copyright by the holder.
Copyright 2020