Based on a quick glance, at the time of this writing, there are already 40 reviews of Twilight Struggle posted.
So I asked myself, rhetorically, "Self, does the world really really need another review of this game?"
My Self responded, "Well, if you want to eventually earn your silver reviewer microbadge...", but that's beside the point.
I decided to write this review because Twilight Struggle has not only become my favorite game, but also is one of very few games I'm passionate about.
So, without further ado, I present... Twilight Struggle
Twilight Struggle is a card driven wargame set in the cold war and spans the period from 1945, just after the end of WWII, to 1989 when the Berlin Wall came down.
Rules
The rules are available at GMT's website. The rules are generally clear and well written. Like any game, there are some nuances that you need to be careful of (simple example - required military ops only accrue if you stage coups or through the play of specific war cards in the deck.
Components
The components are of very good quality.
The map is thick cardboard and has lived up well to repeated playings. Getting it to lie flat has not been an issue. Some users have suggested using plexiglass over the board.
There are 110 cards in the game representing different events during the span of the Cold War. The cards span three eras: early war, mid war, and late war. The mid war deck being the largest of the three. Although the cards are of excellent quality, the early and mid war cards will see the most use, so I have used card sleeves with my decks to minimize wear on them.
The game also comes with influence markers for the USA and USSR player in various denominations, as well as a number of information markers, and two d6.
Gameplay
The game lasts up to 10 turns, but can end sooner if one of the following conditions is met:
1. One player gets to 20 victory points.
2. One player has control of Europe when the "Europe Scoring" card is played.
3. The DEFCON degrades to "1", which causes thermonuclear war. In this event, the loser is the phasing player (more below).
If the game goes the full 10 turns without an automatic win, then a final round of scoring is done for each region on the map (Asia, Central America, South America, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe). 993
Whoever has the most victory points after all regions are scored is the winner.
Card Driven
The heart of the game is in the cards. Each card represents a specific event during the cold war. Some cards have white stars on them (events favoring the US), some have red starts (events favoring the USSR), and some have split red/white stars which can be played by either side.
Each turn players receive enough cards to make a full hand, which is 8 in the early war (turns 1-3), and 9 in the mid war (turns 4-7) and late war (turns 8-10).
Headlines
At the start of each turn, both players select and simultaneously reveal an event. The effects of the event are resolved in ops value order. The higher ops value event always goes first, scoring cards always go last, and the US event goes first in case of ties.
Then 6 rounds (7 in the mid and late war) are played. The USSR player always goes first.
Events
Some events, such as "NATO", are unique and removed from the game once played. Other events, such as "Arab-Israeli War" are merely discarded and can (and very likely will) occur again once they're shuffled back into the deck.
Operations
Each card also has a value between 1 and 4 on the card which represents its operational value. Instead of using the event, you can use these points to place influence, attempt a realignment, or stage a coup.
The catch is that playing a card with an event favorable to your opponent causes the event to occur! This is simply a stroke of genius. It adds an incredible tension to the game that gives it a powerful verisimilitude. Fortunately, you get to choose if the event happens before or after you use the points.
There are two ways to avoid an opponent's event being triggered. One is to play the card onto the Space Race. The other is to use the "UN Intervention Card" (played simultaneously with the event you want to avoid).
Scoring Cards
There are special cards in the deck called scoring cards. They trigger a scoring round for the region specified and cannot be held - you must play them, whether for good or ill. There is also a special scoring card for Southeast Asia which is removed from play after it's used.
Hand management is a key to success. 597