Twilight Struggle

About the game

What is Twilight Struggle?

Now the trumpet summons us again, not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need; not as a call to battle, though embattled we are – but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle. – John F. Kennedy In 1945, unlikely allies toppled Hitler's war machine, while humanity's most devastating weapons forced the Japanese Empire to its knees in a storm of fire. Where once there stood many great powers, there then stood only two. Unlike the titanic struggles of the preceding decades, this conflict would be waged not primarily by soldiers and tanks, but by spies and politicians, scientists and intellectuals, artists and traitors. Twilight Struggle is a two-player game simulating the forty-five year dance of intrigue, prestige, and occasional flares of warfare between the Soviet Union and the United States. The game begins amidst the ruins of Europe as the two new "superpowers" scramble over the wreckage of the Second World War, and ends in 1989. Twilight Struggle inherits its fundamental systems from We the People and Hannibal: Rome vs. Carthage. It is a quick-playing, low-complexity game in that tradition. The game map is a world map of the period, where players move units and exert influence in attempts to gain allies and control for their superpower. Decision-making is a challenge; how to best use one's cards and units given consistently limited resources? Event cards add detail and flavor to the game. There are several ways to achieve an automatic victory in Twilight Struggle. But, If neither side has achieved victory of any kind by the end of turn 10, the points are totaled and the player with the most points wins.

How it plays

Mechanics

On the shelf

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Questions players ask

Questions to bring to BoardGameBrain

• How do setup and the first turn work in Twilight Struggle?
• When does scoring happen and what ends the game?
• How should the table resolve an unusual timing or rules interaction?