Rapture

Everett and I finally got a chance to play this last night. I must tell you it was one of the most satisfying gaming experiences I have had in quite a long time. We both enjoyed it. The game did have a few swings, but I think the U.S. (me) only had the lead one time. Toward the end of the game I realized that I had no shot of winning unless I made a mad dash to control Europe. Naturally, this meant I had to forsake the rest of the world. Unfortunately, the U.S.S.R. (Everett) played a well-timed OPEC card that sealed my fate. How ironic that I was seriously considering shutting down the OPEC option just a turn earlier. Ah well. It was great fun.

For those unaware, Twilight Struggle is a card-driven game based on the Cold War, 1945-1989. However, to say that Twilight Struggle is a wargame is kinda like saying Def Leppard was a heavy metal band. It walks the walk, but it doesn't exactly talk the talk, if you know what i mean. Really, it's an area influence game. Some have criticized it for being chrome-laden and fiddly. Perhaps, but I'm usually pretty sensitive about both of those characteristics, yet I didn't feel the game was overly burdened with either. As is typical with this type of game, the theme is injected rather artificially via cards. Read a card and feel the theme wash over you. Maybe not? Okay fine, but it was still a fun time. And it made both of us wish we had paid attention more in history class. Fortunately, the rules contain a brief history explaining the background of each card in the game. Nice touch, and something I'll be reading. Someday. Maybe.

Many have complained about the overriding luck in the game, and I'd be lying if I told you a bad hand couldn't severely punish you. However, as a lover of cardgames, I find this to be perfectly acceptable. I typically don't judge a game based on how likely it is that the best player will win. I judge it based on much fun I have wrestling with my fate.

I should mention that one of the reasons I love this game so much is because I secretly wish I had the stuff to be a wargamer. I'll admit it -- I just don't have the patience for the thick rulebooks and I certainly don't have the time to commit to such games. I do enjoy a game of Titan every now and then, but Titan has the advantage of not being tied to an historic theme, meaning that designers didn't have to crowbar a multitide of specific details to create a simulation. Anyway, while playing Twilight Struggle I sorta felt like I was playing a real wargame, even though in my heart I knew I wasn't. As simple as the game is (for a real wargamer) it ranks up there with the most complex games I've ever had the opportunity to play. I have played Hannibal and We The People (two other card-driven wargames) but I never was able to grasp the totality of those games. That wasn't the case with Twilight Struggle. It only took a turn or two before I was able to really see the game and not only comprehend its objectives, but formulate strategies on how to reach them.