Other Sellers on Amazon
97% positive over last 12 months
99% positive over last 12 months
Twilight Struggle Deluxe Edition
Return this item for free
Free returns are available for the shipping address you chose. You can return the item for any reason in new and unused condition: no shipping charges
Learn more about free returns.- Go to your orders and start the return
- Select the return method
- Ship it!
Return this item for free
Free returns are available for the shipping address you chose. You can return the item for any reason in new and unused condition: no shipping charges
Learn more about free returns.- Go to your orders and start the return
- Select the return method
- Ship it!
Purchase options and add-ons
Brand | GMT Games |
Material | Cardstock |
Theme | war Game |
Genre | Wargame |
Number of Players | 2 |
About this item
- Deluxe Edition
- Relive the cold war and change history
- Quick-playing, low-complexity
- 2 players
- Ages 14+
- 2-player game
- Great strategy game
- Playing time is over 3 hours
- Historical simulation game
Frequently bought together
Get similar items fast
- CMYK The Quacks of Quedlinburg - The Hit Game of Potions and Pushing Your LuckFREE Shipping by AmazonGet it as soon as Tuesday, Apr 2
Product information
Product Dimensions | 12 x 9.13 x 2.13 inches |
---|---|
Item Weight | 3.52 pounds |
ASIN | B0060L6EE4 |
Item model number | 0510-14 |
Manufacturer recommended age | 13 - 15 years |
Best Sellers Rank | #100,759 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games) #3,250 in Board Games (Toys & Games) |
Customer Reviews |
4.7 out of 5 stars |
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
Release date | January 1, 2014 |
Manufacturer | Flat River Group |
Warranty & Support
Feedback
Product Description
Product Description
This Deluxe Edition of Twilight Struggle seeks to capture the feeling of that earlier era. 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. Twilight Struggle recreates the conflict between the most powerful nation states the world has ever known. The scope of the game covers the entire world as it was found in 1945. Players move units and exert influence in attempts to gain allies and control for their superpower.
From the Manufacturer
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.
From the manufacturer
GMT Games Twilight Struggle Deluxe Edition
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 scope of the game covers the entire world as it was found in 1945. Players move units and exert influence in attempts to gain allies and control for their superpower.
- Heavy duty 9 x 12 x 2 inch box
- Mounted map
- Two double-thick counter sheets with 228 counters
- Deck of 110 event cards
- Revised rules and player aid cards
- Two six-sided dice
What's in the box
Videos
Videos for this product
7:58
Click to play video
Patrick of Just Got Played reviews Twilight Struggle
Patrick
Looking for specific info?
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers like the quality, fun, and value of the board game. They mention that it's brilliant, rewarding consistently smart play, and worth the investment. They also appreciate the depth. However, some customers disagree on complexity level, intensity, and ease of use.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the game brilliant, rewarding consistently smart play. They say it's one of their favorite board games, well made, and fun. Customers also say the game sounds interesting alone and is a blast to play. Overall, customers say the product has a lot of strategy.
"...Besides that, this game will mention neat things about history, and the strategy will get you thinking. This isn't a "win by the rules" game...." Read more
"...Twilight Struggle really is a brilliant game...." Read more
"...I was very interested, the game sounded interesting alone but the historical context was really want pulled me in...." Read more
"...It’s a more intellectual, “nerdy” game but if history, thinking and logic are a desired attribute in your gaming experience TS delivers..." Read more
Customers find the game interesting, exciting, and addictive. They also say the cards and events bring a very interesting dynamic to the game, and the theme is engaging. Customers also mention that the game becomes quite intense.
"This is one of my favorite board games. It gets you involved, it gets you stressed, it gets you jubilant at things that go well, and crushed when..." Read more
"...is phenomenal in its simple to learn mechanics yet shifting and tense strategic gameplay...." Read more
"...we both thoroughly enjoyed the experience and found the game to be extremely engaging...." Read more
"...However, its well worth the time because the game becomes quite intense...." Read more
Customers appreciate the value of the board game. They say it's worth the investment, has great re-play value, and is well worth the time. Customers also mention that the game is incredible and has deep and complex game play.
"...Needless to say, it comes with a decent replay value, but you wouldn't want to play it back to back given the long game durations." Read more
"...However, its well worth the time because the game becomes quite intense...." Read more
"...It takes a little while to learn, but the payoff is well worth the time spent poring over the rules...." Read more
"...Game is made well and was worth it when learned. You should play a few practice rounds and maybe watch a youtube video which will give you visuals...." Read more
Customers find the depth of the game to be tons, immersive, and nuanced. They also say the scope is very apparent and impressive.
"...I wouldn't call it too complex, but very deep...." Read more
"...you complete your first full game turn, but at the same time has unrivaled depth and is brimming with subterfuge and trickery...." Read more
"...than I can fully grasp after only two games, but its scope is very apparent and impressive), and the theme is engaging...." Read more
"...simple compared to a lot of "Euro" games or wargames but it is deep and very immersive. It is truly the best game I have ever played." Read more
Customers find the replay value of the game high. They say it can be played many times and still stay fun. They also mention that the game has lots of variability and replay value.
"...Replay Value - even though we've only played a few times, we both feel that this game will take quite a long time to "get old." There are so..." Read more
"...Lots of replay value. Every game is significantly different." Read more
"Amazing game for 2 player and can be played many many times and it will stay fun...." Read more
"It is an amazing game. There is a high replayability value and every game comes off completely different than the next...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the complexity level of the game. Some mention that it's deceptively simple, easy to teach the rules to newcomers, and not too hard to follow. However, others say that it is CRAZY complicated, takes a bit of time to learn, and has a slightly unclear rule book.
"...GMT games “text book” quality look, this game is phenomenal in its simple to learn mechanics yet shifting and tense strategic gameplay...." Read more
"...This truly is an excellent game. However, it is involved to learn the first time, so if you're playing for the first time you should be determined..." Read more
"...Its a complicated game, but easy to learn the mechanics and the possible combinations will keep you guessing as to the best way forward at all times." Read more
"...The instruction manual was more of a reference and left us both confused about the game...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the intensity of the game. Some mention that it provides them with many tense moments and feels very intense throughout. However, others say that it's a very complex game and ill-suited for social play. Some customers also mention that the game is a long duel and a brain burner.
"This is one of my favorite board games. It gets you involved, it gets you stressed, it gets you jubilant at things that go well, and crushed when..." Read more
"...Geek website making it #1 for so many years, but it really is a glorified war game...." Read more
"...It's an utter beauty of a game. Tends to take long an feels very intense throughout...." Read more
"...Strategy - this game is absolutely terrifying...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the ease of use. Some mention that the game flows quickly, and takes several hours to play a round. They also say it takes a good 45 minutes to learn. However, others say that it takes way too long to play, is very complex, and gets frustrating really quickly.
"...This game is a gem of a two player game but is slightly hard to pick up...." Read more
"...Because the game is structured in definite rounds, it's fairly easy to simply pause the game and resume later...." Read more
"...and there's so much to it, sometimes its hard to keep up...." Read more
"...track of and that's what keeps this game so interesting and makes the hours just fly by...." Read more
Reviews with images
-
Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
This truly is an excellent game. However, it is involved to learn the first time, so if you're playing for the first time you should be determined to put in the effort. It's best to learn with an experienced player who goes a bit easier on you to teach you, or, if you know how to play (or can put a solid hour in to read the rules), pull a friend in and go easy to get them hooked into learning it!
The goal is simple. Score 20 points. Or, score the most points by the end. And whatever you do, don't start nuclear war.
The actual method of doing that is more complex. You have a deck of cards. Cards are essentially of 4 types. Soviet events, US events, Neutral events, and Scoring. Scoring cards when you play them let you score a region (and they must be played during the turn). Apart from that other cards can be played one of two ways: for the event, or for the points.
Here is where the most clever mechanic of the game comes in. I'm the US player. I have a Soviet event card in my hand. Hey, I'll just play it for points instead of the event! Except that when you do this, the event happens anyways. The game literally forces history to happen as you play. The events are split into three decks - early, mid, and late war (and each is shuffled in throughout the game).
But that's also where the genius of the game lies, and the stress of the game. You have to compromise. You have to do things which benefit your enemy. And yet, you still have to find a way to mitigate, and hopefully come out on top, even as you play the event that brings your enemy to the brink of victory. Have I played turns where the US player had entirely Soviet events, and the Soviet player had entirely US events? Yes, yes I have. Those are the most interesting rounds, and the most entertaining. The other dilemma: what if you need the operations points (and it's the max amount), but the event is yours and also really good? The game is a game of compromises, and balancing.
Think - if people played this, and were used to a give-and-take with their opponents, compromising and yet still achieving, how would discourse look between people? How would politics look? If only we realized, as you must in this game, that the ideal and the perfect are out of reach and aiming for them ends only in disappointment. Instead, we must work together and do our best. And this game - despite you and your opponent being enemies in the Cold War, teaches you to work together even which fighting each other.
Again, it takes some time to learn. But every person that I've taught the game (you don't need to read the rule book to learn the game if you play with someone who knows it already) has enjoyed it and become hooked, even if they weren't previously incredibly interested in detailed or complicated strategy games. By mid-war, they're giving me a run for my money (or countries!).
Incredible game. Recommend 10/10.
Welcome back everyone! This week, we're headed back to 1945 to kick off a game of Twilight Struggle; my absolute favorite game. Ideologies will clash, dictators will rise and fall, man will step foot on the moon, and one superpower will emerge victorious!It's been a long road, but World War II has finally ended. Humanity breathes a little easier as the world's nations begin to pick up the pieces, but the respite doesn't last very long. As the dust settles, two superpowers emerge from the wreckage poised at the start of a new age; a nuclear age. Armed with the power of the Atom, the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics hold the fate of the world in their hands.
It may come as no surprise to you that I'm a huge history nerd. The Cold War is a really interesting topic to study because the Superpowers weren't fighting for land or resources, but for influence; they were fighting for the hearts and mind of the people. Shadow wars, spies, dictators and coups litter the timeline of the Cold War, but the thing that's always really stood out most to me is the fear.
For the first time, the threat of global thermonuclear war was hanging over everyone's head. People built bomb shelters under their homes, children grew up learning to duck and cover, and most telling of all, there was a Doomsday Clock. Every new piece of foreign policy, every troop movement, every new technological advance, every day had the potential to move us closer to complete and utter destruction. I didn't live through the Cold War, but I can tell just from reading about it that it was terrifying.
Twilight Struggle brings this feeling to your tabletop. Playing Twilight Struggle, you feel like you're balanced precariously on the edge of a cliff with no easy way to back down. You feel the stress of what it's like to lead a nation during a time when everything you do can be viewed as an act of war. It is in creating this feeling that Twilight Struggle completely succeeds.
Twilight Struggle is a game of influence and ideology. There's no fighting and no conquering; not directly, anyway. Each player tries to spread their influence among world nations, scoring points when their influence in a region outweighs their opponent's.
Each game of Twilight Struggle begins with the setup phase. The US and the USSR each start the game with some influence spread across the globe. Each player also receives some influence they get to place where they think it will benefit them the most based on their starting hand (in Western Europe for the USA and Eastern Europe for the Soviets). In this, Twilight Struggle resembles the many aggressive and defensive setups seen in Chess. There's a whole slew of articles over at BoardGameGeek that simply cover the merits (or lack thereof) of each setup.
Each player maintains a hand of Event Cards that get replenished each turn. These ards are separated into three decks (Early War, Mid-War, and Late War) that are added to the game as play continues to simulate the passage of time. On each Event Card is printed an event and an Operations Value. On a player's turn, they may play a card for its event (removing it from the game if it's a one-time event like Castro taking power in Cuba) or for its Operations Value.
Events usually have an effect that occurs immediately like the USSR gaining influence in Cuba or the USA advancing in the Space Race. Operations Values, however, allow players to gain influence in three ways: (1) Players can add influence to any country they already influence or adjacent to a country they influence, up to the Operations Value, (2) Players can attempt a Coup in any country in the world to remove opponent's influence and potentially add their own, and (3) Players can attempt a Realignment in order to weaken their opponent's influence over a country.
Players can also discard cards from their hand to try to advance in the Space Race. The Space Race provides advantages to the player that's ahead, but also functions as the game's discard mechanic.
There's more to the rules, of course, but those are the basics.
Twilight Struggle really is a brilliant game. Each of its mechanics adds something great to the experience but I think that the best thing about TS is the tension that it creates.
For both players, there are fires all over the world that need to be put out, and many problems are calling for your attention at once, but you only have so many turns to solve them. The USSR player might agonize over whether to commit more influence to Europe before the region is scored or to focus on the Middle East instead where the US is threatening to cut off access to Asia. The US player meanwhile fears the Soviet incursion into Latin America but is conflicted over whether to protect his interests in Asia or South America.
You'll find yourself feeling like the President and the director of the CIA all rolled into one as you attempt to coup an opponent's regime or build up influence in Africa so your opponent doesn't expect your sweeping realignment of Europe on your next turn. I'm not sure that I've done justice to Twilight Struggle in this review, but I find that I can't recommend this game enough. If you're a history buff or a fan of strategy games, Twilight Struggle is a must but I encourage everyone to give it a try if you get a chance.
Twilight Struggle is game for two players that takes between one and three hours to finish. It's sitting pretty in the #1 Board Game spot as ranked by players over at BoardGameGeek.
Ultimately, I took the plunge and ordered the game. I informed a friend that he was drafted into playing it with me several nights during our yearly get-together.
The instruction manual was more of a reference and left us both confused about the game. Eventually, we just started following the example game and learning as we went. We were both terrible at it, it took us 3 or 4 play attempts before we got past the middle war period without one of us (generally me) blowing up.
But once we got the hang of it, we were both drawn into the game. We started learning the cards and playing more strategically interesting hands. The gameplay itself lead to a lot of passionate gameplay leading to cries of anguish (such as when my friend thought he had me with Blockade in the mid-year when I had been holding a card worth 3 ops for the last several hands as I knew Blockade was out there), fear (every time DEFCON went to 2) and joy (Beartrap, China Card, Ussuri River and Nixon Plays the China Card all in the same hand as the US player).
We definitely look forward to playing it again and figure that is two absolute newbies to both boardgame and this game can figure it out in 3 plays, then anyone can do it!