Twilight Struggle (Sean Rowan)

Sean and I hooked up to play via ConsimWorld. Sean took the USSR and I took the USA. As always, when Influence is shown, the number shown is the total influence after any is added or subtracted, not the amount placed or removed.

Turn 1

USSR Initial Influence: Poland (3), Czechoslovakia (1), Hunagry (1), Yugoslavia (1)
USA Initial Influence: W.Germany (4), Italy (2), Sweden (1),

Headline - USSR: Red Scare/Purge. USA: Defectors to cancel the USSR Event.

Card 1 - USSR: Vietnam Revolts as Event to place Influence in Vietnam (2). USA: NATO for Influence: Iran (2), Pakistan (2), Lebanon (1).

Card 2 - USSR: Duck and Cover for a Coup in Pakistan. The USA gains 1VP, the USSR succeds in their Coup, removing all USA Influence and placing 2 of their own. USA: MidEast Scoring. USSR has no presence, USA has domination. USSR has 0 Battleground countries, USA has 1 (Iran). Net 6 point shift for USA.

Card 3 - USSR: Asia Scoring. USSR has domination, USA has presence. USSR has 2 Battleground countries (N.Korea, Pakistan), USA has 0. Net 6 point shift for USSR. USA: East European Unrest as Event to remove Influence: E.Germany (2), Poland (2), Yugoslavia (0).

Card 4 - USSR: Nuclear Test Ban for Influence: E. Germany (3), Poland (3), Yugoslavia (1), Iraq (2). USA: De-Stalinization for Influence: Jordan (1), Spain (1), Sweden (2). USSR uses event to move influence from Iraq (1), Vietnam (1), N. Korea (2), Czechoslovakia (0) to France (2), Greece (2).

Card 5 - USSR: Containment on Space Race, but the effort fails. USA: Warsaw Pact Formed on the Space Race and the USA has the first satellite in orbit.

Card 6 - USSR: CIA Created for Influence: France (3). USSR Reveals that Marshall Plan remains in their hand. USA: Olympic Games for Influence: E.Germany (1)

USA lose 3 VP for Military Operations.

At Turn's Start:
VP: 0
Space Race: USSR:0 USA:1
DEFCON: 4
China Card: USSR

Turn 2

Headline - USSR: Captured Nazi Scientist to put a satellite in Orbit. USA: Five Year Plan causes the USSR to discard Arab-Israeli War.

Card 1 - USSR: Independent Reds for Influence: E.Germany (4), Spain (1). USA: DeGaulle Leads France for Influence: E.Germany (3). USSR Influence in France increases to 4.

Card 2 - USSR: Marshall Plan for Influence: E.Germany (6), Spain (3). USA places Marshall Plan Influence: W.Germany (5), Italy (3), Sweden (3), Finland (1), Benelux (1), Denmark (1), Austria (1). USA: US/Japan Mutual Defense Pact for Influence: Sweden (4), E.Germany (5).

Card 3 - USSR: Socialist Governments as Event to remove Influence: Italy (1), UK (4). USA: Comecon with UN Intervention for Influence: Italy (3), UK (5).

Card 4 - USSR: De-Colonization for Influence: E.Germany (8). USA: Europe Scoring. USSR has domination, USA has presence. USSR has 3 Battleground countries (France, E.Germany, Poland), USA has 2 (W.Germany, Italy). Net 5 point shift for USSR.

Card 5 - USSR: Truman Doctrine for Influence: Algeria (1). USA uses Event to remove USSR Influence from Yugoslavia (0). USA: Fidel on the Space Race and the USA puts a monkey into space.

Card 6 - USSR: Blockade as Event. The USA has no "3" cards left in hand and so loses all Influence in W.Germany. USA: Indo-Pakistani War for Influence: W.Germany (2).

USA and USSR lose 4 VP for Military Operations.

At Turn's Start:
VP: -6 USSR
Space Race: USSR:1 USA:2
DEFCON: 5
China Card: USSR

Turn 3

Headline - USSR: Nasser for 2 Influence in Egypt (2). USA: Containment.

Card 1 - USSR: Suez Crisis for Influence: Libya (2), Iraq (2). USA: Formosan Resolution for a Coup in Pakistan. When the dust settles, Pakistan has 3 USA Influence and 0 USSR Influence.

Card 2 - USSR: Nuclear Test Ban for Influence: Iraq (3), Iran (2). USA: Asia Scoring. USSR has presence, USA has domination. USSR has 0 Battleground countries, USA has 1 (Pakistan). Net 5 point shift for USA.

Card 3 - USSR: MidEast Scoring. USSR has presence, USA has presence. USSR has 3 Battleground countries (Iraq, Egypt, Libya), USA has 0. Net 3 point shift for USSR. USA: Duck and Cover for Influence: W.Germany (4), Yugoslavia (3).

Card 4 - USSR: Indo-Pakistani War as Event. Victory for India and all USA Influence is removed and replaced by USSR Influence (3). USA: Five Year Plan as Event. This time the Korean War is discarded.

Card 5 - USSR: Warsaw Pact Formed as Event to remove USA Influence: Yugoslavia (0), Austria (0), E.Germany (0), Finland (0). USA: Fidel on the Space Race, but the attempt at a Lunar Probe fails.

Card 6 - USSR: Comecon for Influence: Saudi Arabia (3). USA: Romanian Abdication on Space Race and this time the probe lands on the Moon.

USA loses 1VP and USSR lose 2VP VP for Military Operations.

At Turn's Start:
VP: -3 USSR
Space Race: USSR:1 USA:3
DEFCON: 5
China Card: USSR

Turn 4

Headline - USSR: South African Unrest to place Influence: S. Africa (1), Angola (1). USA: Red Scare/Purge.

Card 1 - USSR: Europe Scoring. USSR has domination, USA has presence. USSR has 3 Battleground countries (France, E.Germany, Poland), USA has 2 (W.Germany, Italy). Net 5 point shift for USSR. USA: Panama Canal Returned as Event: Panama (2), Costa Rica (1), Venezuela (1).

Card 2 - USSR: Muslim Revolution for Influence: Iran (4), Saharan States (1). USA: One Small Step for Realignment: Spain (fails), France (all USSR Influence removed).

Card 3 - USSR: Africa Scoring. USSR has domination, USA has no presence. USSR has 1 Battleground country (Angola), USA has 0. Net 5 point shift for USSR. USA: Flower Power for Coup in Pakistan, which brings a pro-USA (2) Government to power.

Card 4 - USSR: Muslim Revolution for a Coup in Pakistan which removes all USA Influence. (there was a Cyberboard bobble that left Muslim Revolution in Sean's hand and neither of us noticed that he played it twice in the turn.) USA: John Paul II Elected Pope for Influence: Pakistan (2).

Card 5 - USSR: Ussuri River Skirmish on Space Race to put a dog into space. USA: Summit for Influence: India (1).

Card 6 - USSR: Arab-Israeli War as Event, and the Arabs defeat Israel, bringing a pro-USSR (1) government to power. USA: Lone Gunman for Influence: Venezuela (2). USA has Brezhnev Doctrine and Ask Not... cards left in their hand.

Card 7 - USSR: We Will Bury You as Event. USSR VPs are getting dangerously close to 20. USA: Brezhnev Doctrine for Influence: Costa Rica (3), Colombia (1).

USA and USSR lose 0 VP for Military Operations.

At Turn's Start:
VP: -18
Space Race: USSR:2 USA:3
DEFCON: 4
China Card: USSR


Turn 5

Headline - USSR: Brush War in Venezuela succeeds and the USSR now controls Venezuela (2). USA: South America Scoring, and with the change in Venezuela, Sean pushing his VP over 20 for the win.

Conclusion

A good old fashioned throttling by Sean who got in front on the board and kept the pressure up the whole game.

I think I made a mistake spending too many Ops fighting a losing battle in Europe, in turn 2, hoping I could keep him away from Domination. But playing De-Stalinization earlier was also a mistake since it handed him France and Spain for a long time and caused problems I never recovered from.