Time for another gratitude entry directed toward my boardgame hobby. Last night I played a game of Twilight Struggle with Mark Macza. I was the USSR and he played USA. We have each played the game a few times so it was an enjoyable match between two experienced players. The game has a very large amount of decision tension and last night’s game was no exception. I think this game stands out for me as a real treat as I have not played it in quite some time. When I have played the game in the past, quite often the endgame is triggered by one of the players reaching 20vp for an instant win. This game went the full distance. It was like Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed duking it out in the ring for the full match. We got to see many cards enter play that we have not seen played before from the the Late War deck. The card combinations were great, as Mark & I jockeyed the victory point marker back and forth. Mark made a number of moves that gave him a healthy lead in victory points, but I was generally able to bring the swing back to a centre point of balance. In the end, Mark and the USA ended up with 3 VP at the end of the game for the win. It was a nail biter to the bitter end.

The game took four and a half hours from start to finish (including setup and tear down). We met and played at the regular Thursday night gaming gathering at the German Club. The game is not for the feint of heart. I find it to be one of the most compelling games I have played with a tightly integrated theme that immerses the players in the battle royale of the Cold War.

Image from BoardGameGeek

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, year in and year out, ‘rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation’, a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease and war itself. ~ John F. Kennedy