Twilight Struggle vs. Online Opponent [Steam] #1

An online game of Twilight Struggle against a random opponent!
"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. The world had scant months to sigh its collective relief before a new conflict threatened. 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 entire world is the stage on which these two titans fight to make the world safe for their own ideologies and ways of life. 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, when only the United States remained standing.
Twilight Struggle inherits its fundamental systems from the card-driven classics 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, whereon players move units and exert influence in attempts to gain allies and control for their superpower. As with GMT's other card-driven games, decision-making is a challenge; how to best use one's cards and units given consistently limited resources?
Twilight Struggle's Event cards add detail and flavor to the game. They cover a vast array of historical happenings, from the Arab-Israeli conflicts of 1948 and 1967, to Vietnam and the U.S. peace movement, to the Cuban Missile Crisis and other such incidents that brought the world to the brink of nuclear annihilation. Subsystems capture the prestige-laden Space Race as well as nuclear tensions, with the possibility of game-ending nuclear war.
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Thanks for watching!

[@GuideauxPelagos]

Starting out today after finding it available on Steam. Have had the boardgame for years but no one to play with...now I can play and keep the boardgame at hand to get that "General's Experience". Thanks for the upload.

[@thepenskyfile]

Thanks for watching!

[@jackskellingtonsora]

Seeing Captured Nazi Scientist played for ops hurts me on a deep spiritual level.

[@manzell]

op

[@nixien1496]

3:00 "now I'm screwed because of duck and cover" for the third time and I'm yelling NO YOUR NOT!! YOUR AMERICAN!

[@rasputinf]

I was expecting you to play Southeast Asia Scoring as headline event at the beginning of Turn 2. I feel like it could have been a good move to quickly pick up VPs before opponent takes action.

[@Destragond]

Awesome, I hope you'll upload more of these. I wonder if they'll release a digital version of Labyrinth and whatever other similar games there are.

[@thepenskyfile]

+DeathDragonD Thanks! More coming this week. Labyrinth would be awesome, and the COIN series would be fantastic.

[@Quercusilexballota]

gg mate! I don't consider myself an expert in ts so don't get me wrong or anything, but on turn 2 I would have headlined Marshall Plan rather than CIA created. The latter is a Defcon suicide card and, since it was turn 2, it was guaranteed to be redrawn from turn 3 on. Therefore, I think it's worth playing it as ops hoping that your opponent will be the one who redraws it later on in the game. Whenever that happens, it's an utter pain in the neck for your opponent to get rid of it. If you manage to use Five year plan or anything that can cut your opponent's handsize, you can make his life quite miserable. On the other hand, I believe that, when it comes to Marshall Plan, the later you play it in the game, the less effective it becomes. Turns 1-2 are optimal for that matter. By the way, your spanish pronunciation of junta was perfect :) Keep it up. Regards.

[@thepenskyfile]

+Guifred Strucc Thanks! I have a game coming up where I totally misplay CIA Created (as the Soviets). It's likely my most problematic card, simply because I tend to not think clearly about when to use it. What you said is likely correct, I was probably concerned about losing Panama to the Soviets, although that's not a huge deal since it's hard for the USSR to spread from there. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@Quercusilexballota]

+The Pensky File Looking forward to the next battle! As far as I'm concerned, from the USSR player's point of view, you might as well get rid of CIA created on AR1. "Losing" your first AR is kind of a bummer, but at least you don't lose to DefCon 1. This situation doesn't get any better with US players whenever they have to deal with Lone gunman, CIA created counterpart. Firstly, this card appears later on in the game (namely Mid war), so you know for sure that using it when Defcon is at 2 will imply losing the game (unlike CIA created, which can be used safely as long as you haven't started spreading across Africa or the Americas). Second, USSR players usually take advantage of AR1 coup, thus dropping DefCon to 2. In such situation there's no way you can dispose of this annoying card other than Ask not, a highly unlikely Containment, UN intervention or any other card that can upgrade Defcon level. Well, you can also headline it, but this play is not free from risk. Sorry for the long reply. Regards.

[@max30283]

Which computer program do have used for record the game?

[@thepenskyfile]

Shadowplay.

[@Imbafer]

Thanks for uploading, that was pretty interesting to watch and listen your thoughts. Don't you think that couping Pakistan at 30:40 would be a better move because it a) improves your position in Asia and b) makes better Indo-Pakistani war? Also he could re-coup you in Iran even if coup was successful (and couln't re-coup Pakistan)

[@thepenskyfile]

+Dmitry Litvinov Definitely should have done that. You don't get many chances for the Asia coup and I just forgot about it (even with Iran right next to it). Thanks!

[@trkarst82]

Playing DuGuelle for Event AFTER European scoring card turn 1? Doesn't that seem horrible for tempo?

[@thepenskyfile]

+trkarst82 If I did it, no. If my opponent did it, yes.

[@fabbro8747]

You should've torn the wall in Poland first, then East Germany.

[@thepenskyfile]

+Itcouldvebeenworse So it goes. :(

[@thesupremegodofcapitalism4359]

Did the Red Scare/Purge not work in the beginning?

[@benl2140]

Five Year Plan caused Containment to activate, cancelling out the effect.

[@thesupremegodofcapitalism4359]

Ben L Ahh, I see. Thanks

[@aagornnonth]

I'm surprised you almost never used realignments in South America or in Central America. They're sometimes far more efficient than flipping battleground countries because even a 2-ops card can remove 4 influence if you have a net +1 modifier for both rolls. Plus, if you manage to cut your opponent off completely, you can control an area far more easily. Of course, given your strong position, it probably wouldn't have mattered too much although I do think that realignments are underrrated.

[@thepenskyfile]

They're probably underrated, but they have a horrible habit of back firing and wasting your turn. I do use them sometimes, but I generally like to have a card modifier or nothing better to do.

[@dodec8449]

Have you guys tried Turn Zero yet?

[@thepenskyfile]

+Dodec84 I downloaded it, but haven't recorded yet.

[@manzell]

Not eventing Nazi Scientists was a whooof from me

[@dimetronome]

Yeah, you have to be really desperate for the ops points not to event that card.

[@IggyZ-VIP546]

nice :P

[@briang3678]

Totally wasted nuclear subs :)