Tom vs Bruce: Twilight Struggle
TURN 8 – Carter – Late War cards are added
Bruce: I’m at 14 VP. This is a good position to be in, because whereas the Early War is all about the spreading threat of Communism, the Late War is about the inexorable march of Democracy. Events like Solidarity and Tear Down This Wall allow the US to project influence cheaply into parts of Europe they might not even be connected to. I guess that simulates television or something. But even better, I got the card that I think is there to shut down runaway games: Wargames. It allows the holding player to end the game without a final scoring round, as long as he first concedes 6 VP. So it means that if you play this card when you’re winning by 7 VP or more, you win. And I’m good enough at math to know that 14 VP is a heck of a lot more than Communism can take.
Tom: By using the War Games card to win, Bruce’s victory is essentially fake. If there’s anything Bruce and I have learned in our careers as videogamers, it’s that you can’t win a real war with a War Game.
