by zosete
Hey! I played against you a few days ago in Wargameroom. :D Too bad I can't remember who won and which side we got.That said, somebody already pointed this out: USSR has to push his advantage for autowin. In my short experience most games that made it to turn 10 final score sway towards the US. However, it's not strange for USSR to score -20 from rounds 3 to 8.
In the late war, my USSR victories had mostly been due to either European control with lucky events or -more frequently than expected- Aldrich Ames plays.
DEF CON suicides are a very strong chance too. Once I lost with US in Turn 10 AR7 because I forgot completely about Noriega text and didn't realize I had Cuban influence (my other card was lone gunman and I was too ahead in space race). So you should never throw the towel until the last minute. If USSR is doing really bad on the board they really have to consider DEF CON headline moves chances. It's a valid strategy and one reason why everyone shouldn't try to coup and gain initiative on a carefree way.