by GS in KS
The Top Ten Things that make Twilight Struggle Great:10. It’s Only Got 10 Pages of Rules – Yeah, there’s an Example of Play and the Card Histories. But the rules themselves – well, it’s no ASL. That’s for sure.
9. It’s Evocative – While the game keeps you at a distance from the action (you don’t really experience a junta, a blockade, or an Arab-Israeli war), it makes you feel like a head of state for a superpower.
8. It’s Brinksmanship – Tamper with world tension if you dare. But an untimely forced discard or card play – Game Over!!
7. It’s Better with Age – No other card-driven game punishes lack of foresight into what might happen (knowing the cards in the deck)
6. It’s Tense – You get your hand of cards and the first thing you think is “How can I play these cards without hurting myself?!?”
5. It’s Panoramic – If you stay too focused on one area, your opponent will play a card, shift the action and suddenly you’re behind in a region you’d neglected.
4. It’s the Little Things – A successful Coup in an unstable Colombia; an extra influence in Iran that prevents a Coup; one extra adjacent controlled country that helps realignment succeed
3. It’s Satisfying – The first time you set up and execute a Cuban Missile Crisis - Dr. Strangelove – Arms Race combo – Priceless!
2. It’s Huge – You’re playing with the whole world. You’re not worried about a campaign, or an election, or a portion of the United States. It’s the WHOLE WORLD!!
And the Number One Thing that makes Twilight Struggle Great:
1. It’s ranked Number One on BGG. All us Geeks can’t be wrong.