Tips & Strategies (7)
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Twilight Struggle - Tips & Strategies

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Tips & Strategies (7)

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7
Baron / Baroness
Champion
Strategist
Ertai {Power Gamer}
Mar 10th, 2014| Strategy
26 of 26 gamers found this helpful
“Defcon is a tool, not a limit”

Consider DEFCON as a one of tools you can use to achieve victory. Use it for:

* blocking regions from revolts (and changing alliance)
* scoring during early game, when you can entirely block the enemy from obtaining his required military actions (i.e. when DEFON is 2 and no place on Americas nor on Africa can be rebelled – that’s possible for USA)

But remember – it works both ways. If you’ll lower DEFCON at your round then enemy can easily, without worries for revolt, take on the control of some crucial countries.

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3
I play orange
Advocate
Peter Rosenberg {Power Gamer}
Feb 10th, 2015| Tip
27 of 28 gamers found this helpful
“Discard bad events the turn AFTER a reshuffle takes place ”

Cards that are discarded after the reshuffles occur (usually on Turns 3 and 7) will remain in the discard pile until the draw pile runs out again. This usually neutralizes those cards for several turns, since there are only a couple cards that will let your opponent draw from the discard pile. If you discard a card BEFORE the reshuffle occurs (say, by spacing them on Turns 1 or 2), you aren’t doing yourself much of a favor, because they will be shuffled back into the draw deck on Turn 3, and your opponent could easily draw and play them.

When it comes to game-changing events (like the Dreaded Ds, Decolonization and Destalinization), you can never be too careful.

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2
Reviewed My First Game
Adam B {Avid Gamer}
Jan 5th, 2012| Rule
45 of 51 gamers found this helpful
“Bidding for game balance.”

As in most wargames, Twilight Struggle isn’t entirely balanced — repeated tournament play has shown that the USSR is slightly favored.

If you end up getting good enough to notice this difference, use the tournament rules for bidding. In these rules, players bid an amount of influence (to be placed in starting countries) or VPs to play one side or the other.

Until you’re amazing (and you’re playing someone else equally good), don’t bother: the balance is amazing without bidding, and influence bids are usually in the 1 to 3 range.

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4
I'm a Real Person
Junior
Knight
Check Out My Favorites
Ghaz {Avid Gamer}
Sep 9th, 2011| Strategy
60 of 71 gamers found this helpful
“Stay focused”

During the first part of the game, the Americas and Africa can’t score. Don’t waste resources in these areas until they become important later.

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2
BoardGaming.com Beta 1.0 Tester
Fluffy Goaty {Avid Gamer}
Jul 30th, 2012| Tip
56 of 67 gamers found this helpful
“Make sure you have someone to play with”

I know, the title seems silly. I bought this game based on the accolades it’s gotten, and played it all of once. My gaming group is Euro heavy, and there are frequently more than two of us. My wife is turned off by the cold war theme. The one game I played took hours, and I’m sure the person I played with won’t do it again.

tl:dr Make sure you have someone who will commit to playing this monster before picking it up!

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7
Pet Lover
Novice Reviewer
Detective
Champion
Jason P {Avid Gamer}
Oct 19th, 2011| Strategy
40 of 49 gamers found this helpful
“Keep your opponent on his or her toes”

One of the worst things you can do (and I’ve learned this from experience) is let your opponent stomp around the map. Don’t be afraid to keep pressure on them! Make them waste their resources on countries that won’t help them in the long run. Try to get them to waste their cards, too. Divert their attention however you can. If you can get them to make missteps, you can (hopefully) use that to your advantage.

You’ll probably end up taking some lumps yourself, which can really hurt you if you’re not careful. But it’s a balancing act, and if you can still keep your long-term strategy in play while distracting them, you’ll be in good shape. Of course, this is easier said than done – but the main thing to remember is keep the pressure up!

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1
steppepper {Avid Gamer}
Oct 27th, 2011| Tip
39 of 50 gamers found this helpful
“Look at all the cards before playing.”

There are plenty of cards in the game that can really hurt you if you’re not aware of them. Take a look at the cards and know what part of deck they are a part of.

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