Triumph & Tragedy - European Balance of Power (3rd Printing)

Triumph and Tragedy is a geopolitical strategy game for 3 players (also playable by 2) covering the competition for European supremacy during the period 1935-45 between Capitalism (the West), Communism (the Soviet Union) and Fascism (the Axis). It has diplomatic, economic, technological and military components, and can be won by gaining economic hegemony or technological supremacy (A-bomb), or by vanquishing a rival militarily.

The 22” x 34” mounted area map covers Eurasia to India and the Urals, with the Americas and the eastern British Empire represented abstractly. Military units are 1/2” blocks, of 7 types (Infantry/Tank/Fortress/Air Force/Carrier/Fleet/Submarine), in 6 different colors (Germany/Italy/Russia/Britain/France/USA). The mix of approximately 200 blocks allows great flexibility of force composition. There is a 55-card Action deck and a 55-card Investment deck, plus 30 Peace Dividend chits and 50 markers of various types.

The game starts in 1935, with all 3 Great Powers virtually disarmed: Germany has repudiated the Versailles Peace Treaty, initiating an arms race in Europe. With blocks, the nature of military buildups remain unknown to rivals unless/until military conflict breaks out. The game may end peacefully or there may be war. There are game sanctions for attacking neutral minors or declaring war on an opponent, and rewards for remaining peaceful (you get a Peace Dividend chit of value 0-2 for every year you remain at Peace).

You can win peacefully by:

• Economic Hegemony (total of Production + secret Peace Dividend values is the greatest in 1945, or reaches 25 at any time) OR
  
• Technological Supremacy (build the A-bomb — which takes 4 stages).

If there is war, you can still win by either of the above methods, or by:

• Military Victory (capture of TWO enemy capitals – each Great Power has 2).

Economic production underlies all forms of power in the game. Production is the LEAST of controlled Population (cities), controlled Resources, and Industry (which starts low and can be built up with Investment cards). Powers can spend their current economic Production on either:

• Military units (new 1-step units or additional steps on existing units), OR
  
• Action cards, which have Diplomatic values (to gain Population and Resources without conflict) and a Command value (to move military units), OR
  
• Investment cards, which have Technological values (to enhance unit abilities) and a Factory value (the only way to increase Industry levels).

Triumph and Tragedy is a true 3-sided game: there is no requirement that the West and Russia be on the same side (and in fact there are valid reasons to attack each other), and only ONE player can win the game. “Table talk” is allowed (and encouraged) but agreements are not enforceable. Alliances are shifting and cooperation is undependable. The game can continue as an economic battle of attrition or a sudden military explosion can change everything. There is immense replayability as players can pursue dominance in Europe via land, sea or air military superiority, technological supremacy, or economic hegemony without rivals realizing their strategy until it is TOO LATE! It is a highly interactive, tense, fast-moving game with little downtime between player turns, covering THE crucial geopolitical decade of the 20th century in 4-6 hours.

Components:

• One full-color die-cut countersheet
  
• One 22" x 34" mounted map
  
• Two sheets of labels
  
• 208 wooden blocks
  
• Game Record Sheet
  
• Rulebook
  
• Playbook
  
• 55-card Action Deck
  
• 55-Card Investment Deck
  
• Three Player Aid Cards