Game Report: Andy S, Andy S's Mum, Andy S' Dad

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The War on Terror came to Brighton for my Dad's birthday. What better present could one hope for? It's a sunny Sunday afternoon after a hearty roast dinner and we commence a game of monumental nastiness and violence.

Everyone's being very cautious and peace-loving at the start. Mum takes South America early on, with Dad in Asia and Europe leaving Andy S with North America, Africa and a toe hold in both Asia and Europe. Andy S knows he's spread himself too thin, but hopes the parents, both novices to the game, won't pick up on it.

Unfortunately, blood relations mean as little in this game as friendship has in previous games and it's not long before Mum plays a nuclear disarmament card to check who's got what, then, establishing no one has nukes and Dad has a nuclear bunker, proceeds to drop her nuke on Africa. Mud huts lay in ruins. Children are crying. It's an international disaster. I expect Dad to side with me, but he's too busy empire-building.

While I'm recovering, the Axis of Evil gets spun a hell of a lot, causing both Mum and Dad to be Evil a couple of times, furnishing them with valuable and destructive cards. Mum causes a revolution in the icy plains of the Northern Territories, causing me to lose my only town, then floods Mexico with terrorists, who run me out of central America. Meanwhile, Mum has spread along Nowhere and, spending the last of her cash, crosses over into Australasia. It proves a good investment as this turns up some choice oil.

Mud huts lay in ruins. Children are crying. It's an international disaster.Dad too is getting rich and bolshy. He's built two cities and a quick pop at me in Saudi Arabia means he claims Asia for himself and is suddenly on six Empire points (just three away from winning). I consider turning terrorist, but carry on the fight. Terrorists wander back and forth across the border between Mexico and Columbia, causing devastation in both. Suddenly Mum hits Dad with a political kidnap. It's choice timing. Determined not to fund Mum's evil terrorist dealings, Dad sends in the troops... but they screw up! Jesus save us! Dad suddenly finds himself bankrupt, has to sell both his cities and some more in order to stay in the game.

Things are really hotting up but after three hours of terror it's tea time and there are certain things more important than the War on Terror. We decide to call it a three way win. Dad's a winner because of his moral superiority of never giving into terrorism; I'm a winner because I bore my parents' vicious and excessive aggression with such patient grace and Mum's a winner because, at the time we stopped, she was the only player with any Empire points. Apart from that, she's evil as they come.

Game Report: Andy T, Andy S, Ilaria & Dave M-J

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Quite a late start after some Thai curry and we've got ourselves a four player game. The new board went down a storm and it was the first game with some tweaks to the 'war rules', which worked well we think.

Anyway, Andy S starts in North America and Nowhere, Andy T's looking like he wants Asia, Dave Europe and Africa and Ila's in South America and Australia. Andy S sends in the planes to 'civilise' the FalklandsA few quick turns and the only 'aggression' is Andy T making a move into Northern Europe, which Dave seems to turn a blind eye to. Then, BAM! Andy S nukes Ilaria out of South America and sends in the planes to 'civilise' the Falklands. A nasty move, even by his standards, but then he was Evil at the time. Ila instantly talks of torture and revenge. Andy S is spreading 'Andy T is going to win propaganda' at the same time Andy T is handing Dave notes ("take South America quick")... Dave tries to take Europe instead and leaves Andy S the opportunity to take South America for his own.

Andy T is looking good with the whole of Asia, but Andy S's propaganda seems to work as Ila hits him with the Kyoto Protocol, crippling his funds. Ila then turns terrorist and Andy S slaps Andy T again with another Kyoto Protocol. Andy T tries to invade America from Russia, but it only holds back Andy S for a short while... Andy S wins another game for an Empire! Again, about two and half hours. Top stuff.

Game Report: Andy T & Andy S

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A two player game. The first official such game. Being the greedy capitalists we are, the thought of missing out on that 2-player game market was painful, so we thought we'd see if we could make WoT a 2-6 player game rather than a 3-6. It worked well, not quite so much fun and obviously not so much trading and secret messages, but that's to be expected. Still lots of tactical play though and things got interesting quickly.

Saudi Arabia and Egypt became early hot-spots as the two Empires clashed and there was some early funding of terrorism, since it soon became apparent that you had to stay on top of the other player from the start. Andy T knocks up a few cities, although he lost one to the terrorists.Andy T turned up some lucky oil and managed to have a toe hold in Asia, Europe and North America whilst taking Africa, South America and Nowhere for himself. Andy S soon took Europe and looked like he would get the whole of Asia. Andy T manages to knock up a few cities and although he lost one to the terrorists, he always had slightly better revenue.

Andy T is creeping towards a victory and even though Andy S drops a nuke on Africa and turns evil at the last minute, it doesn't stop Andy T romping home with an Empire victory in the record time of one hour and forty minutes. Andy S claims it was 'close' and that he could have won next turn, but I guess we'll never know.

Game Report: Bob, Bob friend, Bob child (14), Bob child friend (14) and a 12 year old girl

First test without us there, Bob from the 7th of June game asks to borrow it to keep his son busy over the weekend. Report back: Great, everyone enjoyed it. The twelve year old struggled with some of the cards. One of the fourteen year olds got the joke, both thought it was fun. Two hours and Bob won with an Empire victory, people wanted to play on so he turned terrorist and then they won within another half an hour. Apparently the boys are up for another game... Let us know if you want to borrow the game.

Game Report: Andy T, Andy S, Phil, Mike, George & Tom L

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A six player game and a 'boys night in with the balaclava'... Tom turns Evil in the first turn and dons the wool balaclava on a hot July evening (note: the game will include a lycra / cotton mix balaclava).

The first few rounds are nice and peaceful, Andy T tries to grab North America, Mike takes the South, George is looking good with some nice oil numbers in Africa and Europe and an early free City means he's soon rolling in cash. Tom, Andy S and Phil are mixed up in Asia and the South East. Andy S takes a pop at Tom to try and grab Nowhere for himself, a 'pre-emptive strike', apparently. Tom tucks in as he's got a healthy handful of Terrorist cards.

The balaclava soon gets handed round, Andy S, George and Mike all having a turn at being Evil. George is building up a healthy wedge of cash and starts to look threatening with three early cities. There's lots of talk of nukes and the black market is a busy place, at one point there's a demand for 50m to be told what the last conversation was about... Paranoia runs high.

George offers all of his money to the person who wipes out the person who nukes him first; an interesting policy. Andy T is holding a nuke, learns that George has just picked up a Nuclear Disarmament card so shifts his nuke to Phil so he can extort some cash for the both of them. Instead Phil sells it to George and keeps the money for himself... This produces a volley of death threats from Andy so Phil then decides to follow it up with an all-out assault on Andy T's Empire, managing to cripple it in one turn.

Andy's pissed off and decides to turn terrorist to see if he can get Phil back that way. A few more turns and the board's starting to look a mess, George has lost his cities and most of his money, no one else seems to want to take his place as the dominant super-power. Andy T leaves to make a phone call and when he returns it seems the others have a plan to wipe out terrorism... As there's five of them left it doesn't take long and they declare World Peace, the first time ever! Andy T loses, the others share a draw and the planet... Three and a half hour game.