DEFCON 1

Step back in time, to the tense years of the Cold War. In DEFCON 1 you play on a big board of 90 by 60 centimetres and take on the role of the superpowers between 1950 and 1990. Political scheming, secret plans and the threat of nuclear war: it all comes together on the table. This is a game for players who love depth and strategy, one you can disappear into for hours. The nice thing is that the game feels different every time, depending on how many players join in. With two players you clash head on. With four you half work together, and with five you each play with your own secret goal. Every game runs through several phases, from research and politics to production and war. You control one of the five power blocs, such as the Atlantic Alliance, the Warsaw Pact or China, and each bloc plays completely differently with its own strengths and weaknesses. As the title gives away, the DEFCON level slowly drops from 5 to 1. The further it falls, the more options open up, right up to building nuclear weapons. Your choices together decide how dangerous the situation becomes. Count on a long evening full of negotiation, cunning and tension in which nobody knows exactly what the others are planning.