The Cold War

1945 – 1991

The largest Earth board in the game at 44 territories across 9 regions, and the one where position beats conquest — the Non-Aligned Movement exists to make the middle of the map worth contesting rather than taking. Expect long games decided on the periphery.

The era at a glance

Period

1945 – 1991

Factions

6

Board

Cold War (1947–1991) — 44 territories

Grows to

51 territories as the eras advance

Regions

9

Players

2–8, any mix of people and AI

Price

Free. No download, no account required.

Who you can play

Each faction has its own passive strengths and one ability that changes how it fights. They are asymmetric on purpose — the same board plays differently depending on who you take.

United States

Global superpower — +1 reinforcement per turn, and the Marshall Plan lands a unit wherever the alliance needs one.

Carrier groups, development aid, and alliance architecture let Washington project power without occupying every frontline directly.

Ability: Marshall Plan: once per turn during draft, place 1 free unit on any allied or newly captured territory.

Soviet Union

Command economy and a hardened perimeter — +1 reinforcement per turn, and every territory taken from them costs the attacker a unit.

The Soviet bloc hardens its perimeter through ideology, armor, and a security state built to absorb existential pressure.

Ability: Scorched Earth: whenever an enemy captures a territory from you, the attacker loses 1 extra unit.

People's Republic of China

Vast army — +2 reinforcements per turn, and once a game the whole country mobilises at once.

Revolutionary legitimacy and mass mobilization give China resilience, especially when the fight becomes one of exhaustion.

Ability: People's War: once per game, double your reinforcements for one turn.

United Kingdom

Nuclear deterrent and a fleet — +1 reinforcement per turn, an extra attack die, and one attack on the capital that simply does not happen.

Postwar Britain holds disproportionate leverage through diplomacy, intelligence, and the menace of strategic reprisal.

Ability: Nuclear Deterrence: once per game, cancel an attack against your capital territory entirely.

Non-Aligned Movement

Neither bloc's to command — +1 reinforcement per turn, two more wherever they were struck last turn, and no influence takes hold here.

Newly independent states and insurgent movements refuse to become pawns, thriving in the gaps between the blocs.

Ability: Guerrilla Resistance: once per turn, place 2 free units on any border territory that was attacked last turn.

NATO Alliance

Collective defense pact — an attack on any of its territories costs the attacker an extra unit.

Interoperability, shared planning, and mutual guarantees make NATO strongest when it fights as a network instead of a nation.

Ability: Article 5: once per turn, an attack on any of your territories triggers +1 automatic defender loss on the attacker.

Regions and what they pay

NATO Europe

6 territories · +4 per turn

British Isles

1 territory · +2 per turn

Warsaw Pact

8 territories · +7 per turn

North America

4 territories · +3 per turn

Latin America

5 territories · +4 per turn

Middle East

6 territories · +5 per turn

Africa

5 territories · +5 per turn

South & SE Asia

4 territories · +5 per turn

East Asia

5 territories · +5 per turn

Play this era

Start a game and pick the era in the lobby, or let a full campaign carry you through the whole arc — a single game can begin with legions and end in orbit. Guest play needs no account.