Cold War Games

Cold War Games

Foreign Aid, Espionage, Alliances, Propaganda, Brinkmanship, and “

“Surrogate Wars”

Purpose: Bring together your knowledge about the Cold War, and provide a participatory experience for you to understand these strategies as a review for the final.

This unit we have discussed the initial events which caused tension between the United States and the Soviet Union. We have studied the strategies by which the Cold War was fought around the globe: Foreign Aid, Espionage, Alliances, Propaganda, Brinkmanship, and “Surrogate” Wars. We have also seen how the Cold War “thawed” and came to an end.

What makes this game different form the real Cold War? First of all, while I’m hoping this game will be fun, the Cold War was real, and NOT fun for many people in the world who were impacted. We must keep this in mind and have an appropriate respect for the impacts of the Cold War.

Also, the events in this game may not mirror real history. For example, in this game, England could become part of the Communist Bloc and Poland may not – in real life, the opposite was true. While this game is a good review for you’re the final, it will not mirror events exactly.

Object of the Game: Your team will “win” the Cold War by getting the most points.

STARTING THE GAME

Each team will start from different sides of the board. The board looks like a big Monopoly board with flags on the outside and through the middle.

This is a turn based game, in which the class will be split in to two separate teams: United States (USA) and Soviet Union (USSR).

1)ROLL DICE to take a country into their Sphere of Influence

OR

2)ROLL DICE for a Space Race launch

HOW TO EARN POINTS

1. Growing your spheres of influence: Gaining influence over smaller but perhaps strategically or economically important countries can earn you various amounts of points, depending on importance to the mother country. (U.S. or USSR) You win countries with a roll of the dice. Challenge ratings vary from country to country but die rolls can be influenced by many things: your personal research into that country which will give your side ideas for winning influence, and propaganda (more on this later). Challenge ratings increase by 1 for each failed die roll. Each country is worth different amounts of pointsYou can try to get a country in your sphere if you land on it. Landing on it is possible by moving around the board according to a roll of the dice. Your team may move in any direction and any number of square up to the number you just rolled. (example: you roll a 7, you can move any direction up to 7 squares).

2. Surrogate Wars

If you land on a country that is already aligned with the other side, you may start a Civil War there and attempt to take that country for your side. The way you win a surrogate war is by winning a set number of dice rolls. Each dice roll will cost each side 50 points. The war can go on as long as both sides agree. You can also choose to negotiate an end to the war through diplomacy. You can decide to swap countries in your sphere of influence if that will bring an end to the war.

3. Nuclear Weapons and the Arms Race: At certain points in the Cold War you will have a chance for nuclear weapons. Instructions will be given by Ms. Greenberg on how to obtain them.

4. Cold War Crisis Moment: There will be one “Cold War crisis moment” that mirrors a true event from the Cold War. Your team will be given options for how to deal with this “crisis moment.” You will have to use diplomacy with the other team in order to resolve the crisis. Instructions from Ms. Greenberg

5. Head to head athletic competition. Every 4 years (when Ms. Greenberg says it has been 4 years) there will be an Olympics. Teams will be able to compete in various Olympic events and points will be determined by the specific event. Each event you win gets you 100 points.

6. Dominating Outer Space. Being the first to reach various milestones in space will earn you points based on the importance of the specific milestone and the speed in which you achieve it. Lower the difficulty by -1 doing research on Cold War space technology. The difficulty increases by 1 after every failed attempt.

A. Launching First Satellite – difficulty 9 – 80points

B. First man in space – difficulty 8– 90 points

C. First man on moon – difficulty 10 – 100 points

D.First space station – difficulty 9 – 100 points

IF YOUR TEAM IS GOOFING OFF IN ANY WAY, NOT PARTICIPATING OR NOT TAKING THE GAME SERIOUSLY, MS GREENBERG WILL MAKE AN EARTHQUAKE HIT YOUR COUNTRY AND YOU WILL LOSE SEVERAL POINTS. Additionally, for your grade: You will get 5 homework/classwork points per day for your individual appropriate, engaged participation. I will take away points if you are not participating positively.

TEAM ROLES

1)President (US) Premier (USSR) - (makes the final OK on which countries to take or space advancements to try). Rotate this daily.

2)Treasurer – Keeps track of points. Someone with a mathematical mind

3)Foreign Minister/Secretary of State – keeps track of countries that both sides have. Makes sure that other countries are using the appropriate difficulty level (make sure no one cheats)

4)Secretary of Propaganda – Makes propaganda for the team – someone with an artistic eye would be best. Rotate this job throughout the game.

5)CIA/KGB – researches countries to gain intelligence that will better help your team (and lower difficulty level)

Lowering your difficulty level: There are two ways to lower the difficulty level for a country:

Research: It is easier to gain influence in a country you know a lot about. You must research to gain information. Your researcher will use a class computer to collect research on the countries you want to take. Good sites for research include the CIA World Fact Book and that country’s official tourism site. You must gather THREE facts about the country you are trying to invade/align with that would help you have influence there (Ex: what crops do they grow, social, economic problems) and you need to have a “proposal for how aligning or being invaded by your country would benefit them. You have to hurry! You will only have 4 minutes to do this. You can have help with your “proposal.”

Propaganda: It is easier to gain influence and power in a country that accepts and supports you. Propaganda is a way of winning people over to your cause. Your propagandist will be in charge of making propaganda to gain support of the country you are trying to take over. our propagandist will use markers and scratch paper to create convincing propaganda for the people of the countries you want to take. Your propaganda can not be general – it needs to be specific to that country.

EXAMPLE TURN

1. Soviet Union decides they want to try for a sphere of influence. Rolls a 5 and lands on Bulgaria. The Soviet Premier considers the options, and decides to try and gain Bulgaria in its sphere of influence. Before rolling to try and gain Bulgaria (in its sphere of influence (difficulty of 7 for the USSR), the Soviet Minister of Propaganda hands off some propaganda to the premier. Once this is OK'd by Ms. Greenberg they get to take 1 point off the difficulty level, meaning they only need a 6 to gain the country.

THIS GAME IS A WORK IN PROGRESS. I HAVE LAST SAY ON RULES OR RULE CHANGES. ARGUING WITH ME WILL RESULT IN A NATURAL DISASTER HITTING YOUR COUNTRY AND POINTS BEING TAKEN AWAY.