Cataclysm: A Second World War

When we finally got together, we set up Cataclysm: A Second World War with me at the helm of the Reich, Giovanni Repini advising the Duce and Hirohito, Fotis playing Aces High from his phone while searching for his colonies, and the insider duo taking the future superpowers. It was immediately clear that the full scenario does not begin with gunfire, but with looks across the map and very careful intentions.

In the first rounds, the major powers try to annex neutral countries without triggering a general war. The reason may be resources, or simply access to an area they will need later. Diplomacy is carried out by spending flags, and Germany has a clear initial advantage here: it is the power with the greatest diplomatic strength at the start. So, even when everyone is taking part in the bargaining, Germany is largely the one leading the dance.

What is interesting is the way flags circulate. With the exception of Germany, the other players acquire them only when they are provoked by the aggressive diplomacy of another ideology. This creates a cycle of provocations: one move brings a response, that response provides the means for the next move, and the back-and-forth can lead to the division of almost the entire map as early as the first round. The interaction, then, is not merely about who takes a neutral country, but about who forces whom to gain the right to respond.

In our game, as Germany I decided not to take part in that game. I ignored the Balkans and sacrificed part of my industrial advantage, but in theory I made America’s task much harder. That is the appealing tension in Cataclysm’s opening: a choice that looks like a concession on the map may be precisely the choice that shifts the entire strategic balance.