Supremacy: The Game of the Superpowers is a political, economical, and military strategic board wargame

Board wargame

A board wargame is a wargame with a set playing surface or board, as opposed to being played on a computer, or in a more free-form playing area as in miniatures games. The hobby around this type of game got its start in 1954 with the publication of Tactics, and saw its greatest popularity in the...

 published in 1984

1984 in games

This page lists board and card games, wargames, miniatures games, and table-top role-playing games published in 1984. For video and console games, see 1984 in video gaming.-Game awards given in 1984:...

 by Supremacy Games, and designed by Robert J. Simpson.

Other Names: Supremacia
Suprematie

Map

The game uses an area map similar in concept to the one used in Risk

Risk (game)

Risk is a strategic board game, produced by Parker Brothers . It was invented by French film director Albert Lamorisse and originally released in 1957 as La Conquête du Monde in France. Risk is a turn-based game for two to six players...

. However, Supremacy also divides the oceans into sea zones. In 1991 the Supremacy: Mega Map expansion was released doubling the amount of playable territories.

Land Zones

Land zones are divided into two categories; active home superpower territories, and neutrals/warlords/non-active superpower territory.

Sea Zones

The seas and oceans of the world are divided into two categories; dark blue (deep water), and light blue (coastal) zones. Attacks from the sea from naval forces or land invasions are only possible from a light blue zone.

Superpowers

Players choose, or are given, one of six superpowers;

• Confederacy of South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

• Federation of Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

n States

• League of Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

an Nations

• People’s Republic of China

• United States of America

• USSR

Resources

Oil, Minerals, and Grain are the three resources in the game. Players draw resource cards on the prospect stage to determine which mines, farms, and oilfields they control, they can only control resources in other superpower territories if they have invaded and occupied said territory. This ignites many conflicts because players need resources to build and move military units, fight battles, and control the population, earn money on the "Sell to Market" stage, upgrade their technology, and defend their country. Each superpower may control up to twelve units of each resource, if they defeat and subsequently occupy an enemy superpower they can take control of their supply center and have up to 24 of each resource. Additional units may be sold on the world market.

Military Units

In the original version of the game, there are only two types of units; land and sea. Three military units would cost your superpower, 300 million, and one of each resource, referred to as a "set". Many expansion packs added more playable units to the game. In 1990 "Main Battle-Tanks" expansion was released adding tanks to the game. Tanks have increased firepower and allow for more aggressive attacks against defending armies, they cost 500 million, and one "set" of resources. Navies have the unique ability of moving army units quickly around the map to assist you in your attempt at global domination.

Expansion Sets

• Resource Deck 2 (Resource Deck 1 is in the original game)
• Main Battle Tanks (expansion set with new parts)
• Warlords and Pirates of the Neutral Zones (expansion set)
• Boomers - Ballistic Missile Subs (expansion set with new parts)
• Blister Pack - Tanks (For Warlords and Pirates of the Neutral Zones expansion)
• Blister Pack - Boomers (For Warlords and Pirates of the Neutral Zones expansion)
• The High-Tech Edge for Conventional Forces
• The High-Tech Edge for Strategic Forces
• Colonial Legions and Merchant Marine
• Neutron Bombs, Killer Satellites, Missile Silos and Spaceports (new parts)
• Fortuna (news, rumors and acts of God)
• Field Marshall's Handbook (book)
• The Middle Powers (expansion set with 2 new powers)
• The Unconventional Forces (expansion set)
• Mega-Supremacy map
• Mega-Supremacy Commander-in-Chief's Rule Book
• Mega Supremacy: Challenge of the New World Order (book)

Nuclear Weapons

Nukes are available during the research and development phase of the game. A player turns over one card at a time going through the resource deck until they stop, or turn over a nuclear weapon card. Each card turned costs the superpower 200 million, and then the superpower may build the first nuke at 500 million and a mineral resource.

Nuclear winter: When there are 12 mushroom clouds on the board, the placer of the 13th rolls a die. On a 6, the game is over. The number on the die gets lower as each succeeding cloud is placed, until it hits 18 and a nuclear winter has truly set in and everyone loses.

L-Stars

L-Stars, or laser satellites, are the means to prevent nuclear war from being the easiest way to win the game. These are developed during the research and development stage much like nuclear weapons (but more expensive).

K-Sats and Neutron Bombs

Killer Satellites are an expansion that allows military units in space (only good against other K-sats or L-stars). Neutron Bomb

Neutron bomb

A neutron bomb or enhanced radiation weapon or weapon of reinforced radiation is a type of thermonuclear weapon designed specifically to release a large portion of its energy as energetic neutron radiation rather than explosive energy...

s work like nukes, only they do not make the affected territory uninhabitable.

Fortuna Deck

The Fortuna: Acts of gods expansion was released in 1989 and added a deck of roughly 100 cards to be pulled at the beginning of each phase. Cards ranged from moving the markets up and down, to anthrax breaking out in certain territories and killing units, to solar storms wiping out K-Sats and L-stars, to meteor strikes wiping out entire territories with their units and resources.

Goals

The object of the game is to eliminate all other opponents, through military, economic, and tactical maneuvering. It is possible for the game to end in a nuclear winter

Nuclear winter

Nuclear winter is a predicted climatic effect of nuclear war. It has been theorized that severely cold weather and reduced sunlight for a period of months or even years could be caused by detonating large numbers of nuclear weapons, especially over flammable targets such as cities, where large...

, in which case everyone loses.

External links

• Supremacy Group Discussion group for all versions of the game
• online Free PBW Version
• Official Supremacy Website maintained by game creator Robert J. Simpson: http://supremacygames.net/supremacy%20site/supremacyhome.htm