Defcon 1: Essentials:
- No. of players: 2-5
- Playing time: 90-180 minutes
- Age: 14+
Defcon 1: - Rules of Play says:
DEFCON 1 takes place during the cold war from 1950 to 1990. All cards and technologies are historically based.
Featuring different gameplay for each number of players:
2 players - Frontal Shock Game, nervous and tense.
3 players - Death Circle Game with secret objectives.
4 players - Semi Cooperation Game and Secret Objectives Game.
5 players - Secret Objective Game.
Each of the 5 aymmetrical blocs has its own strengths and weaknesses, through its own Technological tree, Mission and Objective cards, and even scalable pool of Units. Each player has Mission cards in their hands, and will gain rewards upon fulfilling each of them, bringing them closer to victory. As the DEFCON level decreases, depending on the actions of the players, new strategical options will become available like building nuclear bombs. There is also a Space Race which allows you to earn Influence and to add new Spatial Technologies on your Technological tree.