Europa 1945 - 2030

# 6 on my "Top Ten Underrated Games" list
# 3 on my "Top Ten Games from 1998" list

  The old adage is that “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” These may be words of wisdom, but let’s face it – most people DO judge books, games, movies, etc. – by their cover – at least initially. Perhaps that’s why I haven’t heard that much about Europa 1945-2030 (Eurogames, 1998 – Duccio Vitale and Leo Colovini). The cover has almost nothing to do with the game (a huge baby crawling through a background of blue.), and doesn’t really inspire interest. However, when opening the box – one finds some of the most fantastic components ever to be put in a board game. Yet again, when I went to www.boardgamegeek.com, I discovered that the average rating was close to “5”, which is an abysmal number for that site. Yet, inspired by one positive review, I decided to try it out – and I’m glad I did.

After playing it, I understand why many dislike the game. Because of the mechanics, it’s very simple for a game experience to be ruined if some players play a specific way. And yet, I really enjoyed the game. Sure, I was enamored by the components, but more than that – the negotiations were really enjoyable and a tad less cutthroat that those of the classic game Diplomacy. The theme went over like a bomb in our group – but the puzzle pieces overcame that. The game looks good, plays well, and truly is educational – if you wish.

The theme of the game starts after World War II, and involves players trying to convince countries to join the European Union (EU). A large game board is set up in the middle of the table, denoting a current map of Europe. Several overlays are placed on the board, covering up many countries (notably the small countries that were formerly the U.S.S.R.). leaving fifteen countries showing: Great Britain, Ireland, Iceland, France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland. Each player places one meeple (pawn) on a political track – starting number of political points is determined by number of players (from 20-40). Each player also receives a certain number of meeples (2-4), depending on number of players. Turn One (of Four) is ready to begin.

Each turn is composed of five phases.
- The first phase determines turn order. On the first turn, this is done randomly, but after that, the player whose meeple is highest on the political track goes first, with the next highest going second, etc.
- During the second phase, players determine who receives more meeples. The number of meeples they receive is equal to 1/10 of a player’s political points (rounded down).
- Phase three determines the election order. The corresponding card for each country is shuffled, and then placed face-up on a card track on the board. This shows the order in which voting will occur in each country. A numbered counter that corresponds with a cards position is placed in the matching country.
- In turn order, during Phase four, the player places half of their meeples on one or more of the available countries that turn. They can place them on any open country in the first turn, but after that, are limited to countries that are connected to countries already in the EU. After all players have placed, they again place the other half of their meeples in one or more countries, in turn order.
- The heart of the game is the fifth phase – elections. Each country has an election to see if it will join the EU. The elections follow the order that was chosen in phase three. If a country has no pawns in it, the “evil” nationalists (how DARE a country not want to join the EU!) win, and nothing happens. If there are meeples in a country, however, it is possible for that country to join the EU. Each country has a number in a black circle – from 1 to 6. This is the minimum amount of meeples who must be in that country. That does not ensure that the country will join the EU, however. Each country is worth a certain amount of points, from 2 to 48. The player(s) who want those points must form a coalition that meets the following requirements. 1: A maximum of three players may be in the coalition (one is allowed). 2: The coalition must have a majority of the meeples in the country. 3: The coalition must meet or exceed the number in the black circle. If a coalition succeeds, the country joins the EU (hooray – peace on earth!), and a blue puzzle piece that is the same shape as that country is placed over it, signifying that it has joined the EU. The corresponding card for that country is removed from the game, and every player in the winning coalition gets one victory point chip. Also, each player splits the points the country is worth – and moves their meeples on the political track according to the points they received. Finally, the winning players may move ONE of their meeples from this country to any other country that has not yet had an election. All other meeples are returned to the box.
- In the third and fourth turn, there is an extra phase, called “Risk of War.” This phase occurs before phase four on those turns. Two ten-sided dice are rolled six times. There is a chart on the side of the board that the dice are compared to. Each country whose number on this chart is rolled gets a “Tension” marker. If the country already has a “tension” marker, a “War” marker is placed in the country. If the country already has a “War” token, all countries next to that one get a “tension” marker, which could produce a chain reaction… The “General Level of Conflict” is then calculated, with each “tension” country adding one point, and each “war” country adding double the value of their black, circled numbers. Once a total has been reached, players must try to stop the tension and war. All players secretly bid an amount of their meeples. If the total number of pawns is equal to or greater than the conflict total, then the player who bid the most meeples gets four victory points, the second most gets two victory points, and the third most receives one victory point. All tension and war markers are removed from the board, and people in all the countries hold hands and sing merrily. However, if the total meeples is less than the conflict total, the player who kept the largest number of meeples back (did not bid them) LOSES four victory points, the second most two victory points, etc. Then the player who did bid the most meeples uses the meeples that were bid to remove at least some of the “tension” and “war” chips. In elections, the black, circled number is increased by one, and countries that are at “war” cannot even have an election.

At the beginning of turn two, some puzzle pieces are removed from the board, adding new countries - Spain, Turkey, etc. - to the game (their cards are shuffled into the deck for the next round.) At the beginning of turn three, the USSR breaks up, and a LOT of countries are added to the game. After turn four, the game is essentially over. The player with the most political points is elected president of the EU, and gets 3 victory points. The player with the most victory points is the winner! (Although the rules compare your victory with how many war and tension markers are still on the table!)

Some comments on the game…

1.) Components: Except for Days of Wonder, nothing much can beat the quality of a big-boxed Eurogame. Everything in the box (aside from the box art) is fantastic, and if you are a meeple fan, as I am – this game comes with 120 of them! And there are meeple men and women – how cute! (Ahem.) The map is huge, and looks really striking on the table. All the numbers are easily read (except a few of the black ones). The cards are a nice size, are easy to shuffle, and have some good information about each country on them (for educational purposes). The number one striking thing about the components, however, is the puzzle pieces. Each of the many, many puzzle pieces fits snugly over the exact country on the board. Finding the right piece, and laying them down is really a lot of fun – and it’s really kind of fascinating to watch how an ocean of colors slowly but surely turns to blue – symbolizing the growth of the EU. A great plastic insert holds all the pieces well – including the little victory point tokens. Tons of components are present in this game. Even if you don’t like the game, but are an aspiring game designer – there’s a lot of stuff here for you to play with.

2.) Rules: I was a little confused on the rules at first, and had to read them through twice to fully understand them. Once I got the hang of it, the game is fairly easy, although there is occasionally a snag up with elections. A sheet of errata including some rather important rules that were missed in the rulebook is included in the game. I found that the game is fairly easy to teach, but that most people take a bit to “get” the game.

3.) Theme: I don’t want to start a debate on how good the EU is/isn’t, but it’s quite evident that the designers think that it’s God’s Gift To Mankind. People who are heavy nationalists may despise the theme, as some of my history-buff friends do, but most people enjoy the game anyway. One history major I played the game with snarled about how evil the EU was, but won the game anyway – helping expand the EU across Europe. I rather enjoy playing games that make people have fun, even though their ideology may be hurt. J One part of the theme that I really enjoyed was seeing the USSR break up, and turn into many different countries – countries that very easily would break into war.

4.) Problem: There is one glaring problem with the game. If two (or more) people team up at the beginning of the game, not caring which of them wins, they are pretty much unstoppable. Everyone HAS to play for themselves, and only themselves. Alliances must be temporary, and I don’t think I will be playing the game with any “we love each other and cannot harm each other” couples again. However, when I play the game, I state this at the beginning, and it isn’t too much of a problem. The game still offers an excellent opportunity for “king making”, but so does every other diplomatic game.

5.) Diplomacy: I hate Diplomacy, and the destruction of relationships and friendships it causes (and the people who have every opening move memorized). However, I do like the diplomacy in this game – it’s short, it’s open, and it’s rather fun. The countries are all numbered differently (although it seems that the designers may be biased into making some countries worth more than they actually are). Should I barter with Joe to take this country, and leave Mary Ann out in the cold? Or should I hook up with Mary Ann and Sue, leaving Joe with empty pockets? Or maybe they’ll hook up and hang me out to dry! Negotiations are short, sweet (well, sometimes), and the game moves at a good pace.

6.) Fun Factor: Despite the fairly negative reviews I’ve read on this game, I actually think it’s pretty fun. The pieces are great – for sure, but the changing map, the naming of each country in their own language, and the stabbing of people in the stomach (they can see it coming) is frankly a lot of fun. The only people who won’t have fun are those lovey-dovey couples who may just go home arguing all night.

I’ll gladly play this game anytime, as long as I can get a group of like-minded people. It’s fairly quick, fits up to six players (don’t play with less than 4!), and looks absolutely stunning when set up on the table. I hear that this game is going out of print this year, so if you want to pick up this unfairly maligned gem, do it now! If you like European modern history, geography, diplomacy, and just fun – then this is the game for you! If you like everyone, and never wish to harm anyone else – well, then go play Lord of the Rings. I do think that most people, even “non-gamers”, will like this one – and it’s a worthy addition to any game collection.

Tom Vasel
"Real men play board games"