Apocalypse (board game)

Apocalypse is a board game released by Games Workshop in 1980. The game is a simplified re-release of the earlier publication, The Warlord. Apocalypse went out of print during the 1980s, but The Warlord was re-released in 2012.

Gameplay

The game is conceptually similar to Risk but played on a map of Western Europe (the original covered Eastern Europe as well), and unlike Risk allows simulation of nuclear weapons. A novel concept in the game is that rather than rolling dice to resolve combat, the attacking player conceals a die beneath a cup and the defender must attempt to guess the number which is displayed. The attacker is constrained from selecting certain numbers depending on the circumstances of the combat. This system brings a psychological element to the game: selecting a large number (up to the size of the attacking army) will enable a successful attack to move more units into the area, possibly able to continue to attack another area, but will increase the attacker's losses should the defender guess correctly.

Legacy

A computer game version, Apocalypse: The Game of Nuclear Devastation, was published by Red Shift under license from Games Workshop. It was released in 1983 for the ZX Spectrum and BBC Micro.[1]

Reception

David Ladyman reviewed Apocalypse in The Space Gamer No. 39.[2] Ladyman commented that "The graphics and component design are up to Games Workshop's usual high standard. The rules are short and clear. I would consider recommending Apocalypse if an equivalent game wasn't on the market at a cheaper price. Risk, as I said above, is very similar".[2]

John Olsen reviewed Apocalypse for White Dwarf #26, giving it an overall rating of 9 out of 10, and stated that "Apocalypse is a superb game and I would award it a 10 unhesitatingly, except that many games take a long time to finish."[3]

References
  1. Apocalypse at SpectrumComputing.co.uk
  2. Ladyman, David (May 1981). "Capsule Reviews". The Space Gamer. Steve Jackson Games (39): 30.
  3. Olsen, John (August–September 1981). "Open Box". White Dwarf. Games Workshop (26): 10.


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