1989: Dawn of Freedom – Boardgame Review

1989: Dawn of Freedom. Boardgame. GMT Games. Designers, Ted Torgerson & Jason Matthews. $65.00 Passed Inspection: Variant of tried-and-true Twilight Struggle system is used particularly well here. Streamlining of some game mechanics help the game to play briskly, and in general, it’s easier to teach the game to new players. Great insights on a recent period of history, with a lot of period flavor. Power Struggle element brings back welcome memories of card-driven games like Hannibal. Failed Inspection: Because of its tighter focus, 1989 doesn’t have quite the range of Twilight Struggle, and fans of TS may miss Headline Events and blowing up the world (or forcing their opponent to do so). Tiananmen Square track works, but doesn’t quite seem to fit. There are also a few minor quibbles about game tracks and icons. Any time that a designer, no matter how clever, does a game on a topic that deals with recent history, some folks are going to find themselves uncomfortable with the subject matter, regardless of how...