Mid-East Peace (1990)

Mid-East Peace is one of those great games where luck really doesn't play a part, once initial country selection is made. The game is set during the pressure cooker situation of the early 90's and the tension of the game certainly reflects this. Players out-maneuver and out-bluff one another so as to gain the riches of the region, while making sure they spend enough of the "oil/money" to ensure the safety of their state. The tension is kept up by secret deployment of forces and the continual angst of balancing resource spending with the saving necessary to come off the winner. It is, usually, the richest player, the one who has probably spent least on 'defense' throughout the game that will come off the victor. But, the twist is that the game can end in war or peace, and there are different victory conditions depending on which of the two outcomes it ends in. A very hard balance to maintain.