- BGG rank
- BGG #5,888
- BGG rating
- 7.8
Mrs Thatcher's War: The Falklands, 1982
- 1 player
- 100–250 min
- Complexity 2.7/5
- 2017
- BGG rank
- BGG #11,266
- BGG rating
- 7.7
Gorbachev: The Fall of Communism
2018
Rules assistance for Gorbachev: The Fall of Communism
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1 player
- 30–60 min
- 12+
- Complexity 2.0/5
For 1 player
Rules assistant for Gorbachev: The Fall of Communism
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Gorbachev: The Fall of Communism is a board game released in 2018 for 1 player, 30–60 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Ben Madison and its main mechanics are Area Movement, Dice Rolling, and Area Majority / Influence.
Similar games
- BGG rank
- BGG #7,497
- BGG rating
- 8.0
The White Tribe: Rhodesia's War 1966-1980
- 1 player
- 120–180 min
- Complexity 3.1/5
- 2018
- BGG rank
- BGG #4,824
- BGG rating
- 7.8
The Mission: Early Christianity from the Crucifixion to the Crusades
- 1 player
- 60–240 min
- Complexity 3.7/5
- 2020
- BGG rank
- BGG #7,931
- BGG rating
- 7.6
Don't Tread on Me: The American Revolution Solitaire Board Game
- 1 player
- 240 min
- Complexity 2.8/5
- 2014
- BGG rank
- BGG #9,549
- BGG rating
- 7.8
Jeff Davis: The Confederacy at War
- 1 player
- 60–240 min
- Complexity 2.6/5
- 2019
- BGG rank
- BGG #7,885
- BGG rating
- 7.4
N: The Napoleonic Wars
- 1 player
- 60–240 min
- Complexity 3.1/5
- 2017
- BGG rank
- BGG #12,084
- BGG rating
- 7.6
The First Jihad: The Rise of Islam 632-750
- 1 player
- 30–120 min
- Complexity 3.5/5
- 2020
- BGG rank
- BGG #12,636
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Swing States 2012
- 1 player
- 40 min
- Complexity 2.3/5
- 2012
- BGG rank
- BGG #13,278
- BGG rating
- 7.6
Death in the Trenches: The Great War 1914-1918 (Second Edition)
- 1–2 players
- 300 min
- Complexity 3.6/5
- 2022
- BGG rank
- BGG #8,436
- BGG rating
- 7.2
Mound Builders
- 1 player
- 60 min
- Complexity 2.6/5
- 2014
- BGG rank
- BGG #8,203
- BGG rating
- 7.4
Saigon 75
- 1–2 players
- 60–120 min
- Complexity 2.1/5
- 2023
- BGG rank
- BGG #11,357
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Vietnam Solitaire: Special Edition
- 1–2 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 2.1/5
- 2013
About the game
In Gorbachev: The Fall of Communism you are thrust into the Soviet leadership, trying to push your immense country into democracy amid the collapse of socialism and the wild mood-swings of Gorbachev himself in the period from 1985 to 1991. This fast-play, fun, and educational solitaire game uses a system created by Darin Leviloff. "People" markers on five converging paths represent the political awakenings of the Russian people, the Baltic Republics, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Communist Party itself. The paths all meet in Moscow, where the danger of a coup exists if any of those People markers makes it that far. In addition, three tracks representing the Soviet economy, media and culture greatly impact the overall situation. A card draw determines which paths and tracks move against you this turn, and the number of "Efforts" which you earn that you can use to move them back in your favor (if the Effort die roll succeeds). The presence of Gorbachev himself gives you additional Efforts -- but he is often on vacation! Managing Efforts is key to the game, and you never have as many as you want. You can obtain more by calling in the KGB or gambling away your army in Afghanistan and Eastern Europe, and your nuclear missiles, in disarmament deals: a short term strategy that can cost you victory points in the end. You can even abandon your Warsaw Pact allies to win Western goodwill (and more Efforts) as the Cold War comes to an end. Your success at disarmament will depend on how the US President views your policies, making the 1988 election -- George H.W. Bush vs. Michael Dukakis -- important. Each risky gambit is aimed at averting a military coup against you, which can end the game suddenly. Your success (or failure) in controlling the five paths of public opinion helps determine how many individual Politburo members are still on your side when a coup plot is hatched, so the better you play the game, the less chance the coup gets off the ground. Can you hold the Soviet Union together long enough to achieve a treaty with your restive Republics and win the game? —description from the publisher
Designers
Publishers
- White Dog Games
Questions and answers
Gorbachev: The Fall of Communism supports 1 player according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Gorbachev: The Fall of Communism is 30–60 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Gorbachev: The Fall of Communism for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Gorbachev: The Fall of Communism has a complexity rating of 2.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Gorbachev: The Fall of Communism belongs to these categories: Wargame, Political, and Educational. Its main mechanics are Area Movement, Dice Rolling, and Area Majority / Influence. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Gorbachev: The Fall of Communism are: Ben Madison. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Gorbachev: The Fall of Communism as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.