
- BGG rank
- BGG #25,636
- BGG rating
- 5.8
United Nations: A Game of World Domination in Our Time
- 2–4 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 2.4/5
- 1982

1979
Rules assistance for Ultimatum: A Game of Nuclear Confrontation
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

For 2 players
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Ultimatum: A Game of Nuclear Confrontation is a board game released in 1979 for 2 players, 240 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by J. Michael Hemphill and its main mechanics are Dice Rolling and Hexagon Grid.
"A game of Nuclear Confrontation". One player plays the Soviet Union and the other the United States. Each player invests in nuclear weapons technology, world "crisis" regions, and nuclear and anti-nuclear weapons (Missiles, Bombers, SSBNs, Interceptors, and ABMs). Units are deployed on the board, leaving some vulnerable to "first strike" nuclear attacks. Crisis areas are won by allocating factors to them and causing a confrontation in which each player picks a warfare type (Tac-Nuc, Conventional, Guerrilla, Political/Social, or Economic). Players may decide to launch a direct nuclear attack on the the other player, attempting to destroy the enemy cities with missiles or bombers while defending his own with ABMs and interceptors. Victory is determined partly by how much population a player has left after a nuclear war, and partly by how much enemy population has been destroyed and/or crisis regions won.
Ultimatum: A Game of Nuclear Confrontation supports 2 players 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 Ultimatum: A Game of Nuclear Confrontation is 240 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 Ultimatum: A Game of Nuclear Confrontation 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.
Ultimatum: A Game of Nuclear Confrontation has a complexity rating of 3.1 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight 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.
Ultimatum: A Game of Nuclear Confrontation belongs to these categories: Wargame and Modern Warfare. Its main mechanics are Dice Rolling and Hexagon Grid. 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 Ultimatum: A Game of Nuclear Confrontation are: J. Michael Hemphill. 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 Ultimatum: A Game of Nuclear Confrontation 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.