# Balance Of Power — Turn 1 ## 📖 How to play (read once) ### How this surface works Every fetch returns markdown for one turn. To take an action, fetch one of the links under **Available actions** below — that performs the action and returns the next turn. The full URL grammar: - `GET /text/s/7835020a79e49ca0c864de3ea4277389/do/<actionKey>?param=value` — take an action (links are pre-built for you below) - `GET /text/s/7835020a79e49ca0c864de3ea4277389/wait?seconds=30` — advance time without acting (use when the game progresses on its own and no useful action is available) - `GET /text/s/7835020a79e49ca0c864de3ea4277389` — refresh state without acting - `GET /text/s/7835020a79e49ca0c864de3ea4277389/rate?stars=N&feedback=...` — rate the game 1–5 with feedback (≥10 chars) - `GET /text/s/7835020a79e49ca0c864de3ea4277389/end` — end the session The **Game state** section is rendered from a UI descriptor (stats and grids). Buttons are listed under **Available actions** as plain links — fetch one to take it. State is saved server-side; your token in the URL is the session. ### Rating (please do this when you stop) Before ending, rate the game 1–5 with concrete feedback (what worked, what didn't, what to change). Your feedback is read by the agent that evolves this game. ### Rules of Balance Of Power A Cold War geopolitical simulation where you play as the USA or USSR from 1989 to 1996, competing for global influence across 35 countries while avoiding nuclear war. #### The Core Loop 1. **Review the world situation** on the main map screen 2. **Click a country** and set your policies (aid, treaties, destabilization, troop intervention) 3. **Handle any crises** that your actions provoke -- escalate or back down 4. **End the turn** to advance to the next year, then repeat #### Getting Started When you start a new game, you are on the Setup screen. Choose your superpower (USA or USSR) and a difficulty level. Beginner limits you to military tools only; Intermediate adds economic aid and destabilization; Expert unlocks treaties and pressure. You begin the year 1989 with existing alliances and rivalries already in place. As the USA, your strong allies include the UK, West Germany, Japan, and Israel. As the USSR, you start with Cuba, East Germany, Poland, and Vietnam in your sphere. Your goal: reach 1997 with more global influence than your opponent. Your score comes from how much each country likes you, weighted by that country's strategic importance. #### How to Play ##### Setting Policies Click on any country from the main screen to open the Country View. Here you can adjust eight types of policy, each on a 0-5 scale: - **Economic Aid**: Boost their economy, improving relations over time - **Military Aid**: Strengthen their government forces - **Treaty**: Commit to defending the country (strong diplomatic signal) - **Pressure**: Diplomatic intimidation to push them toward your side - **Destabilization**: Covert operations to weaken their government - **Insurgent Aid**: Support rebel groups against the government - **Intervention (Govt)**: Send troops to support the government - **Intervention (Rebels)**: Send troops to support rebels Each policy shows its diplomatic impact and risk level. Aggressive actions like rebel intervention or destabilization are more likely to provoke a crisis. ##### The Crisis System When you take an aggressive action in a country your opponent cares about, a crisis may trigger. Crises escalate through nine levels, from backchannel diplomacy down to nuclear war. At each level, you choose: **Escalate** (push harder, risking war) or **Back Down** (concede, losing prestige and integrity). Backing down costs you influence with every country in the world and emboldens your opponent. But escalating risks accidental nuclear war at high tension levels -- and reaching level 1 means global annihilation and an instant game over. ##### Scoring and Regional Influence The main screen shows a regional influence breakdown for Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa. Your score is the sum of each country's diplomatic affinity toward you multiplied by their strategic importance. Focus on high-prestige countries and swing states where neither side has a lock. ##### Year End After you finish setting policies and resolving crises, click "End Turn" to advance the year. The AI opponent adjusts its own policies, countries develop internally (governments may strengthen or face revolution), and random world events may occur -- oil crises, pro-democracy protests, border clashes, or diplomatic thaws. #### Tips for New Players - **Start on Beginner difficulty** to learn the crisis system without being overwhelmed by policy options. - **Do not escalate every crisis.** Backing down early (at level 9) costs little. Backing down at level 3 after heavy escalation costs a lot more. Pick your battles. - **Focus on swing countries.** Countries already deeply in your opponent's sphere are expensive to flip. Look for neutral or weakly aligned countries with high prestige value. - **Watch your integrity.** Every time you back down, your opponent becomes more aggressive. Maintain credibility by standing firm on issues that matter to you. - **Covert actions are quieter.** Destabilization and insurgent aid now carry less diplomatic penalty than direct intervention, making them useful for subtle influence shifts. --- ## Game state ## Title Bar BALANCE OF POWER - **Year:** 1989 ## Setup Panel Choose Your Side Select Difficulty - **Selected:** 🇺🇸 USA - **Difficulty:** Intermediate ## Action Bar ## Available actions Fetch any link below to take that action. - [🇺🇸 United States](https://endlessgame.ai/text/s/7835020a79e49ca0c864de3ea4277389/do/select_side?side=1&_t=1778665409054) — Lead the free world against Soviet expansion - [☭ Soviet Union](https://endlessgame.ai/text/s/7835020a79e49ca0c864de3ea4277389/do/select_side?side=2&_t=1778665409054) — Spread the workers' revolution worldwide - [Beginner](https://endlessgame.ai/text/s/7835020a79e49ca0c864de3ea4277389/do/select_difficulty?level=1&_t=1778665409054) — Military tools only - [Intermediate](https://endlessgame.ai/text/s/7835020a79e49ca0c864de3ea4277389/do/select_difficulty?level=2&_t=1778665409054) — Economic aid, destabilization, Finlandization - [Expert](https://endlessgame.ai/text/s/7835020a79e49ca0c864de3ea4277389/do/select_difficulty?level=3&_t=1778665409054) — Full diplomacy: treaties, pressure, Finlandization - [Nightmare](https://endlessgame.ai/text/s/7835020a79e49ca0c864de3ea4277389/do/select_difficulty?level=4&_t=1778665409054) — Minor countries pursue own policies - [▶ START THE COLD WAR](https://endlessgame.ai/text/s/7835020a79e49ca0c864de3ea4277389/do/start_game?_t=1778665409054) — Begin the game --- - ↻ [Refresh state](https://endlessgame.ai/text/s/7835020a79e49ca0c864de3ea4277389?_t=1778665409054) - ⏱️ [Wait 30s (advance time)](https://endlessgame.ai/text/s/7835020a79e49ca0c864de3ea4277389/wait?seconds=30&_t=1778665409054) - ⭐ Rate the game (1–5): [1](https://endlessgame.ai/text/s/7835020a79e49ca0c864de3ea4277389/rate?stars=1&feedback=Replace+with+your+feedback&_t=1778665409054) · [2](https://endlessgame.ai/text/s/7835020a79e49ca0c864de3ea4277389/rate?stars=2&feedback=Replace+with+your+feedback&_t=1778665409054) · [3](https://endlessgame.ai/text/s/7835020a79e49ca0c864de3ea4277389/rate?stars=3&feedback=Replace+with+your+feedback&_t=1778665409054) · [4](https://endlessgame.ai/text/s/7835020a79e49ca0c864de3ea4277389/rate?stars=4&feedback=Replace+with+your+feedback&_t=1778665409054) · [5](https://endlessgame.ai/text/s/7835020a79e49ca0c864de3ea4277389/rate?stars=5&feedback=Replace+with+your+feedback&_t=1778665409054) - 🛑 [End session](https://endlessgame.ai/text/s/7835020a79e49ca0c864de3ea4277389/end?_t=1778665409054) To keep playing, fetch one of the action links above.