Summit (game)
Encyclopedia
Summit is a Cold War
board wargame
introduced in 1961 by Milton Bradley as "The Top Level Game of Global Strategy", with an updated release in 1971. Each player chooses one of the major powers from the 1950s/1960s era and controlled their economic and military build up during each turn, much like Risk
.
projected map of the Earth
looking down at the North Pole
. Each of the six playable "countries" are different bright colors while unplayable regions are various shades of brown depending on their economic and military "value". The six countries and their colors are:
United States
(Blue),
Soviet Union
(Red),
China
(Yellow),
India
(Green),
Western Europe
(Purple), and
South America
(Orange),
Each of the player countries are worth 10 points, while the brown regions vary from 2, 4, 6, and 8.
, though various house rules
may have different uses for these pieces.
Each player may build, in their captured regions, a balance of factories, mills (both square), and military bases (round).
Each player is awarded every turn a number of I-Beams
, red Military Threat chips, white Popular Support chips, and black Economic Pressure chips. The I-Beams are produced by a player's Mills and are used to build more Factories, Bases, and Mills. Economic Pressure chips come from the amount of Mills a player owns. Popular Support chips come from the number of Factories one owns. Military Threat chips come from the number of Bases one has.
There is also a set of cards with various situations that players must respond to. They can be as simple as gaining two I-Beams, to losing three red chips. The cards are similar to the community chest and chance cards of Monopoly
.
of 1962 when U.S. President John F. Kennedy
demanded that the Soviet Union
dismantle its bases in Cuba
and the world came close to the brink of nuclear war
. After the crisis was over, sales of the game shot up.
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
board wargame
Board wargame
A board wargame is a wargame with a set playing surface or board, as opposed to being played on a computer, or in a more free-form playing area as in miniatures games. The hobby around this type of game got its start in 1954 with the publication of Tactics, and saw its greatest popularity in the...
introduced in 1961 by Milton Bradley as "The Top Level Game of Global Strategy", with an updated release in 1971. Each player chooses one of the major powers from the 1950s/1960s era and controlled their economic and military build up during each turn, much like Risk
Risk (game)
Risk is a strategic board game, produced by Parker Brothers . It was invented by French film director Albert Lamorisse and originally released in 1957 as La Conquête du Monde in France. Risk is a turn-based game for two to six players...
.
Board
The board is an azimuthalMap projection
A map projection is any method of representing the surface of a sphere or other three-dimensional body on a plane. Map projections are necessary for creating maps. All map projections distort the surface in some fashion...
projected map of the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
looking down at the North Pole
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
. Each of the six playable "countries" are different bright colors while unplayable regions are various shades of brown depending on their economic and military "value". The six countries and their colors are:
United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(Blue),
Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
(Red),
China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
(Yellow),
India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
(Green),
Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
(Purple), and
South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
(Orange),
Each of the player countries are worth 10 points, while the brown regions vary from 2, 4, 6, and 8.
Pieces
For the board is a small circlet holder with colored flags to remind players which countries are in play. This piece is largely viewed as a gimmickGimmick
In marketing language, a gimmick is a unique or quirky special feature that makes something "stand out" from its contemporaries. However, the special feature is typically thought to be of little relevance or use. Thus, a gimmick is a special feature for the sake of having a special feature...
, though various house rules
House rules
House rules are rules applying only in a certain location or organization. Bars and pubs in which games take place frequently have house rules posted...
may have different uses for these pieces.
Each player may build, in their captured regions, a balance of factories, mills (both square), and military bases (round).
Each player is awarded every turn a number of I-Beams
I-beam
-beams, also known as H-beams, W-beams , rolled steel joist , or double-T are beams with an - or H-shaped cross-section. The horizontal elements of the "" are flanges, while the vertical element is the web...
, red Military Threat chips, white Popular Support chips, and black Economic Pressure chips. The I-Beams are produced by a player's Mills and are used to build more Factories, Bases, and Mills. Economic Pressure chips come from the amount of Mills a player owns. Popular Support chips come from the number of Factories one owns. Military Threat chips come from the number of Bases one has.
There is also a set of cards with various situations that players must respond to. They can be as simple as gaining two I-Beams, to losing three red chips. The cards are similar to the community chest and chance cards of Monopoly
Monopoly (game)
Marvin Gardens, the leading yellow property on the board shown, is actually a misspelling of the original location name, Marven Gardens. The misspelling was said to be introduced by Charles Todd and passed on when his home-made Monopoly board was copied by Charles Darrow and thence to Parker...
.
Strategy
Allies are welcomed and may help struggling players get out of trouble, or create an unbeatable force that will crush the remaining weak players. Eventually though everyone must defeat their opponents to win the game. The game calls for a balance of social skills, economic knowledge, and military tactics.Premonition of the Cuban missile crisis
One of the primary strategies of the game is to threaten an invasion by deploying one's military and economic power cards unless an opposing player dismantles their bases in one of the brown regions. This scenario came true one year after the game was released in the Cuban missile crisisCuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
of 1962 when U.S. President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
demanded that the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
dismantle its bases in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
and the world came close to the brink of nuclear war
Nuclear warfare
Nuclear warfare, or atomic warfare, is a military conflict or political strategy in which nuclear weaponry is detonated on an opponent. Compared to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can be vastly more destructive in range and extent of damage...
. After the crisis was over, sales of the game shot up.