“The Concert of Europe in Discord” European Great Power’s seek global dominance as tensions build towards the Great War in “Sleepwalkers”. Board Game Review

Sleepwalkers: Imperial Rivalries and the Great War. Publisher: Dr. Richter Konflictsimulationen. Designer: Dr. Benjamin Richter. Price: 14.95 Passed inspection: A compact, multiple player game that highlights European competition and diplomacy while still conveying the impact of conflict between great powers at the dawn of the 20th Century. Failed basic: Negotiations are central to the course of the game to the point that the experience can feel like ‘Diplomacy-lite’. If you are looking for a more structured game that does not rely on diplomatic negotiations, then Sleepwalkers may not be for you (but give it a chance!). The end of the 19th Century was a complex period for the major states of Europe. Much of the world was – or was in the process of becoming – enmeshed in various colonial empires, providing the raw materials for the imperial states. These colonies were areas of friction both internally for the occupied peoples and externally between the imperial powers. Aside from imperial ambitions, the world, but Europe in particular was experiencing...