The Wargamer

ALL I WANT IS PEACE…A LITTLE PIECE OF POLAND, A LITTLE PIECE OF FRANCE… (continued)

Gamers who have patience for this sort of thing (i.e., ones that grew up playing Third Reich and not Mortal Kombat) will greatly enjoy the amount of time that Supreme Ruler 2010 demands. The job of running a slice of the world here actually brings a bit of distance, as the game units are depicted as little more than chess pieces. Each has a plethora of ratings and values associated with it, but the moral complications of attacking neighboring countries willy-nilly tends to not only affect public opinion at home, but also abroad, which can lead to complications.

The 'World Market' acts as some kind of super-UN force that is more of an unseen economic giant than an actual existing organization. The World Market controls the purse strings of some very valuable commodities, including new technologies and weaponry; if the gamer's country is on their good side then great deals will constantly come his way. However, displease them and these sources of power will dry up faster than the Cardinals in Game 6 of the NLCS. Besides, it is very possible to play St. Louis in this game and seek holy retribution on the world by bringing it under your thumb.

Displeasing the World Market is actually quite easy; trying to be a mini-me Hitler or Mussolini and sweep all away in front of vast conquests is not going to happen here, unless being an international pariah that garners massive amounts of unwanted attention in the form of trade boycotts and declarations of war from nations that the gamer's country hasn't even had official contact with yet. So, invasions and conquest do not come without a price; actually, players have to work at making their relations poor in order to facilitate a justifiable excuse to annex them into the fold; the more justification for war there is, the less negative impact the player will suffer at the hands of the World Market and a potentially vengeful world at large. (They're just jealous, that's all.)

Seeking diplomatic relations with a neighbor indeed needs to be taken with the future in mind. Considering the most viable routes of expansions and which nations can be considered good ally fodder are important things to decide on early in the game. Keeping an eye on the victory conditions for the current game is also important, which can greatly alter the gamer's plans. Plans of conquest are not good if the goal of the game is to seek a high popular approval rating; people tend to not like being at war. Not investing heavily in social services is also a great way to incur the ire of the masses. Each game's goal will test the player's mettle in a vast array of management abilities.

The game's portrayal of so many choices to make, both military and civilian, and the ability to rely on the AI to handle major decision making in areas the player may not be interested in, can give a player a good case of tunnel vision – especially when fighting a war (defensive or otherwise). Gamers have to be extremely careful that the many other facets of their government do not go ignored for long. If things get out of hand in any one area, expect many e-mails to arrive through the in-game inbox from ministers demanding attention and/or decisions. Many of these departments will demand not only the player's time, but also government funds, which are always scarce. Supreme Ruler 2010 is a great geopolitical simulator in that regard, complete with the conflicting personalities that governments often must contend with. Some ministers may be very good at their jobs, but they won't have the political leanings the player may have, and therefore may make decisions that the player would never have done. Players who lean towards the Conservative spectrum should be careful when recruiting Liberals to the ministerial posts, and vice versa.