2019Stuart Tonge
- Videos
- 11
- Creators
- 1
2 players60 - 960 minVery heavy weight

2022Stuart Tonge
Mostly playthroughs and how-to-play. 2 Minutes to Midnight is covered on BoardGameVideo.com by 5 reviews, 11 how-to-play guides, 18 recorded sessions, 3 unboxings, and 2 other videos.
From BoardGameGeek
2 Minutes to Midnight is a Cold War strategy board game covering the years 1946 to 1990, played in 5-year turns. Players control the United States or the Soviet Union, competing through military power, economics, politics, and technology. The game is highly asymmetrical: the US must manage presidential elections and national debt, while the Soviets pursue five-year plans and risk collapse if reforms go too far. A scenario runs 1–3 hours, with the full campaign lasting 6–7 hours. Money is the central resource, used to influence nations, invest in trade, recruit spies, research technology, and build military strength. Each turn, around a dozen events may or may not trigger: some reappear in future turns, others vanish forever. This unpredictability forces players to adapt to a constantly shifting Cold War landscape. A technology tree models the arms race, space race, and computing advances, while military systems cover nuclear deterrence, conventional forces, and naval power. Intelligence gathering through U-2s, satellites, and submarines allows faster reactions to events, while spies conduct coups, suppress unrest, or steal technology. Every decision pushes the world closer to stability-or nuclear brinkmanship. 2 Minutes to Midnight captures the full sweep of the Cold War, from rebuilding after WWII to the brink of nuclear confrontation. Living clarifications / errata here: Errata / Clarifications Living Post
2 Minutes to Midnight has 39 videos from 16 creators: 5 reviews, 11 how-to-play guides, 18 playthroughs, 3 unboxings and 2 other videos. They date from 2021 to June 2024.
To learn the rules, start with "Presentación del juego 2 minutos para medianoche" by DRACO IDEAS, which runs 1 h 3 min. For a quicker teach, "Repasamos el registro de turnos en el tablero auxiliar, incluyendo: Las elecciones soviéticas y americanas. La sed de petróleo americana Las distintas cartas de dinero de ambos bandos." by Javier Romero runs 6 min.
For an opinion before you buy, start with "2mm - review" by calandale. 5 creators have reviewed it. To see it played, watch "North of 60 Gaming - Presents Kickstarter Preview 2 Minutes to Midnight" by North of 60 Gaming, one of 18 playthroughs.
If you like it, try Blue Water Navy: The War at Sea, also by Stuart Tonge, or 7 Wonders Duel, Comanchería: The Rise and Fall of the Comanche Empire and The Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-earth, which share several of its mechanics.
8 of 16
2019Stuart Tonge
2 players60 - 960 minVery heavy weight
2015Antoine Bauza, Bruno Cathala
2 players30 minMedium weight
2016Joel Toppen
1 players60 - 360 minVery heavy weight
2024Antoine Bauza, Bruno Cathala
2 players30 minMedium weight
From BoardGameGeek:
2 Minutes to Midnight is a Cold War strategy board game covering the years 1946 to 1990, played in 5-year turns. Players control the United States or the Soviet Union, competing through military power, economics, politics, and technology. The game is highly asymmetrical: the US must manage presidential elections and national debt, while the Soviets pursue five-year plans and risk collapse if reforms go too far. A scenario runs 1–3 hours, with the full campaign lasting 6–7 hours. Money is the central resource, used to influence nations, invest in trade, recruit spies, research technology, and build military strength. Each turn, around a dozen events may or may not trigger: some reappear in future turns, others vanish forever. This unpredictability forces players to adapt to a constantly shifting Cold War landscape. A technology tree models the arms race, space race, and computing advances, while military systems cover nuclear deterrence, conventional forces, and naval power. Intelligence gathering through U-2s, satellites, and submarines allows faster reactions to events, while spies conduct coups, suppress unrest, or steal technology. Every decision pushes the world closer to stability-or nuclear brinkmanship. 2 Minutes to Midnight captures the full sweep of the Cold War, from rebuilding after WWII to the brink of nuclear confrontation. Living clarifications / errata here: Errata / Clarifications Living Post
Designer
Stuart Tonge
Artists
Carl Huber, Christine Ridgway
Publisher
Draco Ideas
Categories
Mechanics