13 Minutes: The Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962

13 Minutes: The Cuban Missile Crisis is a microgame that packs a punch. As either Kennedy or Khrushchev, you're tasked with navigating the tense political landscape of the Cuban Missile Crisis, aiming to emerge as the dominant superpower. The gameplay is simple: you deploy strategy cards onto battlegrounds to gain influence and score points. However, the card placement isn't just about brute force – it's about managing risk. A single misstep could trigger nuclear war, ending the game in utter devastation.

The game's brevity, as the name suggests, is one of its strengths. A single round takes just 13 minutes, making it perfect for a quick game session. While the rules can be a bit tricky to grasp at first, particularly if you're not familiar with the "13 Days" series, once you get the hang of it, 13 Minutes becomes surprisingly engaging. The constant tension of balancing your gains with the potential for a catastrophic mistake adds an element of strategic depth that surprised me.

The game is not without its quirks. Some reviewers found the rulebook a tad convoluted, and it's certainly not a game you can teach in a single class period. But for those seeking a quick and engaging historical game with a real-world twist, 13 Minutes is definitely worth considering.