Us & Them

Us & Them is a turn-based strategy game set during the Cold War from 1960 onward. You lead either the CIA or the KGB, directing a superpower’s efforts to spread its ideology and dominate the world without open warfare. You use spies, sabotage and subterfuge to influence nations, topple governments and outwit your opponent.

Espionage and influence

You can destabilize enemy countries socially, economically and politically, then try to bring them to your side. Covert operations include coups, assassinations, bribery and propaganda. You deploy spies, assassins and specialists in economics or technology, position agents around the world and build secret networks.

Resources and decisions

You manage money, oil and technology to support your plans. Each turn brings decisions in a global contest of espionage and intrigue. You can develop spy gadgets and research advanced technology, compete against your opponent in the Space Race, and use your nuclear arsenal as a threat. If nuclear war breaks out, the game ends.

Historical figures and tactics

Random events based on real history test your leadership. You can recruit notable figures of the era, including Che Guevara, Mao Zedong, Henry Kissinger, Fidel Castro and the Pope; each has unique abilities that can shift the balance of power.

The game also includes tactics based on Cold War doctrines. The “Domino Theory” can make one nation’s fall trigger others, while a “Communist Sandwich” traps an opponent by surrounding them with hostile states. Events and strategies vary between playthroughs.