Turn 10 Assassination Leads To DeMarco Victory!

Of the 11 games played in the four Kremlin Heats, six were won with three waves, four by lasting until the final half-turn, and one by being unable to fill the Politburo in the Replacement Phase. All games were either five or six-player.

In the first turn of the Final, Pete started strong by using KGB Head Wasolin to purge Strychnin from the Sport Ministry with the help of a first purge card. He then removed three candidates before failing on the fourth. In the Spy Investigation Phase, Kevin Y had Protzky condemn Bungaloff to Siberia before a card play sent Protzky to the People. Control of the phase then moved to Foreign Minister Purgemoff, again controlled by Kevin Y; he was in turn sent to the People by Intrigue card. Before the Health roll, Edison played a card to send Nestor to the cure but failed the die roll; Nestor did not die but did get worse. Michael tried to use Goferbrok to pull three Politicians back from Siberia, igniting a bidding war ending in a tie. Pete broke the tie in favor of Kevin Y and no one is Rehabilitated. A second bidding war for Nestor erupted in the Parade Phase, resulting in a three-way tie at nine Influence. The tiebreaking dice favored Kevin B, giving him control. However, the next die roll only gave him a failed wave.

Turn 2 started with Wasolin (Pete) failing to purge despite the help of a First Purge card. Edison condemned Purgemoff to Siberia (causing Kevin Y to lose a point of Influence on him) and opened an investigation on Nestor. This turned out to be unneeded, as Nestor died in the Health Phase. Aside from Nestor, only Foreign Minister Krakemheds was harmed, getting Ill. Krakemheds ascended to Party chief after two failed elections. A point from Kevin B was enough to take control, allowing him to move a young Putschnik into his weakness in the Foreign Minister spot. Once again, Kevin B failed to roll a wave.

The first purge in turn 3 is against the Foreign Minister but fails despite a +5 modifier. Krakemheds dies in the Health phase, and somehow a healthy Wasolin is elected as the next Party Chief. Both Edison and Kevin B show 10 points of influence on him; Pete breaks the tie in Kevin B's favor, knowing that Edison will go to 10+ points in the Add Influence phase. Kevin B gets the wave.

In turn 4's Purge phase, the first purge card is against KGB Head Talksalott. Michael is in control of Ideology Chief Shootemdedsky, and he succeeds in purging the KGB head. He then attempts to purge the Party Chief, and does, followed by the Foreign Minister. A final purge attempt fails. In Spy Investigation, Edison uses Ill Defense Minister Nikotin to open investigations on all remaining Politburo members. Nikotin is unaffected by the Health roll and becomes Party Chief after an election where Kevin Y controls all three voters. After the Politburo is shuffled, Kevin B uses an Ill Niewitko, the new Defense Minister, to bring four people back from Siberia, aging him to 93. Edison keeps control of Nikotin with three Influence (over Tom's two) but fails the wave roll.

Turn 5 starts with the retirement of Niewitko in the Cure phase. Spy Investigation is run by Kevin Y's Foreign Minister Goferbrok, who puts KGB Head Shootemdedsky on trial. The trial fails when Michael adds a point to Econ Minister Doberman for a second "not guilty" vote. (The KGB Head dies during the Health phase anyway.) When the Politburo is shuffled in Replacement, Doberman blackmails the Party Chief and becomes the new KGB head.

In turn 6, Doberman shows his gratitude to the Party Chief by immediately attempting to purge him, he rolls a 1 for a critical failure. Not to be outdone, Defense Minister Mischif (Kevin Y) puts the Party Chief on trial. After a substantial number of Influence is revealed, the trial succeeds. The Health phase takes out both KGB Head and Foreign Minister, and leaves Defense Minister Mischif Ill, leading to his ascension in the Funeral Commission phase. He nets Kevin Y a failed wave.

Turn 7 starts with KGB Head Purgemoff (Michael) purging Defense Minister Patina (held by Kevin B with 2 Influence), which succeeds with a +5 die modifier due to weakness and Intrigue card. Follow-up purges against Foreign Minister Protzky (Kevin Y), also in his weakness, and Economy Minister Strychnin (Pete) also succeed. These moves caused a lot of influence to be shown on Purgemoff, with Michael's 9 beating Pete's 8 and Edison's 5. The Power Play card forces Kevin B to declare five influence points, all of which are put onto folks in Siberia. Because of the purges, Spy Investigation is also run by Purgemoff, who condemns Candidate Eatstumuch. The Health die leaves the Ill Party Chief in place with a lot of room for Replacements and shuffling, in particular, Purgemoff is reduced to Economy Minister, his weakness. The phase ends with only two Candidates and no one in the People, but that quickly changes as five people are brought back from Siberia, one via Intrigue card. Kevin Y again fails to wave.

The Purge phase of turn 8 starts with a First Purge of Economy Minister Purgemoff, which fails despite all the modifiers with a roll of 2. Defense Minister Boremtodev (Pete) holds a trial for Foreign Minister Palavrian, who has no visible Influence, and the trial succeeds. The Health die takes out the Party Chief, and the Funeral Commission raises Zenjarplan from Sports Minister. Pete's single Influence point is quickly replaced by six, not enough to beat Tom's seven. The healthy Party Chief waves.

Turn 9 begins with Tom controlling KGB Head Manjak. A First Purge of the Industry Minister, followed by two Candidates and the Ideology Minister, the purge of the Foreign Minister failed. Trial of the Party Chief by Boremtodev also fails. Intrigue puts Manjak into the Cure before the Health phase. The Health die kills Purgemoff, but there are still three Candidates, so the Politburo gets filled. In the Rehab phase, Industry Minister Bungaloff, formerly claimed by Kevin Y with one Influence, becomes controlled by Michael to bring Karrienko and Strychnin out of Siberia; after that, Pete claims Economy Minister Eatstomuch with 5 Influence (Tom had 4) to Rehab Talksalott. To end the turn, Tom plays Miracle Cure on Zenjarplan, getting him a second automatic wave.

In the last Add Influence phase, Michael takes Bungaloff (who is in his weakness) to 10+, and Tom is able to take Zenjarplan to 10+ while putting 1 Influence on Badenuff (not tying Kevin B's 1 Influence). Thus turn 10 starts with a purge of Bungaloff followed by a failed purge of Eatstumuch. The Spy Investigation phase consists of Michael opening investigations on anyone without one open. Not much happens in the Health phase. Kevin B rehabilitates Schukratoff via Intrigue card, Tom shuffles the Politburo around in Replacement (Schukratoff ends up as Ideology Chief), and just before the Parade phase the Assassination card is played and Zenjarplan is found guilty and killed. No Parade phase this turn.

The final turn has no purge attempts, condemnation of Karrienko back to Siberia, the death of Boremtodev due to illness, and a final Funeral Commission. With Tom controlling all three first-level positions and the Sports Minister (with a total of two Influence points showing), the vote is certain. Tom takes the Party Chief position and the win.