How risky was the real WW II game for the players?
Lets look into the 9 playable powers:
3 players died in Round 23, all in april 1945.
Adolf, the german player, commited suicide because he lost the game.
Benito, the italian player, was hanged because he lost the game.
FDR was winning the game, but died of natural causes just before cashing in. An intriguing fact is that if Wendell Willkie had won the election, and become the US player, he too died during the game, in Round 21, oct 1944. So either way a vice had to finish the game. In this case Truman.
Also two ANZAC players died in office during the game. Michael Savage died in Round 3 and John Curtin in Round 24, the last round. ANZAC was played by 6 different players, starting with “Pig Iron Bob” Menzies and finishing with Ben and Fraser.
The first UK player, Neville Chamberlain, resigned in Round 3 and died in Round 5.
The most famous UK player, Winston, resigned in Round 24, the last round, and was replaced in the Victory Parade by Clement Attlee. Now that must have been disappointing to Winnie.
None of the 5 french players died but 4 of them was arrested and spent some time in prison.
Both Daladier and Reynauld were locked up at Itter Castle prison already in Round 4.
Petain and Pierre Laval got locked op in Round 21 for switching to the Axis.
de Gaulle would pop up and play France the last round, rejecting the Allied victory and keep a solo game going in the old french colonies all over the world.
Of the main 9 players only Stalin, Tokyo Kid and Chiang would play from Round 1 to the final Round 24.
Of the minor neutral non-playable powers, a lot of players would be arrested after the game, for being war criminals. Others would be assassinated during play.
Poland, the first to fight, lost 2 great players:
Ryds-Smigly in round 10 and Sikorsky in round 16.
Metaxa, playing Greece, was possible poisoned in round 6.
Tsar Boris III, playing Bulgaria, was possible poisoned in round 16.
Stauning, playing Denmark, died in round 11.
Ulmanis, playing one of the Baltic States, died in GULAG in round 13, and Smedina in round 21.
Szalasi, playing Hungary, was hanged in round 23.
Quisling, who tried to play Norway unofficial after the worlds first solo coup by a radio speech, and with no back up what so ever, and even during a german attack, in wich the german player Adolf nor any of his officers was prepared for this, is hanged in round 23.
In China, the ROC- player Wang Jingwei is killed in round 21. The other puppet players to Japan, Prince De and emperor Puyi, spent some time in GULAG, but survive a short time after round 24.
KMT-player Chiang survive round 24, but are soon to be replaced by Mao, playing CCP.
The dominion players Will King, playing Canada, and Smuts, playing South Africa, are in the game from round 1 to round 24. Now that pretty much sums it up. Hopeful we won’t see this much drama on a Con, a Turnament game in our basement with casual friends.
