Setup · 13 Days: The Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962

Choose the player count, then tick steps off as you go. Ticks are kept on this device.

Prepare the crisis

Place the board between you. Choose the USA (blue) and USSR (red).
Each player takes 17 influence cubes and 3 flags in their colour.
Place 1 USA cube in each of Italy and Turkey; place 1 USSR cube in each of Berlin and military Cuba. Keep the remaining 15 cubes per side in reserve.
Set the round marker to round 1.
Put the prestige marker on the central 0 space.
Put the 3 DEFCON markers of each colour on the printed starting spaces: military on the lowest row, political one row higher, and world opinion on the lowest row.
Shuffle the 13 agenda cards into a face-down deck beside the board.
Shuffle the 39 strategy cards into a separate face-down deck.
Give the Personal Letter to the USA, face up in front of that player.

Place the board between you. Choose the USA (blue) and USSR (red).
Each player takes 17 influence cubes and 3 flags in their colour.
Place 1 USA cube in each of Italy and Turkey; place 1 USSR cube in each of Berlin and military Cuba. Keep the remaining 15 cubes per side in reserve.
Set the round marker to round 1.
Put the prestige marker on the central 0 space.
Put the 3 DEFCON markers of each colour on the printed starting spaces: military on the lowest row, political one row higher, and world opinion on the lowest row.
Shuffle the 13 agenda cards into a face-down deck beside the board.
Shuffle the 39 strategy cards into a separate face-down deck.
Give the Personal Letter to the USA, face up in front of that player.