Category: Political

Twilight Imperium (Fourth Edition) is a game of galactic conquest in which three to six players each take on the role of one of seventeen factions vying for galactic domination through military might political maneuvering and economic bargaining. Every faction offers a completely different play experience from the wormhole-hopping Ghosts of Creuss to the Emirates of Hacan masters of trade and economics. These seventeen races are offered many paths to victory but only one may sit upon the throne of Mecatol Rex as the new masters of the galaxy.No two games of Twilight Imperium are ever identical. At the start of each galactic age the game board is uniquely and strategically constructed from among 51 galaxy tiles that feature everything from lush new planets and supernovas to asteroid fields and gravity rifts. Players are dealt a hand of these tiles and take turns creating the galaxy around Mecatol Rex the capital planet seated in the center of the board. An ion storm may block your race from progressing through the galaxy while a fortuitously placed gravity rift may protect you from your closest foes. The galaxy is yours to both craft and dominate.A round of Twilight Imperium begins with players selecting one of eight strategy cards that both determine player order and give their owner a unique strategic action for that round. These may do anything from providing additional command tokens to allowing a player to control trade throughout the galaxy. After these strategies are selected players take turns moving their fleets from system to system claiming new planets for their empires and engaging in warfare and trade with other factions. At the end of a turn players gather in a grand council to pass new laws and agendas shaking up the game in unpredictable ways.After every player has passed their turn players move up the victory track by checking to see whether they have completed any objectives throughout the turn and scoring them. Objectives are determined by setting up ten public objective cards at the start of each game then gradually revealing them over the course of the game. Each player also chooses between two random secret objectives at the start of the game achievement of which provides victory points--only for the holder of that objective. These objectives can be anything from researching new technologies to taking your neighbor's home system. At the end of every turn a player can claim one public objective and one secret objective. As play continues more of these objectives are revealed and more secret objectives are dealt out giving players dynamically changing goals throughout the game. Play continues until a player reaches ten victory points.—description from the publisher

Dune: Imperium is a game that uses deck building to add a hidden information angle to traditional worker placement. It finds inspiration in elements and characters from the Dune legacy both the new film from Legendary Pictures and the seminal literary series from Frank Herbert Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson.As a leader of one of the Great Houses of the Landsraad raise your banner and marshal your forces and spies. War is coming and at the center of the conflict is Arrakis – Dune the desert planet.You start with a unique leader card as well as a deck identical to those of your opponents. As you acquire cards and build your deck your choices will define your strengths and weaknesses. Cards allow you to send your Agents to certain spaces on the game board so how your deck evolves affects your strategy. You might become more powerful militarily able to deploy more troops than your opponents. Or you might acquire cards that give you an edge with the four political factions represented in the game: the Emperor the Spacing Guild the Bene Gesserit and the Fremen.Unlike many deck building games you don’t play your entire hand in one turn. Instead you draw a hand of cards at the start of every round and alternate with other players taking one Agent turn at a time (playing one card to send one of your Agents to the game board). When it’s your turn and you have no more Agents to place you’ll take a Reveal turn revealing the rest of your cards which will provide Persuasion and Swords. Persuasion is used to acquire more cards and Swords help your troops fight for the current round’s rewards as shown on the revealed Conflict card.Defeat your rivals in combat shrewdly navigate the political factions and acquire precious cards. The Spice must flow to lead your House to victory!Some important links: The Official FAQ the Unofficial FAQ and an Automa (solo and 2p) Overview

In Dune: Imperium Uprising you want to continue to balance military might with political intrigue wielding new tools in pursuit of victory. Spies will shore up your plans vital contracts will expand your resources or you can learn the ways of the Fremen and ride mighty sandworms into battle!Dune: Imperium Uprising is a standalone spinoff to Dune: Imperium that expands on that game's blend of deck-building and worker placement while introducing a new six-player mode that pits two teams against one other in the biggest struggle yet.The Dune: Imperium expansions Rise of Ix and Immortality work with Uprising as do almost all of the cards from the base game and elements of Uprising can be used with Dune: Imperium.The choices are yours. The Imperium awaits!

In Pax Pamir players assume the role of nineteenth century Afghan leaders attempting to forge a new state after the collapse of the Durrani Empire. Western histories often call this period The Great Game because of the role played by the Europeans who attempted to use central Asia as a theater for their own rivalries. In this game those empires are viewed strictly from the perspective of the Afghans who sought to manipulate the interloping ferengi (foreigners) for their own purposes.In terms of game play Pax Pamir is a pretty straightforward tableau builder. Players spend most of their turns purchasing cards from a central market then playing those cards in front of them in a single row called a court. Playing cards adds units to the game's map and grants access to additional actions that can be taken to disrupt other players and influence the course of the game. That last point is worth emphasizing. Though everyone is building their own row of cards the game offers many ways for players to interfere with each other directly and indirectly.To survive players will organize into coalitions. Throughout the game the dominance of the different coalitions will be evaluated by the players when a special card called a Dominance Check is resolved. If a single coalition has a commanding lead during one of these checks those players loyal to that coalition will receive victory points based on their influence in their coalition. However if Afghanistan remains fragmented during one of these checks players instead will receive victory points based on their personal power base.After each Dominance Check victory is checked and the game will be partially reset offering players a fresh attempt to realize their ambitions. The game ends when a single player is able to achieve a lead of four or more victory points or after the fourth and final Dominance Check is resolved.

Extended edition includes Crisis & Control expansion.The Nation is in disarray and a war is waging between the classes. The working class faces a dismantled welfare system the capitalists are losing their hard-earned profits the middle class is gradually fading and the state is sinking into a deep deficit. Amidst all this chaos the only person who can provide guidance is... you. Will you take the side of the working class and fight for social reforms? Or will you stand with the corporations and the free market? Will you help the government try to keep it all together or will you try to enforce your agenda no matter the cost to the country?Hegemony is an asymmetric politico-economic card-driven board game for 2-4 players that puts you in the role of one of the socio-economic groups in a fictional state: The Working Class the Middle Class the Capitalist Class and the State itself.The Working class controls the workers. The Capitalist class controls the companies. The Middle class combines elements from both the Working class and the Capitalist. It has workers who can work in the Capitalist's companies but it can also build companies of its own yet smaller. Finally the State is trying to keep everyone happy providing benefits and subsidies when needed but trying also to maintain a steady income through taxes to avoid going into debt.While players have their own separate goals they are all limited by a series of policies that affect most of their actions like Taxation Labor Market Foreign Trade etc. Voting on those policies and using their influence to change them is also very important. Through careful planning strategic actions and political maneuvering you will do your best to increase the power of your class and carry out your agenda. Will you be the one to lead your class to victory?Hegemony is heavily based on actual academic principles such as Social-Democracy Neoliberalism Nationalism and Globalism and allows players to see their real world applications through engaging gameplay. There are many ways to achieve hegemony- which one will you take?—description from the publisher

Lisboa is a game about the reconstruction of Lisboa after the great earthquake of 1755.On November 1 1755 Lisbon suffered an earthquake of an estimated magnitude of 8.5–9.0 followed by a tsunami and three days of fires. The city was almost totally destroyed. The Marques of Pombal — Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo — was the then Minister of Foreign Affairs and the King put him in charge of the reconstruction of Lisbon. The Marques of Pombal gathered a team of engineers and architects and you the players are members of the nobility; members who will use your influence in the reconstruction and business development of the new city. You will work with the architects to build Lisbon anew with the Marquis to develop commerce and with the King to open all the buildings but the true reason you do all this is not for greatness or fame or even fortune but for the most important thing of all in that time: wigs.Lisboa is played on a real map of downtown Lisbon. During the planning of the downtown project the type of business permitted in each street was previously determined. The economic motor is driven by the wealth of the royal treasure and this treasure is controlled by player actions during the game making each game a totally different experience. The game ends after a fixed number of rounds and whoever gathers the most wigs by the end of the game wins.Lisboa is played in rounds. Each round all players play one turn. They may place one card on their display or replace one card from this display. During the game players schedule hearings to get character favors such as commerce construction and openings. The iconic buildings score the stores and stores provide income to the players. Players need to manage influence construction licenses store permits church power workers and money with the workers' cost being dependent on the prestige of the players.

Set in ancient Rome Trajan is a development game in which players try to increase their influence and power in various areas of Roman life such as political influence trading military dominion and other important parts of Roman culture.The central mechanism of the game uses a system similar to that in Mancala or pit-and-pebbles games. In Trajan a player has six possible actions: building trading taking tiles from the forum using the military influencing the Senate and placing Trajan tiles on his tableau.At the start of the game each player has two differently colored pieces in each of the six sections (bowls) of his tableau. On a turn the player picks up all the pieces in one bowl and distributes them one-by-one in bowls in a clockwise order. Wherever the final piece is placed the player takes the action associated with that bowl; in addition if the colored pieces in that bowl match the colors shown on a Trajan tile next to the bowl (with tiles being placed at the start of the game and through later actions) then the player takes the additional action shown on that tile.What are you trying to do with these actions? Acquire victory points (VPs) in whatever ways are available to you – and since this is a Feld design you try to avoid being punished too. At the Forum you try to anticipate the demands of the public so that you can supply them what they want and not suffer a penalty. In the Senate you acquire influence which translates into votes on VP-related laws ideally snagging a law that fits your long-term plans. With the military you take control of regions in Europe earning more points for those regions far from Rome.All game components are language neutral and the playing time is 30 minutes per player.

In Watergate one player assumes the role of a [Washington Post] journalist while the other embodies the Nixon administration — each with a unique set of cards. To win the Nixon administration must build up enough momentum to make it to the end of the presidential term whereas the journalist must gather enough evidence to connect two informants directly to the President. Of course the administration will do all in its power to smother any evidence.A history of Watergate is included with the game!—description from the publisher

Imagine you can control the forces of a noble family guild or religious order on a barren planet which is the only source for the most valuable substance in the known universe.Imagine you can rewrite the script for one of the most famous science fiction books of all time. Welcome to the acclaimed 40-year-old board game which allows you to recreate the incredible world of Frank Herbert’s DUNE.In DUNE you will become the leader of one of six great factions. Each wishes to control the most valuable resource in the universe - melange the mysterious spice only found at great cost on the planet DUNE. As Duke Leto Atreides says “All fades before melange. A handful of spice will buy a home on Tupile. It cannot be manufactured it must be mined on Arrakis. It is unique and it has true geriatric properties.” And without melange space travel would be impossible. Only by ingesting the addictive drug can the Guild Steersman continue to experience visions of the future enabling them to plot a safe path through hyperspace.Who will control DUNE? Become one of the characters and their forces from the book and . . . You decide!—description from the publisher

Game description from the publisher:King Robert Baratheon is dead and the lands of Westeros brace for battle.In the second edition of A Game of Thrones: The Board Game three to six players take on the roles of the great Houses of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros as they vie for control of the Iron Throne through the use of diplomacy and warfare. Based on the best-selling A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels by George R.R. Martin A Game of Thrones is an epic board game in which it will take more than military might to win. Will you take power through force use honeyed words to coerce your way onto the throne or rally the townsfolk to your side? Through strategic planning masterful diplomacy and clever card play spread your influence over Westeros!To begin the game each player receives an army of Footman Knight Siege Engine and Ship units as well as a set of Order tokens and other necessary components. Each player also receives a deck of unique House Cards which are used as leaders in battles against rival Houses.Each round in the game is made up of three phases: the Westeros Phase the Planning Phase and the Action Phase. The Westeros Phase represents special events and day-to-day activities in Westeros. There are three different Westeros Decks and each denotes a different global action potentially affecting all players.The Planning Phase is perhaps the most important. Here you secretly assign orders to all of your units by placing one order token face down on each area you control that contains at least one unit (Knight Footman Ship or Siege Engine). This portion of the game emphasizes diplomacy and deduction. Can you trust the alliance that you made? Will you betray your ally and march upon him? Players may make promises to each other (for aid or peace for example) but these promises are never binding. The result is tense and compelling negotiations often ending in backstabbing worthy of Westeros!During the Action Phase the orders are resolved and battle is entered! When armies meet in combat they secretly choose one of their House cards to add strength to the battle. Finally the Houses can consolidate their power in the areas they control and use that power in future turns to influence their position in the court of the Iron Throne and to stand against the wildling Hordes.In addition to featuring updated graphics and a clarified ruleset this second edition of A Game of Thrones includes elements from the A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords expansions including ports garrisons Wildling cards and Siege engines while introducing welcome new innovations like player screens and Tides of Battle cards.Tides of Battle cards are an optional mechanism that brings an element of unpredictability to combat representing erratic shifts in the momentum of war due to factors such as weather morale and tactical opportunity. During each combat both players draw one Tides of Battle card from a communal deck and its value modifies the strength of his chosen House card. What's more such a card may also contain icons that can affect the outcome of the battle...all of which delivers a new level of intensity to your military engagements.

In John Company players assume the roles of ambitious families attempting to use the British East India Company for personal gain. The game begins in the early eighteenth-century when the Company has a weak foothold on the subcontinent. Over the course of the game the Company might grow into the most powerful and insidious corporation in the world or collapse under the weight of its own ambition.John Company is a game about state-sponsored trade monopoly. Unlike most economic games players often do not control their own firms. Instead they will collectively guide the Company by securing positions of power attempting to steer the Company’s fate in ways that benefit their own interests. However the Company is an unwieldy thing. It is difficult to do anything alone and players will often need to negotiate with one another. In John Company most everything is up for negotiation.Ultimately this game isn’t about wealth; it’s about reputation. Each turn some of your family members may retire from their Company positions giving them the opportunity to establish estates. Critically players do not have full control over when these retirements happen. You will often need to borrow money from other players to make the best use for a chance of retirement. Players also gain victory points by competing in the London Season for prestige and securing fashionable properties.John Company engages very seriously with its theme. It is meant as a frank portrait of an institution that was as dysfunctional as it was influential. Accordingly the game wrestles many of the key themes of imperialism and globalization in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and how those developments were felt domestically. As such this game might not be suitable for all players. Please make sure everyone in your group consents to this exploration before playing.The second edition is extensively revised and is not a reprint.—description from designer

In Oath one to six players guide the course of history in an ancient land. Players might take the role of agents bolstering the old order or scheme to bring the kingdom to ruin. The consequences of one game will ripple through those that follow changing what resources and actions future players may have at their disposal and even altering the game's core victory condition.If a player seizes control by courting anarchy and distrust future players will have to contend with a land overrun by thieves and petty warlords. In a later game a warlord might attempt to found a dynasty creating a line of rulers that might last generations or be crushed by the rise of a terrible arcane cult.In Oath there are no fancy production tricks app-assisted mechanisms or production gimmicks. The game can be reset at any time and doesn't require the same play group from one game to the next. A player might use the fully-featured solo mode to play several generations during the week and then use that same copy of the game for Saturday game-night with friends. There are no scripted narratives or predetermined end points. The history embedded in each copy of Oath will grow to be as unique as the players who helped build it.—description from the publisher

The King is dead. The kingdom is divided. Three factions — the Scottish the Welsh and the English — vie for control and across the sea foreign invaders prepare to take advantage of the chaos. Players must marshal their limited resources to influence this power struggle while ensuring that the faction that rises to dominate the realm favors them above all other claimants to the throne.The King is Dead: Second Edition refreshes the accessible yet strikingly deep game with updated graphic design gorgeous new artwork and a brand-new asymmetric game mode for advanced play.

The King's Dilemma is an interactive narrative experience with legacy elements featuring several branching storylines leading to many possible finales and an evolving deck of event cards at its core. Players represent the various houses leading the government of the Kingdom of Ankist.You will draw one card from the Dilemma deck each round and experience the game story as it unfolds. Each card poses a problem that the Council has to resolve on the King's behalf. As members of the King's inner circle your decisions determine how the story proceeds and the fate of the kingdom. Each event happens only once: You discuss and bargain with the other players then finally you make a choice determining the outcome progressing the game story and possibly unlocking more events.You have to keep the kingdom going while also seeking an advantage for your own house; this power struggle may lead the kingdom into war famine or riot or it could generate wealth and well-being. This will depend on your choices! The thing is each decision has consequences and what is good for the kingdom as a whole may be bad for your family...Will you act for the greater good or will you think only of yourself?

Volume IV in the Series: COIN (GMT) dives headlong into the momentous and complex battle for South Vietnam. A unique multi-faction treatment of the Vietnam War Fire in the Lake will take players on US heliborne sweeps of the jungle and Communist infiltration of the South and into inter-allied conferences Saigon politics interdiction of the Ho Chi Minh Trail air defense of Northern infrastructure graduated escalation and media war.Fire in the Lake features the same card-assisted counterinsurgency game system as GMT's Andean Abyss Cuba Libre and A Distant Plain with twists that take the Series to another level including:-- description from publisher

The time has come for the selection of a new Chancellor at Argent University of Magic and you are among the likely candidates for the job. Gather your apprentices ready your spellbook and build your influence while secretly discovering and competing over the votes of a limited Consortium of influential board members. Only the one who is able to fulfill the most criteria will claim the title of most influential mage in the World of Indines!Argent: The Consortium is a cutthroat worker-placement/engine-building game of manipulation and secrecy in which the criteria for victory are secret and the capabilities of your opponents are constantly changing. You'll need to outwit the other candidates use your spells at the right moment and choose the correct apprentices to manage your plan.Argent: The Consortium is a European-style game that minimizes luck and focuses on player interaction and strong core mechanisms that allow new strategies to emerge each time you play.The designer keeps an updated Official Errata/Typo/FAQ thread on BGG.

Early in the history of the United States slavery was an institution that seemed unmovable but with efforts of men and women across the country it was toppled. In Freedom: The Underground Railroad players are working to build up the strength of the Abolitionist movement through the use of notable figures and pivotal events. By raising support for the cause and moving slaves to freedom in Canada the minds of Americans can be changed and the institution of slavery can be brought down.Freedom is a card-driven cooperative game for one to four players in which the group is working for the abolitionist movement to help bring an end to slavery in the United States. The players use a combination of cards which feature figures and events spanning from Early Independence until the Civil War along with action tokens and the benefits of their role to impact the game.Players need to strike the right balance between freeing slaves from plantations in the south and raising funds which are desperately needed to allow the group to continue their abolitionist activities as well as strengthen the cause.The goal is not easy and in addition to people and events that can have a negative impact on the group's progress there are also slave catchers roaming the board reacting to the movements of the slaves on the board and hoping to catch the runaway slaves and send them back to the plantations.Through careful planning and working together the group might see an end to slavery in their time.

Pax Porfiriana – Latin for The Porfirian Peace – refers to the 33-year reign of dictator Porfirio Díaz who ruled Mexico with an iron hand until toppled by the 1910 Revolution.As a rich businessman (Hacendado) in the turbulent pre-revolutionary borderlands of the U.S. and Mexico players compete to build business empires of ranches mines rails troops and banks while subverting opponents with bandidos Native Americans and lawsuits. Each turn goes as follows:1. Action Phase: Perform three actions such as play new cards get new cards from the market speculate on cards in the market buy land or redeploy troops. 2. Discard Headlines: Remove any Headlines (i.e. cards with the Bull-Bear icon) that have reached the leftmost position in the Market. 3. Restore Market: Restore the Market to twelve cards. 4. Income Phase: Collect one gold per Income Extortion and Connection Cube in play. If Depression pay one gold for each card in play (includes Partners and Enterprises in your Row and all of your Troops).Four scoring cards (Toppling) are in the game and their effect depends on the current form of government. The government can change if troops are played and as a result of other cards. The form of government also influences different production values of the game such as how much mines produce. Players win by toppling Díaz either by coup succession revolution or annexation of Mexico by the U.S. If Díaz remains firmly seated at the end of the game then the player with the most gold wins.Pax Porfiriana includes 220 cards but only fifty cards (along with ten for each player) are used in a game so no two games will be the same!

Triumph & Tragedy is a geopolitical strategy game for 3 players (also playable by 2) covering the competition for European supremacy during the period 1936-45 between Capitalism (the West) Communism (the Soviet Union) and Fascism (the Axis). It has diplomatic economic technological and military components and can be won by gaining economic hegemony or technological supremacy (A-bomb) or by vanquishing a rival militarily.The 22 x 34 area map covers Eurasia to India and the Urals plus the Americas. Military units are 5/8 blocks of 7 types (Infantry/Tank/Fortress/AirForce/Carrier/Fleet/Submarine) in 7 different colors (Germany/Italy/Russia/Britain/France/USA/Neutral). The mix of over 200 blocks allows great flexibility of force composition. There is a 55-card Action deck and a 55-card Investment deck plus 30 Peace Dividend chits and 110 markers of various types.The game starts in 1936 with all 3 Great Powers virtually disarmed: Germany has repudiated the Versailles Peace Treaty initiating an arms race in Europe. With blocks the nature of military buildups remain unknown to rivals unless/until military conflict breaks out. The game may end peacefully or there may be war. There are game sanctions for attacking neutral minors or declaring war on an opponent and rewards for remaining peaceful (you get a Peace Dividend chit of value 0-2 for every year you remain at Peace).You can win peacefully by: • Economic Hegemony (total of Production + secret Peace Dividend values + Atomic Research is the greatest in 1945 or reaches 25 at any time) OR • Technological Supremacy (build the A-bomb which takes 4 stages and be able to deliver it to a Main Capital).If there is war you can still win by either of the above methods (with extra Economic Hegemony victory points available) or by: • Military Victory (capture TWO enemy capitals out of nine: each player controls three).Economic production underlies all forms of power in the game. Production is the LEAST of controlled Population (cities) controlled Resources and Industry (which starts low and can be built up with Investment cards) except that Resources can be ignored if at Peace.Powers can spend their current economic Production on either: • Military units (new 1-step units or additional steps on existing units) OR • Action cards which have Diplomatic values (to gain Population and Resources without conflict) and a Command value (to move military units) OR • Investment cards which have Technological values (to enhance unit abilities) and a Factory value (the only way to increase Industry levels).Building a unit step or buying a card costs 1 Production. Simple. You can’t inspect cards bought until after you have spent all Production.The early phase of the game tends to revolve around: • Diplomatic infighting (using Action cards) to gain minor nations (Czech Rumania etc) for their Population and Resources and • Industrial buildup (via Investment cards) with • Military buildups (with the nature of forces being built being unknown to opponents) • Technology advancement (also via Investment cards) and some • Military operations (using Action cards for Command) which can include Violating (attacking) neutral minors to gain Population/Resources when Diplomacy fails.If the game continues peacefully due to imposing defenses or player inclination pressure builds as players approach a Production of 20 as secret Peace Dividend chits may take someone over the 25 Victory threshold. Or players may succeed in developing the Atomic Bomb and steal a victory that way.At some point however one Power (seeing opportunity or necessity) may Declare War on another. The victim gets immediate economic benefits in reaction but military reality comes to the forefront from this point onward. The third party may well continue its economic development in peace. Or not.Unit movement is by Command card which specifies a Command Priority letter that determines order of movement/combat and a Command Value number that determines the maximum number of units that can be moved. Command cards are only valid during one specified Season (Spring/Summer/Fall) so a variety of Command cards in one’s hand is necessary for a Power to be able to move in every Season. But HandSizes are limited so each player must balance competing demands for card resources with military security.Combat occurs when rival units occupy the same area and is executed by units firing in order by Type (defenders firing first amongst equal types) rolling dice for hits. Units have different Firepowers (hit values) depending on the Class of unit they are targeting (ground naval air sub). Land combat is one round per Season while sea battles are fought to a conclusion. Ground units without a Supply line lose 1 step per Season and cannot build (except Fortress units which are immune to both effects but cannot move).Triumph & Tragedy is a true three-sided game: there is no requirement that the West and Russia be on the same side (and in fact there are valid reasons to attack each other) and only ONE player can win the game. Table talk is allowed (and encouraged) but agreements are not enforceable. Alliances are shifting and co-operation is undependable. The game can continue as an economic battle of attrition or a sudden military explosion can change everything. There is immense replayability as players can pursue dominance in Europe via land sea or air military superiority technological supremacy or economic hegemony without rivals realizing their strategy until it is TOO LATE! It is a highly interactive tense fast-moving game with little downtime between player turns covering THE crucial geopolitical decade of the 20th century in 4-6 hours.

You are head of a family in an Italian city-state a city run by a weak and corrupt court. You need to manipulate bluff and bribe your way to power. Your object is to destroy the influence of all the other families forcing them into exile. Only one family will survive...In Coup you want to be the last player with influence in the game with influence being represented by face-down character cards in your playing area.Each player starts the game with two coins and two influence – i.e. two face-down character cards; the fifteen card deck consists of three copies of five different characters each with a unique set of powers:On your turn you can take any of the actions listed above regardless of which characters you actually have in front of you or you can take one of three other actions:When you take one of the character actions – whether actively on your turn or defensively in response to someone else's action – that character's action automatically succeeds unless an opponent challenges you. In this case if you can't (or don't) reveal the appropriate character you lose an influence turning one of your characters face-up. Face-up characters cannot be used and if both of your characters are face-up you're out of the game.If you do have the character in question and choose to reveal it the opponent loses an influence then you shuffle that character into the deck and draw a new one perhaps getting the same character again and perhaps not.The last player to still have influence – that is a face-down character – wins the game!A new & optional character called the Inquisitor has been added (currently the only English edition with the Inquisitor included is the Kickstarter Version from Indie Boards & Cards. Copies in stores may not be the Kickstarter versions and may only be the base game). The Inquisitor character cards may be used to replace the Ambassador cards.

In December 1956 paroled rebel Fidel Castro returned to Cuba to launch his revolution with virtually no political base and—after a disastrous initial encounter with government forces—a total of just 12 men. Two years later through masterful propaganda and factional maneuver Castro his brother Raúl and iconic revolutionary Che Guevara had united disparate guerrillas and exploited Cubans’ deep opposition to their dictator Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar. Castro’s takeover of the country became a model for Leftist insurgency.Castro’s InsurgencyFollowing up on GMT Games’ Andean Abyss about insurgency in modern Colombia the next volume in the COIN Series Cuba Libre takes 1 to 4 players into the Cuban Revolution. Castro’s “26 July Movement” must expand from its bases in the Sierra Maestra mountains to fight its way to Havana. Meanwhile anti-communist student groups urban guerrillas and expatriates try to de-stabilize the Batista regime from inside and out while trying not to pave the way for a new dictatorship under Castro. Batista’s Government must maintain steam to counter the twin insurgency while managing two benefactors: its fragile US Alliance and its corrupting Syndicate skim. And in the midst of the turmoil Meyer Lansky and his Syndicate bosses will jockey to keep their Cuban gangster paradise alive.COIN Series Volume IICuba Libre will be easy to learn for Andean Abyss players—both volumes share the same innovative Series: COIN (GMT) system. Like Volume I Cuba Libre is equally playable solitaire or by multiple players up to 4—and with a shorter time to completion than Andean Abyss. But Cuba Libre’s situation and strategic challenges will be new. A deck of 48 fresh events brings 1950s Cuba to life and includes …• The Twelve: The first wave’s escape to the Sierra Maestra—inspirational legend or harbinger of defeat? • El Che and Raúl: Brilliant in the field or bungling hostage-takers? • Operation Fisherman: Can the rebels pull off a second invasion? • General Strike: Urban disruption or rebel embarrassment? • Radio Rebelde: Are the masses tuning in or just the Army direction finders? • Pact of Caracas: Can the rebels unite? • Armored Cars: Mobile striking power but in whose hands? • Rolando Masferrer: Brutal pro-government tactics—will they help or hurt? • Fat Butcher: Can the Mob’s enforcer protect its casinos? • Sinatra: Frankie’s Havana show a boom or bust and who collects? … and much more.New twists match the COIN Series system to the situation in 1950s Cuba:• It’s the insurgents who build lasting capabilities while the Government is limited to fleeting bursts of momentum. • The Syndicate’s bases are Casinos—expensive to build but so important to Cuba no army will destroy them. • Syndicate special activities include calling in the “muscle” of Government troops and police to protect mob assets. • Stacks of Syndicate cash awaiting launder can fall in anyone’s hands—even the corrupt Government’s. • The Government has its own terror tactic—reprisals—and can skim a portion of Syndicate profits. • The eroding US Alliance with Batista overshadows all Government actions not just through aid levels but also through the day-to-day ability of troops and police to operate. • Even if Batista flees the struggle may not end—the counterrevolutionary government may even become stronger!Multiplayer 2-Player SolitaireCuba Libre provides up to 4 players with contrasting roles and overlapping victory conditions for rich diplomatic interaction. For 2- or 3-player games players can represent alliances of factions or the game system can control non-player factions . Or a single player as the Cuban Revolutionaries can attempt to topple Batista and seize power for themselves. The non-player sides will fight one another as well as the players but too much power in the hands of any one of them will mean player defeat.More COIN Series Volumes to ComeAndean Abyss and now Cuba Libre present a game system on modern insurgency readily adaptable to other conflicts particularly those featuring the interaction of many sides (thus the name COunterINsurgency Series). A rich and under-represented history of guerrilla warfare beckons as modern insurgency offers virtually unlimited under-gamed topics for the COIN Series. Volume III is A Distant Plain—Insurgency in Afghanistan. Volume IV is Fire in the Lake—Insurgency in Vietnam.

The players in the game take on the roles of Churchill Roosevelt or Stalin as they maneuver against each other over the course of 10 Conferences that determine who will lead the Allied forces where those forces will be deployed and how the Axis will be defeated. The player whose forces collectively have greater control over the surrendered Axis powers will win the peace and the game.Churchill is NOT a wargame but a political conflict of cooperation and competition. While the game focuses on 10 of the historical conferences from 1943 till the end of the war these and much of this design should not be taken literally. Before and after each conference small groups of advisors and senior officials moved between the Allied capitals making the deals that drove the post war peace. Each conference sees one of a group of issues nominated for inclusion in the conference. The issues categories are: Theater leadership changes directed offensives production priorities clandestine operations political activity and strategic warfare (A-bomb). Each of the historical conference cards independently puts some number of issues such as directed offensives or production priorities metaphorically put on the table while the players nominate an additional 7 issues.The game display for this is a circular conference table that the three players sit around behind their 'seat'. Each player has a staff deck of named personages such as Secretary Stimson and Anthony Eden that are randomly drawn to make your conference hand. A pre-conference round of cards gives leverage to the winner who then moves an issue toward their side of the table equal to the value of the card played. Play then proceeds with the conference where each player in turn plays a card on one of the issues in the center of the conference table moving it the value of the card toward his side of the table. Each card is a historical personage and they often have bonuses if played on a particular category of issue. Contesting an issue has you move an issue away from an Ally toward your own. At all times each player has his Head of State card (Roosevelt Churchill or Stalin) that can weigh in on any issue once per conference by discarding another card. Each use of your personage has a bonus and a potential penalty. Each time Roosevelt is used he may die and be replaced by Harry Truman. Churchill can have a heart attack and miss the next conference while Stalin's paranoia may cause a mini-purge and reduce his side's effectiveness for the remainder of the conference. The net result of the conference play is players will 'win' various issues with the player who won the most issues gaining leverage in one of the bilateral global issues (UK versus USSR global issue is Free Europe versus Spheres of Influence).The game then moves into a post-conference phase where players implement the issues that they now control. These actions impact three basic game functions: clandestine operations political activity and military offensives. Clandestine operations has players try to establish political networks in conquered countries and colonies. Using a very simple mechanic of placing a network or removing an opponent's network the historical ferment that occurred in Yugoslavia France and across the world is simply simulated. A country or colony can only have one dominant side's network at any given time and during political activity players can emplace friendly governments in exile that can be subsequently undermined and replaced if the supporting networks are later neutralized by one of your allies.Once this has all been sorted out the military portion of the game keeps the score. There is a separate display that abstractly represents the major theaters of war Western Eastern Mediterranean Arctic (Murmansk convoys and Scandinavia) CBI SW Pacific Central Pacific and Far East. Each of these tracks has a Allied front for which I am looking for some kind of 3D tank piece that advances toward Germany Italy and Japan. Using a very simple combat mechanic each front tries to advance with Axis reserves deploying to oppose the various fronts. A successful offensive advances the front one space although with overwhelming superiority a two-space breakthrough is possible. Naval operations are simply handled by requiring a defined level of support to advance into an amphibious entry space such as France (D-Day). When a front enters Germany Italy or Japan they surrender shutting down military operations although clandestine and political activity continues until the end of the game. In the background is the development of the A-bomb and Soviet efforts to steal its secrets. If the A-bomb is available Japan can be forced to surrender sans a direct invasion.As I stated this is not a wargame but a three-player excursion into power politics. The game takes around 3 hours to finish but I will be including a short and medium scenario. All scenarios end with Potsdam but you will be able to start later in the war if you only have 1 or 2 hours to play. In addition the game can be played with 3 or 2 players plus solitaire. I am very excited about the new Churchill and large scale playtesting will commence by the end of the month. More to follow...

The universe is organized into many federations which trade intrigue develop… One of these federations still not fully developed yet (5 member planets so far) wants a new delegation to join them but you are not the only one having your sights set on the federation. The Federation challenges you to prove your worth for 5 years. During these 5 years you must develop strategies deploy tactics take the best opportunities but also form the right alliances at the right time… In the end only 1 delegation will be chosen: the one with the most prestige!Federation is an interactive Eurogame with innovative double-sided worker placement mechanic..Federation is played over 5 rounds. Each round is divided into 2 main steps. The first step is player turns where each player plays an Ambassador's pawn and send a spaceship on a special mission. Once all players have completed their turn the Executive Phase starts where players receive their income fund Major Projects and pass laws.At the end of the 5th round the game ends. The Player with the most prestige points wins the game and joins the Federation. In case of a tie the victory is shared.Your individual board is composed of the 5 federated actions 1 spy action some senate actions and some special senate actions giving prestige points.—description from the publisher

1949: Germany still in ruins from WWII is split in two as the Iron Curtain of the Cold War descends. East Germany and West Germany become bitter rivals each wanting to show its system is superior. Which will reconstruct quicker? Which will make its people happier? Socialism vs Capitalism; collectivism vs individualism - which will triumph?Wir sind das Volk! (We are the people! — the main slogan of the East German demonstrators in 1989) recreates the history of the divided Germany from the Berlin Airlift to the fall of the Berlin Wall. Flowing from how the 84 individually designed action cards are played each game is different. There are many possible strategies. Will East Germany build the Wall or stem the exodus of its citizens another way?East vs West: as a player you take the role of East or West Germany. Use your action cards wisely. Build up your economy and increase the living standards of your people. Don’t fall behind or you will face widespread unrest. Also win the contest for international prestige. Precise planning is the key to victory. But be careful! Even the best plans may be derailed by events like the 1973 Oil Crisis or the Monday demos. Mass protests that may seal your fate are always on the horizon.

A War of Whispers is a competitive board game for 2 to 4 players. Five mighty empires are at war for the world but you are no mighty ruler. Instead you play a secret society that is betting on the results of this war while pulling strings to rig the results and ensure their bets pay off. A War of Whispers is a game of deep strategy hidden agendas and shifting loyalties.You start the game with five loyalty tokens each corresponding to one of the five different empires bet randomly on a loyalty value. Your primary goal is to ensure that when the game ends the empires you are most loyal to control the most cities across the globe. Gameplay consists of turns broken down into four phases:Gameplay repeats itself in this order four times. When the last space on the turn track is filled the game ends immediately and scoring commences. The player with the most points based off their empire loyalties and the cities they control wins.

Hannibal & Hamilcar: Rome vs Carthage is a 20th anniversary edition of Hannibal: Rome vs. Carthage an asymmetrical card-driven game for 2 players set in the time of the epic struggle between ancient Rome and Carthage. It presents a conflict between two superpowers of Antiquity from the classical Clausewitzian perspective according to which a power only reverts to military operations when there is no other way to achieve political dominance. The 20th Anniversary Edition includes new scenarios and variants. The original rules and components were updated and certain game mechanics have been streamlined while producing exactly the same game results as before. The original game has been further enriched by the addition of two new expansions: Sun of Macedon and Price of Failure.Hamilcar set during the First Punic War is a stand alone companion game sharing components and using similar mechanics but a different map. It introduces a naval system and naval battles. Both players compete for control of the Mediterranean Sea in a conflict that will be described as a war between an elephant and a whale - the struggle of a land-based empire versus the world’s naval power. Rome's goal was to break through the island chain of Sicily Corsica and Sardinia - Carthage's defensive line to contain Rome on the Italian peninsula.In both games players use Strategy Cards for multiple purposes: moving generals levying new troops reinforcing existing armies gaining political control of the provinces involved in the war and introducing historical events. When two armies meet on the battlefield a second set of cards called Battle Cards are used to determine the winner. Ultimately both players seek victory by dominating both fronts: military and political.

History punishes those who come too late. - Mikhail Gorbachev1989: Dawn of Freedom is an exciting fast paced game simulating the end of the Cold War in 1989. During this amazing year a series of democratic revolutions ended the 40 year Soviet empire in Eastern Europe. 1989 simulates the political social and economic aspects of these revolutions using a card-driven system similar to Twilight Struggle.No man is so old he cannot live one more year. - Leszek KolakowskiOne player plays the Communist. At the start of the game he holds unquestioned power across the six nations of the Warsaw Pact. But there are ominous clouds on the horizon. The new leader in Moscow has declared no more will Soviet tanks prop up tottering Communist governments. The economies after decades of central planning and stagnation have reached various stages of crisis. Inside the churches and among the students and their professors there are dissident movements that have been emboldened. From crushing dissent to offering concessions the Communist player will have to use a variety of strategies in a struggle to hold on to his empire.A bad regime is never in so great danger as when it tries to improve. - Alexis de TocquevilleThe other player plays the Democrat. At the dawn of 1989 behind the iron curtain no one considers revolution possible. The goal of dissidents is to create a civil society outside the control of the Communist regimes. On their side are students who are fascinated with the style and pop culture of the west and the Church. Against them is the vast apparatus of the Communist state. Their challenge is to persuade the workers who are the bulk of society to join their cause.Mr. Gorbachev open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev tear down this wall! - Ronald Reagan

What if the animals were the ones who ran the zoo?…Presumably this wild government would be built upon the support of fellow creatures and fueled by the fame attention and prestige of wide-eyed visitors. Naturally the most aspirational beasts would lobby for a position in the star exhibit and the lead star would be elected Zoo Mascot.In order to join the star exhibit each species must campaign its way up the hierarchy of enclosures with the majority support of animal voters. And the lead star will be the species that has earned the most laurels from both raving fans and jealous rivals along the way.How does one gain support and earn laurels? Through crafty politicking clever negotiations and ruthless schemes. There can only be one Zoo Mascot after all.Where are you going? That is the ultimate question of Zoo Vadis.Zoo Vadis is an evolution of Reiner Knizia’s classic negotiation game Quo Vadis? It retains the elegant political gameplay that fans have come to love while introducing many innovations and improvements by:Like the original design the game ends immediately when the Star Exhibit is full. Only the animals who have reached the Star Exhibit qualify for victory and the winner is the player with the most laurels.–description from publisher

Experience the dense Cold War suspense and scratch that Twilight Struggle itch in only 45 minutes.13 Days: The Cuban Missile Crisis is a nail-biting theme saturated two-player strategy game about the Cuban Missile Crisis. Your fate is determined by how well you deal with the inherent dilemmas of the game and the conflict.1) Will you push to gain prestige at the risk of escalating the crisis to global nuclear war? 2) How do you best manage your hand of cards to further your own plans while depriving your opponent of options?Work out these dilemmas in order to emerge as victor of the Cuban Missile Crisis after thirteen suspenseful days.13 Days: The Cuban Missile Crisis is a meaty filler utilizing the card-driven game mechanisms. Rich with history yet accessible to gamers with no prior knowledge of the crisis. It is targeted specifically at catering to two groups of gamers: the enthusiasts that just don't have the time they used to and the curious newcomers that are scared off by the heavy commitment and long play times of the classics in the genre.Official FAQ/ERRATA Designer Diary

from GMT website:Virgin Queen: Wars of Religion 1559-1598 is a game of grand strategy for two to six players based on the military political and religious conflicts within Europe during the reigns of Elizabeth I of England and Philip II of Spain. Each player controls one or more of the major powers that presided over European politics in that day. Spain is the juggernaut able to draw upon the vast riches of their global empire. But such a dominant power is sure to have many enemies. The Ottoman expansion towards Spain's Mediterranean outposts remains unchecked. Elizabeth's English sea dogs are poised to raid Spain's overseas empire. And the forces of Protestant reform will soon drag Spain into eighty years of rebellion in the Netherlands. Will Spain find aid from its Catholic allies? Perhaps not from France where the Catholic Valois dynasty is soon to engage another group of Protestant believers in the bloody French Wars of Religion. And even Philip's relatives in Vienna who rule the Holy Roman Empire may dabble in the Protestant faith instead of remaining loyal to their Catholic heritage and Spanish brethren.Virgin Queen: Wars of Religion 1559-1598 is the sequel to Here I Stand another card-driven game of grand strategy that covered the previous forty years (from Martin Luther's posting of his 95 Theses in 1517 through the abdication of Charles V in 1556). Players familiar with Here I Stand will find much that is familiar in Virgin Queen as over half of the rule book remains unchanged. New game systems have been put in place to emphasize the changing nature of the conflicts here in the late 16th Century:

In Oriflamme the players find themselves in the middle of a medieval feud over the French royal crown. The King is dead! Long live the King! As heads of influential families players strive to come to power with cunning and malice power and strength virtue and infamy. Their goal: the king's throne!In this tactical card game hidden cards are played in turn. By tactically uncovering and activating their effects players can outdo or get them out of the way because all players have the same goal in mind — to collect the most influence points for their family and thus win the game.

Here I Stand: Wars of the Reformation 1517-1555 is the first game in over 25 years to cover the political and religious conflicts of early 16th Century Europe. Few realize that the greatest feats of Martin Luther Jean Calvin Ignatius Loyola Henry VIII Charles V Francis I Suleiman the Magnificent Ferdinand Magellan Hernando Cortes and Nicolaus Copernicus all fall within this narrow 40-year period of history. This game covers all the action of the period using a unique card-driven game system that models both the political and religious conflicts of the period on a single point-to-point map.There are six main powers in the game each with a unique path to victory.Here I Stand was due for a reprint in 2017 but with October 31 2017 being the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther's posting of his 95 Theses Ed Beach and his team of Here I Stand enthusiasts have put together a series of enhancements to the original game that transform this reprint into a deluxe 500th anniversary treatment.DESIGNER: Ed Beach MAP & CARD ART: Mark Simonitch COUNTER ART: Mark Simonitch and Rodger B. MacGowan—description from the publisher

Game description from the publisher:Rex: Final Days of an Empire a reimagined version of Dune set in Fantasy Flight's Twilight Imperium universe is a board game of negotiation betrayal and warfare in which 3-6 players take control of great interstellar civilizations competing for dominance of the galaxy's crumbling imperial city. Set 3,000 years before the events of Twilight Imperium Rex tells the story of the last days of the Lazax empire while presenting players with compelling asymmetrical racial abilities and exciting opportunities for diplomacy deception and tactical mastery.In Rex: Final Days of an Empire players vie for control of vital locations across a sprawling map of the continent-sized Mecatol City. Only by securing three key locations (or more when allied with other factions) can a player assert dominance over the heart of a dying empire.Unfortunately mustering troops in the face of an ongoing Sol blockade is difficult at best (unless of course you are the Federation of Sol or its faithless ally the Hacan who supply the blockading fleet). Savvy leaders must gather support from the local populace uncover hidden weapon caches and acquire control over key institutions. Mechanically this means players must lay claim to areas that provide influence which is then spent to (among other things) smuggle military forces through the orbiting Sol blockade. Those forces will be needed to seize the key areas of the city required to win the game. From the moment the first shot is fired players must aggressively seek the means by which to turn the conflict to their own advantage.While the great races struggle for supremacy in the power vacuum of a dead emperor massive Sol warships execute their devastating bombardments of the city below. Moving systematically the Federation of Sol's fleet of warships wreaks havoc on the planet's surface targeting great swaths of the game board with their destructive capabilities. Only the Sol's own ground forces have forewarning of the fleet's wrath; all others must seek shelter in the few locations with working defensive shields...or be obliterated in the resulting firestorm.Although open diplomacy and back-door dealmaking can often mitigate the need for bloodshed direct combat may prove inevitable. When two or more opposing forces occupy the same area a battle results. Each player's military strength is based on the sum total of troops he is willing to expend along with the strength rating of his chosen leader. A faction's leaders can therefore be vitally important in combat...but beware! One or more of your Leaders may secretly be in the employ of an enemy and if your forces in combat are commanded by such a traitor defeat is all but assured. So whether on the field of battle or the floor of the Galactic Council be careful in whom you place your trust.All this along with a host of optional rules and additional variants means that no two games of Rex: Final Days of an Empire will play exactly alike. Contributing further to replayability is the game's asymmetrical faction abilities each of which offer a unique play experience.

(from GMT website:)Colombia: Nation at the Edge of AbyssColombia in the 1990s hosted one of the world’s last Marxist guerrilla armies brutal drug lords and right-wing death squads and appeared close to failing as a state. A decade later its Marxists had lost their top leaders and rural sanctuary its big drug bosses were dead or in prison and its paramilitaries were negotiating demobilization. The Government had extended its writ to most of the countryside restored its popularity and improved the economy and respect for human rights.Andean Abyss takes 1 to 4 players into this multifaceted campaign for control of Colombia: guerrillas and police kidnapping and drug war military sweeps and terror. Each of four factions deploys distinct capabilities and tactics to influence Colombian affairs and achieve differing goals. Players place and maneuver 160 wooden pieces across a colorful map and exploit event cards that cannot be fully predicted. Accessible mechanics and components put the emphasis on game play but Andean Abyss also provides an engrossing model of insurgency and counterinsurgency in Colombia—smoothly accounting for population control lines of communication terrain intelligence foreign aid sanctuaries and a host of other political military and economic factors.From the award-winning designer of Wilderness War and Labyrinth Andean Abyss features unique mechanics relating events and operations that guarantee difficult player decisions with each card flip. Most of the game’s 72 events are dual-use representing alternative historical paths: players can choose either version of the event or from an array of operations and special faction activities. Every choice has implications for how the next card will be played. There is no hand management: the focus is on the map and on planning for the foreseeable—and the unforeseeable. Die rolls are only a small part of game: the key to victory is not luck but the ability to organize the most effective campaign.Multiplayer 2-Player SolitaireAndean Abyss provides up to 4 players with contrasting roles and overlapping victory conditions for rich diplomatic interaction. For 2- or 3-player games players can represent alliances of factions or the game system can control non-player factions . Or a single player as the Colombian Government can take on the leftist FARC the right-wing AUC and the narco-trafficking cartels. The non-player insurgents will fight one another as well as the players but too much power in the hands of any one of them will mean player defeat.Series: COIN (GMT) Volume IAndean Abyss presents a game system on modern insurgency readily adaptable to other conflicts particularly those featuring the interaction of many sides (thus our new COunterINsurgency series). A rich and under-represented history of guerrilla warfare beckons. Series: COIN (GMT) Volume II is Cuba Libre—Castro's Insurgency 1957-1958 Volume III is A Distant Plain—Insurgency in Afghanistan and Volume IV is Fire in the Lake—Insurgency in Vietnam.TIME SCALE: multiple years per Propaganda round MAP SCALE: Area Movement UNIT SCALE: Varies NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 1-4 (full solitaire system)DESIGNER: Volko Ruhnke DEVELOPER: Joel Toppen MAP and CARD ART: Chechu Nieto COUNTER ART: Chechu Nieto & Xavier CarrascosaThe first edition does not include a bot to play the Government faction. The second edition added a government bot. See the Versions tab for more details.Volume I of the COIN Series.

Axia — a land with a glorious past a most uncertain present and an even more unpredictable future. Populated by what has been described as a fervent and warm-blooded people Axia is in crisis – economic social and political: the longest-running recession in its modern history the highest inequality in years and a political system teetering on the brink of collapse.In more ways than one Axia is fighting against itself. Old divisions of the past have given way to new ones and this generation – along with the next ones – has the most to lose.Will you along with your fellow industrialists do your part to help Axia? Will you sacrifice short-term gain in the present for a brighter future? Can you do that and survive? Perhaps you can and perhaps you can even thrive – and you will if you see opportunity where others only see crisis!CRISIS is a turn-based game for 1-5 players who assume the role of business leaders trying to rebuild their businesses and create value at a particularly challenging time. By skillfully placing their managers in a position to invest in companies trade resources and navigate the local bureaucracy and regulations they can thrive and prosper in a time when others might struggle and decline.

Fief: France 1429 is a game of dynastic ambition in which players assume the roles of nobles in the 15th century kingdom of France. Each player strives to become the most powerful ruling force in the kingdom by gaining control of Fief and Bishopric territories. In turn they acquire Royal and Ecclesiastical (church) titles which give their families influence to elect the next Pope and King. Players strengthen their positions by negotiating marriage alliances between their families setting the stage for love treachery and deception!The game board represents a portion of the Kingdom of France in the Middle Ages. Villages have square outlines that are connected by roads that allow Lord and Troop movement. The villages are grouped into eight colored background areas that represent individual Fiefs which are domains given to Lords to preside over. Fiefs have different colored backgrounds and Bishoprics have heavy bordered outlines that include several different Fiefs. Each village also belongs to one of five church Bishoprics; each Bishopric is outlined with a heavy border line and is numbered between 1-5 along the edge of the board inside a Bishop's Mitre.Each player controls up to four family members comprised of male and female nobles. These family members will rise in power by gaining Royal and Ecclesiastic Titles.You win the game as soon as you have 3 VPs. This is easier said than done and you may need to form alliances with other players through diplomacy and marriage to obtain your goal. When one of your family members marries a noble of another family the two of you become allied. You now win the game together with 4 VPs and cannot win alone unless your marriage is annulled by the Pope or your spouse is mysteriously murdered or dies of some other foul means!In addition to being wary of your fellow players you may draw event cards that can quickly change your destiny. Bounty Event cards are beneficial to the Player and include Good Harvest Good Weather and Added Taxes cards. But some cards are Disaster Cards that can randomly effect all players in specific Bishoprics. These include The Plague Heavy Rain Famine and Peasant Uprisings!Income can be increased by players imposing church tithes on their opponent's villages or taxing their own Fiefs. Players may purchase new Fief titles improve their village incomes with mills and fortify their cities.Players will also need to protect their land and castles. Men at Arms and Knights can be purchased as well as Siege Engines. If you feel that other players are not running their Fiefs as well as you can you may try to invade their territories! But you must risk one of your family members to lead the troops into possible battle where they might be killed or taken prisoner. If two opposing armies are in the same village square a Battle may be initiated. The players assess the size and strength of their armies which determine the number of Battle Dice each may roll. Each f rolled is a hit. Men at Arms are defeated with one hit while Knights require three hits to be removed from the battle.The Kickstarter Edition of Fief: France 1429 included the Fief: France 1429 Expansions Pack and offered 3-D buildings and metal coins as 'add ons.' These items are all still available directly from Academy Games.

Volume V in GMT’s COIN Series takes us back to the struggle of the American Patriots against their parent British government. A unique multi-faction treatment of the American Revolution Liberty or Death: The American Insurrection will take 1 to 4 players between lines of clashing red and blue infantry Indian raids European politics British control of the seas French intervention and the propaganda war.Building off the good works of COIN Series Creator Volko Ruhnke and Series Designers Jeff Grossman Brian Train Mark Herman and Andrew Ruhnke Designer Harold Buchanan applies his knowledge of the American Revolutionary period to take a new look at the struggle that built a nation. COIN Series Developer Mike Bertucelli continues his work on this project and Volko Ruhnke is an active advisor.Liberty or Death: The American Insurrection features the same card-assisted counterinsurgency game system as GMT's Andean Abyss Cuba Libre A Distant Plain Fire in the Lake and Gallic War with a set of twists that take the COIN Series to the 18th Century including:Each faction in Liberty or Death brings new capabilities and challenges:As the British you have to deal with an Insurrection across a massive region. With control of the seas (at least until the French arrive) you have extreme flexibility and can move across the coast and cities at will. You will muster Tories to support your efforts. They will march with you to battle but they need your cover. You can control any space you choose but you cannot answer every threat on the map. The Indians will work with you but like the Tories will need you to coordinate and protect them when the Patriots become aggressive. With the leadership of Gage Howe and then Clinton you will be able to strike a potentially decisive Brilliant Stroke if the stars align. Each leader brings something new to the war effort. If you can strike the decisive blow and Win the Day you will be able to build Support and reduce Opposition in short order. If the option to Battle the French in the Colonies presents itself it will be hard to pass up!As the Patriots you initially aren’t powerful enough to counteract the British Army. You will need to pick your battles and initially spread the Militia to key areas. Over time you can train a force of Continentals to take on the British Regulars. Until then Rabble-rouse and work with the French to challenge British dominance. Skirmish with the British in small numbers to make their stay expensive. Will the French be there when you need them? Persuade the local population to give you resources to keep the heat up. Watch the Indians on the Frontier because if they develop their forces unanswered you won’t be able to win the game regardless of what happens with the British.As the Indian player you have selected the lesser of two evils in aligning with the British. You will work with them to lower Opposition using Raids but you will be developing your footprint by Gathering forces and building villages. The British can help you to protect them from the Patriots and in return you can assist the British in controlling the region. War Chief Joseph Brant and later War Chief Cornplanter give you the ability to mount a decisive attack with your War Parties but will it be worth exposing your villages to Patriot attack?As the French you have the ability to be the thorn in the side of the British in North America. With the Hortalez Rodrigue et Cie Company formed to feed the Patriots resources you can fund the Insurrection. Your agents can rally assistance in and around Quebec and you can facilitate privateers to steal resources from the British. When you sign the Treaty of Alliance with the Patriots you can bring French Regulars to America to March and Battle. You can also increase French Naval Intervention Blockade Cities move Regulars by sea and Skirmish with the British.As with earlier COIN Series volumes players of Liberty or Death: The American Insurrection will face difficult strategic decisions with each card. The innovative game system smoothly integrates political cultural and economic affairs with military and other violent and non-violent Commands and capabilities. Rabble-rousing Indian Raids Persuasion Naval Pressure Letter of Marque Looting Trading Skirmishing and Foraging and more options are available. Flow charts are at hand to run any faction short a player—solitaire 2-player 3-player or 4-player experiences are equally supported.COMPONENTS A 22” x 34” mounted game board. A deck of 110+ playing cards. 166 red green tan blue and white wooden playing pieces some embossed. 6 black and 6 gray wooden pawns. 4 foldout Faction player aid sheets. 2 foldout Non-player Faction aid sheets. 2 Sequence sheets. A Random Spaces sheet. 2 sheets of markers. Rulebook. Playbook. 1 black six-sided die 3 blue six-sided dice marked 1-3 twice. 3 red six-sided dice marked 1-3 twice. 9 plastic leader stands.DESIGNER: Harold Buchanan SERIES DEVELOPER: Mike Bertucelli SOLITAIRE SYSTEM DEVELOPER: Orjan Ariander MAP ART: Terry Leeds COUNTER ART: Charles Kibler Terry Leeds and Mark SimonitchTIME SCALE: One year per Campaign between Winter Quarters MAP SCALE: Area movement NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 1 to 4(source: GMT website)

In 12th century Japan the Minamoto and Taira clans vie for power while retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa plays his rivals against one another. One of the three factions will triumph to impose the coming social order. In the shadow of these elite powers a few ninja scheme to exploit the chaos. Daring raids skill mastery and subtle intrigue are essential to establishing one’s honor. When the new era dawns one ninja will flourish as the Ninjato the Invisible Sword of the ruling family.

In the card-driven board game Rialto the goal is to earn the most victory points (VPs) which are awarded for a variety of things. The game board displays the six districts of Venice and players earn VPs for placing council members into these for building bridges and placing gondolas to connect the districts with one another and for building advantageous buildings.The game is played over six rounds with each round consisting of three phases:1. Acquire cards: Each player takes a set of cards. 2. Play cards: Players use cards to perform certain actions. 3. Activate buildings: Players may take advantage of their buildings and use their powers.In phase 1 sets of eight cards are displayed (with six cards face-up and two face-down). Each player takes one set then reduces his hand to seven cards. A card shows one of six specific characters (Architect Merchant etc.) or is a wild card.Phase 2 consists of six sub-phases in a fixed order one for each character. In each sub-phase players choose whether or not to play one or more cards of that specific character. Each card allows them to perfom that character's action for example:Whoever plays the most cards in each such sub-phase receives a bonus of one free action of that type. In case of a tie whoever is farthest along the Doge bar gets the bonus – and of course to advance on the Doge bar players need to play Doge cards.Finally in phase 3 players may take advantage of their buildings. For each piece of gold paid a player may use one of his building's ability.Players collect VPs both during the game – from special buildings and by building bridges between districts – and at the end of it – for majorities of council members in each district. The value of each district evolves during the game: Each district is adjacent to four other ones and at the end of the game they will be connected either via bridges or gondolas. A bridge increases the value of the adjacent districts by 3-6 victory points whereas a gondola increases this value by 1 point. The player with the most council members in a district earns VPs equal to the district's total value the player with the secondmost council members earns half this value and so on. While it's important to establish majorities in the districts it's also crucial to control their values by cleverly placing those bridges and gondolas.

Description from the publisher:The largest richest and most diverse city on Earth New Angeles is home to the Space Elevator that rises along its buckyweave tether and connects us to Luna and its invaluable Helium-3 deposits. It is here in New Angeles that you'll find the global headquarters for the worlds' most powerful megacorps: Haas-Bioroid Globalsec Jinteki Melange Mining NBN and the Weyland Consortium. And it is here in this shining beacon of human achievement and advancement that these powerful megacorps enjoy a uniquely fertile breeding ground for their projects and their rivalries.In New Angeles you gain control of one of these megacorporations then you use your wealth and influence to create more wealth and more influence. To do this you cut deals and forge temporary alliances. You leverage your credits and assets to gain financial superiority over your corporate rivals. All the while you also need to keep an eye toward the masses striking deals with the other corps as necessary in order to keep a lid on crime disease and unrest. If you want to maximize your profit you need to keep New Angeles open for business!

Each player plays as a clan leader and has to secretly and wisely play a card from their hand representing a member of their tribe to try to take over some territories. Strategy and timing will be crucial for scoring! The player that scores the most points after 9 rounds wins the game.Subcontinent of Vaalbara Neolithic era. Your tribe sets out to explore uncharted lands in order to establish sedentary villages. Use the various talents of your tribe to optimize your development expand your territory and enforce your hegemony!All players have the same deck of 12 cards representing the members of their tribe. Each turn players choose secretly one card. In the order of initiative of the revealed Characters players will be able to activate their powers and take over one of the available Territories. Each type of Territory has its own way of scoring points (collection pair diversity risk…). Deciding between playing the best powers and high initiatives at the most opportune moment will be difficult. After 9 rounds the player with the most points wins the game and unites the tribes of the continent under their banner!—description from the publisher

Mega Civilization is a strategy board game for 5-18 players that covers the development of civilizations through history from the Stone Age to the Late Iron Age. In this colossal game players lead their historic civilization as they gain victory points by expanding their population building cities trading and developing their knowledge and culture.Notwithstanding its large scope the game's core mechanics are straightforward and easy to learn. A key element in the game is player interaction as they position themselves on the map board and search for valuable commodities during interactive trading sessions.Scope The game was designed to be the biggest board game in the world that can be played in a single day in one room. In its full scope the map board measures over 2 meters (80 inch) in width. Despite its ambitions about size and duration Mega Civilization can be scaled down to as few as 5 players. The game includes a Short Game scenario which reduces playing time through an accelerated start position.Gameplay Each player starts their civilization in the Stone Age with a single population token on the board. As the game progresses the population will expand spread over the board fight some border conflicts and build cities. Cities bring resources and wealth expressed in trade cards. The more cities players manage to build on the board the more trade cards they receive. Trade cards are mainly valuable commodities but sometimes turn out to be disastrous calamities.Trade Trading is the heart of the game a social experience where all players interact with each other to optimize the value of their sets of commodities. In addition to the desired commodities calamities are secretly traded as well adding an additional layer to the trading dynamics. Once the trading phase has ended players that end up with a calamity in their hand will suffer its effects.Develop Civilization Advances When the smoke of trading and resolving calamities has settled players can decide how to spend the wealth gathered through trading. The game includes 51 different advances that can be developed each of which provides benefits in the game to its holder. For example Metal Working provides an advantage when fighting conflicts Architecture facilitates city construction and Enlightenment reduces the impact of (civil) calamities.The 51 Civilization advances are divided into the categories Arts Crafts Science Civics and Religion each of which has specific powers. Each advance acquired by a player provides discounts to other advances that can be purchased later in the game thereby creating a path of strategic decisions. The ultimate advance in the game Wonder of the World is only in reach for players who manage both their trading and purchasing strategy very well.Winning the Game The players who have best developed their position on the board whilst avoiding making enemies and defended their civilization against natural or civic calamities and stand the test of time will eventually gather the most victory points and compete for winning the game. After up to 12 hours of playing that is.Expansions Mega Empires: The Special Buildings (2024) is an expansion set that provides additional flavor to the game through 18 miniatures of ancient buildings historically associated with each of the civilizations in the game. These buildings can be built on the map board and provide additional benefits in play and victory points to their controller.The Mega Empires: Upgrade & 3-4 Players Pack (2024) contains additional and upgraded components that were developed after the release of Mega Civilization. This expansion also contains rules and components for playing Mega Civilization with as few as 3 or 4 players.Accessories The Mega Empires: The West – Deluxe Game Mat (2024) and Mega Empires: The East – Deluxe Game Mat (2024) are neoprene game mats at 125% scale of the original cardboard maps that offer an enlarged playing area and high-quality design for easier and more immersive gameplay.The Mega Empires: Identifier Cards Bonus Pack (2024) is a set with 18 large player identifier cards one for each of the Civilizations included in Mega Empires. These can be used for distributing the civilizations among the players during setup to identify which stack of Civilization Advances belongs to which player or to divide acquired cards from not yet acquired ones during the game.Wrap-up Mega Civilization is a long strategic board game about development trade culture politics and showing resilience when dealing with calamities. The game is a perfect fit for larger groups of strategic board game enthusiasts which due to its scalability can also be played in smaller groups. It is not just a game it is an experience!—description from the designers

In Coup: Rebellion G54 (G54) the last player with influence in the game wins with influence being represented by face-down character cards in your playing area. Before each game players choose five character roles from a randomized deck. Characters have a unique variable power and the deck is formed by three iterations of each role for fifteen cards total.A player starts the game with two coins and two influence cards – i.e. two face-down character cards. On your turn you can take any of the actions of the five characters in play regardless of which characters you actually have in front of you or you can take one of two general actions:When you take one of the character actions – whether actively on your turn or defensively in response to someone else's action – that character's action automatically succeeds unless an opponent challenges you. In this case if you can't (or don't) reveal the appropriate character you lose an influence turning one of your characters face-up. Face-up characters cannot be used and if both of your characters are face-up you're out of the game.If you do have the character in question and choose to reveal it the opponent loses an influence then you shuffle that character into the deck and draw a new one perhaps getting the same character again and perhaps not.The last player to still have influence – that is a face-down character – wins the game!Coup: Rebellion G54 is a new standalone game that takes the same simple Coup mechanisms and rules but with a variable deck of 25 characters and in each game you choose to play with five out of the 25 so the relative power and advantage of each character changes from game to game. This is more of a gamer's game than the original Coup as you can create a deck to increase bluffing deduction negotiation or luck.

From GMT's website:Volume VIII in GMT’s COIN Series transports us into the 4th and 5th Centuries A.D. and to the embattled Isle of Britannia. Pendragon – The Fall of Roman Britain covers a century of history from the first large-scale raids of Irish Pict and Saxon raiders to the establishment of successor kingdoms both Celtic and Germanic. This sumptuous volume adapts the celebrated asymmetrical COIN engine to depict the political military religious and economic struggles of Dark Ages Britain.Pendragon leverages the tremendous flexibility of the COIN system from dual events to dissimilar approaches and victory conditions to capture the complexity of the period and let the players explore alternative narratives. Unlike earlier volumes Pendragon is not about counterinsurgency per se but focuses on the asymmetrical clashes between and among Romano-British authorities and Barbarian powers gnashing over the carcass of the Roman Empire including:Barbarian Raiders plundering the land and trying to surprise unwary towns and hillforts then melting into hills or fens. Expansion or decline of the Saxon Shore naval defense system to counter sea-borne raiders. Authentic Late-Roman military doctrine—mighty but hard-to-replace cavalry tracking down raiding parties before they can return their booty home. Accessible powerful but fickle Foederati: barbarian warbands in Briton employ. Nuanced battle system representing troop qualities and tactics. Fortified strongholds that must be assaulted besieged or rebuilt to gain regional political control. Civil wars coups religious shifts and cultural assimilation. Population movements over the generations due to good administration barbarian ravages or climatic changes. Epochal Events ranging from Roman usurpations on the continent to massive reprisals against barbarian homelands. Evolution of rules and victory conditions throughout the game as the still vivacious Roman Empire may or may not end with Britain fragmented among competing semi-barbarian proto-kingdoms. A deck of 83 cards with gorgeous commissioned original art. Short medium and full-length scenarios Support for solitaire 2-player 3-player and 4-player experiences.Each faction in Pendragon brings specific capabilities and challenges:The Dux represent the original Roman Army in Britannia: with the most powerful units in the game and a network of strong fortresses ringing the island and tied by efficient roads you must strive to preserve the stability and prosperity of the provinces and punish any interloper daring to challenge the peace. If you can build up your prestige and maintain order you may be able to keep the island in the Empire or at least united in a new post-Roman power. You can rely on the civilian militia to assist you but—as your peerless cavalry dwindles—you must resort to the traditional Roman offer to barbarians of land for service in your forces as Foederati. As the decay of institutions conspires with the scheming of feckless civilians and the marauding of restless barbarians you may find that the dream of Empire is dead. If so with your once proud Army little more than another group of warlords you still can strive to carve for yourself the most powerful kingdom alongside your new rivals.The Civitates represent the Romanized aristocracy ruling the ancient Celtic tribes from lavish villas and prosperous Roman towns chafing under the distant authority (and taxes) of Rome mistrusting the uncultured and semi-Barbarian army and yearning to settle century-old accounts with their neighbors. When the Barbarian storm comes down upon your island you may find yourself woefully unprepared to cope—materially or culturally—and presented with a fundamental choice: strive to protect your lands wealth and way of life via the despised Army and untrustworthy Foederati or sacrifice Roman comforts to face down the Barbarian challenge militarily and culturally through a return to Celtic traditions.The Saxons represent various Germanic groups including Angles Jutes Frisians and Franks who harried settled and eventually took over swaths of Britain. As outsiders you face a steep challenge just to come ashore against the might of the Roman army and navy. You will chip away at the Saxon Shore system ravage the provincial economy to weaken the Britons’ capability to wage war and see some of your best warriors serve as Foederati (often against yourself) but recognize that the more Saxons living on the island—whoever their paymaster—the more opportunities for advancing your nation. Eventually you must secure footholds perhaps in the marshy fens of the eastern seaboard that so resemble your homelands in order to wield your considerable military potential and challenge the old masters of these rich lands to create England.The Scotti named for the marauding groups of Irish raiders also represent those Celts native to the island of Britain who differed from the romanized Civitates by remaining true (or reverting back) to the old ways. Often the boundary between the two groups was porous... The biggest such group eventually formed the northern nation of the Picts forebears of modern Scotland. As the Scotti you see the disintegration of Roman Britain as an opportunity not so much to expand as to seize riches and renown to assert yourself at home. Raid ceaselessly surprise and plunder poorly protected communities kidnap for ransom and show your military prowess against your unfortunate neighbors across the Irish Sea and Forth-Clyde isthmus… Then establish bases strategically along the enemy shores and entreat local hill tribes to reject post-Roman authority. But beware that your very advances will help give rise and limit your ability to grapple new powerhouses on the island!Components: See Wiki below. Players: 1-4 (includes full solitaire system) Map: Area Movement Timescale: about 15 years per campaign between Epoch cards Designer: Marc Gouyon-Rety Developer and Series Creator: Volko Ruhnke

It is 1882 and the Old Ones are already here.They arrived seven hundred years ago and have been ruling the planet ever since. The majority of people just get on with their lives accepting their monstrous rulers. However a growing band of revolutionaries wish to free mankind from their slavery. These freedom fighters call themselves the Restorationists. A secret war has already broken out between the Restorationists and the forces loyal to the Old Ones. The invention of dynamite has changed the balance of power and a lone assassin now has the capacity to destroy an Old One. In this shadow world of assassins informers police agents and anarchists nobody is quite sure who is who and which side they fight for.The game A Study in Emerald draws its central plot from the award-winning short story penned by Neil Gaiman in which the worlds of Sherlock Holmes and H.P. Lovecraft are combined to telling effect. However to create a world detailed enough for players much has been added from real history. The nineteenth century was a time of unrest with many colorful characters fighting both for and against the authorities. A Study in Emerald is the outcome of the merging of these three worlds.This second edition of A Study in Emerald sports new artwork by Ian O'Toole and Tatiana Kuzilova along with a streamlined set of rules that will hopefully help those folks who found the first version a tad complicated. Inconsistencies have been removed and the number of available actions has been reduced to the minimum whilst still retaining the mood of paranoia from the first edition.

The King Is Dead is a board game of politics and power struggles set in Britain in the chaotic period following the death of King Arthur. For the good of the country a leader must unite the Scots Welsh and Romano-British — not by conquest but by diplomacy.Players are members of King Arthur's court. Whether a loyal knight a scheming lord or an ambitious noblewoman you all have one thing in common: power. As prospective leaders each player uses their power to benefit the factions gaining influence among their ranks. The player with the greatest influence over the most powerful faction is crowned the new ruler of Britain.

Mr. President is a solitaire game about governing as the President of the United States. It's not an election game. It begins after you've been elected. It's about sitting in The Chair and trying to advance your agenda while navigating ongoing crises political enemies public opinion your relations with Congress and the press and keeping your country secure in a world of rival nations and agendas that just seems to keep blowing up around you. Mr. President is a resource management game where you never have enough resources to achieve your entire agenda and the path you take through an always unpredictable storyline rests on the choices you make. Depending on the results of those choices and on the unfolding of a different every game story you'll either be thinking POTUS? Piece of Cake! or Why was it that I WANTED this job? many times in each game.Like the actual President you'll have an array of allies and resources to help you as you navigate both the corridors of power in the nation's capital and the uncertainties of international relations. These allies and resources will vary from game to game but you'll always be able to rely on your Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense to help you with foreign policy and with the use where you deem necessary of the combat power of the U.S. military. You'll also have a bevy of domestic advisors and friends in Congress to help you navigate the many challenges in Congress and domestic life and politics. And you'll always have access to at least one truly exceptional talent (this too will vary from game to game) someone who excels in their particular job and is a force multiplier for you in their own unique way. How you lead and utilize this mix of talents and experience at your disposal will go a long way toward determining your success or failure during your shot at being Mr. President.Game PlayThe Map. The game map allows you to see and track the domestic and world situation that the game creates. It is divided into sections:1. Congress. This is where you track progress of legislation as well as keep track of your friends and opponents in Congress.2. Advisors and Assets. This section of the map is a holding area for all of your advisors available action points and military assets.3. Crisis Management. This is where you manage the Crisis Cards and keep track of crisis status and how well you've dealt with each crisis.4. The World portion of the map (about half of the map) is divided into eight world regions with additional sections for Russia and China (your key potential antagonists in the game). Here's a look at the South America Region as an example of the regional displays:Crisis Cards. At the heart of Mr. President are the 150+ Crisis Cards that help create the storyline for each game. These cards - see the 12 sample cards on this page - are a mix of cards representing Domestic or World Crises Terrorism Events Unexpected Benefits and Opportunities. The Crisis Cards help drive but do not completely control the storyline in each game. Here's how it works:Each game of Mr. President is divided into eight turns each representing six months in office. These turns are further divided into six Rounds each representing one month.At the start of each turn you get to perform assessment and planning actions where you get to lay out your rough plan re-examine strategy re-evaluate the threats and opportunities that were presenting as the previous turn ended (or at game start). So there is definitely a proactive strategy piece to the game. Unfortunately though your plans are not often going to survive intact once the turn gets going. The world stage is a dynamic platform.Once you have your plans made (and the Mr. President gods laugh at you!) you perform the six monthly rounds in order. During each round you draw three Crisis Cards that represent that main world or domestic events that happen (these are usually bad from your point of view but occasionally they are events or resources that help you) during that month. Most of the events on the Crisis Cards present you with both an urgent problem that may immediately alter the board state and a longer term issue that may linger and cause you pain down the road if you don't address it well.After you flip and resolve the three Crisis Cards for the round you get to take actions using any of your available personnel and resources. These actions allow you to make progress on your legislative agenda attempt to address any new crises presented by the round's three actions cards deal with any lingering world or domestic issues fight terrorism perform diplomacy and attempt to better your situation in the world or in the eyes of the American people.Once you finish your action portion of the round that round (month) is finished and you move on to the next round drawing three new Crisis Cards and repeating the round process until the 6-month turn is complete.Seeded within the 18-card mix that makes up a turn you have six cards for Russian and Chinese Actions Terror Actions War Progress Crisis Checks and White House Life. You know that each of these six cards will show up sometime during each turn but you don't know when. The variable timing of these cards' appearance each turn adds uncertainty and spice to the game while ensuring that major players in the game present challenges for you every single turn. Russia and China offer deeper challenges with four possible postures (aggression levels) for each country and a country-specific AI for each. Postures may shift in-game in response to your actions or to storyline events making dealing positively with each nation an evolving challenge all game.Please note that Mr. President is NOT a beer and pretzels surface-level game. This game is intended to be deep and immersive one that will both frustrate and delight the solitaire player. Playing time is four to eight hours (depending on your experience level) to play an entire 4-year term. I've tried to pack as much fun as possible into each 6-month turn so that even if you only have time to play one turn on a weeknight you'll be engaged frustrated challenged and immersed throughout. That said I hope you're going to find it difficult to stop playing after each turn. I've designed Mr. President to be an experience that will wrap you up in each new game's story and beckon you back to the game table after each round turn or completed game.I designed this game to provide massive replayability. With over 150 Crisis cards in the mix and multiple subsystems representing the US Economy Congress Homeland Security the Press Presidential Prestige Russia China Hostile Rogue States and staunch Allies no two games of Mr. President will ever play remotely alike. If you think you're ready for that challenge go ahead. Raise your right hand and swear the oath. Then settle in behind the desk in the Oval Office and let your imagination run wild!I hope playing Mr. President brings you as much enjoyment as designing it has brought me!- GeneComponentsOne 5 deep Game Box One 22 x 34 mounted game board One 22 x 17 mounted game board 180 Cards 500+ counters and markers One How to Play rulebook One How to Play a Turn FlipBook One Scenario Book One World Chart Book One Domestic Chart Book Two Peer Competitor Action Books for Russia and China Six Player Aid cards One 10-sided die One 6-sided die

A Song of Ice & Fire: Tabletop Miniatures Game lets players take control of their favorite Houses from the novels — represented by trays of high-quality pre-assembled miniatures — and lead them into battle against their opponents. Players can recreate their favorite moments from the series or create their own stories. What if the Red Wedding never happened and Robb Stark assaulted King's Landing? Now fans can find out!Battles can range from large-scale wars with hundreds of miniatures to simple skirmishes between a few units without complicating the elegantly designed rules. The game features several unique systems including alternating activations that keep the players engaged; a Rank System that changes a unit's capabilities as the battle rages on; a Tactics System that provides strategic powers fueled by a finite resource each round; and most importantly the iconic Heroes such as Robb Stark and Jaime Lannister that can change the course of war both on and off the battlefield.The Stark vs Lannister Starter Set has everything needed for two players to fight epic battles. Containing forces for both House Stark and House Lannister players build their armies select leaders construct their tactics deck and engage in one of five different game modes.—description from the publisher

Over its 250-year history the British East India Company grew to become one of the most influential commercial and political organizations in the world. Its profits catapulted the British Empire to global dominance and shaped the fate of some of the world's great nations but its ascent was anything but easy. The Company was filled with diverging interests and struggled constantly at home and abroad.John Company attempts to tell the story of the British East India Company from the inside out. Players will steer their dynasties through the company's history vying for position power and prestige. The goal of the game is simple: Use the Company and the Company's trade to secure your place in society back home. To this end you guide your scions through their careers exchanging favors for positions in London or plush colonial posts. Players collectively control the Company facing tough budgetary decisions and conflicting interests. Should a Governor conduct a campaign to expand company holdings or invest in his region's infrastructure? Perhaps the honest tax revenues would be better diverted to expand his summer estate back home...As the game continues the Company may face open rebellion in India or outright failure as it grapples with increasingly bold attempts at regulation from the British government. It's even possible that the Company's trade monopoly will be revoked leaving the players to form and operate their own trading firms. Each game offers a huge range of possibilities informed chiefly by the decisions the players make. In addition players can tailor their experience by using one of the three tournament scenarios that cover the Early Mid and Late Company that can be played in about 90 minutes. The game also offers a full campaign game that will take players from 1720 to 1857 in an evening.Taking its inspiration from Phil Eklund's seminal Lords games John Company offers Greed Incorporated by way of Republic of Rome — and with only sixty cards and multiple scenarios John Company is one of the most accessible SMG offerings to date.—description from the publisher

Get in a queue with your family in front of a store and experience a rush of genuine emotions!The board game Kolejka (a.k.a. Queue) tells a story of everyday life in Poland at the tail-end of the Communist era. The players' task appears to be simple: They have to send their family members out to various stores on the game board to buy all the items on their shopping list. The problem is however that the shelves in the five neighborhood stores are empty.The players line up their pawns in front of the shops without knowing which shop will have a delivery. Tension mounts as the product delivery cards are uncovered and it turns out that there will be enough product cards only for the lucky few standing closest to the door of a store. Since everyone wants to be first the queue starts to push up against the door. To get ahead the people in the queue use a range of queuing cards such as Mother carrying small child This is not your place sir or Under-the-counter goods. But they have to watch out for Closed for stocktaking Delivery error and for the black pawns – the speculators – standing in the queue. Only those players who make the best use of the queuing cards in their hand will come home with full shopping bags.On the product cards are photos of sixty original objects from the Communist era. The merchandise includes Relaks shoes Przemysławka eau de cologne and Popularna tea as well as other commodities that were once in scarce supply. The neighborhood also has an outdoor market but the prices there are steep – unless of course you manage to strike a deal with the market trader. In this realistic game you really have to be savvy to get the goods.Are you brave enough to confront the everyday life of the 1980s?

With the fall of Napoleon the British East India Company plied its trade unchecked from the Cape of Good Hope to the markets of Hong Kong. India stood at the center of this sprawling imperial network and the currents of empire ran through its ports tying the Far East with European markets and awarding the British virtual control of the vast wealth of the subcontinent. However the crown jewel of the empire was far from secure.Across the forests of Siberia and the steppes of Asia the Russian Empire advanced at a rate exceeding even the pace of America's western pioneers. This expansionism by the world’s largest nation loomed over British holdings in India casting a longer shadow each year. In the buffer region of central Asia surveyors adventurers industrialists and government agents crossed paths all seeking to manipulate the byzantine local politics. There in the shadow of the Pamir Mountains the stage was set for a game that would define the limits of global power in the 19th century and the present day.In Pax Pamir two to five players assume the role of Afghan tribal leaders navigating the winds of colonial power in The Great Game. If either the Russian British Empire or Afghan is able to achieve supremacy the player with the most influence in that empire wins.

Pericles is a four player 'sandbox' design that covers the period from 460 BC to 400 BC. The players each represent one of two Athenian or Spartan factions. The game has a political and a war phase. During the war phase the players are US versus THEM. During the Political Phase it is ME versus YOU (Athenian faction versus Athenian faction and Spartan king versus Spartan king).The City State (Athens or Sparta) that gains the most Honor wins the war and the faction on the winning side with the most Honor wins the game.There are over twenty scenarios that cover portions of the war with playing times from 30 minutes (mini Theater scenario) 45 minutes (6 years of the war) 90 minutes (a decade of war) and then there are the three long scenarios that cover the 1st Peloponnesian War 2nd Peloponnesian War plus the Campaign game. There are rules for 3 player 2 player and solitaire play.

Copycat or as it is known in German Fremde Federn (which means roughly to adorn oneself with borrowed plumes or something like strange feathers) is about borrowing elements from well-known games (Eurogames) and constructing a new game out of them.Copycat is a deck-building worker-placement drafting race game. You are a politician who tries to gather enough money and influence to become the next president. Of course you depend on the work of others to get the needed influence. You start with a set of 10 cards (7 of them are fatherly friends which give you 1 money each and 3 of them yield 1 influence each (VPs)). Each round you draw 5 cards from your deck and use one card for the turn order to place your workers. The workers go to the different offices in the government building to buy new cards for you get influence or to carry out other actions. Each round there is one more space in which you can choose to place your workers. On the game board is a row of cards which you can choose to buy and each round the empty places in this row are filled from a deck of cards divided into 4 different Ages. The last cards of the deck are Doctoral degrees which you can buy with your money; these give you 1 VP for each unit of money spent. The game ends when all of the Doctoral degrees are bought or when one player has 95 VPs or more.

It's 1956 and waves of protest in Poland are once again showing cracks of the Eastern European communist bloc. Emboldened by these signs students and intellectuals in Budapest the Hungarian capital organize a protest of previously unseen magnitudes. As the communist leadership sweeps in to kill the movement in its tracks a violent response is provoked thus sparking the Revolution of the 23rd of October.One player takes charge of the Soviet forces trying to shape the headlines to his liking and uses the militia and snipers of the State Protection Authority to stop the revolutionaries at all cost. The other player(s) (from 1-3 opponents) co-operatively play as the ringleaders of the revolutionary forces collecting resources (represented as icons on their cards) and recruiting other fighters to ensure the revolution's events end up in favor of their side while fighting off tanks and soldiers in this exciting historically inspired card driven game.Days of Ire: Budapest 1956 is played over seven days — the last week of October 1956. The Soviet commander plays headline cards at the beginning of every turn gathering Command Points and triggering effects that sometimes help sometimes hinder the revolutionary effort. This card-play reminiscent of well-known card-driven wargames (CDG) such as Twilight Struggle or Labyrinth: War on Terror is what drives the tempo and the strategic thrust of the game. The other player(s) form the revolutionary side. They collect cards and fighters for two reasons: to resolve events for boosts to their side and to fight off militia snipers and Soviet tanks in a drastic fight for survival. They have to manage their positions while spreading across Budapest carefully dividing their actions as a team and always keeping an eye on their morale lest they run out of cards. This team-playing aspect — reminiscent of highly successful cooperative games such as Pandemic — guarantees ease of access to players who would otherwise be more intimidated by a traditional CDG.If any of the revolutionary ringleaders suffer too many wounds or if they fail to resolve enough events by the end of the game history changes and the revolution falls. But if they keep the streets of Budapest free from oppression the revolution lives on to fight another day.Historical Note: In real life the revolution succeeded and Hungary was free for less than a week. On the 4th of November the Soviet forces quickly recaptured the country but that is a subject for a different game...

On November 11 1918 an armistice halted the killing field that was The War to End All Wars. To make peace Woodrow Wilson (United States) David Lloyd George (United Kingdom) and Vittorio Orlando (Italy) were hosted by President George Clémenceau (France) in Paris and sat down to write what would become the Versailles Treaty. The treaty was signed on June 28 1919 after six months of acrimonious debate and bargaining between the great powers.Versailles 1919 created by designers Mark Herman and Geoff Engelstein allows you to experience this piece of history as one of the four leaders with a national agenda that must be satisfied. As one of the Big Four you sit in a conference room gaining influence on the issues present in the room. In the waiting room sit other issues and personages who are waiting their turn to make their case to meet regional aspirations such as self-determination. Will you support Ho Chi Minh's attempt to free Vietnam from French colonialism? Help Prince Feisal establish a new nation in Mesopotamia or Chaim Weitzmann create a Zionist state? Work with T. E. Lawrence to reduce unrest in the Middle East or with Ataturk in Anatolia?As France you are concerned with containing future German aggression while aligning with the British on reparations to pay for the destruction of the war. The British however would like to see Germany restored as a trading partner while preserving their empire against the global aspiration for self-determination. Italy wants territorial concessions from the former Austro-Hungarian empire. Lurking in the background is the threat of Bolshevism. Towering above it all is President Woodrow Wilson with his fourteen points that set global expectations soaring ultimately ending in disappointment when the U.S. does not join the League of Nations.Versailles 1919 introduces a new card-bidding mechanism in which you use your influence to settle issues aligned with your agenda while keeping domestic constituents in support of your actions. You need to balance the need to demobilize your military forces while simultaneously keeping regional unrest under control. All of these decisions are set against the backdrop of regional crises and uprisings. The player who writes more of the treaty prevails in this contest of wills and national agendas. Can you save the world from the rise of nationalism? Can you make a better world while satisfying your domestic electorate? Play Versailles 1919 and relive making the flawed peace that was the Treaty of Versailles.

In March of 1917 Tsar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate the throne of Russia. In his place a conservative Provisional Government formed representing the official authority of the state. Opposed to the newly formed government stood the Petrograd Soviet an elected council of workers organized by socialist activists.Over the following months an internal struggle for power and influence would dominate the country and spark a social revolution. In this state of dual power or dvoevlastie charismatic and powerful leaders would rise with the tide of public dissatisfaction and change the course of Russian politics forever.In Dual Powers 1-2 players direct the forces on one side of this struggle through political action social maneuvering and military conflict. The player with greater support at the end of the game will shape Russia’s future and either launch or suppress the impending Civil War.—description from the publisher

Part of GMT's Lunchtime Series Twilight Struggle: Red Sea – Conflict in the Horn of Africa is a two-player card driven game that builds on the award winning Twilight Struggle.The year is 1974 and the Soviet Union and the United States have been locked in a life-or-death struggle across the globe. As so often happened during the Cold War a relatively obscure region of the globe suddenly took center stage. Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia a bedrock U.S. ally in Africa had grown old and increasingly dictatorial. When he was overthrown in 1974 a Marxist coalition took the reins of power. This new revolutionary leadership initiated a chain of events that upset the regional balance of power and unleashed all the familiar elements of Cold War competition in the Horn of Africa.With a more limited scope and much shorter playtime Twilight Struggle: Red Sea is the perfect way to introduce new players to the Twilight Struggle system while maintaining all the tension decision making and theme of the original classic. The cards from Twilight Struggle can be used in TS: Red Sea and vice versa.

Imagine re-living the struggles and nail-biting dilemmas of the Cold War in a game that only consists of 18 cards.Imagine learning a game that manages to provide players with intense strategic and tactical decisions every turn in just under 20 minutes.Imagine playing as the US or Soviet in an intense struggle to win the Cold War battle of superpowers. Players play cards that build a card shaped world map that look different each game.Will you as the Soviet go for control in Europe and give up Africa? Will the US place Cuba out of reach for Soviet troops on the world map?“We wanted to create a game full of suspense where simplicity was key. Players only play one card per turn and there’s only 9 turns in the game. The tension comes from the dilemmas that the cards represent but also from how you read your opponent. It quickly becomes a battle of the wills.”Iron Curtain is an original strategy game where how and when you play a card is just as important as what card you decide will influence the tides of war next.

Votes for Women is a card-driven game covering the American women's suffrage movement from 1848-1920 culminating with the ratification (or rejection) of the Nineteenth Amendment. The game provides competitive co-operative and solitaire play with co-operative and solitaire play against the Oppobot.To win the Suffragist player must have Congress pass the proposed Amendment and then have three-fourths of the states (36 of the then 48 states) ratify the Amendment. The Opposition player wins by either preventing Congress from passing the proposed Amendment or by having 13 states reject the Amendment.The game lasts for six turns - a turn consisting of drawing cards from the players' own decks bidding on strategy cards and then six rounds of card play where a player may play a card for an event or discard a card to campaign organize or lobby Congress. If Congress has proposed the Amendment but neither 36 states have ratified nor 13 states have rejected then the game goes to Final Voting.

Pax Viking is a historical strategy game of trade and diplomacy in the 10th century for 1-6 players. The game highlights those Vikings who travelled eastwards towards the rich trade routes of Persia and around the Black Sea. Skilled opportunists in the matters of silver and axe these Vikings are ready to wield whichever worked best in any given situation. They shared an adventurous explorer ethos with the westward travelling Vikings and reached far to the south and east forming strong alliances influencing societies and founding empires along their way.The areas under Norse control are vast. The administration of power is becoming increasingly complicated. The Viking longships are excellent for travelling both at sea and on rivers. In the western part of Europe your neighbour Jarls in Denmark and Norway are pillaging the lands. It is wise to be on good terms with these Powerful Allies. You interact with them by travelling to their Posts in the West. But you are also aware of the economic advantages to be gained by having followers in the strong Trade Center of some existing larger cities as well. It is up to you to weave and navigate a successful saga within Pax Viking in order to become the first Swedish monarch!—description from the publisher

On the 9th of November 1918 the cold autumn air in Berlin is full of tension. The workers are planning to strike and since the city is full of troops they do not know if they will survive that day. Three hours later the German monarchy does not exist anymore and the first German democracy is born.Weimar: The Fight for Democracy is a game about the major actors in the spectrum of the new Republic. The Social Democrats and the Conservatives are trying to defend the democracy. Communists and Nationalists are looking to overthrow the government and install their own regime. Will this infant Republic survive? Or will Germany — as in history — fall to the Nazis and become a lawless state? Or will there be a Union of Socialist German Republics?Weimar includes two major battlefields: In public opinion the parties struggle to influence the important political issues like the economy the media or foreign affairs. Winning these issues scores points and allows them to take significant decisions. At the same time the parties try to control the streets and position their followers in the major cities of Germany for demonstrations street fights and actions taken by the paramilitary organizations.Weimar is a tense and exciting card-driven game (CDG) on a most interesting topic. Cards may be played for the event for public opinion or for actions in the street.In each of the six game turns the parties play one agenda that defines their strategy for the turn (e.g. modifying their twelve-card play deck defining issues getting advantages in the streets). The goals of the parties are asymmetrical and contradictory. While the democratic parties score for stabilizing the state and removing poverty the non-democratic parties score for coups and unrest.—description from the designer

Winston Churchill once said - The Balkans produce more history than they can consume. And the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina showed just that. The war that erupted in the spring of 1992 brought bitter fighting indiscriminate shelling of civilians and a wave of atrocities. The war was fought by: three local ethnic groups (Bosniaks Serbs and Croats) paramilitary formations from Serbia and Krajina Croatian armed forces foreign Muslim volunteers UN peacekeepers and NATO airforce. Events such as the Siege of Sarajevo and the Srebrenica massacre became iconic of the conflict as the war became the single most important historical event in Balkans since the WW2. And still - it's objective history has yet to be written.Brotherhood & Unity is a 2-3 player card driven wargame which depicts the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992-1995 (Bosnian War). The game shows all of the major events: from the siege of Sarajevo (shown in separate detailed map) to the ferocious battles for the Posavina corridore and desperate defence of the Bosniak enclaves. Main features are: Point-To-Point movement system play driven by Strategy Cards quick combat resolution (no CRT) streamlined rules and fast gameplay. Interaction between warring sides (Bosniaks Serbs and Croats) creates an intensive and exciting gameplay experience.Player's military strength fluctuates based on historical facts with Serbs starting superior in all aspects and Bosniaks struggling to organize an effective fighting formation. Military units represent Brigades - standard military formations of the time ranging from 1500-2000 soldiers. They have different combat and movement values (based on historical data) which forces players to use different tactics for different opponents. Majority of these units are non-motorized infantry formations (moving only several spaces per round) but with the use of special offensive cards players can increase their mobility and surprise the opponents.The game simulates three distinct sides in the war: Bosniaks Serbs and Croats - with no clear border separating them. That provides an interesting set of choices to players: to attack or to fortify whom to ally with and when to change sides. That leads to many turnarounds and pragmatical alliances with former enemies - as was historically the case.Each player gets a deck of Strategy Cards simulating a variety of historical events. The player starts an action round by playing a Strategy Card from his hand. A card can be played as an event (Combat Card Offensive Interrupt Foreign Units and Other) or as one of the game actions (Movement Attack Strategic Redeployment Diplomatic Action or Reinforcement). The events and card values have been carefully created to mimic the historical events and choices. Since each game uses only a part of the available card deck players can't be certain which cards will be drawn during the game. That creates a card fog-of-war and makes the game more replayable.Game uses Strategic Will point system to keep track of the victories and losses and to determine the final score. It is affected by a number of things: capturing or losing regions capturing or losing key spaces eliminating or losing units and as a result of events. One of the most important aspects of the game is capturing player's own key regions - which were different for each side and which reflects the different aims the each side had.The Foreign Attitude is another major track in the game which represents the diplomatic stance of foreign powers (European countries USA Russia and UN) towards a player. It is affected by capturing cities (thus creating refugee crisis) and as a result of events and generally represents a player's international reputation. When it reaches certain levels negative effects occur - from reduction of movement to NATO air strikes to even losing the game.The game enables player to invite United Nations to create UN Safe Areas thus giving a player some kind of protection from being overrun. NATO Air Strike happens when players overreach themselves capturing too many cities too quickly thus creating a major refugee crisis and media outcry. Without careful diplomatic balancing the greatest offensive can thus be derailed and bring a player to the brink of destruction.Supplies are scarce and can be cut-off thus starving and eventually eliminating the unsupplied units. Combat results are easy to calculate and are based on unit attack and defence values modified by terrain and die roll results (no CRT is used). Rules are streamlined to reduce clutter and unnecessary actions which enables a fast gameplay - the full game is usually played in bit over two hours.The name Brotherhood and Unity“ comes from a socialist Yugoslavia doctrine created to inspire unity between 7 nations from which Yugoslavia was created. It was also a main motto behind the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina – nicknamed „Small Yugoslavia“ due to its ethnical cultural and religious diversity. The irony is that when B&H got engulfed in a war there was neither brotherhood nor unity to be found .. what followed was four years of bloody warfare. It remains to be seen will B&H rise above the legacy of The War and reach (or surpass) the prosperity it enjoyed during a socialist Yugoslavia.Product Information:Complexity: 5 out of 10 Solitaire suitability: 5 out of 10 Time Scale: 1 year per turn 2 months per action round Map Scale: Point-to-point strategic level Unit Scale: Brigades Number of Players: 2 to 3 Suitability for Solitaire: Medium Average Time to Play: 2 to 3 hoursComponents:1 22x34 Mounted Map 260 9/16 Counters 96 Strategy cards (in 3 decks: Serbian Croatian and Bosniak) 3 Player aid cards 1 Rulebook 1 Ten-sided die 1 Box and lid set

Campaign Trail is a strategy board game in which players pit their campaign skills against one another as they vie for the Presidency of the United States.The confetti is flying the champagne is flowing and you have just accepted your party's nomination for President of the United States. Now it's time to hit the Campaign Trail! How will you chart your path to victory? Engage in grass roots campaigning advertise sling mud at opponents fundraise debate and so much more! But be sure to avoid revealing those skeletons you have buried in your closet. The candidate who best manages their resources and connects with the public on key issues will win the presidency!Campaign Trail uses card driven actions to implement your strategy. Your goal is to have the most voters for your party in enough states to win a majority of electoral votes. If you have the most voters in a state you are awarded that state's electoral votes (victory points). At the end of the game the player with the most electoral votes wins and is declared the president!On your turn you play a card and take an action from that card. Each card has a choice among 4 of the game's 6 actions. You may (depending on what is on your card):In addition to the base of card driven mechanics and area control you will have a candidate card which gives you an individual player power. You will also have the opportunity to debate the current issues with your opponent. And finally through the use of event cards you can build up an engine to help out with resource production.

Colonial: Europe's Empires Overseas is a board game about colonial times from the Renaissance to the Industrial Revolution.In Colonial players are the rulers of mighty European states and send their ministers to explore the earth establish missions ascertain scientific supremacy and trade in exotic goods. These commodities will have to be exploited on an industrial scale and resold in Europe or in the colonies.Set against an epic historical backdrop and using a branded Character Card-driven system conventional dice and custom dice this fast-paced board game requires careful management knowledge diplomacy and a degree of luck to lead to victory in the race for prestige.

The British Way: Counterinsurgency at the End of Empire is the first of several COIN multipacks containing four separate wargames exploring a series of thematically related insurgencies. Between 1945 and 1960 the British fought four major “emergencies” as they referred to their counterinsurgency campaigns each trying to manage their retreat from empire. The four games in this pack focus on exploring British counterinsurgent responses to a variety of different opponents including communist insurgents in Malaya militant nationalists in Kenya and smaller and more clandestine terrorist organizations in Palestine and Cyprus. The games adjust the core COIN mechanics to provide a compelling new way of handling two-player conflicts while also streamlining several mechanics to quicken gameplay. The British Way offers an approachable introduction to the COIN series for new players while presenting experienced players with four mechanically distinct games to explore and compare.—description from the publisher

It’s 1833. The East India Company has just had its monopoly of trade revoked by an official act of Parliament. You and others like you see a golden opportunity for profit in China. For too long the Company’s polite deference to the Qing has smothered progress and stifled trade. There is real money to be made here and you intend to make it.An Infamous Traffic is a brutal economic board game for two to five souls brave enough to conduct the opium trade in the fracturing political landscape of 19th century Qing China. Initially you will need to rely on smugglers in order to get your products into the interior but if Parliament can be swayed perhaps an open war can make the trade more secure. At the same time you’ll want to be careful. If British aggression goes unchecked the region may become a failed state which could jeopardize your hard fought gains.Of course the massive wealth you’ll earn won’t be enough. Trade is still a dirty word among those in the top rungs of society. You certainly haven't forgotten how your business holdings were sneered at by some prodigal baronet during your brief stint at Oxford. They don’t understand. The empire they enjoy was built on trade not pedigree. So you’ll play their game snatching up the precious symbols of nobility with your hard won cash. Perhaps you can restore a beloved castle and stuff it full of the latest luxuries. The right marriage or government post would certainly guarantee your place in society. You might even be tempted to rob your own firm to get that extra edge back home.In any case there’s demand for opium in China and you intend to meet it.—description from the publisherSee the Living Rules. (Source)

A States of Siege (TM) game.This solitaire game suitable for group and classroom cooperative game play tells the story of the English Civil Wars (1640-53) through its key events and decision points. You attempt to stop the advance of four armies bent on destroying Parliament and Puritanism whom you represent; simply holding on to London is not enough.Each of the three English Civil Wars are replayed through the use of separate card decks that recreate the historical military and political events that could spell doom to the Parliamentarian forces. There are civil wars going on not just in England but in Scotland and Ireland too; and each will have varying impact on the play of the game at different times.The title comes from the purported response to the beheading of King Charles by his implacable foe Oliver Cromwell who remarked that this act of regicide was a “cruel necessity.”Note: Cruel Necessity is our first Gold Banner wargame to exclude a mounted map inside. Because of all the gameplay real estate in Cruel Necessity mounting the boards using our print-on-demand publishing model would have raised the Retail Price to $55.00 (i.e. a $15 increase) and that just seemed like too much. We hope our vaunted wargame customers can soldier on with our sturdy paper maps as the great wargames of yore have long provided.What's in the box:• One full color 22-page Rulebook (Designer's Notes included) • One 22” x 17” paper game map (in two sections) • One 11” x 17” Battle Display Mat • 75 cards • 98 thick two-sided multi-shaped game pieces • One 2-sided player aid • One blue (Parliamentary) 6-sided die • One red (Royalist) 6-sided die • One bright red 9 x 11 7/8 Deluxe cardboard VPG game box • One beautiful box cover sleeve • One Wipes-A-Lot napkin • One charcoal desiccant packet

The 7 wonders of the great civilizations were built by slave-power and societies' need to enslave weaker neighbors went unquestioned for millennia. Until the day an audacious petition was sent to Parliament not just to end slavery in England but throughout the entire world! In this game you assume the role of an abolitionist during the Age of Enlightenment either a Parliamentarian an evangelical or a private philanthropist. Assign warships to blockade slave ports or intercept slave ships install missions trading posts and colonies in foreign lands steeped in serfdom challenge the institution of slavery on moral and legal grounds in courts and sanction underground railroads slave revolts and revolutions. Play in cooperative-competitive cooperative or solitaire modes. If victorious you achieve the greatest political accomplishment in history: making slavery everywhere illegal.—description from the publisher

The intrigues and scandals of the realm's greater nobility are a subject of fixation and even obsession for the entire kingdom. Most especially for the minor nobility whose fortunes can be elevated — or shattered — by what happens at court.In Cursed Court you must consider both public and hidden information some of the latter shared among different pairs of players when wagering your limited influence in each season of the year. As the machinations of the nine key nobles are progressively revealed your fortunes rise and fall. After three years a winner is crowned.

Cataclysm: A Second World WarIt is the 1930s and the world is still recovering from the Great War and the Great Depression that followed it. A second world war can break out at any time. Can you stop it? Will you start it? Better yet can you win it?Cataclysm is not your typical game about World War II. The game begins in 1933 not 1939 and is global in scope. Germany is far from dominating Europe. Japan is on the march in Asia. Every crisis is an unexpected opportunity. There is no hindsight and anything can happen.Truly grand strategic in scope, Cataclysm requires players to lead nations not just armies or fleets. You must craft a diplomatic strategy develop political support for your policies at home shift your economy to a war footing and build up the forces you need to deter or vanquish your enemies.There is no traditional I-go-you-go turn structure in Cataclysm. Counters representing political actions military actions units and possible events are drawn at random from an action cup. As each counter comes out the owning player resolves it and play swiftly moves on to the next draw. You have to make plans to execute when your chance comes up but you have no idea when or in what order events will transpire.A game about global war gives every nation armies air forces and fleets. But in Cataclysm military pieces have no numeric values. You know what forces you have and where they are deployed. To resolve combat each side rolls up to three dice and compares their single highest die. You can devote more resources to a campaign (generating more dice or bonuses) but that does not guarantee a favorable outcome. Your efforts can lead to triumph… or to disaster.In Cataclysm you are free to explore alternatives. The Soviets can construct a massive long-range bomber force. Japan can build powerful armored forces to overrun Siberia. Germany can invade Britain or France can take Berlin provided you craft a strategy that gets you there.When you play Cataclysm you write your own history of a second world war.This is my most anticipated wargame of 2018. --Ananda Gupta co-designer of Twilight Struggle.I WOULD EAT A KITTEN FOR THIS GAME --Kuhrusty

Ortus Regni is a novel card game inspired by the late Anglo-Saxon period of English history. A time of warring Earls claiming whatever lands they could... establishing fiefs cultivating powerful vassals fighting and engaging in endless political struggles — all while Vikings roamed not just the sea but the land. It is truly a Dark Age. Or is it? Lasting for 600 years until the Norman Conquest of 1066 this era decided the future of a great kingdom that would become England.Designing your Earl Deck before play begins is one of the key features of the game. Ortus Regni is a deck-design game rather than a deck-building game — that is you are entirely in control of the deck that you will begin play with in a game of Ortus Regni. Several canonical Ortus Regni deck design concepts exist — such as a Lord deck an Army (Land) deck a Politics deck or an Emissary (Monk) deck and more — but such concepts are only the start of your design options. The Earl Deck you put together can be a subtle hybrid of several concepts or something entirely different and unusual.Your opponents in Ortus Regni will have access to exactly the same suite of cards that you do when they design their own Earl Decks for game play. So it all comes down to your choices and your strategies! There is also tactical space during a game to zig and zag even if you find yourself against an Earl Deck design that you did not anticipate. You might pull out an unexpected win nonetheless if you play your deck well.

Red Flag Over Paris the spiritual successor to Mark Herman's Fort Sumter is a short yet challenging two-player card-driven wargame depicting the two months of intense confrontation between the Communards and the government in Versailles during the 1871 Paris Commune. You will play as one of these factions and fight for control over Paris. But you will also need to win the hearts and minds of the French population as the board is divided into two areas–military and political–themselves divided into several dimensions (Political Institutions Public Opinion Paris neighborhoods and the forts on the outskirts of the city). The game forces players to make tough decisions like when to focus on political influence or military dominance and how to optimize limited resources.On top of controlling the military and political spaces and fulfilling your objectives to score Victory Points you will have to manage your momentum. Versailles needs to collaborate with the Prussian invader to build up an army that will restore order in the Capital. On the other hand the Commune needs to build a robust revolutionary momentum to ensure that the population stays mobilized after months of siege and food shortages.Each card represents either a critical personality or a significant event of the Paris commune. You may use a card for its event for its operational value (which allows you to place or remove influence cubes in any given area) to buy an event discarded by your opponent or build your momentum. After up to three rounds Red Flag Over Paris culminates in a Final Crisis where each player will have to play all the cards they left aside earlier in the game as the last opportunity to place influence before determining the winner.—description from the publisher

Turncoats is a competitive game for 2-5 players where three factions are at war. The players take on the role of Aspirants and Interlopers not obviously tied to any one group. Instead they must manage their loyalties represented by stones in their hand that they keep hidden from everyone else.During the game players spend stones from their hand to take actions with the matching faction. However they need to keep a tight eye on their remaining stones and the tiebreakers as at the end of the game the winning faction will choose the player with the most stones remaining in their hand as the new ruler.

In Oriflamme and Oriflamme Embrasement the players find themselves in the middle of a medieval feud over the French royal crown. The King is dead! Long live the King! As heads of influential families the players strive to come to power with cunning and malice power and strength virtue and infamy. Their goal: the king's throne!In the tactical card game hidden cards are played in turn. By tactically uncovering and activating their effects players can outdo or get them out of the way because all players have the same goal in mind — to collect the most influence points for their family and thus win the game.In Oriflamme Embrasement (second installment of the award winning game Oriflamme) the incendiary war threatens to bring the kingdom to the ground. But nothing will stop your house to conquer the throne by putting forward every inch of your famous lust for power and vengeance.Oriflamme Embrasement offers 11 new action cards that can be mixed with Oriflamme or be used as a standalone.—description from the publisher (translated)

At some point in the not-so-distant future we humans had to look for a new place to live. Just when we thought we'd have to settle for Mars we suddenly discovered a new planet one we lovingly christened Planet B. It was a second chance for humanity and of course we were determined to do everything right this time because as everyone knows we humans learn very well from our mistakes...In Planet B you slip into the role of corrupt governors. You make crooked deals with corporations to advance your own interests. You build your city let the population work for you rise in the favor of political factions or control the news. Of course all of this comes at a price — and by the time you're vying for the presidency you'll want potential voters to be on your side. In the end as always only one thing counts: Who has managed to pocket the most government money?•••Irgendwann in einer nicht mehr so weit entfernten Zukunft mussten wir Menschen uns ein neuen Lebensraum suchen. Gerade als wir dachten uns mit dem Mars zufrieden geben zu müssen entdeckten wir plötzlich einen neuen Planeten - wir tauften ihn liebevoll Planet B.Dort sollten wir also eine zweite Chance bekommen. Und natürlich hatten wir fest vor diesmal alles richtig zu machen. Denn wie jeder weiß lernen wir Menschen sehr gut aus unseren Fehlern...In Planet B schlüpft ihr in die Rolle korrupter Gouverneurinnen. Ihr schließt krumme Deals mit Konzernen ab um eure eigenen Interessen durchzusetzen. Ihr baut eure Stadt auf und lasst die Bevölkerung für euch arbeiten steigt in der Gunst politischer Fraktionen auf oder kontrolliert die Nachrichten.Natürlich hat das alles seinen Preis - spätestens wenn ihr um die Präsidentschaft wetteifert wollt ihr eure potenziellen Wähler auf eurer Seite wissen. Am Ende zählt wie immer nur eins: wer hat es geschafft die meisten Staatsgelder in die eigene Tasche zu stecken?—description from the publisher

The City-State of Tempest is a lively metropolis – some say the largest in the world – yet behind the city's cultured exterior age-old cabals vie for power fighting one another for dominance in a society ripe with political and economic turmoil. Led by shadowy figures who command a small cadre of loyal followers these secret societies work in concert to seize the wealth and power of the fabled City-State of Tempest.In Dominare you are the puppet master of a conspiracy seeking to control Tempest. Agents are the key to Dominare. Use your agents to spread your influence through the city building a network of hidden power to control the most valuable districts and blocks.In the game players first draft agents they want. Then each turn the players reveal one additional layer of their conspiracy. Each agent is a unique person in the City-State of Tempest with unique abilities. The higher an agent in in your conspiracy the more powerful that agent is.Players spread their influence in key city blocks and districts use agent and district abilities to further their plans and manipulate the board to their benefit. Use your agents well and influence and power will be yours. Use them poorly and... well you wouldn't be the first would-be ruler to vanish into the inky waters of the city canals....Number 3 in the Tempest Shared World Game Series

In this game the players are corrupt politicians with the goal to grub as much money as possible. One player distributes money from the treasury. After intensive negotiations the players vote. If a majority votes against the proposed distribution the current president has to resign and another player becomes president. Besides voting the players can also blackmail and bribe each other.

It is the year 193 AD. The Roman Empire is not as great as it once was. Hordes of enemies are crossing the borders famine spreads throughout the provinces and the political intrigues are tearing the empire apart from within. The previous emperor was killed by his own Praetorian bodyguard and has left a power vacuum that the powerful families in Rome are trying to fill. Are you ready to don the purple yourself and take on the stressful job as emperor? If you fail the other families are ready to take over at a moment's notice. While they wait for your doom they won't hesitate to backstab or undermine you as much as they can. However you all have to work together as the fall of the Roman Empire is closing in.Donning the Purple is an asymmetrical king of the hill game with a bit of worker placement. Each player leads a powerful family in ancient Rome trying to get the most victory points during 4 rounds. If your family member becomes the emperor and manages to hold the position he can earn lots of points. However he will also become the target of the other players as they will try to dethrone him and become the new emperor themselves.

Fractal: Beyond the Void is redefining the 4X genre with an expansive and dynamic strategy game in an ever-changing story-driven legacy setting. Millenia after the collapse of the Federation the greatest empire to ever rule the galaxy a few species are taking up to the stars again to escape their dying worlds. They all have the same goal: to rebuild their civilizations and reclaim their former glory. But there can only be one ruler.Fractal is a living breathing world with a story-driven legacy campaign: the Aftermath. As you play you’ll discover a deep and rich lore spanning millennia and featuring cosmic Gods fallen empires and warring civilizations. The choices you will make and your victories will shape the fate of the universe and let you unveil the secrets of the game. The core game also pushes the boundaries of the genre further with a lot of bold and innovative designs among which: Finally the design and art work in tandem to create a modern visually impacting take on the genre and a true 4X experience of the future.

Play the Cold War in 13 minutes.13 Minutes: The Cuban Missile Crisis is a card-driven microgame with tough decisions. Playing as either Kennedy or Khrushchev your aim is to exit the Cuban Missile Crisis as the most powerful superpower. During the game you play only five strategy cards that you use to place Influence on battlegrounds to score majorities or manipulate battlegrounds. Each card you play turns into a new battleground so the world map is ever-changing. Be careful because each decision is important and you may trigger global nuclear war!13 Minutes a sequel of sorts or different take on 13 Days builds on the classic microgame genre heralded by Love Letter but 13M uses the card-driven game mechanism to ensure that the five cards you play each game all adds up to agonizing choices!

The Quartermaster General series goes nuclear!Quartermaster General: The Cold War depicts the struggle between the aspirations of the Soviet Bloc the West and the Non-Aligned nationalist independence movements throughout the developing world.You will play a Bloc of nations: the Soviet Bloc the Western Bloc or the Non-Aligned Bloc. Each Bloc is considered an enemy to each other Bloc even if players decide to cooperate temporarily to preserve the balance of power. Each of the three Blocs may be played by one or two people depending on the number of players.On your turn you’ll play cards to unfold a narrative of the Cold War as it might have been. You may decide to use military force when espionage fails – but escalating tensions will reduce the penalty your enemies pay to use their WMDs in retaliation!—description from the publisher

In Tudor you are a Lord in the court of King Henry VIII. Here you will be positioning your Courtiers among the influential Lords who grant you actions that allow you to maneuver your family members to high title offices and gain their respective Rings of prestige and power.Players take turns placing their Courtiers into the three Audience Chambers each with unique actions. Then each player will place their one Lord in a Chamber of their choice. Only Courtiers in an Audience Chamber with any player's Lord present will be able to use that Chamber’s actions. But be careful since there are only a limited number of seats available in each Chamber and competing families can push you out of a Chamber!Then all player Courtiers in Chambers with a Lord take turns performing ONE of the two Actions in their Chambers. The powerful Lords may also take both actions in the Chamber they occupy. Chamber Actions allow you to gain Court Cards and to move your Courtiers in the Throne Room onto spaces with square Court Tokens that represent various faction interests and demands at the court. You collect these Court Tokens which are one way to gain Prestige at court.When you reach the top space of a Court Office in the Royal Court you will gain that title - represented by a Ring. A player's Rings are placed and displayed on their individual Player Hand Screens. Positioning your Rings on different fingers project your interests intent and inclinations to the other players because different positions enhance specific Actions that your Courtiers take in the Audience Chambers!You must always be vigilant because another players can seize your Court Office kicking your Office Holder out in disgrace and then taking one of YOUR Rings!The player with the most prestige at game end wins!In each game of Tudor you will choose to play one of many scenario cards each with their own special rules that can alter the game in dramatic ways. In addition choose two different scoring cards to vary gameplay creating a strategic experience with exceptional replayability.—description from the publisher

In Bloc by Bloc: Uprising each player controls a faction of revolutionaries—Workers Students Neighbors or Prisoners—fighting against the police in the streets of a city that changes with each game. Build barricades clash with police occupy districts loot shopping centers build mutual aid networks and liberate the city before time runs out and the military arrives!Object of the Game: When playing fully cooperatively all factions win or lose together and must cooperate to defeat the police and liberate the city. To liberate the city each faction must complete the objectives on 1 Conditions card. Each Conditions card specifies certain districts of the city that must be liberated and where occupations must be built. When playing semi-cooperatively each faction has a secret Agenda card that determines how it wins the game. Factions with Social Agendas can still win together cooperatively. But a faction with a Vanguardist or Sectarian Agenda can only win alone and must work covertly to undermine the other factions.Bloc by Bloc is played in rounds and each round is 1 night. The countdown marker starts with 10 nights remaining. Each night has 2 phases Nighttime and Sunrise.Nighttime: The Nighttime phase is when each faction takes its turn. At the start of a turn cards are drawn from the Police Ops deck that move and deploy police squads across the city. Higher Police Morale means more cards. Next the faction rolls action dice and spends those dice to take various actions around the city using their blocs. Each bloc represents an organized group of 5-15 people.Sunrise: After each faction has taken its turn the Reaction card orders police to attack and police vans to move around the city. Next factions may liberate districts and draw Liberation cards if enough blocs are gathered in those districts. There might also be a meeting to draw more Conditions cards. And don’t forget to check if the game has been won! If not move the countdown forward at the speed of Police Morale start the next night and continue playing. If time runs out or any 1 faction has no blocs in the city all factions lose.

SHASN is a political strategy board game where every player takes on the role of a politician in the midst of a political campaign. With each turn players must draw an Ideology Card and take stands on divisive and urgent political issues. These choices will help them gather resources to influence voters or purchase strategic powers. Players can build diverse Ideologies with every policy decision to best reflect their beliefs and play style. As they progress in the game players must choose between sticking to their ideals or molding them as per their needs. In a game of trading coercion and strategy players must do whatever it takes to survive and dominate.The map is split into 9 zones with each zone having a different voter-count required to form a majority. The player with the highest majority votes - when all majorities are formed - wins the game. To influence voters players will need unique combinations of the four resources at their disposal - (campaign) Funds Media (attention) (public) Trust and (street) Clout. At the beginning of their turn each player must answer an Ideology Card. Every answer on an Ideology Card belongs to one Ideologue. There are four Ideologues in the game - The Capitalist The Showstopper The Supremo and The Idealist. As players collect more cards belonging to one Ideologue they will unlock new powers that can help them cement their own positions or destabilize opponents.Players must constantly juggle with the trade-off of giving answers that grant them the resources they need in that moment or investing in long term strategy with answers that strengthen their Ideologies to unlock greater combos later in the game.Players must also navigate the effects of Headlines (triggered by placing Vters in volatile zones) and Conspiracy Cards (which can be purchased at any time in the game) providing them with a wide toolset to seize power or throw a spanner in the works of a rival.Placing you in the shoes of a politician the gameplay is often aggressive action-packed and laden with long-term strategy building.

You are a crusader King striving for wealth political power religious influence and military might across the continent and across generations. Reshape the history of medieval Europe in your own image — if only that dimwitted son of yours set to inherit the throne doesn't spoil your grand plans...The board game Crusader Kings captures the essence of the Crusader Kings video game experience in a physical tabletop format. This is a strategy game at heart but with a special focus on characters intrigue and drama. It's a big beautiful game centered on a map of medieval Europe using cards for actions characters and events and well-crafted plastic miniatures to represent knights armies castles and more.In this game your goal is to spread your influence over medieval Europe and lead your dynasty to triumph over its rivals. To do that you need to groom your family over the generations build and develop your dominion be shrewd in the realm of diplomacy and intrigue and use your vassals wisely to grow your wealth and military power while at the same time fulfilling your duty to partake in the crusades to the Holy Land.To win you need to survive invasions plots crusades and even marriage! Or at least have children or siblings standing by to take over the throne if your regent dies. Failure to raise a suitable heir can mean the end of your dynasty.—description from the publisher

On the edge of space the powerful houses of Old-Earth have finally discovered an abundant source of Atlum energy in the Abyssi cluster a system of six alien planets striving to maintain peace. Occupy the planets and recruit politicians to gain influence and power for your faction in the epic worker movement strategy game Sovereign Skies.

Hearts and Minds: Vietnam 1965-1975 (Third Edition) is an uncomplicated approach to a very complicated conflict. Eight scenarios introduce players to U.S. involvement in Southeast Asia including a scenario after the US withdrew from Vietnam a full campaign scenario as well as high solitaire capability. Players appreciate the ability to start in any year of the war they wish and fight to the end of any other year of the war. The game provides a comprehensive historical approach using mechanics that include guerrilla warfare faction differentiation political turmoil and veteran advantages. This design has already been used as a successful teaching tool.This is a card-driven area-based design with low counter density and a much simplified combat system. Each scenario represents a year and players have the flexibility of starting in any year of the war and ending in any later year of the war. Players choose either the Allies (US ARVN Cambodian and Laotian) or Communist (NVA VC Cambodian and Laotian) Players engage in guerrilla warfare – VC units remain hidden until engaged. VC units may be simple units or reinforced units or simply false information. When determined to be false information players roll on the Bush Events Table which involve events from discovering Chinese troops to the arrival of USO shows featuring John Wayne and Bob Hope.This edition involves the use of three card decks A red deck (communist) a blue deck (Allied) and a black deck (interchangeable). Prior to every game half of the black deck is shuffled into each of the red and blue decks ensuring a different game every time. Cards indicate the amount of RPs (Resource Points) that may be spent or banked a historic situation and its game effects. Certain cards are year specific. Within each Red and Blue Deck are a number of Campaign cards that may be chosen by each player allowing increased abilities but only in a predetermined area.The game does not ignore political ramifications. Card events cover mass protests in the U.S. and more significantly the instability of the South Vietnamese government. The Allied player controls more firepower but must walk a tightrope between U.S. and ARVN (South Vietnamese) casualties. Too many U.S. casualties leads to a rapid rise in Communist morale. Too many ARVN casualties will result in a coup which has major strategic advantages for the Communist Player. While in Cambodia and Laos the destruction of all government forces means the fall of those governments. Throughout the game both sides jockey for the “Hearts and Minds” in each province. Political Control determines the availability and expansion of VC influence.Hearts and Minds Third Edition offers players an easier to follow rulebook with simpler victory conditions. Also included: tested solitaire rules and a separate solitaire player aide; a premium mounted map that includes all of the charts necessary to play the game; full-sized poker quality card deck; standard playing dice and a new artistic approach to factional units.Product InformationComplexity: Low to Medium (4 out of 10) Solitaire suitability: Medium to high (7 out of 10) Time Scale: Each scenario represents one year. The campaign game covers 8-10 years. Map Scale: The Map is divided into provincial areas indicating major cities and US major bases Unit Scale: Units are abstract and represent US ARVN NVA VC Cambodian and Laotian Players: Two Player game (Solitaire friendly) Playing Time: 45 minutes or less per scenario Designer: John Poniske Original Developer: Stan Hilinski Solitaire Developer: David WessmanComponents: 24 page rule/scenario book Solitaire Player Aid Three Counter sheets (3/4” Counters) 22” x 33” Mounted Map 80 Standard Playing Cards (27 Red/27 Blue/ 28 black) Two 6-sided dice (1 Red/1Blue) One box and lid set-from the publisher's website

Manipulate the flow of politics in King’s Landing in this fast-paced card game for 3 to 6 players and lead your House as one of nine iconic characters from the Song of Ice and Fire series. Use your influence to attract new allies and carefully navigate the other players’ allegiances as you strive to have the most powerful small council in Westeros. Just be wary of your own alliances—you never know when someone will stab you in the back!—description from publisher

Welcome to Feierabend a.k.a. Finishing Time the after-worker placement game for 1-6 players.In Feierabend you are playing a team of workers (female male and non-binary too). Each day you leave work stressed and look for some fun in the evenings — but thanks to a 70-hour work week and a low income you don't have many possibilities for relaxation. Sure you can head to the pub for drinks go on blind dates to find a partner or fish or jog outside but this is not a good work-life balance. It's a rat race.If you really want to relax you need a higher income for you and your fellow workers — and the women on your team should be paid the same as the men. You want to work fewer hours each week and taking a vacation would be good too. Let the union help you fix this depressing lifestyle. This change might stress your employer of course but they already earn enough to be able to de-stress their life.Each turn place one (or more) of your workers on any available after-work spaces to gain relaxation. Taking leisure time doesn't cost anything but going to town for amusement requires you to spend hard-earned money. Going on vacation for real relaxation is out of the question until your employer is convinced to grant your workers some time off. When your workers meet partners you gain access to even better relaxation options.At the pub workers can relax and have drinks in front of the bar — or they can earn additional income and suffer more stress by working a second job there. You'll want to visit the union office too to strike for better working conditions. If you have enough strike tokens you can force your employer to reduce working hours increase your income close the gender gap or even send you on vacation.After all your workers have been placed and taken their after-work actions they are forced to return to work. You place them all on your factory where they then suffer stress earn income and gain strike tokens from the union depending on the current working conditions.The end of the game is triggered once a team gathers at least 40 relaxation. (In this game relaxation is considered to be a currency.) Your workers are then placed on after-work spaces and go back to work one more time after which the most relaxed team wins Feierabend.Create a better (that is more relaxing) life for your workers and their partners. Which team will relax the best and win the game? But really every team is a winner since they fought for better working conditions. Workers unite!

Flashpoint: South China Sea is a two-player strategy game that simulates the complex geopolitical contest currently taking place between the United States and China in a disputed region of the South China Sea. The game is driven by a card deck that captures developments ripped straight from today’s headlines bolstered by cards with a context-setting reading of recent history and a set of speculative cards capturing a diverse range of potential future events.The Chinese player works to influence other countries in the region establish territorial claims and regional hegemony and improve its world standing. The U.S. player works to maintain influence with allied countries in the region secure freedom of navigation and keep China in check. Success for both players hinges on the support and allegiance of non-player countries in the region. The game stops short of dealing with a potential full-scale military conflict. Rather it requires the nuanced exercise of political economic and military resources in a form of prima facie diplomacy – on the waters in the air and ultimately in the minds of the people – to achieve victory.

Europe in Turmoil is a card-driven game set at the beginning of the 20th Century in which two players each assume the role of a political ideology ascendant in Europe at that time with one side playing the Liberal (representing not just Liberal but also Socialist principles) and the other side playing the Authoritarian (representing the repressive autocratic regimes of Germany Austria-Hungary and Russia).The card playing mechanic is closely related to that of Twilight Struggle or 1989: Dawn of Freedom with the Naval Arms Race (representing the Dreadnought build-up between Germany and Britain) the closest equivalent to the Space Race / Tiananmen track from the aforementioned games.The map represents the political reality of Europe in the late Victorian era with the politics of continental Europe dominated by the four superpowers of Austria-Hungary France Germany and Russia. The rest of the Nations of Europe (and northern Africa) are represented by 'independent' client states who are to be taken under the wing to win the game.Many of the events refer to (historical) crises which could have started a World War. Each of these events will increase the Tension between the European Nations and cause a Crisis roll a roll modified by both the current Tension and the amount of Alliances that have been made by the major powers of Europe. Eventually unless Tension is managed carefully such a Crisis roll will spark the Outbreak of the Great War ending the game after resolution of the war and a final Scoring.Will the strongly Authoritarian Empires of Central Europe hold out against rising Liberalism? Will the Workers combine forces with land-hungry Farmers and marginalized Intelligentsia to oust the ruling Bourgeois Nobility and Monarchy? Will “The Great War” break out shattering the Status Quo? These and other exciting possibilities will soon be open to players.

In Corporate America a political satire game about corporate influence of government players take the role of corporations that manipulate the population government and each other to maximize profits. Players keep their money secret until the end of the game when the player with the most money wins. Each game turn progresses through four phases:• In the Wall Street Phase players start businesses (like Trius and Oggle Search) which fall into various industries (like transportation luxury and technology).• In the Main Street Phase players take turns playing consumer cards which determine which businesses make money. Players can manipulate the population and can bribe each other to make sure their business products get consumed.• In the Campaign Trail Phase a number of election issues are revealed and players get the opportunity to run for president. After players electioneer players secretly bid on candidates to determine who will be the next president. After three bid rounds whoever has raised the most money in the campaign wins the election.• In the Capitol Hill Phase the new president is rewarded with an Executive Privilege card which grants a special power and can then pass legislation to impact businesses and the rules of the game. The president can keep campaign promises or blatantly break them for personal gain!The game ends after a set number of turns. Whoever has the most money at the end of the game wins!

The Last Kingdom Board Game is game of war and politics for 2-5 players by renowned designer John D Clair that's based on the Netflix series The Last Kingdom.In this world the kingdoms of Britain are at war. Many have already fallen to the invading Danes leaving the great kingdom of Wessex standing alone and defiant under the command of King Alfred. You are one of the great commanders and politicians in this war-torn land known today as England. Both Saxon and Dane armies openly battle for dominance and it is up to you to title the scales of power. To claim these lands you will need to tread a dangerous path between both sides of the conflict. Will you betray your allies for power? What part will you play in the birth of a new nation and will you ultimately rule it all?The Last Kingdom Board Game plays over the course of two rounds during which players will perform actions to command armies to shape the course of the war. Your allegiance to the Saxons or the Danes can be firm or fickle and your score will reflect not just your prowess in battle but your political skill in maneuvering the competing forces of Britain.Each of the ten leaders offers unique benefits to your strategy and provides special cards to start your hand. At the start of each round players complete their hand by drafting cards from a deck specific to that round then the war begins in one of the five regions. Players take turns playing cards to command Saxon or Dane armies gaining affinity with the different factions or positioning their heroes and leaders to shift the tides of war. Players also have access to a rotating market of actions that are available to everyone.Alternatively players may choose to not act on their turn and instead pass to see what moves their opponents make.Once all players have passed consecutively the war in the current region will be decided by the strengths of the Saxon and Dane armies battling there. Players gain victory points if they are aligned with the winning faction and based on their level of affinity. The focus of the war then moves to the next region and the battle continues.After the fate of each of the five regions has been decided the round ends. After two rounds of play the player who has accrued the most points wins.-description from publisher

Description from the publisher:Fort Sumter is a two-player Card Driven Game (CDG) portraying the 1860 secession crisis that led to the bombardment of Fort Sumter and the American Civil War. Fort Sumter is a small footprint game (11x17” mounted map) that takes approximately 25-40 minutes to play. The game pits a Unionist versus a Secessionist player. Each player uses the area control mechanic pioneered in Mark Herman's We The People design and immortalized in Twilight Struggle to place move and remove political capital. The location of political capital determines who controls each of the four crisis dimensions (Political Secession Public Opinion and Armaments). After three rounds of play the game culminates in a Final Crisis confrontation to determine the winner.The heart of the Fort Sumter design is Mark's CDG system where you use Strategy cards for their value or historic event to acquire political capital from the crisis track. Political capital tokens are used to compete for control of the twelve map spaces. Here the likes of William Lloyd Garrison Sam Houston Jefferson Davis and Harriet Beecher Stowe walk on stage while the Southern states dissolve the Union.The twelve map spaces are grouped into the four dimensions of the crisis. You gain a victory point each round that you control a dimension’s three spaces. For example the Armaments dimension is characterized by Federal Arsenals Fort Pickens and of course Fort Sumter. In addition each round you score a victory point for controlling your secret objective space. But beware; either player can score active objective spaces. At the end of the dual Presidential inaugurations (round three) a new Final Crisis mechanic drives the game to its hotly contested conclusion.Utilizing a new Final Crisis Series mechanic you may accelerate the crisis by breaching zones (escalation tension final crisis) that yield bonus political capital. However beware as the first person to breach the final crisis zone gains political advantage yet loses victory point ground. Each game ends with a Final Crisis where cards set-aside during the three rounds complete your final political maneuvers that determine the winner.

Article 27: The United Nations Security Council Game gets its title from – yes you guessed it – Article 27 of the United Nations Charter which includes these two provisions:1. Each member of the Security Council shall have one vote. 2. Decisions of the Security Council on procedural matters shall be made by an affirmative vote of nine members.In this negotiation game each player represents one member of the UN Security Council and will both present and be presented with different proposals.In each round one player acts as the UN Secretary General presents a proposal to the Council and presides over a negotiation period that lasts no more than five minutes. The proposal will affect five issues – military currency etc. – in various ways and each player has a secret document for the round that tells him how a change in each issue will affect him. All players openly negotiate on what they need in terms of points and bribes in order to vote for that proposal.After at most five minutes the Secretary General closes negotiations by banging his wooden gavel then players vote yes or no on the proposal. Any no vote kills the proposal as in the United Nation's actual Security Council – but vetoing a proposal costs a player points so he might prefer to look for deals that will enable him to say yes. The Secretary General scores a bonus when his proposal succeeds so he and others who will benefit might be willing to negotiate to make the proposal sweet for all.After each player has served as Secretary General once (twice in a three-player game) each player scores based on bribe money on hand points scored from proposal cards and how well the player fulfilled the secret agenda card he received at the start of the game.

“If I have any worth it is to live my life for God so as to teach these peoples.” - St. PatrickLegend has it that St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland. True there are no snakes anywhere on the island- but there have been none since before the last Ice Age! The legend is actually an allegory about his successes in converting Ireland to Christianity.Banish the Snakes is a cooperative game that simulates Ireland in the 5th century while the Roman Empire was collapsing in the west and Ireland was turning to the Christian religion. Players represent Saints- Patrick and others (up to six of you) who set out to convert the pagans on the island. You must work as a team to convert the people of Ireland before the barbarians completely overwhelm Britain- if you fail the Irish will not be able to save Civilization in the following centuries!The game board shows a map of Ireland in the 5th century with four Provinces-the same as today- but no counties yet. Wooden tiles represent the People Druids Chiefs and Kings and of course the High King at Tara. It is your job to break into the interrelated influences between these groups of people and get your new ideas accepted.Each turn a card is drawn throwing new challenges at your team. The severity of the event is determined by the previous card and so no two games can ever play the same. The cards introduce events and ideas of the time new saints and historic figures- like Neil of the Nine Hostages.There is a diagram of Great Britain to keep track of the steady decline of Roman civilization in Great Britain. As different parts of Britain succumb to the barbarians more and more difficult challenges are added to the deck until finally Britain is completely overwhelmed cutting off Ireland from the continent and ending the game.If you succeed in your endeavor Christianity will thrive in Ireland while paganism overruns Western Europe. The arts writing literature and history will flourish on the Emerald Isle! Soon Irish missionaries will bring these civilizing attributes back to Great Britain and mainland Europe- as Thomas Cahill says in his book the Irish will save Civilization.But if you fail…—description from the publisher

Become the new emperor of Rome in this strategic worker placement game set in 44 BC Rome. Each turn you will build structures in different provinces assigned to you through a rotating board. Balance war politics trade and religion while scheming against your rival players.In Age of Rome each player is assigned a hero with their respective player board then are given secret quests and starting resources of Denarii Followers Scheme tokens Legions and Votes. Then they spend nine rounds competing on a rotating board to earn Glory points.Each round consists of four phases: 1) Scheme phase: An Event card is revealed and turn order is determined; players activate Schemes in turn order. 2) Building phase: Players build structures in turn order. 3) Action phase: Players take actions by placing Followers in turn order. 4) Income phase: Players receive Income and the Provinces board is adjusted.Players can earn Glory points in various ways. They may build structures place Followers to vote and win a majority send Legions to conquer regions trade or collect items or even build a Pantheon. Completed secret quests also earn Glory points. After the 9th round the game ends. The final score is determined and the player with the most Glory points is declared the new Emperor of Rome.

The MAGNATES: A Game of Power a.k.a. Boże Igrzysko: MAGNACI presents the history of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from its heyday during the Union of Lublin (XVI century) until the collapse of the state (XVIII century). Players take on the roles of the magnates who seek to develop the power of their families in the favorable time: the peak of the Polish and Lithuanian Union.Each player has a deck of cards that depicts celebrities of his family. Some of them are capable of great deeds and some will spoil any project with which they are entrusted — but with a good player's decisions even those small souls could do a lot for his family.During the game players manage the deck of their characters to achieve in competition with others as much as possible on each of the planes of life of the Republic. The fate of the country results from the sum of the activities of the most powerful aristocratic families. If the players fall into a mutual fight for titles and advantages the Republic will fall under the pressure of neighboring powers.This game for 2-5 players with a game time not exceeding 90 minutes reimplements Martin Wallace's Boże Igrzysko from 2010 using the same principal title in Polish edition under an agreement with the author.From the back of the game box:The MAGNATES: A Game of Power is a strategic board game for 2-5 players which is fast and full of historical atmosphere and rich interactions. It takes you into the world of aristocratic intrigues and struggles for power which tore the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from its heyday during the Union of Lublin until the Targowica Confederation and the fall of the Polish-Lithuanian state.Players take on the roles of magnates who seek to develop their own family's power in a moment favorable to fortune: the prime of the Union of Poland and Lithuania. The most eminent families fight for prestige and landed estates: the Lubomirski the Potocki the Radziwiłł the Sapieha and the Zamoyski.Each player has a deck of cards depicting well-known personages from a given family. Some of these characters are outstanding people capable of great deeds. But there are also less useful people able to spoil any undertaking entrusted them... unless thanks to the player's decisions even those lesser ones will do much for the family.During the game players will manage their deck of characters so that in competition with others they can achieve as much as possible on each of the planes of life of the Commonwealth. Players will clash during the creation of the state's internal policy as well as in response to external threats and opportunities arising from the international situation. And so as it happened in reality the fate of the country will be the result of the sum of actions of the most powerful aristocratic families. If the players lose themselves in a mutual fight for titles and advantage the Commonwealth will collapse under the pressure of the neighboring powers.In MAGNATES players will face many dilemmas. The most prominent members of the family will ensure beneficial rights in the Sejm and prestigious positions in the Senate. Moreover they comply with the Monarch's will easily and thanks to them the family will gain estates and power. But how will a player handle the remaining challenges? Who will undertake an expedition to Livonia? Will the troops protecting the country against enemy invasion in the absence of other candidates be again led by incompetents (like peryna latyna and dytyna”)? Will there be enough determination to hasten to the relief of Vienna? Will the players succeed in saving the Homeland from partitioning?Is your Family ready for a Game of Power?

Fief is a game of strategic conquest and diplomacy that simulates a military economic and political fight between several lords in the Middle Ages – with players being those lords and representing noble families that want to have the most powerful kingdom in the land.Fief is played in a fictional kingdom in the Middle Ages with the villages connected by roads and each village belonging to both a fief and a bishopric. Each player starts with a lord a castle and some troops in one of the villages.At the end of each round check to see whether one or more players have won with shared wins being possible through alliances created by marriage. Winning solo is tough so players need to negotiate make deals and form alliances. To do this players use their three embassy pawns; by spending a pawn a player can have a three-minute-long private conversation with one or more other players to make whatever deals they wish. You have only three pawns so plan well for these talks!Players draw cards each round: character cards that can bring new lords into play and event cards such as good harvests good weather and taxes. They pay the costs to play cards with some cards being playable at any time to upset current events with a surprise assassination or underground invasion. Players then receive income with which they can buy troops and buildings and move lords and troops among villages with troops never being able to travel without a lord. If troops from more than one player end up in the same village they battle until one side is eliminated or forced to flee.If a player controls all villages in a fief and has at least one castle there he can purchase the title of the fief and assign it to a lord with the title being passed to an heir if the lord subsequently dies. Players also try to secure the titles of king and pope which provide benefits of their own as well as points. Each title of fief king or pope is worth a point and the first player to collect three points wins. Two players win if they are allied and have a total of four points.The 2011 version of Fief has vastly revised rules with new materials and set-ups for shorter game play in addition to the long game.

You are a mapmaker which means you make maps… and determine who wins elections.You belong to a political party: Red Elephants Blue Donkeys Yellow Porcupines or Green Leaves. Your only job? Make sure your party wins the next election. You get to redraw the districts. But so do the other mapmakers.Everyone starts with the same number of voters spread across counties. Players each place four district borders per turn. When a district gets closed off whoever has the most voters inside claims it. At the end of the game the entire board will be sectioned into districts. The party with the most districts wins. If there’s a tie the party with the most swing counties wins.You must scramble to draw the best lines first. Can you crack and pack voters? Can you scheme and strategize? Can you create unfair lopsided strangely shaped districts that will guarantee your party’s victory? Mapmaker: The Gerrymandering Game is fast to learn and fast to play. It’s full of surprises maneuvers and outmaneuvers. It’s a hands-on way to try out gerrymandering yourself.-description from designer

People Power: Insurgency in the Philippines 1983-1986 is volume XI of the highly-praised and popular COIN Series originally designed by Volko Ruhnke. This is one of only two games in the COIN series that feature three separate factions instead of the customary four.The first faction is the Government symbolized by the personal rule of Ferdinand Marcos his wife Imelda and his political cronies and military forces. Second are the Insurgents represented by the New People’s Army (or NPA). The NPA sought a national uprising from both the urban and rural populace. Finally the third faction are the non-violent Reformers embodied by Aquino’s widow Corazon. She along with her allies and supporters in that moment of tragedy revived a platform of social justice and unrelenting momentum that would irrevocably change the Philippine political landscape immeasurably.For players new to the COIN Series or for those looking to teach the the series to their friends People Power will serve as an excellent introductory game. It was designed for simplicity and quick play utilizing many of the basic COIN Series mechanics. The 22 x 17 map aids in introducing the game to a new player as it presents only two types of terrain - Cities and Countrysides (where the latter amalgamates the rural settings of the island nation as well as much lightly-habitable terrain of jungles and mountains). Don't let the fast play and basic systems fool you though. There are still plenty of strategic puzzles and inter-player backstabbing to be had! Also People Power includes a new feature for the COIN Series - a Key Personality mini-hand procedure that represents the effectiveness of various generals and power brokers adding a new dimension to player actions and decisions.

Set in a post-apocalyptic sci-fi setting Fallen Land: A Post Apocalyptic Board Game is a hybrid game that combines the elements of a strategy board game with card building and role-playing. It is driven by macabre stories of a world gone mad and features adventure politics and economics to deliver an unlimited sandbox experience. Each game the variables change: cards player interactions stories strategies and threats. While the game has a strong pulp influence its roots stem from Cold War studies. We have expanded upon this research to arrive at our game’s premise: What would happen after a nuclear and biological apocalypse?Our answer is Fallen Land. As a player you are the leader of a unique faction of survivors competing for primacy in the ruinous aftermath of post-apocalyptic America. You must manage and enhance your town protect your citizens and secure resources. You will also have to make and break treaties to endure amidst a myriad of bribery and betrayal by the other players. But that is just where the adventure begins! You must also direct your agents (a party of characters) to explore the rugged landscape establish your territory and solidify your agenda.Game play is comprised of Turns. Each represents one month and is divided into Phases and Sub-Phases. The First Player resolves each Phase and Sub-Phase followed clockwise by the other players before proceeding to the next Phase or Sub-Phase. A Turn is over when all players have had the opportunity to act or pass on each Phase.I. Effects Phase * 1.) Resolve.II. Town Business Phase * 1.) Deal. 2.) Resource Production. 3.) Auction House. 4.) Roll 1d10 on Town Events Chart. 5.) Financial period. ~Sell. ~Purchase. ~Hire (NPCMs).III. Party Exploits Phase * 1.) NPCMs move. 2.) Choose Party Exploits (4 weeks to spend). ~Movement spend 1 week. ~Encounter spend 1 week. ~PVP spend 1 week. ~Resource spend 2 weeks. ~Healing spend 2 weeks. ~Mission spend 3 weeks.IV. End Turn Phase * 1.) Adjust Turn Marker. 2.) Pass the First Player Sheet.A player's town is simulated by a Town Play Mat. Players organize their owned Resources inventory Party Characters excess Characters and movement bonuses here. In addition Town Play Mats can be upgraded three different ways: Town Defense Chips Town Technologies and Action Cards. The first two upgrades are available for purchase during the Town Business Phase. However Action Cards are dealt at the beginning of each Turn and are also drawn as a reward.There are seven decks of cards. These are drawn and played throughout the game. Some are stories such as Encounter and Mission Cards Characters are a Faction's agents and Spoils are equipment/vehicle/gear. Lastly Action Cards modify the story and/or game play.To win one of two Victory Conditions is necessary either 20 Prestige or 80 Town Health. Prestige represents your reputation as a leader while Town Health represents your town’s prosperity and number of its citizens. Both conditions are marked on their respective Victory Tracks bordering the map.Adventure and intrigue await! We hope you have the opportunity to play Fallen Land and that you enjoy playing it as much as we have enjoyed creating it for you.

Tactical area control meets fantasy adventure in this card-driven cooperative game of animals against machines from the designer of PARKS and the creator of Bloc by Bloc. Play as one of four unique factions and assemble your crew of defenders from a wide range of animal characters to resist the machines across a modular map that changes with each game.War has come to the Wild. For millennia animals have weathered shifting alliances and the cycle of hundred-year seasons—but they’ve never faced an enemy like this. An army of machines powered by corrupted magic is rampaging across the Commonwood enclosing everything in its path and exploiting the warmth of the world. Across the marshes plains mountains and forests scrappy crews of defenders rise up to resist the machine occupation. The partisans hail from four factions each determined to fight back in their own way: the Council with its fortitude and bread the Order with its wisdom of the flame the Sect with its ingenious inventions and the Coven with its spells and subterfuge.Players are organizers of the animal resistance who have converged on a dangerous flashpoint in the war against the machines. Construction has begun on a new machine core and sprawling factory complex where an animal village once stood. Engines are building walls that enclose habitat after habitat while mechs guard expanding factories and toxic pollution spreads. Organizers must cooperate with each other despite longstanding factional disagreements and help their network of fellow defenders take actions in the right locations and at the right times in order to win this crucial battle. Clear pollution fight mechs breach walls build camps and rewild factories before the machines complete construction of the core and conquer this region of the Commonwood.Can the Defenders band together to heal the land and outsmart a seemingly impossible enemy? Or will the Commonwood succumb to an endless industrial winter? It’s up to you and your comrades to decide.—description from the designer

Following Inis Galactic Renaissance is the second installment of the Political Trilogy by designer Christian Martinez and publisher Matagot.Throughout Galactic Renaissance you build your team adding new specialists — each one unique — to the core in your deck of cards. With this team you discover new planets and systems reconnect with lost civilizations expand your influence build embassies and sow disorder in opposing factions — all in an effort to score victory points faster than your opponents. Sending emissaries to new planets for example allows you to discover new civilizations or cement relationships on known planets. Opponents may try to convince a planet to join them instead with their own emissaries causing disorder in the process.

Bloc by Bloc: The Insurrection Game is a semi-cooperative tabletop game inspired by 21st century protest movements riots and popular uprisings. Each player controls a faction of revolutionaries—Workers Students Neighbors or Prisoners—fighting against the State in the streets of a city that change with each game. Build barricades clash with riot cops occupy districts loot shopping centers and liberate the city before time runs out and the military arrives! Bloc by Bloc features hidden agendas deep strategy area control asymmetrical player abilities and a special method for randomly generating billions of unique city layouts. Bloc by Bloc 2nd edition features brand new art streamlined gameplay improved components and new objectives for the insurrection!The game lasts up to 10 rounds. Each round is 1 night and each night has 2 phases. During the Nighttime phase each player takes a turn: 3-5 actions followed by a police response that is controlled by the Police Ops deck and the level of Police Morale. Each player starts with 2 blocs in the city and can add more throughout the game. On a player's turn they roll dice and take one action (such as looting occupying attacking or barricading) for each die rolled with 1+ of their blocs. Players may use loot cards to enhance their actions. After all factions have taken their turns the Sunrise phase begins which is when police go on the attack and factions have a chance to liberate districts.The police and the State are the common enemies of all factions. Factions must build occupations in all of their own districts for the social insurrection to be successful. However each faction also has its own secret agenda with a set of specific tasks that faction must complete in order to win the game. The majority of factions will have Social Agendas and they must cooperate to win the game together. But some factions may have Vanguardist or Nihilist Agendas that secretly pit them against the social insurrection. These factions can only win the game alone!

In Chicken Caesar players represent aristocratic ancient Roman chicken families trying to create a legacy for their family name. Each family has several eligible roosters eager to jump into the world of politics getting rich and creating a legacy by any means necessary.Roosters gain renown for their families by occupying various political offices. Low-ranking officers don't yield much fame but they hold both the purse strings and the power of the sword. A few roosters in the lower offices of Aedile and Praetor together with the votes of a few well-paid (and temporary) allies can clear a path to the luxury and recognition that come with the titles of Censor Consul and even Caesar.Being Caesar isn't easy though: fail to bribe and bargain to ensure the welfare of the whole coop and today's Caesar is tomorrow's Coq au Vin. Dead roosters don't earn any more points but they do offer opportunities for their surviving relatives to exaggerate their accomplishments. All that matters in the end is history's judgment and history can be rewritten.Mechanically players gain and maintain areas of influence through negotiation and voting. The game features a Suffragium marker that players pass after voting to either promote a Rooster to a higher office or throw him to the fox. Players can also strategically demand bribes for their votes or even refuse to vote (pass) to gain a later advantage.Murder betrayal votes for cash fragile alliances and bloody vendettas will separate the legendary families from the forgotten ones in the struggle to become – and remain – Chicken Caesar!

In 1837 Queen Victoria begins her long reign over the United Kingdom a country split between Liberals and Conservatives. Liberals strive for social progress including repeal of the Corn Laws to help feed the working classes expansion of the electorate to create a real democracy and Home Rule for Ireland. Conservatives want to slow the pace of change while advancing their own agenda to maintain order protect traditional values and secure the Empire. Her Majesty occasionally interferes in politics but it’s the Prime Minister who really governs the country and sets the political agenda. Ten different Prime Ministers served during Victoria’s reign with varying degrees of success. Now it’s your turn to experience Victorian political life taking on the role of a historical politician. Will you make your mark as a Backbencher? Stir up trouble as a wily Opposition Leader? Or successfully govern the world’s greatest empire as Prime Minister?In Prime Minister 1 to 4 players vie for political power and prestige by campaigning for public support selecting and debating bills pursuing official appointments recruiting influential Victorians as supporters garnering favor with the Queen and when the time is right challenging other players for their leadership roles. Gameplay is partly cooperative with shifting alliances but only one player can win by holding the Prime Minister’s seat at the game’s end.In addition to the standard multiplayer game Prime Minister includes a dozen scenarios of varying length and a “Clockwork system featuring automated opponents for solitaire play.-description from publisher

Conquest and Consequence brings the Triumph & Tragedy system to the Pacific/East Asia theater during the same 1936-1945 time period. Like T&T it is designed for three players maintaining the three-sided dynamic that adds so much variety and intrigue to the system. Those three sides are:The game begins in 1936 with the Militarists in control of Japan and expansion on the agenda. Its [war] industry is well-developed but it is weak in population and particularly resources. Its battle-hardened army has easily overrun resource-rich Manchuria and a weak China awaits. Japan (like Germany in T&T) has the early initiative due to its well-prepared military. Will it:Japanese aggression in China will likely irritate the sleeping giant that is the USA but it is far away across the wide Pacific and Japan has special naval abilities that allow it to compete at sea.The game combines the Pacific naval war and the land war in Asia (including the Chinese Civil War) both equally weighing upon victory. The naval war is dramatic featuring short decisive battles and expanded roles for airpower and island bases. In the tradition of Triumph & Tragedy the three-sided aspect features negotiation diplomacy and subterfuge within a multitude of strategic possibilities. Like T&T the game allows players freedom to diverge from the inclinations and policies of the historical actors and plays in 4-6 hours of constant tension and involvement.—description from the publisher

- Aroha Thompson Red Dust spokesperson and Mining Union organizer.Red Dust Rebellion is volume XII of GMT's acclaimed COIN Series and tells the story of the Martian revolts of the 2250s and the rise of Martian nationalism.—description from the publisher

Not designed as a detailed simulation this fun and challenging game illustrates the general strategic course of the 1982 Falklands War between Britain and Argentina and highlights important historical themes.It is two games in one: a naval/air game (whose mechanics are based on the author's Don't Tread On Me system but using ships and aircraft instead of armies!) in which the British Player fights against the game system's Argentine A.I. to establish control of the skies; and a ground game (modeled after the game system featured in the author's Mound Builders and The First Jihad) in which the British Player takes advantage of his air superiority to fight and 'yomp' his ground troops across East Falkland to final victory -- or defeat -- in the hills around Stanley.The game features all the historical chrome for which this design team is so well known including Exocet missiles Falkland Islander civilian resistance diplomatic shuttles covert Soviet aid SAS guerilla missions Chilean intervention US assistance the Gurkhas helicopters ace pilots and even the Pope!

The Barracks Emperors is a strategy card game set against the backdrop of the Roman Crisis of the Third Century during which at least 45 different men made a claim to the throne of the Roman Empire. In this game 1-4 players represent prominent political factions attempting to gain control over the men who would be Emperors of Rome. Players deploy the influence available to them (represented by the cards in their hands) to claim imperial reigns (represented by the historical Emperor cards arrayed on the board.) But they must be very careful because politics is a complex game and sometimes attempting to exert your influence necessitates aiding someone else in their own plots. Play your cards cleverly to capture Emperors and score the most points to win.At its heart The Barracks Emperors is a trick-taking game but not one like you’ve ever seen before. In this innovative design all 13 tricks are available for play simultaneously in an interlocking grid that forces you to balance the value of every card you play against the value that same card may have for another player on a different trick. Plus every card grants you an additional special ability that you might be able to use to spring a surprise on your unwitting opponents.Features: Historical emperors co-emperors pretenders and even Gallic Emperors who broke away from Rome during the Crisis of the Third Century are all represented as individual cards in the game each with interesting facts about the rise and demise of the man depicted.For fans of Time of Crisis: The Roman Empire in Turmoil 235-284 AD and Time of Crisis: The Age of Iron and Rust you will find some of the concepts and flavor from that deck-building wargame adapted in this all new standalone game. You don’t need Time of Crisis to play The Barracks Emperors but you’ll recognize Influence Cards such as Praetorian Guard Foederati and Pretender now used in an entirely new way.An innovative card drafting mechanic adds an extra layer of strategy to how you play your cards while also mitigating the luck that would come with being dealt a full hand of cards at the start of each round.This game is designed for 4 players but also includes options for 2 or 3 players plus an easy-to-play solitaire adaptation for the solo player.

It is the year of Vespasian and Titus - the sixth such ordinary consulship that Titus shared with his Imperial father. The civil war of a decade ago is but a memory and the Flavians have restored peace and order to all corners of the empire save one. The people of Britannia remain fiercely resistant to the will of their Roman masters and the emperor has charged YOU with the seemingly impossible task of bringing them to heel.Agricola Master of Britain is a solitaire game of governance and conquest. To master the delicate political situation you will need the right blend of military force administration bribery and diplomacy. Every action you take matters changing how the native populace feels about you and your rule. But you'll never know exactly who's with you or against you because the game tracks this under the hood or more precisely in the cup.Three chit-pull cups (Friendly Unfriendly and Hostile) represent the allegiances of the units contained within those cups. After each action you take one or more of these units are blindly moved from one cup to another. You'll have a general idea of I'm really cheesing them off or I should have a lot of friendlies available for recruitment but until you pull a chit you won't know who your friends really are or where the next rebellion will spring up. This isn't totally random: certain tribes naturally skew more in one direction or the other and taking actions to stabilize a region after it's been pacified will diminish the chances of revolt there.Building the right armies and taking the right actions at the right time is key to your success. But the Flavians - and particularly the hated Domitian - expect greater and greater results with each campaign season. You'll need to meet and exceed them if you want to duplicate Agricola's achievement.

Set in the titular city in the 16th century Venice lets players take the role of wealthy influential merchants as they ride their gondolas up and down the city's canals train their assistants complete contracts and leverage their influence to gain political power. But business is anything but usual. As they broker contracts and flirt with crime merchants must avoid arousing the suspicion of the Venetian Inquisition lest they find themselves arrested and their businesses shut down.In the game players move their two gondolas around the board. When they move a gondola they may activate the assistants they have placed previously on any building they pass but they may train (and improve the capabilities of) only the one on which they end their movement. Assistants allow you to gain resources trade make money and take an array of other actions depending on the buildings to which they are assigned. When resources are made they are placed in the gondola and these will be used to fulfill lucrative contracts.Space is limited on the city's canals however and each time you pass another merchant's boat gossip will spread raising your suspicion level with the Inquisition. Lower your suspicion with visits and donations to the church or academic institutions — or throw caution to the wind and engage in unsavory activities for money or information. During the game being such a well-known merchant can be a boon to your political career but at game end the most suspicious player will be made an example of by the Inquisition — blocking your victory even if you have the most points.Includes solo mode by David Turczi and Xavi Bordes—description from the publisher

Europe Divided - a game of an expansionist Europe a resurgent Russia and a new Cold WarThe end of the Cold War ushered in a new age of European expansion. Central and Eastern Europe had emerged from dictatorships and wanted to consolidate their democracies. They sought European integration to ensure they would not fall back into the Russian sphere of influence. Russia — a shell of its former power as the Soviet Union — could do nothing to slow the European expansion. But then things changed. Oil prices increased bolstering Russia's economy. Putin came to power and despite political discontent in Russia his popularity remained strong. In 2008 war broke out between Russia and the NATO-aspirant former Soviet country of Georgia. Russia's resurgence had begun exemplified by the 2014 annexation of Crimea and invasion of eastern Ukraine. In the game you control of one of the two powers: Europe (controlling both NATO and the European Union) or Russia. Europe is powerful and rich but bureaucratic and slow to react. Russia lacks Europe's resources but can respond rapidly. Players score victory points by having dominant influence in contested countries in Central Europe Eastern Europe and the Caucasus. They can also score victory points by bringing key historical events to fruition. Gameplay is rich with history and includes today's potential flashpoints but it features a fast-playing card-driven core mechanism. Players use cards associated with countries they control to establish political and military influence gain financial resources and deploy their military presence. An elegant deck-manipulation mechanism weakens players' decks as they increase their influence creating tension between seeking to expand and overreaching. Will the Velvet Revolution result in the split of the Czech Republic and Slovakia? How will the Bosnian War end? The players will decide the fate of history throughout this period of Europe Divided.

You are the top manager at one of the big oil companies tasked with leading your enterprise into a future without oil. With peak oil looming ahead you try to squeeze the last drops from oil fields around the world to gather the resources to invest into various oil replacement technologies. While you may try to emerge from the coming crisis by regular means your competitors will most probably not forcing you to dirty your hands as well.On your turn in Peak Oil you assign your agents to different action spots on the board. If your agents are in the majority at any given action spot or you decide to send mercenaries to their help they squelch the competition there and allow you to take the linked action. Actions include developing and harvesting oil fields building pipelines hiring new agents buying new ship contracts investing in oil replacement technologies conducting PR campaigns engaging in piracy and manipulating public opinion and oil prices.After some time the oil — represented by a set number of small barrels you draw from a bag when developing new oil fields — will run out. This is called peak oil and marks the end of the game. Players tally the value of the technologies in which they invested and promoted during the game. Whoever shaped the future best (i.e. gained favor for their company) wins.

From empty crossroads to the first signs of a settlement The Walled City is coming to life! Your job is to expand this new city settling citizens loyal to you alone as both you and your worthy opponents vie to be declared the first mayor.Learning to play The Walled City: Londonderry & Borderlands is easy but the strategies are endless! In the first round you will play cards to build roads that divide the city into neighborhoods then populate them with loyal peasants and nobles who share your view of this new city. In the second round you will build the walls themselves and choose which nobles will move into the towers to stand guard over the city as Watchmen. Beware unfinished roads will combine neighborhoods and gaps in the walls will cause Nobles to flee the city. Scoring is based on area majority: more neighborhoods loyal to you means more votes towards securing your seat on the city council. If you become Mayor what will your walled city look like?There's more to The Walled City than you might have noticed! Inside this box you'll find two complete games each with its own flavor. Londonderry introduces players to the famous original Guilds of London each with its own unique power. Just turn the game board over and you'll visit the Borderlands a completely new map featuring new game mechanics and an extended selection of Guilds. You can even mix Guild cards between maps! This unique quality leads to uncountable combinations to play with making The Walled City a place you'll want to visit game after game.

Colonialism is a game of 19th Century imperialistic struggle. In this game each player assumes the role of a nondescript colonial power. Players proceed to struggle for influence in the unindustrialized regions of the world and the subsequent resources such influence entails.Each turn is divided into action phases and colonization phases. During action phases players use cards to secretly bid influence in the six regions of the game board. During colonization phases all cards in play are revealed the placement of influence is resolved and conflict occurs.Whenever all native influence is eliminated from a region that region's resources are collected. The amount of resources collected by each player depends on each players' influence in the region. At the end of the game the player who collects the most resources wins.

As the city of Euphoria was being established the struggle for political dominance raged on between the Euphorians and Subterrans. The Icarites had not yet descended upon the city and the Wastelanders were still deciding whether they wanted any part of it.Since it has become clear that the two factions cannot share control it is time for you to pick a side. Choose your faction find your allies banish those who oppose you and ensure your place at the top of the dystopian society to follow. Now it's your chance to Choose a Better Oppressor!Leaders of Euphoria: Choose a Better Oppressor is a social deduction game in the style of Good Cop Bad Cop but set in the world of Euphoria. It takes place earlier in the timeline than Euphoria when the city was young and foolish. Players will have 3 cards in front of them that determine whether they are on the Euphorian or Subterran team that will be investigated throughout the game to figure out who's on their team and who's not.Instead of the equipment cards from Good Cop Bad Cop players now use and give artifacts from the Old World in a new Artifact Phase or as a standard action. In Leaders of Euphoria you can use your turn to Hide one of your Recruit cards which is important because unlike Good Cop Bad Cop you may not use important actions without having a hidden recruit to expose. Also there is no player elimination like there was in GCBC as players who are banished from the city become Wastelanders and have a new victory condition.

Homeworlds is a deep abstract strategy game of perfect information resource management and galactic war. Can you destroy your opponent's Homeworld before their space fleet reaches yours?Originally Homeworlds was played with a full 60 pyramid (“classic icehouse”) game set and could be played with 2–6. The original two players variant rules were called Binary Homeworlds.This new standalone 2 player edition contains 36 pyramids in 4 colors which each provide specific powers in the game (red for attack yellow for movement green for growth and blue for transformation). Using just 36 pyramids Homeworlds is actually a 4X conquest game (Expand Explore Exploit Exterminate).—description from the publisher

The King is dead; long live the Queen! Or vice versa really as in the intriguing game Brutal Kingdom it's hard to tell what everyone is up to and who will have the greatest impact until it all ends. Yes the bishop's poison has been touched but has it been administered to the abbot or is it still waiting to be used? What's happening with the witch? And the executioner is waiting for his next job...At the beginning of a round each player has four character cards in hand. On your turn you play a card in front of you and follow its instructions. With some cards you can carry out actions on your opponent and bring an end to the round's influence — but only if you don't fall victim to your opponent in the process.

Right-wing Army Generals have rebelled against the Spanish Republic aided by Hitler's Germany and Mussolini's Italy! To save Spain three factions - Anarchists Communists and Moderates - must put aside their differences and forge an anti-fascist alliance. But can you trust your allies when your agendas are directly opposed?Every turn the Fascists will launch attacks on the 4 Fronts and one Front will be particularly tested. Players will be rewarded for their teamwork in repelling those Attacks but certain strategic defeats can be even more rewarding.Players choose to play their cards either for the unique Events or add them to their Tableaus building for more powerful turns in the future. Each player has 2 tracks to maximize triggering bonuses and potentially earning Medallions which give immediate boosts or permanent upgrades.Initiative will be held by the faction that controls the Government unless the Anarchist Revolution is even more powerful. At the end of every turn the Initiative player gets to add one of their tokens to the bag of Glory. When each of the 3 years comes to an end tokens will be drawn from the bag to add to the final score. If the war is won by holding 3 out of 4 Fronts for the Republic whichever faction has the most Glory will win the game. If the war against the Fascists is lost… 40 years of dictatorship await with death imprisonment or exile the only choices remaining.-description from designer

Despite earlier attempts Martin Luther started the Reformation in 1517 with his Ninety-Five Theses. Luther criticized the selling of indulgences and stated that the Catholic doctrine of the merits of the saints had no foundation in the gospel. The Protestants soon incorporated doctrinal changes such as Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone) and Sola Fide (faith alone). These changes turned out to be not only theological but also influential in the Reformation in other ways: the rise of nationalism the Western Schism that eroded people's faith in the Papacy the perceived corruption of the Roman Curia the impact of humanism and the new learning of the Renaissance that questioned much of traditional thought. The Roman Catholic church responded with a counter-reformation initiated by the Council of Trent.In the two-player game Sola Fide: The Reformation by the renowned design team of Jason Mathews and Christian Leonhard players attempt to install Reformation in the Holy Roman Empire or try to prevent it battling the Holy Roman Empire's Imperial Circles.

In the twelfth century thanks to the Holy Crusades and to the development of new merchant routes a few cities in Europe had grown so powerful that they had become city-states — called maritime republics — and their influence extended throughout the Mediterranean Sea.In Città-Stato you represent a maritime republic with unique characteristics and you must make it stand out by gaining greater commercial war and political prestige while also striving to develop and maintain Republican values. A great score alone might not be enough to win if you can't preserve the Republican nature!The mechanism at the core of the game is bag building: You can acquire cubes and place them in your bag. Each round you draw several cubes and depending on their number and color they will enable different actions. The game lasts seven rounds and each round players may keep playing actions until everyone has passed. Action cards increase the choices available and players may discover many interesting combos if they have planned well!

It is the time of the 20th century a century of skyrocketing technological development a century of new economic and political relations a century of two World Wars a century of revolutions. For the first time in history the creation of a single world government became possible. You command a subdivision at The Committee — a secret organization working towards becoming that government.During the game you dispatch your network of agents to infiltrate political financial and research institutions. You make treaties with prominent organizations both well-known and secret and carry out covert operations. You head up history-shaping projects including Comintern and Unified Nations. Most importantly you compete with other subdivision heads to become the only puppet master of the world!All you do is shrouded in secrecy. The world knows nothing of you and it will stay that way. Even as you stand at the head of The Committee and become the ruler of the world!Deep State: New World Order is a dystopian game of world domination and global conspiracies. The game takes place over several rounds and in the course of a round players begin with the action phase which is followed by the takeover phase. Those two phases repeat then at the end of the round comes the treaty phase.During the action phase each player performs one action the most important of which is to send your agents to infiltrate political financial and research institutions represented by objective cards in the Infiltration Zone. You must race for objective cards as other players can send more agents to intercept the card they need. Players can also advance toward World Domination projects including Comintern Unified Nations Spyware and Deep State itself which gives players tangible advantages in the game. They may also choose to carry out covert operations that provide a lot of influence while requiring the sacrifice of agents.During the takeover phase players take their captured cards and return some of their agents from them.The treaty phase begins when all objective cards in the Infiltration Zone have been captured. Each player can then make one treaty that gets them working with mighty organizations some known the world over while others hide in secret.At the end of the game players calculate their influence (victory points) that are generated by their objective cards by participation in global projects and by their treaty cards. Many cards interact with each other generating even more influence. The player with the most influence wins the game becoming master of the world we know.

Who do you trust? If you sit on the Iron Throne the wisest answer is no one.Game of Thrones: Oathbreaker is a game of deception and social deduction. One player assumes the role of King (or Queen) while the others represent the great Lords and Ladies of the Houses of Westeros. Some are loyalists who want order in the realm others are conspirators who seek to undermine the throne and all of them have a secret agenda of their own. Who is truly loyal and who is simply hungry for power honor and coin? It's up to the King to figure it out before it's too late.In more detail the game lasts seven rounds. In each round players reveal a number of mission cards each of which has an associated influence type: crowns ravens or swords. Each noble plays influence cards face down to one or more missions and places their House Sigil at the mission where they played the most cards. Then each mission is resolved by shuffling the influence cards there and tallying up successes and failures. If a mission succeeds Order is generated; otherwise Chaos is generated. Nobles earn rewards (coin honor power) based on whether the mission with their House Sigil succeeded or failed.The King can play decree cards during the game to grant favor to nobles who seem loyal or cast suspicion on suspected conspirators. Decree cards award Order if the King was correct and Chaos if the King was wrong.At the end of the game if Order exceeds Chaos the King wins and any loyalists who achieved their personal ambitions win. If Chaos has the edge then any conspirators who achieved their personal ambitions win.

Kingmaker: The Royal Re-Launch depicts the period of English history in the 15th century that became known as the Wars of the Roses. It is based on the premise that the powerful noble families used the Lancastrian and Yorkist royalty as pawns in a greater game for the control of the kingdom. Players manoeuvre Noble pieces representing the leaders of 24 major families in England and Wales in order to gain control over a Royal piece of their own while also eliminating rival Royal pieces and weakening their opponents. It is a game of political and military action and the ability to react to unforeseen events. You win by a combination of military political and diplomatic skills.There are four games in Kingmaker: The Royal Re-Launch:As a player you control a Faction consisting of one or more Nobles. Each Noble piece you play on the board has a corresponding Noble card which you display in your Faction space on the table. You can strengthen your Nobles with Titles Offices and other cards such as Bishops Mercenaries and Ships.At the beginning of your turn you draw a card from the Event deck and all players follow its instructions. During your turn you may move your Noble pieces fight battles and conduct sieges. You may also have the opportunity to call Parliament to gain the benefit of additional Titles and Offices and perhaps the chance to crown a new King. At the end of your turn you draw from the Crown deck which may enable you to add a new Noble to your Faction or increase the power of a Noble already in play.

In Europe in the age of Ancien Regime in 7 Empires 2-6 players compete for political and military dominance. They gain and lose shifting control over seven old empires some of them more powerful than others: Great Britain Kingdom of France Kingdom of Prussia Russian Empire Habsburg Empire Ottoman Empire and Kingdom of Spain. Try to build up your influence on the most powerful Empires and let them fight with frigates ships of the line infantry and artillery all to your personal favor!—description from the designer

Take on the role of small kings local chieftains and wealthy peasants who have been invited by the first Christian king of Sweden to participate in his nationbuilding. He has participated in the Danelaw and saw how the Brits created a strong centralized kingdom and the role currency played in that. He wants to do the same but he can't do it without the help of the local movers and shakers: you.This would severely limit your strength but perhaps you would be stronger united. Perhaps you didn't have much strength to begin with and this is your opportunity to carve a place for your family in the new kingdom of the Swedes. Perhaps you can just marry your way into power and secure your future that way.Either way the world is changing. The end of the Viking age is here and you better not get left behind.—description from the publisher

As the Second World War raged across Europe tensions brewed within the seemingly monolithic German war machine. Hitler like dictators before him had given his minions overlapping responsibility so that they would plot against each other and keep him the arbiter. Germany’s military leadership worked well enough as Germany’s armies advanced in conquest after conquest. But Hitler's no retreat order in the difficult winter of 1941-1942 was a turning point in the way the war was run. All decisions now had to be approved from the top—a flagrant reversal of the German military tradition of setting objectives and giving subordinates freedom in how to attain them. As victory in the battle for Europe eluded the German generals and final defeat loomed their competing agendas came ever more to the fore. Contravening their overseer military leaders looked to a settlement with the Allies and in a few cases the end of the regime.The Other Side of the Hill is a boardgame that simulates the effects that this struggle for power within the German High Command had on the development of the Second World War. Up to four players represent military leaders cooperating and competing as they manage Germany's wartime strategy. To win they must vie for Prestige by advancing the careers of their favored Army and Army Group commanders grabbing their share of victories while the early-war pickings are easy then avoiding responsibility for battlefield disasters as the Soviets and the Western Allies solidify and push back.Players will pursue hidden objectives to dominate the German Officer Corps on behalf of Interest Groups such as the technically-minded Professionals a traditionalist Old Guard or anti-Nazi Dissidents—all while Allied aircraft bombard Germany’s war industry and Allied armies press in on every front. As in history players must reconcile contradictory roles. The German General Staff’s job is to hold the Allies off but each clique’s priorities can subvert any collective strategy. And beware: a player may in secret be sabotaging the war effort!The Other Side of the Hill offers competition for two three or four players as well as fully cooperative semi-cooperative and solitaire modes. Playing cards include intriguing historical details on World War Two’s real-life German Generals strategic Directives wartime Events and personalities of the “Black Orchestra” plot to assassinate Hitler. Experience the European Theater of WWII as you have never gamed it before—from The Other Side of the Hill!Game modes • Competitive: One player will win even if Germany falls before it historically did. • Cooperative: Players win or lose together. • Solo: You make all the decisions. • Semi-Cooperative: If Germany falls before the historical date everyone loses. Otherwise one player wins. • Campaign Mode: You can play the full campaign in successive shorter and more manageable gaming sessions.Scenarios and Playtime •The Triumph of Blitzkrieg (1939-1941): 3-4 hours •The World Holds its Breath (1941-1942): 3-4 hours •Point of No Return (1942-1943): 3-4 hours •Festung Europa (1943-1944): 3-4 hours •The Decline of the 3rd Reich(1943-1945): 4-5 hours. •Total War (1942-1945): 5-6 hours •World War (1941-1945): 8-10 hours •Armageddon (1939-1945): 10-15 hours¡You can play this game also in Vassal and TTS!—description from the publisher

This Guilty Land is a game about the political struggle over slavery in the United States in the decades prior to the American Civil War. The two players each represent an abstract idea - Justice and Oppression - while a third non-player faction Compromise both helps and hinders them while seeking insidiously to maintain the untenable and abhorrent status quo.This is a card-driven game but it's a rather atypical variation on that form. An Events Display contains cards belonging to both players and is public information. Cards played from the Events Display have effects depending on the type of card and many cards can be placed into a player's Reserve where they can be used throughout the game to take other sorts of actions. The size of one's Reserve is limited to the player's Organizational Capacity. This Capacity can be increased over the course of the game and also influences the strength of a player's actions the minimum number of their cards drawn into the Display and victory point opportunities.The game is asymmetrical in that each player's mix of cards within the deck either play to their strengths or emphasize their weaknesses. Like many of Ms. Holland's games it is about deadlock with each side countering the other until one of them blinks. Advantages multiply over time and a single mistake might make your position irrecoverable. Tempo and momentum are terribly important because at its heart this is a racing game.Both players score victory points for passing laws and forming political parties and Justice scores victory points for growing support for their cause. Assuming neither player wins an instant victory by dominating the laws or reducing their opponents support to zero the game ends when either the supply of victory points or the deck of cards is exhausted and the player with the highest score wins.When the game ends the American Civil War begins: the game's argument is that the Civil War was both inevitable and necessary and through its mechanisms the game seeks to illustrate why that is the case while still providing a deep and engaging play experience.-description from publisher

In Futuropia Friedemann Friese's big utopian economic game for 1-4 optimizers players live in a future Utopian society that possesses desirable lifestyle qualities for all of its citizens. Too bad this is not today's reality...In this Utopian society we all will work much less. Our robots can do nearly everything already. There is no need for great envy. It is simply about equality justice and the fair allocation of the complete and still necessary work which then gives us ALL more leisure time.Success means we will have time for the activities we like the most: fishing farming fencing flying ... as well as gaming building painting traveling composing and more. If somebody wants to work more than needed they should do that. This is about the freedom! So let us rethink this: joblessness is not a disgrace it is the new goal!We are members of a team striving to realize this utopian ideal. We try to develop completely self-sustaining homes that function as efficiently as possible. They must generate enough food and energy to allow the residents the greatest possible freedom (thus leisure time). The more people in our development who no longer need to work the closer we are to reaching our goal! The player who builds the best development will win the game and their development will become reality!Futuropia is a luck-free economic game. To ensure you always encounter new challenges we offer multiple game set-up variations which create a variety of gameplay situations ensuring new experiences and replayability. The solo game offers you an option to learn the mechanisms and processes of Futuropia before you play it with other players. See our hopeful future in...Futuropia!

DRCongo explores a hopeful hypothesis that if enlightened industrialists worked to develop the economy of this mighty country then it would escape the clutches of a crippling insurgency.Players build industries and expand a transport network of river rail and roads. Oil minerals and crops are produced and if sold via the Atlantic port of Matadi players reap rich rewards. Players develop their own cities and hydroelectricity can be sold to these.The game is built in four game layers with layer two introducing insurgents and peacekeepers layer three the Government and layer four strategic interventions by other countries.The game is played on a map showing the eleven provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and their capital towns. Transport routes are shown and include the major rivers and railways and export routes. In a turn a player may carry out one of five actions: build industry place transport develop city produce resources or sell resources. A neat and tidy economic game is made complicated by the presence of insurgents at game start and these are suppressed and eliminated by use of players peacekeepers. This is a typical Ragnar Brothers dice combat system—simple but bringing tension and fun to proceedings.

Dateline: Germany 1933 Jan. 30: Hindenburg names Hitler Chancellor. Feb. 27: The burning of the Reichstag. Hitler blames his political opponents and enacts repressive laws. Mar. 5: The Nazi Party wins the Federal elections amid a climate of fear and intimidation. From this point on with a precise and constant rhythm Hitler dismantles all of the democratic institutions of the fragile Weimar Republic and inaugurates a reign of terror gradually establishing a ruthless and violent dictatorial regime.The above is history but what would have happened if instead of bringing Europe into a maelstrom of war the infamous Austrian corporal had abandoned his plan of global domination and taken the path of peace? Would World War II still have broken out? Or would the Nazi hierarchy and German industry still have pushed the Führer to war with Poland? What would the dream of a Greater Germany have been without Austria Czechoslovakia and the other German territorial claims? Would the Western plutocrats or the Soviet colossus have fought the fascist dictatorship anyway and nevertheless inexorably triggered global conflict?Democracy under Siege is an interactive simulation enabling you to explore all such questions. A card-driven strategy game it reproduces the geopolitical conflicts and political struggles that led to the Second World War. The game covers the period 1933-1940 and is designed for two or three players. Each takes the role of one of the three ideologies — Democracy Nazism and Communism — that struggled for power during the timeline of the game. (When played by two players the two Ideologies exclusively under player control are Democracy and Nazism while control of Communism alternates between the two players from turn to turn according to specific rules.)Each game turn represents one year and is divided into three or four rounds. Players choose one political action and one event per round and attempt to perform the political action by rolling a die and applying some modifiers. They can affect the outcomes of their attempts by expending the ideology's political prestige. Events are activated immediately before the political actions are attempted; no die roll is required. If the political action succeeds the card effects are applied accordingly. In any case even when the attempt is unsuccessful the political action cards played provide a varying number of political points (PP) that can later be expended by the players to perform activities.After political actions players perform their action round with the PP provided by political action cards. Players can influence the political allegiance of minor countries exploit the economic resources belonging either to minor nations or to their controlled powers recruit and activate coup cells to attempt coups d'etat to overthrow a minor country regime send military forces to local conflicts or intervene in a civil war in a minor nation. All of these activities as well as the effects of successful political actions can bring victory points (VP) when the political allegiances of minor countries come under the influence or the control of Ideologies or when territories or nations are conquered.At the end of each round players check the outcomes of coup attempts then proceed to a new round. During the clean-up phase at the end of each turn players perform end-turn checks and calculate the production of military resources (MR) by the exploitation of economic resources claimed on the map. MR are put in the ideologies' force pool and expended to maintain the minor nations allegiances. The remaining MR provide additional VP and can be employed during the subsequent turns to intervene in local conflicts and civil wars.Democracy under Siege offers an accurate and detailed historical context supported by 108 strategy cards. Players exploit historical events and political actions to achieve political supremacy. Wars are simulated by an abstract combat system that allows players to intervene and influence their outcomes. The main concepts reproduced in the game are the ideological struggles among the major powers the race for armaments ahead of World War II and the buildup of a network of diplomatic links with minor nations. All of these elements combine to determine victory.

Reign of Witches is the 2020 Hollandspiele Hollandays Sale promotional freebie game shipped to folks who purchase at least two games during Hollandspiele's annual sale. The subject of this small two-player card game is America's Quasi-War with France viewed through the lens of factional conflict within the Federalist Party. One player assumes the role of the supposedly obnoxious and disliked President John Adams and is opposed by that ten dollar founding father without a father Alexander Hamilton.The players purchase cards from a market play those cards in front of them for influence in three categories - Politics Military and Opinion - and activate those cards for special effects. Political influence comes easier for a veteran intriguer like Hamilton than for the somewhat guileless Adams. Each player has an advantage within their preferred branch of the Military - Navy for Adams and Army for Hamilton. Opinion allows players to wage a war of words usually by discarding enemy cards that have not had their powers activated.Your goal is to best your opponent in at least two of these categories when the Coup of 18 Brumaire brings the Quasi-War to a close. But there's one more wrinkle: your score across these three categories must also best that of the non-player Thomas Jefferson who has been quietly accumulating power and influence while you and your opponent are tearing each other apart. Beat Jefferson and you (or your preferred candidate in Hamilton's case) win the election of 1800. Come up short and Jefferson wins. This historical result is the most likely but with skill and a little luck you can defeat your opponent with enough strength intact to secure ultimate victory.Players must contend with the effects of plague tax rebellions slanderous pamphleteers and events from abroad. From the Haitian Revolution to the Battle of the Nile from George Washington to Napoleon Bonaparte this short little game with a tiny deck captures the chaos and flavor of a fascinating era in American history.—description from the publisher

The hysteria over witches among the people of Salem swept the region like a disease in 1692. As is the case in any tragic event there are those whom will use the circumstances to their advantage. Under the veil of the witch-hunt lie other motivations; power greed revenge and righteousness.AFFLICTION: Salem 1692 is a game set in the hysteria of a witch-hunt. Use your influence to whisper in the ear of the magistrate judge governor or minister to protect some and have others arrested. Salem was a chance to gain property exact revenge and prove one’s righteousness.The characters in the game were actual residents of the Salem region. This is the closest possible simulation of actual events in a game to date.GAMEPLAY: Players will take turns placing a messenger (worker) to select actions. After all workers are placed actions will be resolved in the order they appear on the main board.EXONERATE - Take 2 Accusation Tokens off of any Colonist. FIRST PLAYER TOKEN/PROTECTION - Use a letter from the Governor to prevent one Colonist from being arrested and take the First turn next turn. GAIN INFLUENCE/USE COLONIST ABILITY - Generate Influence and use the abilities of Colonists that you have in your Circle. ARREST - Spend Influence equal to a Colonist's adjusted Reputation to Arrest. SPECTRAL EVIDENCE - Use this token to prevent a Colonist from Generating Influence and using their Colonist ability. ACCUSE - Place accusation tokens to reduce Colonist's Reputations to make them easier to arrest. GAIN/REMOVE FEAR - Gain Fear Tokens or remove a fear token from another player (used to weaken Colonists) BRING COLONIST INTO CIRCLE - Spend Influence equal to a Colonists Base Reputation and bring them into your Circle.Play will cycle between accusing arresting and protecting your interests. Fear provides an alternative way to function when necessary.END GAME: Increase Mather and Mary Spencer Hill are shuffled in with the bottom 6 cards of the Colonist deck. When either of them appears in the play area the game immediately ends.VICTORY CONDITIONS: All players will receive victory points for the Reputation value of each Colonist that have arrested or brought into their circle victory points for the property of those they have had arrested and for the number of influence tokens they have at the end of the game. Each player will also receive points for having specific families arrested or protected depending on the player tile they are given.

In ancient Rome tribunes were highly esteemed individuals elected by the people to represent them politically and militarily. In Tribune players take on the role of a powerful and ambitious patrician family. By applying influence and manipulating controls over the various factions they attempt to pave their way to victory in order to attain the high office of the tribune.In more detail Tribune is a combination of worker placement and set collection. Each round players take turns positioning their followers on the board to collect cards achieve objectives and attempt to take over factions. To gain control of a faction and use its benefits you must play a set of at least two cards from that specific group. You remain in command of that faction until an opponent plays another set of this faction that either contains more cards or has a higher sum of values.As soon as a player meets the required number of objectives on the victory condition card selected at the start of the game (with that card being dependent on the number of players) that player wins the game. Alternatively you can forgo the use of a condition card and play with a point-value option; in this variant the game ends when a player has collected a certain number of faction markers and whoever has the most points at this time — based on the completion of various achievements — wins.This edition of Tribune includes the Tribune: Primus Inter Pares base game and Tribune Expansion while featuring new mechanisms and elements from designer Karl-Heinz Schmiel.

It is 1828 and the time for elections has come around again in this newly-formed democracy we call the United States of America. John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson are the candidates vying for the people's votes. For the first time in history this grand campaign is also fought on the pages of newspapers and in front of an eager public audience. This was an election that found its way into history books with its yet unseen ruthlessness and malevolence. This was America's first smear campaign.In the two-player game Revolution of 1828 you are trying to become the next President of the United States! To reach this lofty goal each player tries to take the election tiles that suit you best and hinder your opponent's campaign. Election tiles allow you to garner the allegiance of electors and use the power of smear campaigns to skew the populace in your favor. If you also use the powerful campaign actions to your advantage and have the press look the other way nothing should stand in your way!Gain the most votes by the end of the game and start your work as America's seventh President!

The White Tribe is a unique SOLITAIRE game with military and political aspects. You play the White government of Rhodesia besieged by a Black guerilla army using your potent armed forces to hold it back while you try to persuade your colonialist voters to compromise and move to a system of Black majority rule. The balance of military and political factors makes for an intriguing and very different sort of game; you'll fight guerillas fight elections and even pass bills with the same level of tension! Advancing generous policy positions to win over African public opinion can endanger you with the European voters you depend on for power. At the same time you have to persuade foreign states that your reforms are moving forward -- they have different visions for Rhodesia than you do and they can bring you down with economic sanctions or military strikes. And looming over you are the unstable Portuguese whose empire in Mozambique is vital to your strategic safety! Your aim is to build a government based on justice and equality while holding off extremists on every side using all your military and political tools.—description from the publisher

Set in the titular city Florence tasks players with elevating the status of their family and navigating the city on the night of a grand Carnevale to set up meetings with the ruling Medici figureheads: Cosimo Giovanni and Contessina.Florence is a Euro-style area control game in which the regions you want to hold change each round as the Medici move around the city attending various functions. Over nine rounds each player dispatches family members to attend parties give gifts brag about their achievements engage in spurious gossip and muscle their way through crowds to get some valuable face-time with the Medici. The chief resource in Florence is time: As the Carnevale moves into full swing and the streets fill with revelers they will become harder to navigate and you will need to be cautious of which actions you ask your various scions to complete.But by ensuring that your family is at the front of each queue and the most talked about (by meeting conditions of various brag cards) you gain valuable points to elevate your family's status. Each Medici is impressed only by a specific approach and as the night goes on they become harder to impress — which scores you more points for increasingly harder objectives should you do so.Florence includes a solo mode by Dávid Turczi.—description from the publisher

Great news! The Supreme Appliance is dead! You've made your mournful public statement (tragic day etc) and now you're ready to hatch your devious plot to steal the newly vacant Supreme Seat and claim Absolute Power for yourself. You only need to outmaneuver your fellow ministers - but they're a heap of low-watt gizmos how hard could that be? Let the machinations begin!Power Vacuum is a 1-5 player trick-taking game with some treacherous twists. The game is played over several rounds and in each round players use tricks to adjust the Power levels of other players to work toward their hidden Agenda cards. Power is gained by winning tricks with the highest number of the led suit but it is also gained lost and exchanged between players through shrewd use of the Control Board which is manipulated by the player of the lowest card of ANY suit. If at the round's end you have fulfilled your Agenda card successfully picking the players with the most and/or least amount of Power you get a large bonus payout. End-of-round points are exchanged for pieces of a great statue you are building to yourself. The first player to complete their statue becomes the next Supreme Appliance!Power Vacuum is not about winning every trick but choosing the right card at the right time to engineer the rise or fall of your opponents in the short term so that you can profit the most in the long term. Additionally each card's suit is visible on the back side reducing the need to count your opponent's cards so you can focus instead on the most cunning move - but watch out for Spies the fifth suit hiding amongst the other four which will trump the trump suit. In this game timing is everything.Power abhors a vacuum - will you plug it?!—description from the publisher

City Hall sees players competing to become Mayor of New York City. They do this by attempting to be the most successful at both bringing people into the city as well as campaigning for the citizens' approval. Whoever best balances these two goals will win the election.There are seven offices within City Hall. These offices deal with a different aspect of building the city or campaigning such as the Tax Assessor Surveyor or Zoning Board. In a round each player will get to activate one of these offices. However just because you activate an office doesn't mean you will get to use it. The other players will have an opportunity to use their influence to steal control of the office away from you. Keeping it will require countering with your own influence. However you can instead let another player control that office this round and add their influence to your own giving you a leg up on controlling things later on.In using these offices players will buy land and build properties to create attractive neighborhoods that will bring the most people into the city – or they might place a factory next to an opponent's housing complex to drive people out. They will also tax their constituents to raise funds (with the option of sacrificing popularity to tax at higher rates) buy and sell influence to the Lobbyist and campaign to increase their approval level.At the end of the game the citizens of the city will vote based on which player brought them in and that player's approval level. Special interest groups will also collect votes for players based on certain goals such as Wall Street backing the player with the most money. Whichever player has the most votes on election day will become Mayor of New York and appoint his or her opponents to the Sanitation Department.

Historic Gaming #7Hero of Weehawken is a solitaire game in which the player takes the role of President Thomas Jefferson at a dangerous moment in the history of the United States. Former Vice President Aaron Burr is somewhere out west and rumors abound that he is threatening the nation with plans for some sort of ill-advised military adventure that could bring America to war with Spain or even a direct act of treason against the United States!To forestall this disaster you must first determine Burr’s real plans then find and arrest him before he executes his plan; and finally gather sufficient evidence to convict Burr at trial. If your agents arrest him too soon you will not have gathered enough evidence or figured out what to charge him with. If you wait too long however you may be too late to stop his nefarious plans.Do you have what it takes to gather the right information in time? Be the judge and become the Hero of Weehawken!Game Data:Complexity: 2.5 on a 9 scale Solitaire Suitability: 9 on a 9 scale Scale: TBDGame Components:• One 8-page full color Rules booklet with Examples of play • One 8.5” x 11” map • Two 8.5” x 5.5” mats (Plan and Trial) • One Player Aid sheet • 32 5/8 square game pieces • 60 Event cards

Originally released by Fata Morgana in the 1980s KREMLIN is a European-style boardgame where players compete to control the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.The Jolly Roger KREMLIN features updated art and better components created in the style of 1930s Soviet poster propaganda. This edition has an error on the board that has the name of the game covering part of the graphics and text on the board.Kremlin is played for up to ten turns ending as soon as the Party Chief successfully waves three times at the May Day Parade or when so many politicians are dead or in Siberia that the Party Chief can disband the Politburo and take complete power for himself.Each turn has phases. The most important of these are the KGB trials (which can send party members to Siberia or the cemetery) and the Defense Ministry's Spy Investigations which can also force politicians on a winter's gulag holiday. With the KGB the catch is that the higher up the ladder the target the more difficult to bring down and Party Chiefs tend to change KGB leaders who take shots at the top... For the Defense Minister his investigations require a trial to be successful--and a guilty vote and that isn't always possible in the Central Committee.The catch? Players allot influence secretly at the start of the game and don't reveal it until it is used meaning no one knows who controls the KGB or any other ministry not until Influence is revealed--and even then who knows who still has undeclared influence on that person? It is possible that players can swap control back and forth over the KGB chief even as he is trying to determine who to assassinate!Once the carnage is done players have to survive the ravages of aging--and every time a politician takes action he ages faster than normal...your 50 yr old star of the party? Well suddenly he's acting like he's 83 Comrade. Life near the top will do that to you. In the Health phase politicians may die or grow sick--sick politicians can choose to go to the hospital but while there they exert no influence and their responsibilities pass on to other politicians. Sometimes this means your man must make the heroic sacrifice to the Rodina and remain on the job even while at death's door.Once we know who is still alive the Party Chief is allowed to move politicians between posts. After all he's in control of the bureaucracy. He can move people up and down and when he's done upper ministers do so as well--but can only affect politicians below them on the food chain. Heck politicians can even sponsor comrades in exile in Siberia to come back to the People. Of course each person you bring back ages you five years....want to bring back five? Age 25 years in the blink of an eye Tovarich.Intrigue cards allow you to take control of situations or foil other players' schemes. In one of the older versions you could have things like Chernobyl take place in 1920. That's been corrected--so that while events may be the same they have now been made era-appropriate.The turn ends with the May Day Parade. If the party chief is healthy he can wave throughout the day making people happy--clearly our socialist union is prospering. But if he's sick sometimes he leaves early and is unable to wave sending doubts through the ranks. If a faction (player) earns three waves they win the game.The Jolly Roger version provides three different KREMLIN games in one box.

2 Minutes to Midnight is a fresh design exploring the cold war in 5-year turns starting in 1946 and running for 9 turns to 1990.Living clarifications / errata here: Errata / Clarifications Living PostThe scale and depth of the game is unmatched by any other game on the market for this historical period – this is a detailed simulation of the cold war covering military economics politics and trade all in a playable package that hides the complexity and lets you focus on the strategy. A scenario runs 1-3 hours up to 6-7 hours for the full campaign game.The game is highly asymmetrical - the US has presidential elections & national debt to worry about while the Soviets must try to achieve their 5-year plan and navigate freedom (or lack thereof) within the Soviet Union itself with the risk of the whole Communist system coming crashing down if you reform too quickly.The primary resource is money which can be used to: • Influence a country marking it as pro-US or pro-USSR or changing its government type (Communist Democratic or Authoritarian). • Invest and create trade opportunities improving the economy. • Recruit spies • Research technology • Strengthen strategic forces (ICBM SLBM Stealth bombers) • Deploy armies into civil wars or proxy wars or send arms & advisors.. • Calm down an angry populace (and the Russians can apply the KGB for this purpose as well)The deck also contains around a dozen events per turn which when pulled may trigger - or may not - some of those that do not trigger go back into the deck for next turn and some are gone forever. This means that you aren't quite sure what's going to happen in each game – you can’t load a particular country because you know something is going to happen because there are very few fixed events. The point of the events is to add friction - you’re never in complete control and will have to react to changing events.Technology is represented by a technology tree including nuclear weapons the space race armed forces computing and industry and for the Soviets agricultural progress.Military is covered in three areas - nuclear which prevents aggression against your nation; Conventional - which gives options to be more aggressive; Navy - boosting intelligence gathering and ability to invade from the sea as well as hunting enemy strategic missile submarines.Spies are deployed by players to try and instigate coups or stamp them out and for the Soviets to infiltrate and steal western technology. CIA will be busy security those secrets and keeping advanced trade items away from the Soviets.Lastly there is an intelligence track - a high intel capability from U2 spy planes satellites or submarines gives more ability to influence the events as they come out and react quicker than your opponent.—description from the designer

In Voices In My Head players step into the courtroom and into the mind of a man on trial for robbing a bank. One player takes on the role of the prosecutor who is trying to convict the defendant Guy and send him to prison; everyone else takes on aspects of Guy's personality such as Honesty or Selfishness and attempts to influence the trial. To win the game each player must achieve their hidden goal.Each round the prosecutor plays a trial card to present evidence call witnesses or grill Guy on the stand. Players then try to control Guy's actions by deploying control markers to a three-dimensional game board representing his brain. These actions will sway the jury in different ways and ultimately determine whether Guy goes free or is sent to prison.—description from the publisher

Incorporated is a strategy game of economic warfare a simulation of modern-day markets economics and politics.Incorporated places you as the CEO of a multi-national corporation whose aim is to profit no matter the cost. You acquire smaller corporations in global stock markets borrow from debt markets to finance your investments use superpowers like a pawn to invade third world countries and take their oil lobby the governments to grant you more subsidies and compete with other mega-corporations for leadership in market share.Uncontrollably the world is not in its most stable state either. Chances of a global economic crisis or geopolitical power shifts may ruin your investments.The game is set in a complex and dynamic global economy where profitable industries interest rates global growth and geopolitical landscape change constantly and the scepter of an economic crisis always present. Players must analyze and influence these new trends. The world's superpowers may compete for world dominance but you care little about the grand chessboard except when your profits are concerned!