The Next Dictator - rules

PLAYERS

3-7 PLAYING TIME

30-90 minutes CREDITS Game design: Kasper Lapp Visual design: Mads Fløe, Peter Svendsen and Kasper Lapp

As everybody knows, democracy is pure evil. Luckily it has never gained a foothold in Bahumas – a beautiful island with rich resources of diamonds and opium fields.

Instead the country functions as a serial dictatorship. One dictator replacing the other almost on schedule.

You represent a family who has a habit of getting involved in the politics of Bahumas. There’s always someone from your family sitting in the general staff of the current dictator. Playing these, you must bluff your way to become the next dictator, or make sure that your swiss bank account is filled up before going into exile.

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COMPONENTS  7 General cards  65 playing cards

   

1 board 10 victory point markers 21 favor-markers 1 turn marker

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OBJECTIVE (HOW TO WIN) The objective of the game is to get the most victory points (VP) via the VPmarkers ( ) and via the colored favor-markers ( ). You gain VPmarkers by making one of your family members the next dictator or by collecting the biggest Swiss bank account. Favor-markers are gained by effectively spying or counter-spying on other players and revealing their misconducts.

Each round up to two generals gain a VP-marker.

The general who has collected the highest value of power ( the next dictator and gains a VP-marker.

) becomes

The general who has collected the highest value of money ( ) goes into exile with the biggest Swiss bank account and gains a VP-marker.

There are basically three ways to gather

and

:

1. Play safe GREEN cards.

2. Play unsafe YELLOW and RED cards, which may be stolen by other generals if revealed (which may force you underground or get you executed).

3. Play SPIES which allow you to reveal other players cards and steal them if they are YELLOW or RED.

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SETUP Here’s how a setup for four players look:

Place all the VP-markers (

) on the matching spots on the board.

1. Place the turn marker ( ) on the first turn of the first round.

2. Give each player one General card:

3. Give each player 3 favor-markers ( 4. Give each player 7 cards on their hand.

).

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TURN ORDER The game is split into 5 rounds, and each round is split into 5 turns followed by a resolution.

Each turn goes as follows: A. Play cards. Each general still alive and not underground (explained later) plays one card from his hand face down in front of him.

B.

Spy phase. All generals who have played a SPY card (any BLUE card) reveal their cards. If more than one general has played a SPY, they spy in order of their card numbers ( ) – the card with the lowest number first. The spying general chooses another general with an unrevealed card to spy on (if possible). This general now reveals his card (to everybody).  If he has played a GREEN card, he hasn’t done anything wrong and nothing happens.  If he has played a YELLOW card, he has done something of which the dictator does not approve and he has to go underground for one turn (unless he pays with cards or favors to get out – explained later).

The general who spied on him, receives his card as a reward and places it next to his spy card in front of himself.  If he has played a RED card, he has done something of which the dictator does not approve at all and is immediately executed (unless he uses favors – explained later).

As with YELLOW cards, the general who spied on him receives his card as a reward and places it next to his spy card in front

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of himself.

C.

Action phase. During this phase, any player who have played a card with a -symbol may reveal the card in order to play the action. If more than one player has an action, they are performed in order of their card numbers ( ) – the card with the lowest number first.

Notice: If you want to execute your action, you must reveal you card as soon as the phase begins.

Also notice: You cannot use the action on a card you just gained by SPYING or by another action.

D. ’Draw cards’ phase. During this phase, any player who have played a card with a -symbol may reveal the card in order to draw some extra cards to his hand (as many cards as the number below the symbol). If the pile is running low, draw cards in order of your card numbers (

) – lowest number first.

Notice: You cannot use the SPYING or by an action.

E.

-effect on a card, you just gained by

‘Add to pile’ phase. In this phase, all players add all cards in front of them to their pile (the one they’ve played and/or the ones they’ve gained – even the ones they’ve “used” for actions and card drawing).

Place the cards under your general card. If a card has been revealed, you must add it face up and visible. If a card has not been revealed, you may add it face down.

Notice: You are always allowed to look at the phase down cards in

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your own pile.

Also notice: Only during the ‘add to pile’ phase – or if a card specifically tells you so – may you add cards to your pile.

SPECIAL SPYING-EFFECTS If you are spied upon, and your card has a …”) do what the cards says.

-symbol in the text (“If

:

Example: General A spies on General B, who reveals a Double Agent. This means that General A is executed.

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RESOLUTION After 5 turns, the time of the current dictator has run out, and it’s time for a new one to step up. All generals still alive and not underground, discard their hands and instead pick up the cards from their pile (the ones placed under their general card). Each general may now choose up to 3 of these cards to play face down in front of him. When everybody is ready, the played cards are revealed.

The one who has collected the most power (the numbers in the boxes added together) will become the next dictator and takes the VPmarker ( ).

The one has collected the most money (the numbers in these boxes added together) takes the VP-marker ( ).

Example: In round one, the next dictator takes a VP-marker worth 4 VP and the one with the biggest bank account takes a VP-marker worth 3 VP. The two VP-markers may be given to the same general. If only one general is alive and not underground, he’ll automatically gain both VPmarkers (no matter what cards he has).

If more than one player has the most corresponding VP-marker.

or

, no one gets the

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Example: General A has played these cards:

General B has played these cards:

General A has collected the most

-value (8) and gets the

VP-marker. General B has collected the most the VP-marker.

(7) and gets

After the resolution collect all cards, shuffle the deck, give each player 7 cards and move on to the next round.

All dead players are now alive again, and no players are underground.

JOKERS If anybody played cards with a count as

or

-box, they may choose if they want it to

. If more than one general has such a choice, they’ll

choose in order of their card numbers (

) – lowest card number first.

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FAVORS Dying is not all that funny. Luckily you’ve got many powerful friends and personal favors to draw on.

Each player starts with three favor-markers of their color. They can be used for two things: 1. SURVIVING: When you die, you must give one of your favor-markers to the player responsible for your death (the one spying on you or assassinating you), if you’ve got any left. This means that you survive and goes underground instead. If you don’t have any left, you must wait out for the rest of the round.

2. GETTING BACK FROM ‘UNDERGROUND’. When you’ve gone underground (because of being caught with a YELLOW card or after using a favor-marker to survive), you may use a favor-marker to get back in the game immediately instead of sitting over one turn. This favor-marker is given to the player responsible for your going underground.

Using cards instead: To get back from ‘underground’, you may discard 3 cards from your hand instead of a favor-marker. You choose the first two of these cards yourself, but after you’ve removed the two and discarded them, the third will be picked at

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random from your remaining hand by the player to your right and discarded.

Notice: If you’ve been forced underground in turn 5, you cannot participate in the resolution, unless you pay a favor-marker or cards to get out.

Also notice: You cannot pay with cards to ‘survive’, only to get back from underground.

Example: General A spies on General B, who has a RED card.

General B gives one of his favor-markers to General A in order to survive. He may now chose to give one more favor-marker to General A or discard 3 cards (two chosen and one random) in order to get directly back in the game. Or he may pay nothing and sit over one turn.

FAVOR COLORS Whenever you use favors, if you have any favors of your own color left, you must use this. If not, you chose which one to give.

You gain extra VP’s for collecting as many favor colors as possible (explained later).

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WINNER After the fifth resolution, count the victory points of each player. You primarily gain VP’s from the VP-markers (just add them together), but also from the favor-markers you’ve collected: VP’S FROM FAVOR-MARKERS Count how many different colors of favor-markers, you’ve collected – not counting your own.

Each color gives you 1 VP. COLLECTORS BONUS On top of this, if you’ve collected all the other player’s colors, you get a bonus of 4 VP. If you’ve collected all but one of the other players colors, you get a bonus of 1 VP.

Example: In a game of five players, green player has the following favor-markers in front of him: 1 green, 1 blue, 2 yellow and 2 red. He has therefore collected 3 different other colors, which gives him 3 VP. He has also collected all but one of the possible colors (4 is max in a 5-player game), which gives him 1 bonus VP.

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Favor-marker VP Guide: Collected colors: 1 color 2 colors 3 colors 4 colors 5 colors 6 colors

3 players

4 players

5 players

6 players

7 players

2 VP 6 VP

1 VP 3 VP 7 VP

1 VP 2 VP 4 VP 8 VP

1 VP 2 VP 3 VP 5 VP 9 VP

1 VP 2 VP 3 VP 4 VP 6 VP 10 VP

Another way of looking at it: Every new color gives 1 VP, but the second last possible color gives 2 VP, and the last possible color gives 4 VP. TIE BREAKERS The winner is the player with most victory points. If two players have collected the same amount, use these tie breakers: 1. The player who has the most favor-markers of the other players color, win.

2. The player who have most VP’s from his VP-markers win.

3. The player with the most VP-markers wins.

4. The player with the single highest value VP-marker wins.

If it’s still a tie, well, it’s a tie.

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FINAL NOTES ACTIVE PLAYERS Only players alive and not underground, may be targets of actions.

Also dead or underground players do not count as ‘neighbors’, when a card talks about such.

Use the ‘underground’ and ‘dead’ cards as markers.

DISCARD PILE The discard pile is face up to make it easy to distinguish from the draw pile, but you are not allowed to look in it.

TIP It is a good idea to assign one player the task of organizing the phases: “Everybody ready?”, “Any spies?”, “Any actions?”, “Any draw cards?”, “Add your cards to you pile.”

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VARIANTS MULLIGAN To remove some of the luck from the game, you can play with the “Mulligan” rule: Each player has the option of switching their starting hand with 6 new cards. This hand may be exchanged with 5 new cards and so on.

HARDCORE If you are hardcore – or want to simplify the game – you may play the game without favor-markers. No mercy.

CARDS ONLY You may play the game without the board and tokens. Use pen and paper instead (or a good memory) to keep track of VP’s and favors. Each player has 3 colorless favors (so no VP’s given from favor colors). To simplify further, the dictator always gets 3 VP and the one with most money always gets 2 VP.

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REFERENCE GUIDE -

‘Add to pile’ phase. This is where you add your played card to your pile. Only during the ‘add to pile’ phase – or if a card specifically tells you so – may you add cards to your pile.

-

Action phase. During the action phase, all players with

-symbols

on their cards may reveal them and perform their actions.

-

‘Draw cards’ phase. During the ‘draw cards’ phase, all players with

-

-symbols on their cards, may draw extra cards.

Favor-markers. Each player starts with three favor-markers of his color( ). They are used to prevent execution/assassination or prevent having to go underground. They also give you VP’s at the end of the game (one for each of the other players colors, you’ve collected, plus bonuses if you collect all (+3 VP) or all but one (+1 VP) colors).

-

General card. Your general card is used to signify your color and your pile (all cards under your general card are in your pile).

-

Green cards. GREEN cards are legal, which means that nothing happens when another general SPIES on you.

-

Joker. Cards with

-boxes counts as jokers. During the resolution,

you decide if it should count as

or

.

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-

Money. Some cards have a

-box. This means money on your Swiss

bank account. Collect the most money to get the the round.

-

VP-marker (

) of

Phase. There are five phases of each turn: A. Play cards B. Spy C. Action D. Draw cards E. Add to pile

-

Power. Some cards have a

-box. They give power. Collect the most

power to become the next dictator and get the the round.

-

VP-marker (

) of

Red cards. RED cards are very illegal, which means that you are executed, when another general SPIES on you. He gets your RED card, and you must give him a favor-marker to survive.

-

Resolution. At the end each round – following the five turns – there is a resolution. This is where the next dictator and the one with most money is found, and VP-markers are given ( ). Only players alive and not underground can participate in the resolution.

-

Round. One round equals five cards played and a resolution. The game consists of five rounds.

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-

Spy. All BLUE cards are spy cards. They are revealed in the spy phase and allow you to spy on the cards that the other generals have played.

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Spy phase. During the spy phase all generals who have played BLUE cards reveal their cards and spy on other generals.

-

Spy symbol. The

-symbol tells you what happens, if another

general spies on your card.

-

Turn. One turn equals one card played – including the subsequent ‘spy’, ‘action’, ‘draw cards’ and ‘add to pile’ phases.

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Underground. If you are caught with a YELLOW card, you have to go underground for one turn (unless you pay one favor-marker or three cards – two chosen by you, and one picked at random by the player on your right). If you are caught with a RED card, you have to pay a favor-marker to survive and then go underground.

-

Yellow cards. YELLOW cards are illegal, which means that you have to go underground, when another general SPIES on you (and the general gets your YELLOW card). Wait one turn or pay a favor-marker or three cards to get out (you pick two, and the player to your right picks one at random).

-

Victory points (VP). You win the game by collecting the most victory points via the VP-markers ( markers.

) and the other players favor-

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