Dictators vs Democracies

It's a game. You'll figure it out.

Your leader

A year in global politics lies before you, as you assume the profile of a historical dictator or president.

Your team

You're automatically allied with governments of the same type against governments of the opposite type.

Your words

You may speak with any player on any subject by any method, publicly or privately, truthfully or not. It's politics.

Your goal

Your team's goal is to get an adversary's approval to zero within 12 months. If you don't, or if your approval - or an ally's - reaches zero, you lose.

Your resources

Approval () - how much your people are willing to put up with you - is one of your three resources. In addition, you have money () - how much you have to spend - and take () - how much money you extract from your nation at the end of your turn through taxes, tariffs, kickbacks, graft, dark money, etc. Both approval and cut max out at 10.

Your strength and weakness

You have a strength () that helps you and a weakness () that doesn't. One, or both, may be "always on"; but, if not, icons indicate when they are. Your strength and weakness are visible to everyone.

Your turn

On your turn, you draw a current event; you take up to two actions; and, you end your turn. Then, you receive your take and replacement cards.

Your current event

Your current event may be environmental (e.g., a natural disaster), political (e.g., a gaffe), or social (e.g., a celebrity endorsement); it may impact all (), some (), you (), or none; and, it may do so for better () or worse ().

Your actions

You may take one of three actions: you may play or discard a project card from your hand; you may conserve or sell one of your nation's forests; and, you may send money to an ally. You have two actions per turn.

Your project cards

You may play or discard projects. To play, you trade a cost for a benefit, expressed as a trade-off: cost on the left, benefit on the right, and an arrow between. The arrow's direction indicates benefit to you (), help to an ally (), or harm to an adversary (). Projects are visible only to you, until you play them, and they are redrawn after your turn.

Your forests

You may save or sell your nation's forests (). Do so strategically, however, as their value increases by 1 and 1 in the second 100 days (i.e., May, June, July, and August) and again in the last 100 days (i.e., September, October, November, December). They are not redrawn.

Your exposure

You may gain - or lose - resources as other players draw their events and take their actions. Projects and events get more expensive, helpful, or harmful throughout the year. They grow about 3, 1, and 1 every 100 days.