PD-Verlag · 2009
Traditional publisher release (2009). Released at Essen Spiel 2009 with Rio Grande Games handling English distribution.
Global power politics set in the near future. Six world powers jostle for territory — but players are investors, not nations. You fund wars for dividends. Cold, calculating, brilliant.
Rondel action selection controls nations — build armies, tax, produce, invade. But the twist: players buy bonds in nations. Whoever owns the most bonds controls that nation. You might control Russia one turn and abandon it the next.
Players buy bonds in 6 world powers (USA, Europe, Russia, China, India, Brazil). Whoever holds the most bonds in a nation controls it on their turn — moving around the rondel to build armies, produce, tax, or invade neighbors. Taxing pays dividends to all bondholders. The mind-bending part: you're not loyal to any nation. You might build up China, cash dividends, then buy into Russia and let China collapse. Victory goes to the richest investor at game end, not the most powerful nation. Nations can go bankrupt. Alliances shift constantly.
Very high — you're directly moving armies into other players' territories, buying control of nations out from under them, and negotiating alliances. This game is about people, not systems.
High — the investor layer means every game has wildly different power dynamics. Who controls what shifts constantly. No two games feel alike.
Large
Large. World map board with armies, fleets, and bond certificates. Needs space to spread out.
Teach takes 25-30 min. The investor meta-game — you're not a country, you're a shareholder — is a mind-bending shift that takes a full game to click.