This Avalon Hill game is a vehicle for instructing students (there is a classroom section in the rules) on why Marxism is superior. The Workers move around a board while trying to survive against the Capitalist player who control everything. As the Workers unite they take power from the Capitalist player but if they do not suceed in uniting the Capitalist will win.

The Marxist politics are very up front in this game in presentation and in the suggested reading in the rules. A surprising publication from a war game company

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.

In Co-opoly: The Game of Cooperatives , players must collaborate to found and run a democratic business. In order to survive as individuals and to strive for the success of their co-op, players make tough choices regarding big and small challenges while putting their teamwork abilities to the test.

Challenges consist of mini games of charades, guess the drawing or "unspoken", in which the active player has to get the other players to guess the word on the card without saying the word or related words. Completing challenges earns points for your co-op. As the co-op marker moves around the board world cards may have to be drawn that can take points from the individual players, from the co-op pool of points or can be beneficial by giving bonus challenges or points. The players win when they achieve the goal of starting up a second co-op.

This is an exciting game of skill and solidarity, where everyone wins – or everybody loses. Will the Point Bank continue to dominate the players’ lives, or will they break free and take control by jump-starting the movement for a truly democratic and cooperative economy in their community?

By playing Co-opoly, players discover the unique benefits, challenges, and operations of the cooperative world – as well as the skills needed to participate in a co-op!
Co-opoly is for teens and adults.

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

Brass: Lancashire — first published as Brass — is an economic strategy game that tells the story of competing cotton entrepreneurs in Lancashire during the industrial revolution. You must develop, build, and establish your industries and network so that you can capitalize demand for iron, coal and cotton. The game is played over two halves: the canal phase and the rail phase. To win the game, score the most victory points (VPs), which are counted at the end of each half. VPs are gained from your canals, rails, and established (flipped) industry tiles. Each round, players take turns according to the turn order track, receiving two actions to perform any of the following:


Build an industry tile
Build a rail or canal
Develop an industry
Sell cotton
Take a loan


At the end of a player's turn, they replace the two cards they played with two more from the deck. Turn order is determined by how much money a player spent on the previous turn, from lowest spent first to highest spent. This turn order mechanism opens some strategic options for players going later in the turn order, allowing for the possibility of back-to-back turns.

After all the cards have been played the first time (with the deck size being adjusted for the number of players), the canal phase ends and a scoring round commences. After scoring, all canals and all of the lowest level industries are removed for the game, after which new cards are dealt and the rail phase begins. During this phase, players may now occupy more than one location in a city and a double-connection build (though expensive) is possible. At the end of the rail phase, another scoring round takes place, then a winner is crowned.

The cards limit where you can build your industries, but any card can be used for the develop, sell cotton or build connections actions. This leads to a strategic timing/storing of cards. Resources are common so that if one player builds a rail line (which requires coal) they have to use the coal from the nearest source, which may be an opponent's coal mine, which in turn gets that coal mine closer to scoring (i.e., being utilized).

Brass: Lancashire, the 2018 edition from Roxley Games, reboots the original Warfrog Games edition of Brass with new artwork and components, as well as a few rules changes:


The virtual link rules between Birkenhead have been made optional.
The three-player experience has been brought closer to the ideal experience of four players by shortening each half of the game by one round and tuning the deck and distant market tiles slightly to ensure a consistent experience.
Two-player rules have been created and are playable without the need for an alternate board.
The level 1 cotton mill is now worth 5 VP to make it slightly less terrible.

Brass: Birmingham is an economic strategy game sequel to Martin Wallace' 2007 masterpiece, Brass. Brass: Birmingham tells the story of competing entrepreneurs in Birmingham during the industrial revolution, between the years of 1770-1870.

It offers a very different story arc and experience from its predecessor. As in its predecessor, you must develop, build, and establish your industries and network, in an effort to exploit low or high market demands. The game is played over two halves: the canal era (years 1770-1830) and the rail era (years 1830-1870). To win the game, score the most VPs. VPs are counted at the end of each half for the canals, rails and established (flipped) industry tiles.

Each round, players take turns according to the turn order track, receiving two actions to perform any of the following actions (found in the original game):

1) Build - Pay required resources and place an industry tile.
2) Network - Add a rail / canal link, expanding your network.
3) Develop - Increase the VP value of an industry.
4) Sell - Sell your cotton, manufactured goods and pottery.
5) Loan - Take a £30 loan and reduce your income.

Brass: Birmingham also features a new sixth action:

6) Scout - Discard three cards and take a wild location and wild industry card. (This action replaces Double Action Build in original Brass.)

The tensions for Taiwan go hot!
Based on TSR's Hunt for Red October, Sparring Dragons is a postcard-sized reduction of the engine to simulate the conflict. The Taiwanese forces must hold out against the Chinese navy's attempts to land an invasion force on the island and take Taipei. US forces are headed in to help, but they may not be in time.

—description from the designer

As mentioned, the game system uses a condensed version of TSR's The Hunt for Red October. Playable in under an hour. Print-n-Play.

Taiwan Strait Crisis 1950 is a 2 players strategic-level board wargame that simulates the battles between People's Republic of China (PRC) and Republic of China (ROC) in 1950s which is so called "The First and the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis." Two players control the People Liberation Army (PLA), the National Government Army (NRA) in Taiwan and US 7th Fleet respectively.

There are 9 turns in a games and each turn represents one year. Each player spend operation points to activate his troops in one area to attack, move or do special operations alternatively in a turn. The PRC player must get 10 victory points to win the game.

Before each operation, player must roll a die to draw a event marker randomly. The event maker is the mission the player needs to accompolish in the following turns. After finish the mission, the PRC player can increase the victory points and the Taiwan player can decrease the victory points.

This game is a two-player game with the theme of the landing operation on Kinmen Island by the People's Republic of China (PRC) army on October 25, 1949. One player is in charge of the PRC army and the other player is in charge of the Republic of China (Taiwan) army.

In historical fact, although the PRC army, which had gained momentum in the previous victories, landed, the lack of preparation and training for the landing operation was remarkable, and only about 9,000 people were able to actually land on Kinmen Island. On the other hand, the Taiwanese army expected the PRC army to land on Kinmen Island, and was waiting for the PRC army with 40,000 troops, including reinforcements from the 18th Army (however, most of the 18th Army arrived after the battle was over). Also, for the PRC army, which had no anti-tank equipment, the M5A1 light tanks of the Taiwanese army were a threat.

In this way, looking back on history, it was an inevitable landing operation, but it is not without the element of "what-if". If the PRC army had more boats ready for landing, if command and control were good, if they chose a different coast for the second landing... In this game, by introducing such "what-if" into the game, the PRC army is also given the possibility of winning.

Issue game of "Banzai Magazine EX" #3.

"Japanese Conquest of Taiwan" is a postcard wargame, inheriting the game system of "800 Heroes: Defense of Sihang Warehouse". Players play as the commander of the Democratic Republic of Taiwan (Taiwan Army) and the Japanese Empire (Japanese Army). Both sides take turns using the rotating action points to move, attack or retreat. There are 6 turns in the game, and the Japanese army must occupy a total of 5 areas at the end.

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.

500th Anniversary Edition Enhancements include:

6 brand new cards added to the deck, including Thomas More, Thomas Cromwell, Rough Wooing, and Imperial Coronation.
Revisions to over 15 existing cards including Copernicus, Master of Italy, and Machiavelli to allow for more exciting in-game play and additional possibilities for diplomatic deals.
A new Chateau construction table is now used to resolve France's Patron of the Arts home card plays.
Several Virgin Queen rule updates are incorporated back into Here I Stand, affecting minor power activation, piracy, space trading, and foreign wars.


Game Components:

Four and a half full-color counter sheets
116 Strategy Cards
One 22"x34" Mounted Mapsheet
Player Aid Cards (11"x17" & 8.5"x11")
Rules/Scenario Book
One ten-sided die


DESIGNER: Ed Beach
MAP & CARD ART: Mark Simonitch
COUNTER ART: Mark Simonitch and Rodger B. MacGowan

—description from the publisher

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.

Class War is the new two-player asymmetric strategy game from the team behind Jacobin, the largest socialist magazine in the United States.

In Class War, you are a collective entity: a social class — either the Capitalists or the Workers. You’ll fight for social dominance in an unstable constitutional democracy. Will the Capitalists crush this rising wave of popular discontent and entrench their position as masters of society? Or will the Workers triumph over the power of money to make society more equal and just?

In Class War, players draw cards from their decks and deploy them in society using the money they earn in the economy. The cards you’ve played will be used to mobilize dice (representing your social power) against your opponent — in the economy, to win a greater slice of the economic pie, or in the state, to elect figures who support your political agenda. Ultimately, both classes aim to make their demands into law, permanently changing the rules of the game in their favor.

Over seventy years later, and the divisions still run deeper than the straits which separate the Republic of China (the ROC) from the People's Republic of China (the PRC). Times have changed greatly since the PRC failed to conquer the island of Taiwan from the nationalists' Republic of China at the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949 and the states that were even then separated by politics and economics have grown further apart as both sides now hurl men, weapons, and material into the maelstrom of modern combat in an attempt to settle their bitter division once and for all.

Next War: Taiwan, the next volume in GMT's series of Next War games and the follow-on to Next War: Korea, allows players to fight a near future war in and around the island of Taiwan. In this sequel, the communist leadership of the PRC have decided that its time to end its rhetoric and posturing and bring the long-lost democratically governed ROC island into the fold of the Socialist Harmonious Society.

Due to the nature of the "terrain" surrounding Taiwan, the game features an expanded, yet still abstracted and playable, naval system including submarine threats, ASW, mine warfare, and anti-naval strikes. In addition, rules exist for combining Next War: Taiwan with Next War: Korea to simulate an expanded conflict.

Note: the Next War series is not an Introductory wargame. Rather, we have intended herein to create a system (and a series) that will allow detailed study of modern warfare in various venues as well as engaging gameplay. That said, the Standard Game rules encompass a fairly straightforward ruleset that will, we think, be considered pretty "easy to learn" by experienced wargamers. So players who choose to play Standard Game scenarios can have a relatively quick game when that's what suits them. The real flavor of a war in the theatre, though, comes through in the Advanced Game, where you get much more control over airpower and can more clearly see each side's strengths and weaknesses. For players who want a "mini-monster game" experience, playing the Advanced Game Campaign Scenarios with some or all of the optional rules will definitely "deliver."

Ownership of Next War: Korea will NOT be required to play.



UnitsGround units in Next War: Taiwan represent primarily brigades, regiments, and battalions of the armies of the PRC and ROC and the United States. All ground units are rated for their attack and defense strengths, movement capabilities, and unit efficiency.

Air units represent fighter, bomber, and attack squadrons of the major combatants and are rated for All-Weather Capabilities as well as their range, average pilot skill, and their abilities in Air-to-Air Combat, Close Air Support, and Strike missions.

Naval units and capabilities are abstracted somewhat in the Next War series. A "Sea Control" mechanism reflects the results of the surface and sub-surface battles, while the game's naval unit counters represent the major Aircraft Carrier Battle Groups and Amphibious Ready Groups of the US Navy. Additional amphibious capabilities are represented by the Special Forces capabilities of each side. Changes to the naval system include

Naval Display Play Aid to allow for movement, air ranges, etc. in the seas surrounding Taiwan
a Submarine Threat Level and ASW Level matrix for the PRC and Allies respectively to represent the subsurface conflict
naval mine warfare allowing either side to attempt to deny usage of Beaches for Amphibious Assaults or Ports and Beachheads for Sea Transport
anti-Naval Strikes (including Cruise Missiles) allowing each side to force enemy Naval units to withdraw or risk losses




Maps and TerrainThe game's map presents the island of modern-day Taiwan at a scale of roughly 7.5 miles per hex. The map covers the entire island and includes several holding boxes and tracking displays.



Game SystemA game turn is generally composed of:

Weather Determination. Bad weather can severely hamper air and naval operations activity and can significantly slow ground operations.

Initiative Determination and Air/Naval Phase, wherein Air Superiority levels and air availability are determined and Sea Control is established or modified.

Special Operations Phases in the Advanced Game allowing players to utilize their special operators in various recon and raid missions behind enemy lines.

Strike Phases in the Advanced Game allowing players to launch air strikes, cruise missiles, and artillery and SSM strikes.

One or more Movement and Combat Phases that allow both sides to move, react, and fight, with an advantage to the Initiative player on non-Contested turns

Arrival of Reinforcements and Replacements
Victory Determination

Combat resolution examines not only unit strengths but also unit efficiency (representing training, doctrine, and morale), as well as the terrain where the combat takes place. The CRT tends to be very bloody in nature, reflecting what we believe will be a degree of attritional warfare early due to the lethality of modern weapons. As in many games, casualties represent not only actual combat losses but also losses of unit cohesion brought about by the rapid pace with which modern armies are able to engage and exploit on the battlefield.



ScenariosThere are several Standard Game scenarios. The first three are small and cover the first weeks of the war by dividing the island into roughly three equal sections. These focus on the initial assaults by the PRC to establish beachheads and take Ports and introduce players to the basic mechanics of the system, while giving them insight into attack and defense strategies for the "big game." Players can also play the entire Campaign Game which uses the entire map and all of the Standard Game rules. One other scenario is provided which examines a theoretical U.S. Amphibious landing in an attempt to take back the island.

The Advanced Game Scenarios come in three flavors à la NATO: The Next War in Europe: Strategic Surprise, Tactical Surprise, and Extended Buildup. This offers the players the ability to game out a variety of "At Start" war scenarios based on varying levels of readiness.

There is also an International Posture Matrix à la Flashpoint: Golan – The Fifth Arab-Israeli War to allow players to experiment with a variety of intervention options for the non-Chinese players in the region.

In addition, there is a full set of rules covering how to play a combined Next War: Taiwan/Korea game.

In Next War: Taiwan, the Taiwan Straits are on fire with the Goliath of the PRC arrayed against the David of the ROC. Can you, as the People's Liberation Army/Naval commander, conquer the long separated island in four weeks before the full might of the U.S. can be brought to bear? Can you, as the Republic of China's Army commander, hold out against the renewed Communist assault until help arrives? And what will happen in Korea while all this is going on? There’s only one way to find out...



Components
1 22x34" map
1 11x17" Naval Display
3 9/16" counter sheets
2 rulebooks (Standard + Advanced Rules and Game Specific Rules)
6 8.5x11" Player Aids
2 11x17" Player Aids
1 10-sided die


Game Design and Development: Mitchell Land
Original System Design: Gene Billingsley

TIME SCALE 3.5 days per turn
MAP SCALE 7.5 miles per hex
UNIT SCALE Brigade / Regiment / Battalion
NUMBER OF PLAYERS One or two (can be played in teams)