Hidden layer
As well as their role, which is public, each player secretly gets an ideology, with a goal, and a power they can use only once. They are dealt at random and separately: you might get a social democrat CEO, or a libertarian Student with Lobby. That is the first lesson: ideology doesn't always match class interest.
Extra points: +5 if you achieve your ideology's goal. With the suspicions phase, +1 for each other player's ideology you guess correctly.
Secrecy: when someone plays a power, which power is announced, but never who played it. The ideologies are revealed at the end, before the final count.
The ideologies and their goals
| Ideology | Goal for the end of the game |
|---|---|
| Neoliberal | Tax A (Flat tax) wins at least 2 times. |
| Social democrat | End with all three services at level 3 or above and Tension at 3 or below. |
| Radical libertarian | End with at least one service at level 2 or below. |
| Populist | Social Shield comes 1st in the budget in at least 4 rounds. |
| Statist | C or D wins 4 tax votes in a row (the Midlife Crossroads doesn't break the streak). |
| Conservative | The winning tax is the same as in the previous vote at least 4 times. |
| Trade unionist | End with Social Shield at level 5. |
| Technocrat | Education comes 1st in the budget in at least 3 rounds. |
| Agitator | End with Tension at 8 or above, without reaching a Failed State. |
There are nine ideologies and at most eight players: there is always at least one left over, so nobody can know for certain which ones are in play. If the Failed State happens, nobody scores any points, not even for their goal.
The powers (one per player, used only once)
| Power | When | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Mobilisation | In the tax vote | Your vote counts double. |
| Insider information | In the tax vote | You wait for the others to vote and vote last, seeing how the count is going. |
| Casting vote | When voting | That round, if there is a tie and your vote is among the tied options, you win the tie-break. |
| Lobby | In the budget vote | Your vote counts triple. |
| Amendment | In the budget vote | Your vote also counts for a second service. |
| Agenda control | With the event or during the debate | You remove one option from that round's tax ballot. |
| Veto | When the winning tax is announced | There is a new vote, only between the winner and the runner-up. |
| Budget committee | When the budget order is announced | Before the split, you swap the 2nd and 3rd services. |
How it works in the app
- When creating the game, choose ‘With layer’ or ‘With layer and suspicions’.
- Classroom Mode: each player sees their secret card on their phone. Ballot powers are ticked when voting; the others (Agenda control, Veto, Committee) appear on the phone when their moment comes.
- Table Mode: the card is shown when the device is passed round, and the ‘Secret card’ button lets you check it or play your power. Careful: the table can see who asks for the device.
- Before moving on, the teacher waits a few seconds in case anyone wants to play a power.
At the end
- Suspicions (if chosen): everyone notes which ideology they think each of the others had.
- The cards are turned over: each player's ideology, whether they achieved their goal, and which power they used and when.
- Final count, with the points for goals and suspicions.
- Discussion: who was passing off their own interest as the common good? Did you vote for your class or for your ideology?