Weimar Germany was a period of political tumult and huge swings in public opinion. The war-torn country, struggling with a polarization that went way deeper than simply class differences and party politics, was as a staging ground for the great ideological battles of the time – the mass ideologies of Communism and Fascism competed not only with each other, but with reform-oriented Social Democracy, moderate Liberalism, and the militaristic brand of Conservatism that defined much of the country’s old elites.

The Weimar Republic allows players to play out this dog-eat-dog political environment, where unholy alliances are necessary but made to be broken, where your enemy’s enemy might be your friend for a year or two until you both betray each other, and where you constantly have to assess which of your opponents constitutes the worst threat to your interests at any given time.

Abstracting the period’s plethora of parties and movements into four playable factions, the game has a broad scope and is not intended as a detailed simulation of Weimar parliamentary politics. Reflecting the way most of the historical protagonists swung between parliamentary tactics and street violence, constantly adapting to the rapidly shifting political landscape of the Republic, the game presents each player with two paths to victory, both requiring quite different strategies.

Elections

During the Republic’s short lifetime, the country saw eight democratic elections (two more elections were held shortly after Hitler’s seizure of power). The Weimar Republic models this by having players shuffle Election Cards into the draw deck for each game Era. Election cards are part of players’ hands and provide Action Points much like Event Cards, but instead of triggering immediate events they cause general and regional elections to be held at the end of the turn.

General elections allow the enemies of the Republic to potentially seize power through democratic means. The procedure is straightforward: the faction with the most combined Influence in all cities and regions at the time of the election wins. Simple as it may sound, it can actually be pretty hard for any of the extremist factions to win this way as they all compete not only with the initially very strong government, but also with each other. When one faction eats up a lot of Coalition influence and aim for an electoral victory, the others may well band together to bring him down.

In addition, the election result is modified by things like economic Leverage, Middle Class Sympathies, Coalition Reforms, and KPD and NSDAP Cadres, all of which are made available or unavailable by manipulation of the Economy Track, the Progress/Reaction Track and the Political Stance Tracks. In other words, winning a general election requires some dedication and planning, and, for the KPD and NSDAP, relinquishing most of the violent tools at their disposal as their Stances become more democratic (obviously not reflecting democratic ideals, just a democratic strategy).

Regional elections work similarily to general elections, but instead of granting instant victory they give players Parliamentary Control over regions and cities. Obtaining and keeping Parliamentary Control in as many map spaces as possible is very important, as it provides several useful bonuses and tools – most notably Parliamentary Control Cards. These special cards give bonus Action Points and also allow the owning player to block events in the associated space (or spaces). 

Needless to say, the timing of Election Cards is a crucial aspect of how each game session will flow, and must be taken into account in any successful player strategy.

Putsches and Revolution

While democractic elections is a viable path to victory even for the staunchest proponent of totalitarianism, resorting to brutal violence can be just as good an option – after all, this is interwar Germany.

The NSDAP and the Radical Conservatives both have access to a Putsch counter specific to their faction, made available by the NSDAP Stance Track and the Reaction Track, respectively. When the NSDAP have adopted a Revolutionary Stance they may opt to use the Putsch counter, and the same basically goes for the Radical Conservatives: when reactionary sentiments in German society are strong enough, a Radical Conservative Putsch may be launched. A Putsch is effectively a coup d’état; an attempt to seize power through violent means.

To be successful, the Putsch needs enough support from fighting men, but also from civil servants and the general public. In game terms, this is represented by the requirement of enough units and influence on the map, as well as Middle Class Sympathies.

The Communist KPD operate in a similar, yet slightly different manner. Much like the NSDAP, the KPD has access to a Revolution counter, which may be used when the KPD has adopted a Revolutionary Stance. But rather than militia and Mittelstand support, the Communists need local Uprisings to be in place (something that takes time to achieve) for the Revolution to go all the way. For all three extremist factions however, a successful Putsch or Revolution means instant victory.

Needless to say, winning through violence way will require just as much planning and timing as a parliamentary victory, and by going down the violent route you will need to forsake several of the democratic tools at your disposal.

Reformation

The government can – and probably must – use violence to save democracy, but winning through violent means alone is not an option for the democratic Coalition. Instead, it has to either soldier through, staying in power until the end of 1933 and effectively thwarting all attempts by its opponents to win general elections or launch Putsches and Revolutions, or deliver on its promises of a functioning welfare state. 

The former is doable, albeit hard to acheive without masterful diplomacy and well-timed backstabbing. The latter is a more straightforward, but not necessarily easier, path to victory.

The Coalition has access to a Reformation counter, abstractly representing a definitive remoulding of German society into a progressive democracy and, in game terms, an instant Coalition victory. As such things don’t tend to happen overnight however, the Coalition need to have a number of Reforms in place before any Reformation attempts can succeed. Obviously, implementing those while simultaneously maintaining control of key regions and cities, winning elections, keeping the economy from collapsing, and crushing violent opposition will not be a walk in the park. But who said saving democracy would be easy?

All in all, the Victory Conditions of The Weimar Republic are intended to reflect the constantly shifting conditions under which the protagonists of German politics had to operate during this chaotic period. Just like the historic Republic was ripe with turmoil, failed  expectations and unexpected hope, no path to victory in The Weimar Republic will be straight or easy to follow.

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Introduction to The Weimar Republic: Factions

Introduction to The Weimar Republic: Key Mechanics