I’ve posted a draft of my game Heads of State: nine short games about Tyrants in pdf form at: http://home.earthlink.net/~markvalli
To quote from the intro,

“Presidents for Life. Coups. Cults of Personality. Gulags. Swiss Bank Accounts. Dissidents. Little Red Books. Body-doubles. Welcome to Heads of State – and the strange, sinister world of Dictators. Heads of State is a collection of games about Tyrants. It contains nine complete games that explore the psychology and pathology of Despots, the corruption inherent in absolute power, and the dangerous absurdity of life inside dictatorships. Each game provides a unique angle on a fictional Dictator’s life story or regime. You can play one game – or flesh out the same dictator over the course of multiple games, with different vantage points adding new twists to “your” Tyrant.”

The pdf includes drafts of an intro and all nine games, approximately 80 anecdotes from the lives of real 20th century dictators, and an acknowledgments/sources section. I still need to add examples of play and some appendixes, diagrams, play aids, not to mention formatting and revisions. But the games should be playable (play-testable) in their current form.

It’s a somewhat unusual project, so I’m looking for any and all feedback ranging from the big picture of the concept to specific comments on the individual games. If you want to see my original design notes I posted months back, when the working title was 9 games about Tyrants, they are at: http://www.indie-rpgs.com/viewtopic.php?t=11277&highlight=

A few questions:
 Do I need more in the intro about how to play, designing Tyrants, or the ethics of mixing games and dictators?
 Should I cluster anecdotes about the same dictator on adjacent pages or scatter them as I have done? (I also will be changing some of the anecdotes; there are some despots I haven’t ransacked yet.)
 I’m happy with the main title, but any suggestions on improving any of the titles of the nine games?

What would help me the most would be for anyone who is interested to read through a game or two and comment on the rules and organization. All the games but one are 10 pages or less in length. To help you pick, here are summaries of the 9 games (giving their vital statistics) in the order they appear in the draft.

Thanks

mark


Title: Rest & Relaxation
Summary: Exiled Tyrants gripe and scheme.
Focus of Play: Create + Compete
Main Activity: Use real newspaper articles as inspiration for stories; advance along board that tracks Tyrants’ mental states.
Rules complexity: Medium
Minimum Number of Players: 2
Moderator required: No

Title: Sic Semper Tyrannus
Summary: Plotters try to assassinate Tyrant.
Focus of Play: Compete
Main Activity: Plan over garbled communication channels; flip coins to see if assassins can reach and kill the Leader.
Rules complexity: medium
Minimum Number of Players: 3
Moderator required: yes

Title: The Disappeared
Summary: Friends unravel mystery of a missing person.
Focus of Play: Create
Main Activity: Narrate clues to the disappearance based on the suit and value of cards you turn over.
Rules complexity: Medium
Minimum Number of Players: 1
Moderator required: no

Title: New Edition
Summary: Party officials revise dead Tyrant’s biography.
Focus of Play: Compete + Create
Main Activity: make limited number of edits to existing biography
Rules complexity: Simple
Minimum Number of Players: 2
Moderator required: no

Title: The Palace Gates
Summary: Public explores dead Tyrant’s palace.
Focus of Play: Create
Main Activity: Narrate based on objects “found” in palace.
Rules complexity: simple
Minimum Number of Players: 2
Moderator required: no

Title: Subversive Words
Summary: Dissident writes fiction about Tyrant
Focus of Play: Create + Act
Main Activity: In book: narrate based on words starting with specific letters; with writer: narrate based on location on emotional wheel.
Rules complexity: complex
Minimum Number of Players: 3
Moderator required: yes (duty rotates)

Title: Coup d’État
Summary: Colonels stage a coup
Focus of Play: Compete
Main Activity: plan actions on calendar; spend 3 forms of power to make actions happen
Rules complexity: complex
Minimum Number of Players: 3
Moderator required: yes

Title: Crimes against Humanity
Summary: Victorious nations try Tyrant for war crimes.
Focus of Play: Act
Main Activity: Play parts in mock trial, vote on guilt or innocence & punishment.
Rules complexity: simple
Minimum Number of Players: 4
Moderator required: no

Title: As I Lay Dying
Summary: Dying Tyrant relives memories.
Focus of Play: Create + Act
Main Activity: Narrate, act, or improv scenes from Tyrant’s life; roll dice to see which memories “stick” to become part of the Dictator’s obituary.
Rules complexity: Medium
Minimum Number of Players: 3
Moderator required: Optional