One More Barrel

About this board game

One More Barrel is a satirical strategy game for 3–5 players, with games lasting about 90 minutes. Each player leads an Occidental country while sending troops into a hostile state under the public justification of finding weapons of mass destruction.

There is one problem: the weapons do not exist. Their supposed presence is merely an excuse for winning public opinion. Behind the stated mission, players must conquer the invaded country’s provinces, take its oil, sell as much as possible, and award contracts to companies in their own country.

The game’s central objective is ultimately financial. As the invasion unfolds, each leader works to turn military action and control of resources into personal wealth. When the game ends, the richest player wins.

• Lead an Occidental country during an invasion.
• Conquer provinces in the hostile state.
• Steal and sell oil to build wealth.
• Award contracts to companies in your own country.
• Use rebel forces to disrupt troops and compete for the final barrel.

Every player also takes on a second role as the head of a rebel group within the invaded country. These rebels become operative after the first phase of the war, giving players another way to cause damage to troops and potentially win the last barrel of oil.

With its deliberately cynical premise, One More Barrel turns invasion, manufactured legitimacy, media manipulation, and resource exploitation into the setting for a competitive tabletop game. Released at Essen in 2008, it challenges 3–5 players to pursue wealth while navigating the shifting consequences of war and rebellion.