Die Macher

1986

Die Macher is a captivating strategy board game where players lead political parties, manage resources, and navigate regional elections in Germany for ultimate victory.

240
minutes

3 - 5
player(s)

14+

Heavy

About the game

Die Macher is a captivating and immersive board game that transports players into the world of politics, where they control political parties vying for control in Germany’s federal states. It’s a game of strategy, negotiation, and planning, designed to engage players in a thrilling political race.

Set against the backdrop of modern German politics, players are tasked with managing their party’s resources, conducting polls, and campaigning. The goal is to gain the most influence in seven randomly chosen federal states. The game is played over several rounds, each representing an election period, and culminating in a thrilling final election to determine the winner.

Game components Unboxing the fun!

Die Macher is a complex and engaging board game that requires various components for gameplay. Here’s a detailed description of each component:

1. Game Board: The game board depicts Germany divided into its 16 federal states. Each state has a political opinion track, a party base track, and a media influence track. The game board is the central hub where players place their components and track their progress.

2. Party Cards: There are 7 cards for each of the 5 parties. These cards are used for deciding the party’s position on the various issues during the game. Players use these cards strategically to influence the political landscape.

3. State Cards: These 16 cards represent the 16 federal states of Germany. Each card has a specific number of electoral votes and a unique distribution of issues. These cards determine the specific conditions for each electoral race.

4. Opinion Cards: There are 60 opinion cards, 12 for each of the 5 issues. These cards are used to influence public opinion in the various states. Players use these cards to sway the population towards their party’s positions.

5. Donor Cards: These 40 cards represent different donors who can provide financial support to the parties. The players use these cards to gain additional resources.

6. Media Markers: There are 16 media markers, one for each state. These are used to track the influence of media in each state. Greater media influence increases a party’s chances of winning in that state.

7. Party Markers: There are 25 markers for each of the 5 parties. These are used to track the party base in each state. A larger party base means more votes for that party in the state.

8. Voting Tiles: There are 32 voting tiles, 2 for each state. These tiles are used to determine the outcome of the elections in each state.

9. Opinion Polls: There are 16 opinion poll tiles, one for each state. These tiles give an indication of the current public opinion in each state.

10. Issue Tiles: There are 30 issue tiles, 6 for each of the 5 issues. These tiles are used to track the importance of various issues in each state.

11. Money: The game also includes play money. Money is used to fund various activities like campaign actions, media influence, and opinion polls.

Game setup Lay it out, line it up, let’s go

Die Macher is a complex and engaging board game that involves political parties in Germany. The game combines elements of strategy, planning, and negotiation. Here’s a step-by-step guide on setting up the game:

1. Set up the game board

Place the game board in the center of the table. The board represents the political landscape of Germany, divided into 16 states. Each state has a track for the opinion polls.

2. Assign player roles

Each player chooses a political party to represent. The parties are differentiated by color. Give each player their party’s matching colored tokens, cards, and markers.

3. Prepare initial resources

Each player starts with a specific amount of resources. Give each player 30 party members, 60 DM, and 6 party base markers. The DM represents the party’s funds, and the party base markers indicate where the party has established a strong presence.

4. Set up the state elections

Randomly choose 7 states from the available 16. These states will have elections during the game. Place an election marker on each of these states.

5. Prepare the opinion and media influence decks

Shuffle the opinion cards and place them face down. These cards represent the public’s shifting opinions on various issues. Also shuffle the media influence cards and place them face down. These cards allow players to influence opinion in their favor.

6. Initial opinion poll

Draw 5 opinion cards and place them face up next to the board. This creates the initial public opinion for the game.

7. Determine the starting player

Select a starting player at random. Give them the first player marker.

8. Initial donation

Each player receives an initial donation based on their party’s popularity. Use the opinion polls to determine this.

9. Prepare the shadow cabinet

Each player selects a shadow cabinet card. This card gives the player a unique power they can use during the game.

10. Initial media influence

Each player draws 3 media influence cards. These cards allow players to manipulate public opinion during the game.

Once you have completed all these steps, you are ready to start playing Die Macher! Remember to keep track of your resources and plan your strategy carefully to win the most votes in the state elections.

Game flow Round and round we go

Die Macher is a complex strategy game that simulates the German political landscape. The game is played over several rounds, each representing a state election in Germany. The overall structure of each round is divided into seven phases where players perform various actions to gain influence and popularity in their bid to win the most elections. Each phase must be completed before moving onto the next.

Phase 1: Starting Phase

At the beginning of each round, a new state card is drawn and its corresponding political party, media influence, and opinion polls are set up.
Each player decides in secret which party they will support in the upcoming election. Once everyone has decided, all players reveal their party cards simultaneously.

Phase 2: Donation Phase

Players can donate to their chosen party to gain more party members. The more members a party has, the more actions it can take in later phases.

Phase 3: Action Phase

Players can perform a variety of actions, including influencing public opinion, manipulating the media, or campaigning for their party. Each action requires a certain number of party members to perform.

Phase 4: Media Phase

Players can attempt to influence the media in their favor. A successful media influence allows a player to change the public opinion or the opinion polls in their favor.

Phase 5: Opinion Poll Phase

A new opinion poll is drawn and its results are added to the game board. Players can influence these polls during the Action Phase.

Phase 6: Election Phase

Players calculate the total number of votes their party has gained through their actions. The player with the most votes wins the election and gains points equal to the number of voters in the election.

Phase 7: End of Round

At the end of the round, all used party members and media influence cards are discarded. The next round then begins with Phase 1.

The game ends after a set number of rounds, typically representing seven state elections. The player with the most points at the end of the game is declared the winner.

Players'turn One turn to rule them all

Die Macher is a complex and strategic board game that simulates the political landscape in Germany. During a player’s turn, they perform a series of actions that can affect the overall gameplay. Here’s a thorough breakdown of what happens:

1. Preparing the Regional Election:

Reveal the Regional Card: The player reveals the top card of the regional deck, indicating the next region to hold an election.
Set up Opinion Polls: This involves manipulating the opinion polls to favor your party.
Prepare Party Program: The player can change their party’s program to align with the electorate’s opinion.

2. Holding the Regional Election:

Placement of Party Members: Players place their party members on the board to influence the election.
Donations: Players can secure donations for their party, but this can affect the party’s reputation.
Media Influence: Players can use their media influence to sway public opinion.
Coalitions: Players can form coalitions with others to secure more votes.
Voting: All the above actions culminate in the voting phase, where players count the number of votes they have secured.

3. After the Regional Election:

Update National Board: The national board is updated based on the results of the regional election.
Score Victory Points: Players score victory points based on their performance in the election.
Manage Party Resources: Players manage their resources for future elections.

Strategic choices affect the gameplay significantly in Die Macher. Knowing when to invest resources, how to manipulate public opinion, and when to form coalitions can greatly influence the outcome of the game. Understanding the electorate’s opinion and adjusting your party’s program accordingly can also bring you closer to victory.

End of the game All good games must come to an end

Die Macher is a strategy game that simulates the electoral process in Germany. The game is divided into a series of rounds, each representing an election in one of Germany’s 16 federal states. The game ends after the seventh election, and the player with the most victory points is declared the winner. However, the process of scoring and determining the winner involves some specific steps that players need to understand.

Game End

Die Macher continues until the seventh and final election has been held. At this point, all players should have had an equal number of turns and opportunities to participate in the electoral process. Once this occurs, the game comes to an end and scoring begins.

Victory Conditions

The winner of Die Macher is determined by the number of victory points each player has accumulated throughout the game. Victory points are earned in several ways:

Election Victory: Winning an election in a state gives you victory points equal to the value of the state (ranging from 1 to 7).
Majority Bonus: If you have a majority in a state (more party members than any other player), you get bonus points equal to the number of party members in the state.
Media Influence: For each public opinion poll in a state that matches your party’s platform, you earn 1 victory point.
Donations: At the end of the game, every 10,000 DM you have left over converts into 1 victory point.

Final Scoring

At the end of the game, players tally up their victory points from the above sources. In addition, they must also consider the following:

Unused Actions: For every unused action point a player has, they receive 1 victory point.
Party Platform: Players get 1 victory point for every issue on their party platform that matches the national opinion at the end of the game.
Coalitions: If a player is part of a successful coalition, they receive bonus points equal to the coalition’s value.

Once all points have been added up, the player with the most victory points is declared the winner of Die Macher.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

Die Macher is a complex strategic board game that revolves around German politics. The scoring system of the game is multi-faceted, reflecting the multiple aspects of a political campaign.

Points in Die Macher are awarded in the following ways:

Election Wins: The player who wins an election in a region receives 10 points. The second place player receives 5 points, third place gets 3 points, fourth gets 2 points, and fifth gets 1 point.
Media Control: Players can earn points for controlling media in a region. The player with the most media markers in a region at the end of an election round scores 3 points.
Public Opinion: Players can earn points for aligning their party’s platform with public opinion. At the end of each game round, players score 1 point for each party platform marker that matches the current public opinion.
Party Membership: Players earn points equal to their total party membership at the end of the game. Each party member is worth 1 point.
Donations: Players can earn points from donations. At the end of the game, players receive 1 point for every 10,000 DM they have in donations.

In addition to the above, there are bonus points awarded at the end of the game:

10 bonus points are awarded to the player who has the most party members.
10 bonus points are given to the player who has the most money.

If two or more players have the same score at the end of the game, the tie-breaking rules are applied as follows:

The player with the most remaining money wins.
If there is still a tie, the player with the most party members wins.
If there is still a tie, the player who controls the most media markers wins.
If a tie still persists, the player who won the most recent election wins.

These scoring and tie-breaking rules simulate the complex dynamics of a political campaign, making Die Macher a rich and engaging game for strategy lovers.

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

Die Macher is a complex board game by Karl-Heinz Schmiel which simulates the political landscape in Germany. There are some rare or special rules, exceptions, and important clarifications that players should be aware of:

1. Simultaneous Party Program:

In the game, players determine their party programs simultaneously. However, in case of any dispute, the player with the least number of votes on the opinion poll will be the first one to decide.

2. Exception to the Opinion Poll Rule:

Normally, in an opinion poll, the party with the most votes gets the bonus. But if there’s a tie, the party that won the last election in that state gets the bonus.

3. Media Influence:

Media influence can be used to change the importance of a single issue in any state. The exception to this rule is that the media cannot be used to influence the state where the election is currently happening.

4. Coalition Formation:

Coalitions can be formed in Die Macher, but they have to be formed before the start of the last election. Once a coalition is formed, it cannot be broken until the game ends.

5. Shadow Cabinet Exception:

Shadow cabinets can be used to manipulate the issues in a state. However, if the state is currently in election, the shadow cabinet action cannot be used.

Important Clarifications:

Issue Manipulation: The same issue cannot be moved more than once in a single turn.
Multiple Elections: If multiple elections happen in the same round, they are resolved in the order of the states, from left to right on the board.
Party Donation: Parties can receive donations, but they must reveal the amount of donation received. If a player chooses not to reveal the amount, they cannot use the donation until the next round.
End of Game: The game ends immediately when the last election is resolved. Any remaining actions or unplayed cards are irrelevant.

Understanding these exceptions and clarifications will help you to better strategize and enhance your gameplay in Die Macher.

Tips and tricks Play smarter, not harder!

Advanced Strategies

Time your moves: In ‘Die Macher’, strategy is not just about making the right moves, but also about timing them. The order of actions is crucial. For example, spending money early in the game can give you a significant advantage in the later rounds.
Manage your resources: Money and special abilities are precious resources in this game. A good player will be able to manage these resources effectively, using them when they are most needed and saving them for future rounds.
Utilize the media: Media influence is a powerful tool in ‘Die Macher’. By utilizing the media, players can influence public opinion and turn the tide in their favor.

Beginner Tips

Focus on learning the mechanics: ‘Die Macher’ is a complex game with many different elements. Before you start playing, take some time to learn the rules and understand how the different parts of the game interact with each other.
Start small: Start with one region and gradually expand your influence. Trying to win over too many regions at once can spread your resources too thin and make it difficult for you to maintain control.
Learn from others: If you’re playing with more experienced players, pay attention to their strategies and learn from their moves. You can also find plenty of tips and strategies online.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Ignoring public opinion: The public opinion track is a crucial part of ‘Die Macher’. Ignoring it can lead to a loss of influence and a decrease in points.
Spending too much money early on: While it’s important to invest money in your campaign, spending too much too early can leave you without enough resources for the later rounds.
Not utilizing the media: As mentioned before, the media is a powerful tool in this game. Not utilizing it can miss out on opportunities to influence public opinion and gain an advantage.

Ways to Optimize Gameplay

Plan ahead: ‘Die Macher’ is a game that rewards strategic planning. By thinking ahead and planning your moves, you can optimize your gameplay and increase your chances of winning.
Adapt to the situation: The state of the game can change quickly in ‘Die Macher’. Being able to adapt to these changes and adjust your strategy accordingly is key to optimizing your gameplay.
Use your special abilities wisely: Each player has special abilities that can give them an edge in the game. Using these abilities wisely can greatly enhance your gameplay.