Kremlin

About this board game

Kremlin is a political intrigue board game for 3–6 players, played in about 75 minutes, set amid the satirical power struggles of the Soviet Politburo.

At the start, politician cards fill the offices of the Politburo. Players secretly record their influence over ten politicians, assigning each a value from 1 to 10. Play proceeds phase by phase rather than clockwise, with the player showing the greatest influence over the relevant politician directing that office’s action.

Players work to remove opponents and advance their own interests. Politicians can be purged, exiled to Siberia, or demoted within the Politburo, while favored figures may be promoted or pardoned for their previous “sins.” Every action also ages the politician involved by one or more years, increasing the pressure on an already unstable regime.

Each turn, Politburo members face a health check. Aging politicians are more likely to become ill or die, and the Party Chief must remain healthy enough to wave to the crowd at the October parade. Controlling a politician who succeeds at this ceremony three times wins the game.

• Secret influence and shifting political control
• Purge, exile, demotion, promotion, and pardon
• Ageing, illness, and sudden political deaths
• A satirical setting featuring fictional political names

Later editions expanded the setting and tone. The Jolly Roger reimplementation includes an original version, a “Revolution” version featuring historical and fictional politicians, and a modern USSR and Russia version with exile as an alternative to Siberia. Across its variants, Kremlin blends negotiation, calculation, and dark political satire.