I've always felt little about my voting powers until the 2000 Presidential election. There, I found that my vote (I lived in Florida at the time) really mattered. Voting on things is also a game mechanic that I like and enjoy quite a bit. So when I saw that an entire game was designed around the voting mechanic, I was ready and eager to play. So is Democrazy (Descartes Eurogames, Bruno Faidutti, 2000) a game worth playing? The short answer is that it is a great party game, especially with 10 players, and one that I find works extremely well with teenagers. Now, for the explanatory longer answer. First, a short description of game play… Each player is given three cards, one that says "No", one that says "Yes", and one special card. Sixty wood chips, in four colors (red, green, blue and yellow) are mixed up in a bag, and several are drawn by each player (the actual number is determined by the number of players in the game). A deck of "law" cards is shuffled and an amount dealt to each player (again determined by player number). Twenty-five of the remaining cards are used to make a deck, while the remainder of the cards are removed from the game. A special "End" card is shuffled into the last ten cards of the deck. One player then starts the game by taking their turn, with each player following in a clockwise order. On a turn, the player first draws the top card from the law deck. They then choose a law card from their hand and read it to all the players. If it is a red law card (donated by red graphics), it is a card that has an instantaneous effect on the game, and then is discarded. If it is a blue law card, the text on the card has a permanent effect on the game. No matter what color the card, however, the players must immediately vote on it, to see if the law takes effect. During voting, each player places one of the three cards in their hand face down on the table. Once everyone has decided their vote, the votes are revealed and tallied. If there are more "yes" votes than "no" votes, the law is passed and the effects are carried out. Otherwise, the card is discarded. In case of a tie in votes, players look at a small circle at the top of the card. If the circle is white, the tie is broken in favor of the law, while a black circle breaks ties by rejecting the law. The votes are taken back by the players who played them. Each player has a special voting card that they can use once per game. These cards, of which there are three types, are discarded after use. One is a "Definite Yes!" card. This card will beat any amount of "No's" and will automatically adopt a law. The only way to cancel it is with a "Definite No!" card, which does the opposite. A "Scam" card reverses the outcome of the vote. There can only be six blue law cards on the table. If any more laws are adopted after that, they replace one of the six. Some laws have special symbols on them, and two laws with the same symbol cannot be on the table at the same time. Some examples of red laws include "All players lose all of their chips, except for two.", "One law of your choice, chosen before the vote, is discarded.", and "Simultaneously, each player takes two chips in their hand, and passes them to the player on their left.". Examples of blue laws include "Each player triples the value of chips in colors of which they have only a single chip.", "Players with beards score 5 bonus points", "Red chips are worth zero points", and "Blue chips are worth two points.". The game ends when the End Card is drawn by a player, or when the bag runs out of chips. At that point, each player counts up their points. Chips are normally one point a piece, but all the blue laws modifications and bonuses must be taken into account. Whoever has the highest point total is the winner! Some comments on the game… 1). Components: I'm a big fan of all things wooden, so I like the easy-to-handle, brightly colored wooden chips. The cloth bag provided for them is of good quality and easy to reach inside. The cards are of good quality - even though mine (especially the vote cards) have taken quite a beating from repeated, excited playings. The artwork on the cards (as with most Faidutti games) is quite humorous and cartoonish. The box is the same size as all Blue Box games - small, compact, and strong - and holds all the components well. 2). Rules: The rules are printed on a small, four-page leaflet. They are easy to understand, even though they may be a bit crowded on the pages. This game is extremely easy to teach and learn - and makes a great game to bring to a crowded table full of people new to games like these. 3). Fun Factor: The game is a riot of fun. Many of the laws are silly - and the yelling and arguing that goes on before and after voting is pretty funny to watch and partake in. Some people may be put off by how silly some of the laws are. (One insists that players play all vote cards with their left hands or lose a chip.) However, I think that it adds to the fun. Democrazy is not a game to be taken seriously, as the artwork should suggest. There is some strategy to getting others to vote for laws that benefit you the most, but it's mostly about having a good time arguing. 4). Number of players: One thing I really like about Democrazy is that it can accommodate up to 10 people - and that everyone votes on every turn, keeping them interested in the game. The game is not unwieldy with that many players - so if you have 8-10 players, this would be the first game I would recommend (if you were all staying in one group to play a game, that is). 5). "Carte Blanche": This is a variant that adds some blank cards to the deck. When a blank card is played, the player who plays it must make up a red law of their choosing. However, this opens up a whole can of worms. What laws are acceptable, and what laws are total nonsense. Can you make a law that says, "Joey loses the game", or "Anyone currently eating loses two chips". The rules say that it is up to the players to decide what laws are acceptable, and I have found that the hottest arguments in the game occur over these. I would prefer to leave them out, but if everyone is in a silly mood - by all means, include them! Democrazy was my first Faidutti game I bought, and it hooked me on his chaotic, fun style. It's my game of choice for a ten-player crowd, and is a fun game to bring out whenever everyone is in a light mood and ready for some fun! It's inexpensive, plays well in big crowds, and is a lot of fun. Give it a try! Back to Table of Contents -- Game! # 9 To Game! List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2004 by George Phillies. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. 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