Line #75 Main/PoliticalStrategyGame


1	Owing to the {{Strategy Game}}s' historical origins in WarGaming, most of them revolve around territorial or resource conflict, with the ultimate goal of ''dominance''. By contrast, the objective in political strategies is ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legitimacy_(political) legitimacy]]'', with two subgenres generally distinguished:
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3	* In a [[ElectionDayEpisode Political Campaign Sim]], players engage in political battle to ''come'' to power (whether through election or revolution). In other words, their goal is to claim and to substantiate greater legitimacy than the opposition.
4	* In a [[GovernmentProcedural Government Sim]], they already are in a position of power and must negotiate policies and spin intrigues to ''remain'' there. In other words, their goal is to maintain their legitimacy while undermining that of the opposition.
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6	While some political strategies have explored feudal settings where legitimacy is derived from [[BlueBlood birthright and titles]], most simulate democratic societies and frame legitimacy in terms of popular support and programmatic ideologies. The [[SmallReferencePools most common historical settings]] are therefore UsefulNotes/TheUnitedStates (and {{Fantasy Counterpart Culture}}s thereof), followed by generic {{Banana Republic}}s, the ([[UsefulNotes/HoleInFlag former]]) UsefulNotes/SovietUnion, and UsefulNotes/TheRomanRepublic.
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8	Political strategies often have some or all of following gameplay features:
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10	* '''UsefulNotes/PoliticalIdeologies''' are a form of CharacterAlignment and/or KarmaMeter comprised of [[VariablePlayerGoals (often contradictory) scoring criteria]], usually affecting either how many resources (see below) the player gets or how close they are to winning (or both). Because most political strategies take place in Western(-inspired) settings, specific ideologies are typically based on existing and historical Western political movements.
11	* '''Popular support''' is an indicator of the legitimacy a player enjoys within the simulated constituency[[note]]at least if the game simulates a ''democratic'' political process[[/note]]. It has different gameplay functions in Campaign and Government Sims: the former usually tie it to the victory condition (the player with the most support wins), while in the latter, they function more like HitPoints (if your support drops below certain threshold as a result of your or other players' actions, {{you lose\|AtZeroTrust}}).
12	* '''Political capital''' are {{resources\|ManagementGameplay}} that the players spend to enact their political agenda. Some games have only one generic resource, while others subdivide it into multiple types, with different in-game actions requiring different amounts of different resources. Most common resource types are [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney Money]] (material/economic resource) and [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections Influence]] (immaterial/social resource); sometimes, [[AppealToForce Force]] (training and equipment needed for [[CivilUnrestTropes direct, violent action]]) and [[PropagandaMachine Media]] (control over [[StrawmanNewsMedia information itself]]) are distinguished, as well. Different resource types may be associated with particular ideologies, e.g. in how you obtain them or which flavor of actions you can spend them on.
13	* '''Political actions''' are the main [[GameMechanics Gameplay Mechanic]] available to players:
14	** The '''core mechanic''' in Campaign Sims is spending political capital to acquire popular support, whereas in Government Sims, capital is spent on proposing, backing, and opposing new policies and/or legislation.
15	** Additionally, both genres typically feature a large number of strongly-themed '''[[SpecialAttack special actions]]''', which can be used to [[CorruptPolitician give oneself extra resources]], to [[AttackOfThePoliticalAd sabotage other players' support or resources]], or even to [[AssassinationAttempt knock them out of the game entirely]].
16	** In games with hidden information, one may carry out special actions '''in secret''', allowing other players to spend resources to [[EnemyScan investigate them]], in hopes of [[{{Scandalgate}} exposing one's wrongdoing]] and [[CounterAttack damaging one's popular support]].
17	* '''Current issues''' are a form of {{Random Event}}s designed to challenge the players' in-game ideology, ideally by pitting it against their pressing practical concerns (or against other players'). Taking a stance on a current issue (in word or in deed) typically results in the player's political capital and/or popular support shifting up or down, depending on the specific design.
18	* In multiplayer games, players are typically allowed to '''trade''' political capital at any point, but not ideology (however it is modeled in the game) or popular support. Furthermore, they are fully expected to form temporary '''coalitions''', which may or may not have special mechanics attached to them, so political strategy typically sits in the Dynamic Alliances section of the SlidingScaleOfCooperationVsCompetition. Combined with ideologies-as-alignments, this usually facilitates some amount of [[TabletopRPG role-playing]] among players.
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20	The challenge in political strategies comes from ''managing the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conflict_of_interest conflict of interest]]'': your power (resource) comes from [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_principal_problem representing the interests of others]], whether they are individual voter demographics, special interests like domestic lobbies and foreign [=NGOs=], or rival players, all of whom impose contradictory restrictions on how you can spend that power. The tension comes from maneuvering around these restrictions to maintain your legitimacy and power base while also expanding it.
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22	Website/TheOtherWiki calls this genre [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_simulation_game "government simulation game"]]. The Board Game Geek website catalogues TabletopGames in it under the [[https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1001/political "Political" label]].
23	----
24	!!Examples of Political Campaign Simulations:
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26	[[foldercontrol]]
27	[[index]]
28	[[folder:Browser Games]]
29	* ''VideoGame/TheCampaignTrail'' simulates a historical American presidential campaign, with several dates available. The player must take a Presidential candidate and then choose a Vice-Presidential candidate setting the tone of the campaign, along with advantages in some states. The campaign proper allows the player to visit a state and react to events such as strikes, riots, or foreign wars. Several issues are available, depending of the year, including the annexation of Texas, the Transcontinental Railway, slavery, civil rights, gun rights or the Gold Standard.
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32	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
33	* ''TabletopGame/{{Game of Politics}}'' ([[https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/5713/game-politics 1935]]) may be the UrExample of a political strategy game, simulating the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1936_United_States_presidential_election 1936 US Presidential Election]]. Each turn, the player rolls dice, which determines how much popular support they can obtain in that round. Additionally, they can hold topical speeches (represented by playing cards with generic topics on them) to improve their support in specific states; each player starts the game with three random cards, and additional cards are drawn from the deck and auctioned to players (this is where their money resource comes into play) whenever certain values are rolled. The game ends once each state has at least one candidate in it, and someone rolls doubles; the victory then goes to whoever has the most popular support.
34	* ''TabletopGame/TammanyHall'' (2007) models the machinations of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tammany_Hall eponymous New York political machine]] during the era of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_M._Tweed Boss Tweed]] (ca. 1860s). Players take on the roles of aspiring Tammany Hall bosses fighting over the mayoral elections over four four-year terms. Each year, a player can place either two "ward bosses" on one or two wards on the board, or place one ward boss and settle an immigrant group in a ward. Settling immigrants in New York grants the player a Favor token with that immigrant community (of which there are four: Irish, English, German, and Italian), which can be called in during the elections to gain more votes in any contested ward where said community is represented. Apart from winning mayoral elections (where the player with the most ''wards'' wins), players can become Immigrant Leaders by controlling wards with the largest total immigrant communities of a particular heritage, which grants additional Favor tokens from that particular group (and factors into the end-game scoring). Upon winning an election, the new mayor must assign each other player a subordinate office for the current term, with each having a different benefit.[[note]]Deputy Mayor gains one Favor token of any color each year, Chief of Police can remove immigrant groups from the board, Precinct Chairman can resettle them across neighboring wards, and Council President can "lock up" wards, preventing any tokens from being added or removed to them until the next election.[[/note]] Lastly, after the first election, players can spend Favor tokens to Slander their competition, removing their already-placed ward bosses from the board.
35	* ''TabletopGame/PaxPorfiriana'' (2012) and subsequent ''Pax'' games may well have been the [[TropeCodifier codifiers]] of modern political strategy board games. In ''Porfiriana'', players assume the roles of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacendado wealthy Mexican magnates]] during the [[PresidentForLife long reign]] of the (non-playable) [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porfirio_Diaz Porfirio Diaz]], who all jockey for position to topple him and to become the new ruler of Mexico. While the gameplay is mostly military-economic[[note]]with the main type of political capital being Gold and Troops[[/note]], what makes the game a ''political'' strategy is that victory conditions are tied to players' Prestige (representing their popular support), rather than wealth. Furthermore, there are four types of Prestige[[note]]Loyalty, Outrage, Command, and Revolution[[/note]], and which one is needed to successfully topple Diaz depends on the current Regime type[[note]]Pax Porfiriana, U.S. Intervention, Martial Law, and Anarchy, respectively[[/note]]. These Regimes represent different ideologies, change at randomized intervals, and modify basic gameplay rules. Players gain Prestige from controlling and developing various Enterprises and Mines, but also from buying the support of influential [[NonPlayerCharacter NPCs]][[note]]represented by shuffled cards[[/note]], dubbed "Partners", who belong to one of four factions[[note]]United States, Mexican federal authority, local Mexican forces, and rebels[[/note]] with constantly shifting hostilities to each other. Political actions come in the form of black and orange cards, targeting other players or their Partners[[note]]from [[AttackOfThePoliticalAd defamation and lawsuits]] to outright {{assassination\|Attempt}}s[[/note]] and other players' Enterprises[[note]]stealing goods or inciting unrest[[/note]], respectively; though because they often award Prestige to the ''target'', it is also [[CorruptPolitician perfectly legal]] to [[WoundedGazelleGambit play them against oneself]]. Current issues are represented by the Headline cards, which can trigger shifts in faction hostilities, Regime changes, and even economic depressions. A special type of Headlines are four cards that represent opportunities to Topple the president[[note]]via [[DragonAscendant Diaz Retirement]], [[ExpandedStatesOfAmerica U.S. Annexation]], MilitaryCoup, or [[VelvetRevolution Free Elections]], depending on the current Regime[[/note]] -- if no player manages to win by the time the fourth Topple attempt is resolved, everyone loses.
36	* When playing the Woodland Alliance in ''TabletopGame/{{Root}}'' (2018), the gameplay approaches political strategy (whereas [[AsymmetricMultiplayer other factions]] play more of a WarGame on the same board). Ideologically, the Alliance represents a populist reaction to the ongoing exploitation the forest by and armed conflict between bigger factions, so it gains victory points by spreading civil unrest throughout the map, with the end goal of a popular uprising. Popular support is thus represented by Unrest tokens, which are purchased using one of two types of political capital: Clout (represented by Supporter cards) and Force (represented by Warrior meeples). Supporter cards are slowly accrued by drawing from a common deck and playing them from hand, or from other players who move their troops into regions with Unrest tokens or suppress said unrest with violence -- this represents the growing popular outrage. Warrior meeples can be used normally for battle against other factions, but they also can be converted into Unrest tokens, as they represent not so much soldiers as seasoned revolutionaries. Finally, supporter cards can also be spent on local uprisings that not only produce new warriors and strongholds, but also clear ''all'' enemy forces and infrastructure from the region, showcasing the terrifying power of a popular revolt.
37	* ''TabletopGame/{{Oath}}: Chronicles of Empire and Exile'' (2021): While this game lacks many common elements of this genre (like [[RandomEvent current issues]]), what makes it an essentially political game are, on one hand, the VariablePlayerGoals in the form of Oaths and Visions, which effectively represent different [[UsefulNotes/PoliticalIdeologies ideologies]] (''very'' roughly: militaristic[[note]]Supremacy/Conquest[[/note]], populist[[note]]People/Rebellion[[/note]], mercantile[[note]]Protection/Sanctuary[[/note]], and theocratic[[note]]Devotion/Faith[[/note]]) and let players duke it out not only over ''who'' comes to power in the Empire, but also ''how'' to legitimize their rule. On the other hand, the Citizenship dynamic is a wellspring of political ''gameplay'', as it allows for formation and reformation of an explicit coalition to defend the status quo against more informal coalitions of the Exiles.
38	* ''TabletopGame/{{SHASN}}'' [[note]]the [[UsefulNotes/IndianLanguages Sanskrit]] word for "governance, rule, regime" or "throne, seat of power"[[/note]] (2021) is a [[https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/zainmemon/shasn-the-political-strategy-board-game-break-ks/description Kickstarted]] board game, notable for being setting-agnostic, with the same mechanics applied to different time periods from UsefulNotes/TheRomanRepublic, through modern-day US and India, to TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture. It is a Campaign Sim and allows players to dynamically shift their ideology. On their turn, each player draws an "ideology card" with a setting-appropriate policy question, with their answer determining their ideological standing and which resources they receive. The game has four types of political capital (Funds, Media, Clout, and Trust) and four corresponding ideologies (Capitalist, Showstopper, Supremo, and Idealist). Resources can be used to secure votes in one of nine regions on the board, or to purchase Conspiracy cards to sabotage other players. Having certain levels in any ideology, meanwhile, unlocks powerful special abilities. The goal of the game is to secure majority votes in the most regions: when majority is formed in all nine, the game ends and the player with the most majority voters wins. One unique twist is [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerrymandering Gerrymandering]], which allows a player who has the most voters in a region to arbitrarily shift voters (their own or the others'!) across all neighboring regions. Players can trade resources and Conspiracy cards at any time during their turn.
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41	[[folder:Video Games]]
42	* ''VideoGame/PresidentialElection'' ([[https://www.atariarchives.org/bigcomputergames/showpage.php?page=47 1980]]) was a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type-in_program type-in game]] by Ralph G. White for Platform/Atari2600 about running for US presidency. The player can decide whether their presidential candidate is [[IdiosyncraticDifficultyLevels the incumbent or the challenger]], [[UsefulNotes/AmericanPoliticalSystem Democrat or Republican]], and shape their ideology by setting relative priorities of six current political issues (unemployment, inflation, energy, social adjustments, defense, and foreign affairs). They then have nine months to tour the six US regions, where they can either spend the main resource (money) to campaign for popular support, or conversely raise funds. At the end of each in-game months, they are given their current financial status and poll ratings, and are confronted by a [[RandomEvent random political event]] which they have to take a stance on according to their chosen ideology. The game ends after nine months with you either being elected into office or losing the race.
43	* ''VideoGame/PresidentElect'' (1981) is a purely U.S. presidential election simulator. It covers the period from 1960 to 1988 and allows a significant amount of customization.
44	* ''VideoGame/RepublicTheRevolution'' (2003) puts you in the shoes of a young activist from a fictional [[UsefulNotes/HoleInFlag post-Soviet]] [[{{Ruritania}} Eastern European]] [[PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny republic]] who forms his own political party to topple the corrupt and reactionary government. To do so, he recruits additional activists from [[ClassAndLevelSystem all walks of life]] and assigns them (and himself) to carry out "actions" in the game world[[note]]which consists of three progressively larger cities, each subdivided into multiple districts[[/note]], e.g. investigating a city district (or spreading misinformation), campaigning for popular support of his cause (or sabotaging that of rival parties), or even attacking other parties' functionaries (or protecting his own). Having popular support in a district over time nets you different amounts of three types of political capital (Force, Influence, and Wealth), which correspond to three core ideologies[[note]]roughly: nationalist, social-democratic, and neoliberal, respectively[[/note]] and which you spend to launch actions, as well as story events[[note]]so for a specific action, you need both an activist who has the required ability and sufficient resources[[/note]]. The game has three [[AlignmentBasedEndings ideology-based endings]]: a MilitaryCoup (Force), a VelvetRevolution (Influence), or a forced resignation of the incumbent PresidentEvil, followed by his assassination (Wealth).
45	* ''VideoGame/ThePoliticalMachine'' series (2004–ongoing) is a Campaign Sim where you assume the role of a candidate in the contemporary US presidential elections (choosing one of RealLife candidates from the corresponding historical elections or [[CharacterCustomization creating your own from scratch]]) and compete against the others by traveling from state to state and alternating between raising funds and growing your popular support by spending funds on political ads in newspapers, TV, etc., with their effectiveness depending on the message and where you broadcast it.
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47	[[/index]]
48	----
49	!!Examples of Government Simulations:
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51	[[foldercontrol]]
52	[[index]]
53	[[folder:Browser Games]]
54	* ''Roleplay/ModelUSGov'' (2014–ongoing) is an ongoing [[ForumRolePlays Forum Role-Play]] hosted on Website/{{Reddit}}, which simulates multiple branches of a fictionalized [[UsefulNotes/AmericanPoliticalSystem United States Government]].
55	* ''VideoGame/{{Clout}}'' was a satirical browser-based MMO game where players assumed the role of members of a fictionalized US Congress proposing and voting on bills, while also engaging in Skullduggery (up to and including assassinations of other players) -- thus, it can be seen as an thematic precursor to ''The Partisans''. Each player belonged to one of five parties (Conservative, Libertarian, Liberal, Socialist, or Green), which determined their overall voting priorities. Players also had a Constituent Support score, which determined whether they were re-elected (remained in the game) at the end of every RealLife month and could be raised by voting with the party, lowered by voting against it, and lowered drastically by having their Skullduggery exposed by other players. The game had two types of political capital: money was used to buy bonus items and fund Subterfuge operations (including Skullduggery), while clout was used to propose bills and to vote for and against it. ''Clout'' was apparently shut down in 2017, with no known plans to bring it back.
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58	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
59	* ''TabletopGame/TheRepublicOfRome'' (1990) simulates the senatorial politics of the [[UsefulNotes/TheRomanRepublic pre-Imperial Rome]]. There are no hard-coded ideologies[[note]]unless players decide to role-play[[/note]], but any public promises and deals made by players are [[IGaveMyWord mechanically binding]]. Instead of a party, each player controls a faction of named senators, who also constitute their political capital. Each senator has two popular support ratings, Influence[[note]]how much sway he holds among fellow senators[[/note]] and Popularity[[note]]among the common folk of Rome[[/note]], as well as Oratory and Military ratings, with the most important being Influence[[note]]as the sum of it across all senators of a faction determines how close it is to victory[[/note]]. Other political capital includes [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attic_talent Talents]] (money, either belonging to senators, or to the faction), votes (see below), and loyalties of veteran legions (mainly for players who pull a [[UsefulNotes/JuliusCaesar Caesar]]). While there is a wargame dimension to ''ROR'', it is very formulaic and streamlined and serves mainly as a means for individual senators to gain popular support away from Rome. The heart of the game are the senate sessions, where players convert their senators' Oratory skill, loyal ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equites equites]]'', and talents into votes, which are then used to support or oppose proposals, such as senator appointments as consuls, provincial governors, and generals leading legions to wars[[note]]as well as how many legions they get to fight said wars with[[/note]]. Another important part of a senate session are the prosecutions, where a vote decides whether senators are fined or even executed for corruption or anything they did while in office on the previous turn (if convicted, a senator can try to use their Popularity to [[RabbleRouser rouse the rabble]] to his defense[[note]]this is the only time where Popularity is used proactively in the game[[/note]]). Interestingly, while there are "laws" in the game, which tweak its basic mechanics when played, they only need to be voted upon with optional rules, otherwise they take hold automatically. Lastly, at any time during a senate session, players can attempt to assassinate another's senator, though the punishment for it, if caught, is severe. The game ends when a) a senator pulls a Caesar and successfully [[MilitaryCoup takes Rome with his loyal veteran legions]], b) a senator gains 21 Influence and gets voted in as [[PresidentForLife Consul for Life]][[note]]this also happens automatically at 35 Influence[[/note]], c) the RandomEvent deck runs empty (in which case the faction with the most total Influence wins), or d) the republic collapses either because it is fighting too many wars simultaneously, can't pay for its expenses, or the civil unrest results in a revolution (in which case all players lose).
60	* ''TabletopGame/JohnCompany'' (2017) takes direct inspiration from ''The Republic of Rome'', but simulates instead the ''corporate'' politics of the fictionalizes [[UsefulNotes/KiplingsFinest British East India Company]], as it seeks to extract maximum profits from the conquest of and unfair trading with the states of the Indian subcontinent. Each player takes control of a rich British family involves with the Company and competes with others for the control of the important company offices, from the Chairman of the Board to a lowly Governor, with the ultimate goal of sending their officers into a cushy retirement (which earns victory points). The political aspect comes from the fact that most successful ventures in the game require the cooperation of multiple offices, which are typically held by different players, forcing them to negotiate and to make dynamic alliances with each other. There are also two voting mechanics (the election of the Chairman and the Parliament Phase, which can modify the basic game mechanics), while RandomEvents are introduced by a card deck at the end of each turn, which range from a storm sinking some of the Company ships, to a new native empire rising in India.
61	* ''TabletopGame/ThePartisans'' (2019) is a board game that originated from ''WebAnimation/ExtraCredits''[='=]s "Extra Politics" mini-series and was Website/{{Kickstarte\|r}}d in [[https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1225737959/the-partisans-an-extra-politics-extra-credits-game/description August 2018]]. It simulates the workings of a US Congress-like parliament: each player chooses an [[UsefulNotes/PoliticalIdeologies ideology]] and draws a random lobby to give them political capital (PC) tokens. Each turn, players put together new laws/bills out of randomized "amendment" cards, which can enact the interests of their ideology (giving them victory points if passed) or lobby (giving them extra PC), then spend PC to play "political action" cards to sabotage other players and to vote for or against the bill. Players can trade any resource except victory points at any time. Each bill passed alters the government priorities, and at the end of the game, players receive additional victory points based on how closely said priorities match their chosen ideology.
62	* ''[[TabletopGame/HegemonyLeadYourClassToVictory Hegemony: Lead Your Class to Victory]]'' (2023) is an asymmetric EuroGame about [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Class_conflict class struggle]], where each player controls an entire class within a generic modern Western society: Working and Capitalist Classes in two-player matches, plus Middle Class with three players, plus the State[[note]]which is not technically a class, but is referred as such to simplify notation[[/note]] with four. Each class has a different set of mechanics and ways of scoring victory points: WC[[note]]identified withe the socialist ideology[[/note]] can provide labor for CC and MC's companies and must increase its overall Prosperity to win; CC[[note]]neoliberal ideology[[/note]] can start massive companies and wins by accumulating capital; MC[[note]]social-democratic ideology[[/note]] is a mix of both, being able to start companies ''and'' provide some labor for themselves and for CC, while increasing its Prosperity and accumulating capital; finally, the State[[note]]non-ideological[[/note]] provides public goods to everyone else in return for [[RelationshipValues legitimacy]] and victory points. While every class can play exclusively to its interests, they are all complexly interlinked and interdependent, requiring constant negotiation and coordination, most obviously during the regular votes on policy changes (Bills), which alter the base mechanics of the game (such as the minimum wages, taxes, public services, tariffs, and availability of immigration).
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65	[[folder:Video Games]]
66	* ''VideoGame/{{Dictator}}'' (1982) by [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Priestley Don Priestley]] is probably the UrExample of Government Sim in video games. The player assumes the role of eponymous dictator of a fictional equatorial BananaRepublic named Ritimba during the UsefulNotes/ColdWar, who must balance the influence of the three Ritimban social classes (the armed forces, the impoverished peasants, and wealthy landowners), [[YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters guerilla insurgents]], the rival BananaRepublic of Leftoto, his own SecretPolice, and, of course, UsefulNotes/TheUnitedStates and the UsefulNotes/SovietUnion. Each in-game month, one of these factions presents the player with a randomized current issue, and depending on the player's response, their influence and [[AllianceMeter opinion of the dictator]] goes up or down. While the game is theoretically {{endless\|Game}}, the player will inevitably run out of money to fulfill forthcoming requests with, sparking either a CivilWar or an AssassinationAttempt, which may or may not end the game, depending on the current balance of powers. The "good" ending requires the dictator to flee the country before he is assassinated or executed, with the [[ScoringPoints final score]] determined by how much money he has managed to transfer to his SwissBankAccount while in power.
67	* ''VideoGame/{{Balance of Power}}'' (1985) by [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Crawford_(game_designer) Chris Crawford]] was another early Government Sim. The player assumes the role of the leader of either the US or the USSR and must, over eight year-long turns, maximize their and their country's prestige by resolving randomized current issues while undermining the opposing superpower's prestige without sparking a nuclear war (which is an instant-loss condition).
68	* ''[[VideoGame/HiddenAgenda1988 Hidden Agenda]]'' (1988) puts the player in the shoes of a newly-elected president of a BananaRepublic named Chimerica that has just rid itself of its former dictator. The main gameplay mechanics revolve around appointing four ministers (Agriculture, Defense, Internal and External Affairs) from the three Chimerican political parties (the socialist National Liberation Party, the conservative Popular Stability Party, and the centrist Christian Reform Party) and deciding with whom to consult regarding randomized current issues and which of the solutions they propose to implement. In addition to their own parties, the ministers represent the interests of various social groups and external powers, and the challenge is to balance these interests and to manage factional conflict.
69	* ''VideoGame/CrisisInTheKremlin'' (1991) simulates the political landscape of the UsefulNotes/SovietUnion[[note]]which was in the process of collapsing at the time of the game's release[[/note]] between 1985 and 2017. The player assumes the role of the General Secretary of one of three political persuasions (Reformist, Nationalist, or Hardline[[note]]stand-ins for UsefulNotes/MikhailGorbachev, UsefulNotes/BorisYeltsin, and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yegor_Ligachyov Yegor Ligachyov]], respectively[[/note]]) and must deal with randomized current issues (such as the UsefulNotes/{{Chernobyl}} disaster), set various public policies and spending, and maneuver between powerful factions of the country without getting ousted from office.
70	* This is a major element of the ''VideoGame/{{Tropico}}'' series (2001–ongoing) of [[SimulationGame Settlement Simulations]]: in most installments, the population of the eponymous fictional BananaRepublic is divided into several factions, such as Communists, Religious, Intellectuals, Capitalists, Militarists, Environmentalists, etc. A big part of the game is finding ways to placate these factions, by constructing buildings and enacting policies (called "edicts") favored by their respective ideologies, while maintaining enough support to keep you in power. Consistently favoring a certain faction causes its numbers to swell at the expense of the others, [[UnstableEquilibrium securing your position]] but also making you more dependent on that faction. Your standing with the factions can also affect your foreign relations: for example, having better relations with the Communists than other factions strengthens your relationship with the Soviet Union but weakens your relationship with the United States.
71	* In the ''VideoGame/{{Democracy}}'' series (2005–ongoing), you take on the role of a democratically elected leader and can influence your country and, [[SlaveToPR more importantly]], your standing among various demographics by adjusting various policies -- and thus your chances of getting reelected at the end of your term. Balancing various demographics' demands, your own ambitions, and the requirements and limitations of your current government make up much of the game's challenge and appeal.
72	* [[/index]]A [[SignatureStyle lot of]] Creator/ParadoxInteractive's games include sophisticated simulations of historical politics:[[index]]
73	** ''VideoGame/VictoriaAnEmpireUnderTheSun'' (2003) and its sequel (2010) place a lot of emphasis on your nation's internal politics. Every unit of population ("pop") in your empire has its own needs based on its class and profession, as well as a set of issues it prioritizes that determine which political parties it finds the most attractive. A combination of government type and the political party in power determines the sorts of actions your government can take (passing reforms, setting tax rates, building new factories, etc.); some governments allow for the ruler to appoint and dismiss ruling parties at a whim, while others hold regular elections, with votes being cast according to voter eligibility rules that may give more weight to certain classes or lock others out entirely. Pops who feel that their needs aren't being met or that their issues aren't getting enough attention are likely to radicalize, triggering negative events that will affect the national economy, and may (read: often ''will'') spill over into a full-on revolt to overthrow the current government. Balancing your people's nee
74	** The ''VideoGame/CrusaderKings'' series (2004–ongoing) features political strategy of a very different mold than the rest: instead of a simulating republican politics, it concerns Medieval feudal and dynastic power struggles[[note]]the single exception being "The Republic" DLC for the second game which introduced playable [[UsefulNotes/{{Venice}} merchant republics]], where the player controls a wealthy family competing with four others for the MerchantPrince title[[/note]]. As such, religions replace ideologies as pseudo-alignments that restrict available succession laws (in regards to order of succession and gender) and government forms (feudal, theocratic, etc.); instead of popular support, your power is measured both by the landed titles held by members of your dynasty (tiered into baron, count, duke, king, and emperor) and by the RelationshipValues with your liege, peers, and vassals; and the primary political capital types are Prestige (which you gain gradually from holding noble titles or in large chunks from winning wars or {{random event}}s, and can spend on political maneuvering) and Piety (gained mainly from fighting religious wars and random events, and spent on matters of faith), plus taxes and levies for economic and military actions, respectively. The core mechanics are {{arranged marriage}}s, claiming and bestowing titles, adjusting laws within your own holdings, negotiating alliances, and declaring and fighting wars; special actions include all manner of political intrigue, including conspiracies and assassinations (which [[YouLoseAtZeroTrust unhappy vassals can use against the player]], too).
75	** ''VideoGame/{{Stellaris}}'' (2016) features at least two political systems:
76	*** Unless you're playing as a HiveMind or an ArtificialIntelligence, you will have to manage various political factions in your society. These factions correspond to the eight ethics that you can organize your society under, each of which stands opposed to another one: [[TheFederation egalitarian]] or [[DemocracyIsBad authoritarian]], [[TheXenophile xenophilic]] or [[AbsoluteXenophobe xenophobic]], {{pacifist}} or [[WarIsGlorious militaristic]], and [[OutgrownSuchSillySuperstitions materialist]] or [[ReligionIsRight spiritualist]]. You choose your ethics at the start of the game (either three moderate ethics, or one moderate and one fanatical ethic), which initially inform the dominant political factions in your star empire, but this can change over time as your star nation grows and various events cause your people to change their outlook. Ironically, managing factions is typically easier in a democracy, as regular elections can allow a popular but disaffected faction to enter power, while under a dictatorship or a monarchy you have to maintain a constant balancing act with those factions that aren't in power lest they rebel (or force you to spend political capital suppressing them).
77	*** Even when playing hive minds and AI, at a certain point, the various empires populating the galaxy will found the Galactic Community -- a sort of pangalactic United Nations, whose members convene in a Senate every few years to vote on the most urgent of the previously proposed resolutions. Senate resolutions typically restrict community members' internal policies (from outlawing slavery to mandating certain minimum space navy sizes), as well as specify sanctions for breaking them (typically by applying penalties on the violators' economic or research capacities). Key resources in the Senate are Influence (which is spent to propose new resolutions, as well as to claim star systems) and Diplomatic Weight, which determines how influential your vote is and is calculated from the size of each empire, its population, economy, science, and military, and subject to a myriad modifiers. Vassal empires can be individually required to vote with their overlord, and smaller empires typically vote with larger empires they have good relationships with, since doing so improves their RelationshipValues, while dissenting lowers them. Finally, you can spend Favors (gained either through trade or Envoys' efforts) with other empires to use part of their Diplomatic Weight for your preferred resolution even if the empire votes against you.
78	* The ''Geo-Political Simulator'' series, consisting of ''Commander in Chief'' (2008), ''VideoGame/RulersOfNations'' (2010), ''Masters of the World'' (2013), and ''Power & Revolution'' (2016), puts you in the shoes of a head of state of a real-world country and tasks you with managing its internal and foreign policies, while avoiding being [[YouLoseAtZeroTrust voted out of office]], [[MilitaryCoup overthrown by your own military]], conquered by another country, etc.
79	* ''VideoGame/OstalgieTheBerlinWall'' (2018) charges the player with managing the politics of one of several socialist states at the end of the Cold War, with the goal of steering the country through the upheavals and revolutions of the period.
80	* ''VideoGame/DemocraticSocialismSimulator'' (2019) turns the player into the first democratically elected socialist president of a WorldOfFunnyAnimals version of the United States (with a majority of Congress behind you and no Supreme Court issues to maintain RuleOfFun), and gives you a series of binary choices (and some random events) during which you try to maintain your electorate while trying to balance the budget, build socialism and try to reach the climate goals of your administration. Every choice will alienate some parts of the electorate and attract others, in addition to requiring set amounts of popular or congressional support.
81	* ''VideoGame/YesYourGrace'' (2020) puts the player in the shoes of a medieval king who is tasked with managing the foreign and domestic politics of his kingdom.
82	* ''VideoGame/TheNewOrderLastDaysofEurope'' (2020) is an AlternateHistoryNaziVictory mod for the grand strategy game ''VideoGame/HeartsOfIronIV''. Despite being a mod for a grand strategy game that had only a secondary focus on political management, TNO puts the political management to the forefront, with many different and unique political simulation mechanics for many nations.
83	* ''VideoGame/{{Suzerain}}'' (2020) is a text-based political RolePlayingGame putting you in the shoes of Anton Rayne -- a [[CharacterCustomization customizable]] newly-elected president of a fictional [[{{Ruritania}} quasi-Eastern European]] Republic of Sordland. Sordland is plagued by regional rivalries, aggressive neighbors, an economic recession, separatism, political violence, corruption, and, on top of all that, is caught up in cold war between two global superpowers vying for influence over it. The objective is to implement state policies that ensure the continued survival and prosperity of both the Republic ''and'' Anton Rayne.
84	* ''VideoGame/RogueStateRevolution'' (2021) is a turn-based roguelike strategy game which puts you in the shoes of a fictional Middle Eastern nation as you try to leave your mark in its history (and win the next election) without dying in the process.
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87	[[/index]]

Context Main / PoliticalStrategyGame