'Simple Government'

A Solo Card Game by Matthew Hartley

'An Election Entertainment' from Hogarth's 'The Humours of an Election' series, 1755

This year Matthew Hartley brings us a solo game of running a country without losing your head.

~

When Prime Minister Harold Macmillan was asked what was the greatest challenge for a statesperson, his reply was reputedly: ‘Events, dear boy, events’.

Introduction

This a simple game which aims to portray the difficulties in running a country when faced by a series of challenges, both foreign and domestic, whilst maintaining sufficient public support to remain in power. 

The game is not specific to any period or political system, although losing popular support in a democracy result only in a trashing at the ballot box and not the rather more terminal range of endings available to dictators or autocrats. Similarly, taxation may be in the form of money, but could equally be in the form of corvée labour or goods in kind.  

Players should feel free to alter the parameters of the game to make the task more or less challenging as they feel fit.   

Pieces and Set Up 

The game requires 1 pack of normal playing cards; two tracks, numbered 1 to 10, with markers to represent popular support and taxation levels; some paper and a pen to record the current treasury; and at least 2 six-sided dice. 

The game set up requires that the deck of cards be split by colour into two decks each of 27 cards (Ace to 10 and Court cards twice, plus a joker). Each deck should be shuffled and placed face down on the play area. The black deck represents domestic events, and the red deck represents foreign events. 

The Popular Support track should be set at a starting value of 5. 

The Taxation Track should be set at a starting value of 3. 

The current treasury should be recorded at a value of 3. 

Game Play     

The game is played in a series of turns, with each turn containing a series of phases which must be resolved in order. 

The phases are: 

1. Set tax level 

2. Acquire resources 

3. Draw Event cards 

4. Resolve Events 

Each of these phases may result in changes to the Popular Support track. 

Set Tax Level

The play may increase or decrease the tax level as they see fit, up to a maximum of 10 or a minimum of 1. 

Every 1 point increase in tax level results in a 1 point decrease in Popular Support. 

Every 1 point decrease in tax level results in a 1 point increase in Popular Support. 

Acquire Resources 

Increase the total in the treasury by the total current tax level score. 

Draw Event Cards 

Draw one event card from each deck. Place the cards next to their respective decks face up if the card is an Ace to 10. Court cards represent no event and are not played. 

If unresolved event cards are already in play, the new event card is placed adjacent to them. 

If the Joker is drawn, a dice is rolled and a number of event cards of the same colour as the deck from which the Joker was drawn are returned from the resolved event discard pile (see below) to play as active events. If insufficient events of the right colour are available, only as many as are available are played.  

Resolve Events  

During this phase the player may choose to attempt to resolve some or all of the events currently in play.  

The player has one opportunity to resolve Domestic events and one opportunity to resolve Foreign events each turn.  

The player may try to resolve multiple events of the same type (Foreign or Domestic) at the same time, however it is much harder to resolve multiple events simultaneously. 

To resolve an event or events, the player adds up the total value on the event cards of a particular colour that the player is trying to resolve. Note that the player does NOT have to try to resolve all of the events of the same colour that are in play in one turn. 

Next, the player spends money from the treasury to “buy” dice. One dice is bought for each point spent.  

The player then rolls the dice and compares the score to the event total. If the score equals or exceeds the total, the actions have been successful and the events are placed in the resolved events discard pile. If the score is less than the total, the attempt has been unsuccessful and the events remain.   

The player increases Popular Support by 1 point for successfully resolving any domestic event total (irrespective of how many cards it contained), plus an additional 1 point for EACH even numbered domestic event resolved.  

The player receives 1 point for each odd-numbered foreign event resolved. 

Finally, the player loses 1 point of Popular Support for every two (rounded down) unresolved domestic event and 1 point for every three (rounded down) unresolved Foreign events  still in play at the end of this phase. 

Winning and Losing   

The player loses the game if at any time their Popular Support falls below 1. 

The player wins if they can no longer draw cards from either of the event decks.            

~

Theming The Events...

With a little bit of research you can theme the event cards to match real world events, for example, you can use the lists below to re-create a Georgian Era political campaign. Google each one as it comes up and you can learn whilst you play.

Georgian Era Domestic Events

1. Expansion of the Window Tax (1696, Expanded in the 18th Century)

• A tax on windows to raise revenue for the government.

• Unpopular but caused minimal disruption to governance.

2. Establishment of the Georgian Gin Acts (1729–1751)

• Laws to control excessive gin consumption.

• Tackled social issues but only caused minor unrest.

3. Founding of the Methodist Movement (1730s)

• Led by John Wesley, promoting religious reform and social improvement.

• Inspired moral change but posed no direct threat to governance.

4. Bread Riots (1795–1800)

• Caused by food shortages and high bread prices during the Napoleonic Wars.

• Highlighted economic issues but remained localized.

5. Enclosure Acts (18th–19th Century)

• Laws privatizing common lands, displacing rural populations.

• Sparked protests and dissatisfaction, pressuring local authorities.

6. Formation of Corresponding Societies (1792–1799)

• Radical political groups demanding parliamentary reform.

• Provoked government crackdowns and fears of revolution.

7. Anti-Catholic Gordon Riots (1780)

• Violent protests against Catholic emancipation in London.

• Exposed deep religious divides and tested law enforcement capabilities.

8. The Peterloo Massacre (1819)

• Peaceful reform protests in Manchester met with violent repression.

• Damaged the government’s reputation and fueled reform movements.

9. The Luddites (1811–1816)

• Workers destroyed machinery to protest job losses due to industrialization.

• Challenged the government’s ability to manage economic transitions.

10. The Swing Riots (1830–1831)

• Widespread rural uprisings against mechanization and poor living conditions.

• Forced the government to consider significant agricultural and social reforms.

Georgian Era Foreign Events

1. Treaty of Paris (1763)

• Ended the Seven Years' War, expanding British territories.

• Boosted British prestige but added administrative and financial burdens.

2. Haitian Revolution (1791–1804)

• The successful slave revolt in Saint-Domingue inspired fears of rebellion in British colonies.

• Influenced British abolitionist debates but caused no immediate governance crises.

3. Capture of Gibraltar (1704)

• Acquired during the War of Spanish Succession, consolidating British naval power.

• Strengthened Britain’s global position with little direct domestic impact.

4. First Anglo-Maratha War (1775–1782)

• A conflict in India over territorial dominance.

• Highlighted Britain's expanding imperial responsibilities but limited home repercussions.

5. Battle of Trafalgar (1805)

• Naval victory during the Napoleonic Wars, securing British control of the seas.

• Enhanced national security but drained resources and prolonged the war effort.

6. American War of Independence (1775–1783)

• Loss of the American colonies was a blow to British pride and power.

• Led to significant political debates and reform pressures at home.

7. French Revolution (1789–1799)

• Revolutionary ideas challenged monarchies across Europe.

• Sparked fears of similar uprisings in Britain and led to repressive measures.

8. Irish Rebellion (1798)

• Inspired by French revolutionary ideals, this rebellion sought Irish independence.

• Highlighted Britain’s challenges in managing Ireland and led to the 1801 Act of Union.

9. Peninsular War (1807–1814)

• Britain supported Spanish and Portuguese resistance against Napoleonic France.

• Financially draining and politically controversial.

10. Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815)

• Decades of warfare with France, culminating in the Battle of Waterloo.

• Dominated British politics, drained the economy, and reshaped European power structures.

~

Webmaster's Notes

An Orcs in the Webbe Original! This stand alone game was written exclusively for Orcs in the Webbe and was first published on the 1st December 2024 as part of its 2024 Advent Calendar.

Any comments in maroon in the article above have been added by me either to provide additional information or clarity. I may also have made small changes to grammar and layout but may not have marked those.

You can see all the previous stand alone games that have been written exclusively for Orcs in the Webbe by clicking on the  maroon tag  just below and to the left.

~