Benevolent Leaders - A nation building survival board game

“The lion cannot protect himself from traps, and the fox cannot defend himself from wolves. One must therefore be a fox to recognize traps, and a lion to frighten wolves.”

― Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince

Evil rulers rejoice

when the royal income is derived

from fines imposed on the people.

How amazing the dishonesty of this degenerate age! . . .

Therefore, whether you are a king, a minister,

or the head of a city,

you should only accept wealth that is legally permitted

and never give a single thought to ill-gotten wealth.

                                                                                 (Mipham, 49)

And I want to conquer the world

Give all the idiots a brand new religion

Put an end to poverty, uncleanliness, and toil

Promote equality in all of my decisions

Bad Religion (I Want to Conquer the World)

Benevolent leaders is a tableau/engine builder for 1-4 players. It is an insidious puzzle that pits players against each other as their civilizations hurdle towards an inevitable apocalypse. Players are tasked with leading their country through the cataclysmic events and coming out on the other side as the greatest world power. Failure could mean the destruction of your entire society. Do you have what it takes to bring a country through the apocalypse? 

Benevolent leaders is a politically minded game, with its tongue firmly planted in its cheek. All of the art in the game is generated by the AI Nightcafe, and prompted by the card titles. The result is a beautiful and nightmarish interpretation of our world. Images that evoke meaning and macabre dread. A tone of game that harkens back to card games such as Lunch Money, where tone and art firmly plant the player in a particular mindset.

The game itself is easy to grasp, and hard to master. Players are constantly gathering resources to further develop their countries, to prepare for the oncoming apocalypse. The many wrinkles in the system allow for unique styles of play. Purposefully hastening catastrophic events can have short term rewards. Making decisions for yourself that are less than optimal can also have catastrophic repercussions for other players. This is a game where every choice has dramatic consequences. Feel your brain grow hot as you attempt to avoid the inevitable doom of your civilization.