Coalition: A Game for 9, 12 or 15 players (with rules for 3 or 6, but full design requires 9+)
The core concept of 3 players dividing a pool of 300 units of money is well known. http://www.overcomingbias.com/2013/11/the-coalition-politics-hypothesis.html is the direct source. The rest of the design is by Zvi Mowshowitz. Invention of core structure and first playtest session were 11/19 with the NYC rationalist group , and we had a lot of fun.
This is an Alpha design. The common cards have been tested, the rare cards have not.
Coalition consists of a series of rounds. In each round, each group of three players will engage in a negotiation game to divide a pool of points, as follows:
1. Players in the group find each other and get together. Players each get pen and paper or other method of secretly choosing a division.
2. The round begins. Default time is 3 minutes. Players may talk to each other. Statements are not binding unless a card says otherwise.
3. When time is up, the round ends and each player writes down a proposed division between the three players.
4. All proposed divisions are revealed. If at least two players wrote down identical divisions, that division is enacted and points are awarded accordingly. If not, all points are lost.
In the advanced negotiation game, before the first round begins, each player is given a card. These cards may not be revealed to other players unless they say otherwise. Most cards will provide a bonus to the player if certain conditions are met, and some allow or force the player to undertake certain actions. Thus, the advanced or full game has 6 steps:
1. Players in the group find each other and get together. Players each get pen and paper or other method of secretly choosing a division.
2. Anything that happens ‘at the start of the round’ occurs. Even if your card has a power, do not reveal your card unless instructed to do so.
3. The round begins. Default time is 3 minutes. Players may now talk to each other. Statements are not binding unless a card says otherwise.
4. When time is up, the round ends and each player writes down a proposed division between the three players.
5. All proposed divisions are revealed. If at least two players wrote down identical divisions, that division is enacted and points are awarded accordingly. If not, all points are lost.
6. Bonus points are scored. Players reveal whether they received a bonus, but not why or why not.
The goal is to score as many points as possible across all rounds.
The full game consists of three rounds of advanced negotiation play, with the winner being the player who gets the most points across all three rounds. Players keep the same card for the entire game. The players rotate such that they don’t face off against the same other player twice.
It is recommended that the game be played once without cards first, both to get players used to the game and to develop tentative norms of behavior, then bust out the cards.
For three players, redraw cards after each round, and all bonus points are kept secret until the end.
For six players, redraw cards after round two, and play four rounds total.
Definitions:
A player who does not “break their word” has “kept their word.” A player “breaks their word” if that player reaches a verbal agreement with another player, and then does not honor the terms of that agreement. A player who makes contradictory deals has automatically broken their word. A player who makes an offer that would contradict a previous agreement has not broken their word yet, but would if the offer was accepted.
An “offer” consists of a proposal for a division of the points. It is “accepted” if another player agrees to it. It “holds” if that division is written down by two or more players and the points are distributed in this way.
A division is written on cards as X/Y/Z. It does not specify who is who unless it says so.
Cards:
There are two classes of cards: Common and Rare. For more complexity, shuffle in more rares. List of cards will of course change, and the names will definitely change.
It is recommended that the players not know what cards are out there when first playing, if possible.
Yes, there are better and worse cards in the deck, including strictly better cards than others. This is intentional. You can, if you wish, alter the point awards of those cards accordingly to avoid this.
The Commons (There are 11 unique cards, and there are 2 copies of Egalitarian):
Citizen: +50 points.
Egalitarian (Fairness): +100 points for 100/100/100.
Purist (Super Fairness): +100 points for 100/100/100. You can’t score more than 100 points from the division.
Politician: +100 points for any successful division other than 100/100/100.
Philanthropist: +X, where X is the lower of the shares of the other two players.
Opener: +100 if you keep your word and your first offer holds.
Mediator: +100 if first offer made by anyone else holds.
Partner: +100 if you keep your word and do not offer.
Disruptor: +50 for each other player that breaks their word.
Sadist: +50 points for each player that fails to collect a bonus.
Utility Monster: +1 for each point in the division above 100.
Rares (Try them out to see which are fun and interesting, avoid using more than 1/3 rares):
Monk: +100 if you do not talk.
Trust-Fund Baby: Reveal this card at the start of the round for +100 points.
Thomas Schilling: Reveal this card at the start of the round. You may then write down a division, say nothing and leave. You and each other player who does this gets +100 points.
Fanatic: At start of round, write down a division and reveal it. You may not change it. You score +100 if that division holds.
Kingmaker: +150 if split is 300/0/0 in any players’ favor.
Victim: +100 if you get less in division than each other player.
Egomaniac: +100 if you get more in division than each other player.
Uniter: +100 if all three players write down the same division.
Traitor: +200 if no split is agreed upon (0/0/0).
Spy: At start of round, look at all cards. You may change your division after seeing the other two divisions.
Hatemonger: At start of round, choose another player and look at their card. +100 if that player gets no bonus.
Mimic: At start of round, choose another player and look at their card. Treat this card as a copy of their card for this round.
Pundit: At end of round, write down two additional divisions, one for each other player. If both match what that player wrote down, +100 points and you choose which division holds.
Syncophant: At start of round, choose another player. That player’s division holds. You score a bonus equal to their bonus.
Enforcer: If no player proposes an uneven split, +100 for 100/100/100. If one does, +100 for 150/150/0 excluding the first player that does.
Outsider: +100 points. You must write down 300/0/0 with 300 to you.
Liar: +100 if you tell the other players what division you will write down, then write down a different division.
Terrorist: You can choose to reveal this card. If you write down 0/0/0, that division holds automatically.
Populist: Reveal this card when divisions are revealed. Each other player may choose to give you a +50 bonus.
Trickster: Write down a player with your division. You steal their bonus (you score what they would have scored, and they get zero.)
Distractor: +100 if the majority of what each player says is unrelated to the game.
Sellout: +100 if you score more than 100 points. You must accept any offer that increases your share. You can only make offers that increase your share.
Notary: +50 points. You can choose to reveal this card at any time. Agreements you make cannot be broken by the other party unless you let them.
Elitist: +100 if all three players get points in the division, but none of them are within 25 of another players’ share of the division.
Sample round schedules to avoid repeats (game is recommended for 9+ players):
3 Players: Only one group.
6 Players:
Round 1: 1/2/3, 4/5/6
Round 2: 1/4/5, 2/3/6.
Round 3: 1/2/6, 3/4/5.
Round 4: 1/3/4, 2/5/6.
9 Players:
Round 1: 1/2/3, 4/5/6, 7/8/9.
Round 2: 1/4/7, 2/5/8, 3/6/9.
Round 3: 1/5/9, 2/6/7, 3/4/8
12 Players:
Round 1: 1/2/3, 4/5/6, 7/8/9, 10/11/12
Round 2: 1/4/7, 2/8/11, 3/5/12, 6/7/10
Round 3: 1/5/11, 2/6/10, 3/7/11, 4/8/12
15 Players:
Round 1: 1/2/3, 4/5/6, 7/8/9, 10/11/12, 13/14/15
Round 2: 1/4/7, 2/10/13, 3/8/11, 5/12/14, 6/9/15
Round 3: 1/11/14, 2/5/8, 3/10/15, 4/9/12, 6/7/13
Questions for Testers:
Is the game fun?
Which cards are fun? Which cards aren’t fun?
Are the cards too balanced, not balanced enough or about right? Are any particular cards too good or too pathetic?
Is the mix of cards good? Game likely depends on a proper mix of cards that are about various things, including cards that care about getting a fair division (100/100/100) and about an unfair divison. If there was going to be a fixed 9 or 12 cards (or a fixed 8 or 11 with a rare) what would they be?
Any new ideas for cards?
Are any cards too complicated?
Any suggestions for better names for cards?
Is 3 the right number of rounds?
Is 3 minutes the right amount of time?
What norms emerged in your games? How did the negotiations go?
Do the 3 and 6 player games work? (I’ve tried it with 9 and 12 only at this point, both watching and participating)
Let me know what you think, and I encourage you to try it out! I mocked the game up on Illuminati blank cards, which are great, but an ordinary deck of cards or some Magic commons should work fine too.
This is an Alpha design. The common cards have been tested, the rare cards have not.
Coalition consists of a series of rounds. In each round, each group of three players will engage in a negotiation game to divide a pool of points, as follows:
1. Players in the group find each other and get together. Players each get pen and paper or other method of secretly choosing a division.
2. The round begins. Default time is 3 minutes. Players may talk to each other. Statements are not binding unless a card says otherwise.
3. When time is up, the round ends and each player writes down a proposed division between the three players.
4. All proposed divisions are revealed. If at least two players wrote down identical divisions, that division is enacted and points are awarded accordingly. If not, all points are lost.
In the advanced negotiation game, before the first round begins, each player is given a card. These cards may not be revealed to other players unless they say otherwise. Most cards will provide a bonus to the player if certain conditions are met, and some allow or force the player to undertake certain actions. Thus, the advanced or full game has 6 steps:
1. Players in the group find each other and get together. Players each get pen and paper or other method of secretly choosing a division.
2. Anything that happens ‘at the start of the round’ occurs. Even if your card has a power, do not reveal your card unless instructed to do so.
3. The round begins. Default time is 3 minutes. Players may now talk to each other. Statements are not binding unless a card says otherwise.
4. When time is up, the round ends and each player writes down a proposed division between the three players.
5. All proposed divisions are revealed. If at least two players wrote down identical divisions, that division is enacted and points are awarded accordingly. If not, all points are lost.
6. Bonus points are scored. Players reveal whether they received a bonus, but not why or why not.
The goal is to score as many points as possible across all rounds.
The full game consists of three rounds of advanced negotiation play, with the winner being the player who gets the most points across all three rounds. Players keep the same card for the entire game. The players rotate such that they don’t face off against the same other player twice.
It is recommended that the game be played once without cards first, both to get players used to the game and to develop tentative norms of behavior, then bust out the cards.
For three players, redraw cards after each round, and all bonus points are kept secret until the end.
For six players, redraw cards after round two, and play four rounds total.
Definitions:
A player who does not “break their word” has “kept their word.” A player “breaks their word” if that player reaches a verbal agreement with another player, and then does not honor the terms of that agreement. A player who makes contradictory deals has automatically broken their word. A player who makes an offer that would contradict a previous agreement has not broken their word yet, but would if the offer was accepted.
An “offer” consists of a proposal for a division of the points. It is “accepted” if another player agrees to it. It “holds” if that division is written down by two or more players and the points are distributed in this way.
A division is written on cards as X/Y/Z. It does not specify who is who unless it says so.
Cards:
There are two classes of cards: Common and Rare. For more complexity, shuffle in more rares. List of cards will of course change, and the names will definitely change.
It is recommended that the players not know what cards are out there when first playing, if possible.
Yes, there are better and worse cards in the deck, including strictly better cards than others. This is intentional. You can, if you wish, alter the point awards of those cards accordingly to avoid this.
The Commons (There are 11 unique cards, and there are 2 copies of Egalitarian):
Citizen: +50 points.
Egalitarian (Fairness): +100 points for 100/100/100.
Purist (Super Fairness): +100 points for 100/100/100. You can’t score more than 100 points from the division.
Politician: +100 points for any successful division other than 100/100/100.
Philanthropist: +X, where X is the lower of the shares of the other two players.
Opener: +100 if you keep your word and your first offer holds.
Mediator: +100 if first offer made by anyone else holds.
Partner: +100 if you keep your word and do not offer.
Disruptor: +50 for each other player that breaks their word.
Sadist: +50 points for each player that fails to collect a bonus.
Utility Monster: +1 for each point in the division above 100.
Rares (Try them out to see which are fun and interesting, avoid using more than 1/3 rares):
Monk: +100 if you do not talk.
Trust-Fund Baby: Reveal this card at the start of the round for +100 points.
Thomas Schilling: Reveal this card at the start of the round. You may then write down a division, say nothing and leave. You and each other player who does this gets +100 points.
Fanatic: At start of round, write down a division and reveal it. You may not change it. You score +100 if that division holds.
Kingmaker: +150 if split is 300/0/0 in any players’ favor.
Victim: +100 if you get less in division than each other player.
Egomaniac: +100 if you get more in division than each other player.
Uniter: +100 if all three players write down the same division.
Traitor: +200 if no split is agreed upon (0/0/0).
Spy: At start of round, look at all cards. You may change your division after seeing the other two divisions.
Hatemonger: At start of round, choose another player and look at their card. +100 if that player gets no bonus.
Mimic: At start of round, choose another player and look at their card. Treat this card as a copy of their card for this round.
Pundit: At end of round, write down two additional divisions, one for each other player. If both match what that player wrote down, +100 points and you choose which division holds.
Syncophant: At start of round, choose another player. That player’s division holds. You score a bonus equal to their bonus.
Enforcer: If no player proposes an uneven split, +100 for 100/100/100. If one does, +100 for 150/150/0 excluding the first player that does.
Outsider: +100 points. You must write down 300/0/0 with 300 to you.
Liar: +100 if you tell the other players what division you will write down, then write down a different division.
Terrorist: You can choose to reveal this card. If you write down 0/0/0, that division holds automatically.
Populist: Reveal this card when divisions are revealed. Each other player may choose to give you a +50 bonus.
Trickster: Write down a player with your division. You steal their bonus (you score what they would have scored, and they get zero.)
Distractor: +100 if the majority of what each player says is unrelated to the game.
Sellout: +100 if you score more than 100 points. You must accept any offer that increases your share. You can only make offers that increase your share.
Notary: +50 points. You can choose to reveal this card at any time. Agreements you make cannot be broken by the other party unless you let them.
Elitist: +100 if all three players get points in the division, but none of them are within 25 of another players’ share of the division.
Sample round schedules to avoid repeats (game is recommended for 9+ players):
3 Players: Only one group.
6 Players:
Round 1: 1/2/3, 4/5/6
Round 2: 1/4/5, 2/3/6.
Round 3: 1/2/6, 3/4/5.
Round 4: 1/3/4, 2/5/6.
9 Players:
Round 1: 1/2/3, 4/5/6, 7/8/9.
Round 2: 1/4/7, 2/5/8, 3/6/9.
Round 3: 1/5/9, 2/6/7, 3/4/8
12 Players:
Round 1: 1/2/3, 4/5/6, 7/8/9, 10/11/12
Round 2: 1/4/7, 2/8/11, 3/5/12, 6/7/10
Round 3: 1/5/11, 2/6/10, 3/7/11, 4/8/12
15 Players:
Round 1: 1/2/3, 4/5/6, 7/8/9, 10/11/12, 13/14/15
Round 2: 1/4/7, 2/10/13, 3/8/11, 5/12/14, 6/9/15
Round 3: 1/11/14, 2/5/8, 3/10/15, 4/9/12, 6/7/13
Questions for Testers:
Is the game fun?
Which cards are fun? Which cards aren’t fun?
Are the cards too balanced, not balanced enough or about right? Are any particular cards too good or too pathetic?
Is the mix of cards good? Game likely depends on a proper mix of cards that are about various things, including cards that care about getting a fair division (100/100/100) and about an unfair divison. If there was going to be a fixed 9 or 12 cards (or a fixed 8 or 11 with a rare) what would they be?
Any new ideas for cards?
Are any cards too complicated?
Any suggestions for better names for cards?
Is 3 the right number of rounds?
Is 3 minutes the right amount of time?
What norms emerged in your games? How did the negotiations go?
Do the 3 and 6 player games work? (I’ve tried it with 9 and 12 only at this point, both watching and participating)
Let me know what you think, and I encourage you to try it out! I mocked the game up on Illuminati blank cards, which are great, but an ordinary deck of cards or some Magic commons should work fine too.