The Weimar Republic (PREORDER)

January 19, 1919. The Great War is over, the Kaiser has abdicated, and Germany is on its knees. After suffering a humiliating loss at the hands of the Allied nations, the former Great Power is now confronted not only with the death of millions of its citizens, but also with a severe economic crisis and a political turmoil that threatens to plunge the entire nation into civil war. The November Revolution of 1918 ushered in a new era of liberal democracy in a country traditionally ruled by noblemen warriors. The first democratic election has now been held, but democracy’s enemies are numerous, and the future of the fledgling Republic appears grim. No one can tell whether the democratic Coalition will prevail or whether any of the extremist factions will rise out of the chaos and seize power.

 One thing is perfectly clear, however: the coming years will not be remembered for their peace and stability.

The Weimar Republic confronts players with difficult choices and questions not only in terms of gameplay. The historic downfall of the Republic to the threat of totalitarianism was not merely manifest in the National Socialist movement. In 1919, the embryo of the NSDAP was hidden deep within the heterogeneous far Right, and Hitler was known to few outside Bavaria's ultra-nationalist circles. Reactionary militarist forces, armed Bolsheviks, and a broken economy presented much more acute threats to the Republic during its early years than did National Socialism. The Weimar Republic allows players to explore democracy's inherent frailty through the "what if" scenarios about which historians (and gamers) so often speculate.

What if things had taken another turn some time during the twenties? What if the KPD, the Soviet-backed Communist Party, had obtained parliamentary control in key states or launched a successful revolution? What if the radical Right had managed to gain broad popular support before Hitler outmaneuvered the old reactionary elites? What if the democratic coalition had managed to stay together, unite the German people, and deliver the progressive, democratic welfare state that was promised from the outset?

Components

A 22” x 34” mounted mapboard

4 Player Mats

A deck of 165 cards

150 yellow, red, brown, and black Influence Cubes

3 black Conservative Clique Squares

8 white pawns and 4 colored pawns

A sheet of full-color counters

4 six-sided dice

4 Player Aids

1 reference sheet

Rulebook

Playbook