The country is in disarray, and war rages between the classes. The working class faces a broken welfare system, capitalists are losing their hard-earned profits, the middle class is gradually dwindling, and the state is sinking into a deep deficit. Amidst all this chaos, the only person who can provide guidance is you. Will you side with the working class and fight for social reforms? Or will you stand with the corporations and the free market? Will you help the government try to hold it all together, or will you attempt to push through your agenda, regardless of the costs to the country?
Hegemony is an asymmetrical political-economic card-driven board game for 2-4 players that puts you in the role of one of the socioeconomic groups in a fictional state: the Working Class, the Middle Class, the Capitalist Class, and the State itself.
The working class controls the workers. The capitalist class controls the businesses. The middle class combines elements from both the Working Class and the Capitalists. It has workers who can work in the capitalists' businesses, but it can also build its own businesses, albeit smaller. Finally, the State tries to keep everyone satisfied by providing services and subsidies when necessary, but also by maintaining a stable income through taxes to avoid debt.
While players have their own separate goals, they are all constrained by a series of policies that affect most of their actions, such as Taxation, the Labor Market, Foreign Trade, etc. Voting on these policies and using their influence to change them is also very important. Through careful planning, strategic actions, and political maneuvers, you will do your best to increase your class's power and push through your agenda. Will you be the one to lead your class to victory?
Hegemony is heavily based on actual academic principles such as Social Democracy, Neoliberalism, Nationalism, and Globalism, allowing players to see their real-world applications through engaging gameplay. There are many ways to achieve hegemony - which will you choose?
