Die Macher
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Die Macher is a strategy board game designed by Karl-Heinz Schmiel of Germany. The game is based on the German electoral system and each player takes the role of one of five political parties. Parties score points based on their position in each of seven regional elections, the size of their national party base, the amount to which they control the national media, and how well their party platform aligns with the national interests.
Each regional election is a "mini game" on its own. Each region has its own interests (Do we support health care reform, or not?) and your party will do better if your platform aligns with the local concerns. Players (parties) have limited ability to hold meetings; the more they hold, the better they will do in that region. "Shadow Cabinet" (lobbyist) cards can be used to gain some special favors, and each party tracks its "trend" in the region using a sliding scale. When the election is held, each party scores based on the (trend + interest alignment)* meetings held. A maximum score is 50, and electoral points (victory points) are awarded based on the score. Each of the seven regions is randomly assigned one of many actual German regions, meaning that some elections will be very influential while others no so much. Players can modify their party’s' platform and by controlling the local media can also affect what the region is concerned about.
Winning the local election allows the party to advance their media control to the national level and to help outline the national issues list. Players see the elections developing in advance and can apply their resource to the current election or the one coming soon, adding to the difficult decision making. During each regional election, parties can create a temporary alliance and share in the victory.
Die Macher distinguishes itself as one of the finest board games ever created on many levels. The player interaction and decision making is excellent. Strong strategic thinking is required throughout, and the theme and mechanics are linked in way rarely seen in modern board games. Die Macher takes about four hours to play, which makes it daunting for some but thrilling for others.
Die Macher was first released by Hans im Glück publishing in 1986 as a four-player game. This version is often sought-after by collectors. A revised version of the game with much nicer production value was released 12 years later and this version was nominated for the 1998 Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year) award. In 2006, Valley Games of Canada produced a new version of the game and as a result the game is more generally available.
