Junta

In this game, the players take the roles of the military dictators of el Republico de los Bananas. This is a very poor country that is dependent on foreign aid for its continued survival. The players work together to make sure that the money goes where it is needed most… their own bank accounts.

The money comes from a facedown deck. Every round, the player that is currently el Presidente draws several bills. Then he frowns at them, and looks disappointed for several seconds. “I fear that there will not be much to go around this year. We will all have to make sacrifices” At this point, el Presidente proposes a budget which declares how much money will go to each player, and the players use their votes to determine whether the vote passes.

Players each have one vote, and can get more by playing cards that give them the support of various groups, such as labor unions or the church. If the budget passes, then el Presidente is obligated to pay each player what he had promised. If it fails, then the player that controls the police can seize the chamber and force the vote to pass. If they don’t do this, then the vote fails, and el Presidente keeps all money.

After this, each player secretly determines where they are going to hang out during this turn. Will they be at their mistress’s house, or will they be at the bank, depositing their money? Once everybody has selected, then each player gets a chance to play any assassination cards that they have (the player that controls the police gets one free assassination per turn). If they can guess where you are hanging out, then the assassin will probably kill you, and they will take all your money. Dead players come back next turn (their characters are replaced by their brother-in-law).

Once the assassinations are complete, players will usually have the opportunity to initiate a coup, if they want to. This plays kinda like a really quick version of risk, and can usually be resolved in half an hour. There are five control points to capture, and when the coup ends, each player gets one vote for each control point that they control. They use their votes to determine whether the rebels win, or the president does. The winner of the coup executes one of the other players, and the game continues.

The game ends when the money deck runs out. Whoever has stuffed the most money into their Swiss bank account is the winner.

This game provides a delightfully Machiavellian experience. It’s full of backstabbing opportunities, as well as opportunities for fake accents. It doesn’t pay to hold a grudge, so most players accept being assassinated with good humor.

I’d recommend this game for anyone that likes some backstabbing in their games.

If you can put on Spanish accents and screw people with a smile, this is your game. Caveat: I played this with “serious folks” and they didn’t get it. You need table talk, “jaunts” –my invented word which is a combination of jibes and taunts– to make this work.