Tough Calls: Dystopia

To set up Tough Calls: Dystopia, first, players collectively choose one of the ten unique dystopian scenario cards, each depicting a different post-apocalyptic world. The chosen scenario card is placed face-up on the table, and its detailed backstory, including the specific situation, location, and remaining population, is read aloud to all players. This initial reading also presents a core question that players will consider throughout the game. Following this, each player draws three question cards from the main deck, reviews them, and secretly selects one card to keep. The chosen card is then revealed, and the player reads the question on it aloud to the group. All other players then provide their answers to this question, aiming to demonstrate their leadership capabilities. After everyone has answered, players engage in a secret voting round, using small metal tokens to cast their votes for the player they believe provided the most compelling or effective solution, excluding themselves.

The primary objective in Tough Calls: Dystopia is to be recognized as the most suitable leader for the survivor colony in the chosen dystopian scenario. Players achieve this by effectively articulating their strategies and policies in response to various challenges presented by the question cards. The game is less about accumulating points and more about persuasive storytelling and demonstrating strong leadership qualities, as the winner is determined by who receives the most votes from their peers for their proposed solutions.

A game of Tough Calls: Dystopia unfolds in several rounds. In each round, one player acts as the active player. This player draws three new question cards from the deck, reads them silently, and chooses one question that they will answer. The chosen question card is then read aloud to all other players. Each player, including the active player, then takes a turn to provide their best answer to the question, explaining their proposed policies or actions. After all players have presented their answers, a voting phase occurs. Players secretly cast their votes for the player whose answer they found most convincing or leadership-worthy. This cycle continues, with the role of the active player rotating clockwise, ensuring that each player gets an opportunity to choose a question and be the focus of the answering and voting rounds.

Scoring in Tough Calls: Dystopia is determined by player votes. In the initial voting rounds, players cast secret votes using small metal tokens, with each token representing one vote. These votes are tallied to see who is perceived as the best leader for that specific question. In the final round, after the catastrophic event is revealed, players cast a more impactful vote. They use a special faction token, which counts as two votes, in addition to any remaining metal tokens. This final vote is crucial as it reflects the overall impression of a player's leadership throughout the entire game. The player who accumulates the highest total number of votes across all rounds, including the weighted faction token votes, is declared the winner and the best leader for the colony.

The game concludes after a predetermined number of rounds, typically corresponding to each player having had a turn to select and answer a question. The final stage of the game involves revealing a catastrophic event card, which introduces a new, overarching challenge to the dystopian scenario. Players then engage in a final round of answering, where they must integrate their previous leadership narratives with a solution to this new crisis. Following this, a final, more significant voting round takes place, where players cast their votes using both their standard tokens and a special faction token that carries more weight. The player with the most votes at the end of this final tally is crowned the ultimate leader of the survivor colony.