Wir sind das Volk!

To set up Wir sind das Volk!, begin by placing 3 blue unrest markers in each region on the game board. Next, place 2 pink socialist markers in the socialist holding box. Then, place one red factory in Berlin and another in Bitterfeld, ensuring the '1' value on each factory points North. Similarly, place one yellow factory in Dortmund and one in Hamburg, also with the '1' value pointing North. The four purple factories should be placed close to the cities of CSSR and Polska. Afterward, place the prestige, western culture, socialist, and end of decade markers on their respective matching spaces on the tracks. The small flight marker is placed on the '0' space of the flight track. All other components, such as additional markers and tokens, should be placed in separate piles near the board for easy access. Separate the action cards into four decks, one for each decade (1945-1959, 1960-1969, 1970-1979, 1980-1989), and place the associated special card next to each deck. Finally, deal 2 decade 1 action cards face down to each player, and place 7 decade 1 action cards face up into the card display at the top of the board.

The primary objective in Wir sind das Volk! is for each player, representing either West or East Germany, to ensure the survival and prosperity of their respective state while simultaneously working towards the collapse of the opposing German state. Victory can be achieved through various means, including maintaining economic stability, exerting political influence, or by triggering specific conditions that lead to the opponent's downfall. Players must carefully manage their resources, respond to historical events, and make strategic decisions to outmaneuver their opponent and ultimately unify Germany under their ideology.

A turn in Wir sind das Volk! involves players alternating actions, primarily by playing action cards from their hand. Each action card has a value and an event. Players can choose to use a card for its value to perform actions like building factories, moving unrest markers, or gaining currency, or they can choose to trigger the card's event, which often has a more significant but sometimes unpredictable impact on the game state. Actions are taken to influence regions, build economic infrastructure (factories), and manipulate the various tracks (prestige, western culture, socialist, flight) to destabilize the opponent's state while strengthening their own. The strategic choice between using a card for its value or its event is central to the gameplay.

Scoring in Wir sind das Volk! occurs at the end of each decade, which represents a specific period in German history. During this phase, players assess their economic and political influence across the board. Points are awarded based on factors such as the number of factories controlled, the level of unrest in regions, and the overall stability and prestige of each German state. The economic track, western currency track, and socialist track are all evaluated, and their positions contribute to the overall score. The goal is to accumulate more prestige than the opponent, as this directly impacts the final victory conditions. High unrest or economic failure can lead to negative scoring or even instant defeat.

The game of Wir sind das Volk! concludes after four decades, specifically at the end of the 1980-1989 decade, or if an instant victory condition is met by either player. An instant victory can occur if one player successfully causes the collapse of the opposing German state. This collapse can be triggered by high levels of unrest in the opponent's regions, severe economic failure, or other specific event-driven conditions. If the game reaches the end of the fourth decade without an instant victory, the player who has accumulated the highest prestige on the prestige track is declared the winner. The game is a tense race to maintain one's own stability while undermining the opponent's.