This Guilty Land Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• 2.0 Components
  • 2.1 Mapsheet
  • 2.2 Counters
  • 2.3 Cards
• 3.0 Set-up
• 4.0 Sequence of Play
• 5.0 Initiative Phase
• 6.0 Tabling Phase
  • 6.1 Who Gets to Table?
  • 6.2 The Pinckney Resolutions
• 7.0 Player Phases
• 8.0 Public Opinion Actions
  • 8.1 Active Support
  • 8.2 Passive Support
  • 8.3 Reactions to Public Opinion
• 9.0 Organization Actions
  • 9.1 Form an Organization
  • 9.2 Form a Political Party
• 10.0 Violence Actions
  • 10.1 Violence
  • 10.2 Reserving the Violence card
• 11.0 Law Action
  • 11.1 Attempting Passage of a Law
  • 11.2 Speech
  • 11.3 Law Cards in Reserve
  • 11.4 Effects of Laws
  • 11.5 Any Law cards
• 12.0 Special Event Actions
  • 12.1 The Pinckney Resolutions (Oppression)
  • 12.2 The Mexican War (Oppression)
  • 12.3 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (Oppression)
  • 12.4 The 1840 Census (Justice)
  • 12.5 The 1850 Census (Justice)
• 13.0 Discard Action
• 14.0 Purchase of Victory Points
• 15.0 Turn End Phase
  • 15.1 Award Senate Seats
  • 15.2 Award VPs
  • 15.3 Refresh Reserves
  • 15.4 Turn 1 card Additions
• 16.0 Game End Triggers
  • 16.1 Decisive Legislative Victory
  • 16.2 Marginalization
  • 16.3 VPs Exhausted
  • 16.4 Deck Exhausted
• Credits

2.0 Components

The game is played with a mapsheet, a sheet of 176 counters, a deck of 50 cards, and this rulebook. A player aid and a playbook are also provided.

2.1 Mapsheet

The mapsheet represents the geography, both figurative and literal, over which this battle between Justice and Oppression is fought.

Regions

The United States is grouped into five (eventually six) Regions. Each Region has a set number of boxes; the Support for Justice, Oppression, and Compromise within a Region is denoted by the presence of Markers within its boxes. Each Marker represents one point of Influence in the House of Representatives. Each Region is associated with a number of Senate Seats (displayed as a number to the right of each Region), which are awarded at the end of a Game Turn to the Faction that has majority Support in the Region.

Some Regions do not begin the game with all of its boxes in play; these boxes become available after the play of certain Event cards, such as a Census, and potentially indicate an increase in Senate Seats.

The House of Representatives

This tracks Influence in the House of Representatives. As Markers are replaced within a Region, the position of the House Marker on the track is adjusted accordingly. Influence is an abstract measure used to avoid the hassle of tracking over two hundred House seats; each point of Influence represents roughly 3 or 4 seats.

The Senate

This tracks each Faction's number of Senate Seats. At the end of each Game Turn, all of a Region's Senate Seats are awarded in a block depending on the Influence of a Faction within a Region. During this period, Senators were not elected, but were appointed by the States' legislative bodies. In this fashion, the ruling parties ensured that their interests would be looked after by good, reliable party men.

Organizational Capacity

Each of the players has a track used to denote its Organizational Capacity (Org). This directly impacts its player's ability to plan, respond, and mobilize their political capital and operatives.

Laws Display

The Laws Display is made of four tracks—each track dedicated to a specific issue—denoting the gains made or losses sustained by Justice and Oppression in attempting to craft a body of laws sympathetic to their aims. At the end of each Game Turn, each player may gain Victory Points (VPs) according to the current laws.

2.2 Counters

The counters indicate Support and Influence, tracking various game functions.

Organizational Markers

Each player has an Organizational Marker, denoted with an "O". This is used to track the player's actual Org. This Capacity may be modified over the course of the game, and so each player has a Modified Organizational Marker, denoted with an "M", to indicate their Modified Capacity.

Law Markers

There are 4 Law Markers, one for each Law Track. Each Marker has a "No Pass" side, representing a temporary inability to influence that Law Track. A Pinckney Resolutions Marker is provided as a reminder of the effects of that Event when Tabling Laws.

Political Will Markers

There are 32 Political Will Markers. Political Will (PW) is the currency of the game, expended and accumulated as players take actions.

Victory Point Markers

There are 40 Victory Point Markers. Victory Points (VP) determine the winner of the game and serve as the game's timer.

Support Markers

Each player has 43 double-sided Support Markers. One side represents full Support for the player's cause, displaying a liberty bell (Justice) or shackles (Oppression). The reverse represents Support for Compromise, "aligned" with, but not fully-committed to the player's cause. For ease of reference, Compromise aligned with Justice is called "Blue Compromise", and that aligned with Oppression, "Red Compromise". These Markers are piece-limited; if all of a player's Support Markers are in use, they cannot place any more.

Senate Markers

Each player has two Senate Markers, denoted with an "S". This is used to track the number of Senate Seats possessed by that player's faction, and by the aligned Compromise faction.

House Marker

The House Marker, denoted with an "H", is shared by the two players and utilized to track the difference between the combined Influence of each player's faction and aligned Compromise. The marker's face-up side indicates which of the two players is ahead in Influence.

2.3 Cards

Cards represent tactical opportunities to be capitalized upon and liabilities to be avoided. Each card has a PW cost and a Type, the latter dictating how the card is utilized in the game. Iconography is printed on the Cards as a reminder of the actions available for each Card Type. Cards are associated with a specific player, as indicated by the color band on the card.

Cards begin the game in a face-down Deck, and are placed face up into an Events Display that is public information for both players. Some cards may be taken into a player's face-up Reserve; each player's Reserve may hold cards equal to their Org. Some cards may be placed to the side of the board to indicate special, long-term effects, and others may be Discarded upon use. Discards may be freely examined by both players.

3.0 Set-up

The game begins with 55 Support boxes in play; these boxes have a setup alignment printed on the map. Each player places their Markers within a Region on the indicated boxes, with the indicated side face-up. Their remaining Markers form a Pool and are kept within reach of that player.

Place the House Marker, with its Oppression side up, on the "7" space of the House Track.

Similarly, Senate Seats are awarded during Set-Up as follows:

• None for Justice - place the Marker to the side of the board
• 10 Oppression
• 28 Blue Compromise
• 10 Red Compromise

Each player places their Org Marker on their track: Justice on the "2" space, Oppression on the "1" space.

The four Law Markers are placed as follows on the Law Tracks:

• Tariffs on red "0" space
• Fugitive Slave Act on red "1" space
• Federalism on red "0" space
• Expansion on red "0" space

Place the green VP Markers within reach of both players, forming a stock of 30 points. The purple VP Markers are only used after the stock has been exhausted at the end of the game.

Remove the card A Positive Good from the deck, placing it in Reserve for Oppression.

Remove The Pinckney Resolutions, 1840 Census, 1850 Census, and Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo cards from the Deck. Shuffle the remaining cards. One player (it doesn't matter whom) draws a card from the top of the deck. Place it face up off the side of the mapsheet labeled "Events Display". If it is a Justice card (with a blue band), place it closer to the Justice player. If it is an Oppression card (with a red band), place it closer to the Oppression player. Repeat this process, placing cards into the Events Display, until there are at least four cards per Faction for both players. This may result in one of the players having more than four cards. The player with fewer cards in this initial deal receives 1 VP Marker from the stock for each card over four that their opponent has in the Events Display.

Each player takes PW equal to their highest-valued PW card in the Display. The player with the highest PW (Justice if tied) chooses who will be First Player.

Beginner's Game: While most opening deals will result in a four-four or five-four split, it is possible (if statistically unlikely) to have for example a twelve-four split. This does not necessarily disadvantage the player who is shorted, but it does place extra demands on a player's experience and skill which a new or learning player might not yet possess. For beginners, simply discard any cards over six drawn for a single player in the initial draw, and shuffle them back into the deck after the shorted player has four cards.

4.0 Sequence of Play

The game is played over a series of Game Turns, until a Game End Trigger occurs. Each Game Turn consists of the following Phases, performed in the following order:

Initiative Phase (skip during First Turn)

Cards are drawn as needed for the Events Display, and PW is awarded accordingly. The player with the most PW chooses who is the First Player.

Tabling Phase

One Player (usually Oppression) has the option to Table one issue, flipping the Law Marker to its "No Pass" side. If the Pinckney Resolutions card has been played, Oppression also chooses a second Law Marker to flip to its "No Pass" side.

First Player Phase

The First Player (as determined in the Initiative Phase) performs one or more Actions, resolving each in full (including any interruptions by the Second Player) before moving to the next, expending PW as required. When the First Player is unable to take any further Actions—or no longer wishes to do so—the First Player Phase ends.

Second Player Phase

The Second Player now performs one or more Actions in the same fashion as the First Player did above.

End Turn Phase

Award Senate Seats and Victory Points. Flip all "No Pass" Laws to their front side. Presuming the game has not ended, a new Game Turn begins.

5.0 Initiative Phase

Both players check to see if the number of their cards currently in the Events Display is less than their Org. If so, one player (it doesn't matter who) draws cards from the Deck one at a time, placing Justice cards nearer to Justice and Oppression cards nearer to Oppression, until both players have a number of cards in the Events Display at least equal to their Org. If the Deck is ever exhausted, no further cards are drawn, even if a player does not have their allotted number of cards in the Events Display.

For example: if Justice's Org is "3", and Oppression's "2", and each player has one card in the Events Display, then cards are drawn until Justice has at least "3" and Oppression at least "2". The first card drawn is Uncle Tom's Cabin (Justice). The second is Cannibals All! (Oppression): now Oppression has two cards, but Justice still needs one more. The next card drawn is Fugitive Slave Acts (Oppression), followed by Bloody Kansas (Oppression), Cotton is King! (Oppression), and The Higher Law Address (Justice), the last of which brings Justice to the needed three cards, against Oppression's five.

Each player gains PW equal to the PW cost of their highest-valued card in the Events Display, adding this to any PW they may have stored or earned from the preceding turn. The player with the most PW chooses who will be the First Player; if tied, Justice chooses.

6.0 Tabling Phase

One of the players has the option to choose a single issue of their choice and flip its Law Marker to its "No Pass" side. This prevents any Law Action targeting that Law.

6.1 Who Gets to Table?

Oppression has this ability from the beginning of the game. If Justice has more Senate Seats than Oppression and the two Compromises combined, then it is Justice that has the option to Table an Issue, for as long as that condition applies.

6.2 The Pinckney Resolutions

If The Pinckney Resolutions Special Event has been played, Oppression may Table a second issue, flipping its Law Marker to its "No Pass" side. Even if Justice gains the ability to Table the first issue for the turn, Oppression will retain the ability to Table the second.

7.0 Player Phases

Each Player Phase consists of a series of Actions. The acting player selects an Action and completely resolves it, including any opposition from the enemy, before taking the next Action.

Each Action generally requires the selection of a card from the Events Display or the player's Reserve, and the expenditure of PW. Each Action generally results in the accumulation of PW by their opponent.

The Player Phase ends when the player either cannot take any further Actions, or chooses not to. At the end of the Player Phase, the acting player must discard any PW in excess of their Org.

The Actions available to the players are as follows:

• Public Opinion Actions (8.0)
  • Active Support (8.1)
  • Passive Support (8.2)
• Organization Actions (9.0)*
  • Form an Organization (9.1)
  • Form a Political Party (9.2)
• Violence Actions (10.0)*
  • Violence (10.1)
  • Reserving a Violence card (10.2)
• Law Actions (11.0)
  • Passing a Law (11.1)
• Special Event Actions (12.0)
  • The Pinckney Resolutions (12.1)
  • The Mexican War (12.2)
  • The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (12.3)
  • The 1840 Census (12.4)
  • The 1850 Census (12.5)
• Discard Action (13.0)*
• Purchase of Victory Points (14.0)

Actions indicated with an asterisk must be the Last Action that the Player takes during their Phase. You cannot take two "Last" Actions in a Phase, only one.

8.0 Public Opinion Actions

A Public Opinion Action seeks to radicalize the populace toward embracing one's cause. A Public Opinion Event card is required to take this Action.

Public Opinion cards from the Events Display are used to create Active Support. Public Opinion cards from a player's Reserve are used to create Passive Support, and to React to your opponent's Public Opinion Actions.

8.1 Active Support

A Public Opinion card used for Active Support allows the acting player to flip aligned Compromise Markers (blue for Justice, red for Oppression) to their Faction's side. The total number of Markers that can be flipped is equal to the card's PW cost. The number of Regions in which Markers can be flipped is equal to the player's Org. The PW cost on the card must be paid, and the card taken from the Events Display.

For example: if a player has a 3PW Public Opinion card, and an Org of "2", they may flip a total of three aligned Compromise to their Faction's side in up to two Regions: they could flip two Markers in one Region and one in a second, or could flip all three in a single Region.

Active Support cannot be used to flip or replace the opposing player's Markers (only Passive Support can do so). The opposing player may React (8.3) to prevent one or more Markers from being flipped.

Upon resolving the action, the acting player may—but is not required to—place the card directly into their Reserve provided their Organizational Capacity allows this. Otherwise the card is Discarded.

After resolving the action, the opposing player earns PW equal to the number of Regions in which Markers were actually flipped.

Note: a player may take an Active Support action even when there are no aligned Compromise Markers for them to flip. It may be advantageous to do so in order to place the card in Reserve.

8.2 Passive Support

A Public Opinion card used for Passive Support always comes from a player's Reserve and allows the player to replace their opponent's Compromise Markers with their own Compromise Markers. They may replace up to a total number of Markers in a single Region equal to the number of face-up Public Opinion cards they hold in Reserve—including the one used for this action. The PW cost on the card must be paid, and once the action is completed, the card is flipped over, face-down.

For example: if a player has three face-up Public Opinion cards in Reserve, they could use the first one, paying the PW cost, to replace three Compromise Markers. They would then flip the card face down. If they were then to take a second Passive Support Action, they would be able to replace two Compromise Markers—as they only have two face-up cards in Reserve.

Passive Support cannot be used to flip any Markers to or from their non-Compromise side. Passive Support cannot be used if a player does not have any Markers remaining. Only a face-up card can be used for Passive Support. The opposing player may React (8.3) to prevent one or more Markers from being replaced.

For each replaced Marker, adjust the House Marker by two spaces, moving the marker forward if the player is widening the gap, and moving the marker backward if they are shortening it. The marker is moved two spaces (not one) because each gain for one player is also a loss for the other, and therefore the gap widens or shortens by two points of Influence. If the House Marker reaches or passes the "0" space, it is flipped accordingly.

Example: Justice and Blue Compromise have a combined total of 24 Influence, while Oppression and Red Compromise have a combined total of 31: a gap of 7. Justice takes a Passive Support action and replaces two Red Compromise markers. Justice's total goes up to 26, while Oppression's goes down to 29. The new gap is 3, and therefore the House Marker is moved from the "7" space to the "3" space.

After resolving the action, the opposing player earns 2 PW (regardless of the cost paid by the acting player, and regardless if their Reaction prevented all Markers from being replaced).

8.3 Reactions to Public Opinion

If the opposing player has a face-up Public Opinion card in Reserve, they may React to an Active or Passive Support Public Opinion Action. The use of one such Public Opinion card in Reserve will prevent the flipping or replacement of Markers in a single Region, with the number of Markers equal to the PW cost of the card being used. Then, flip the card face-down. There is no PW expenditure for Reacting. A player may React in multiple Regions in response to a single Public Opinion Action, but must use a different card from their Reserve for each such Region.

9.0 Organization Actions

Organizations are used to amplify your efforts and increase their effectiveness. A key element of the Organization Action is that it must be the last Action that the player takes during their Player Phase, and that it results in the expenditure of all PW, regardless of their Organizational Capacity. They must be able to pay the PW cost of the card. An Organization card, taken from the Events Display, is required to take an Organization Action.

The Organization Action may either be used to Form an Organization or to Form a Political Party.

9.1 Form an Organization

Forming an Organization simply increases the player's Org by one. The card is removed from the game (not simply Discarded). The opposing player earns PW equal to the PW cost of the Organization card.

9.2 Form a Political Party

Forming a Political Party results in a galvanic shift in the political landscape: some will flock to your radical platform, and some will veer away from it. In every Region, the acting player examines aligned Compromise Markers and flips half of them, rounding down, to their Faction's side. The remaining aligned Compromise Markers are then replaced with opposing-aligned Compromise Markers, and the House Marker adjusted two spaces for each such replacement. (If the opponent does not have sufficient markers, any leftover markers are not replaced and the House Marker is not adjusted.) The acting player scores VPs equal to their current Org, and the opposing player earns PW equal to the Org capacity/number of VP scored. The Organization card is then Discarded. Forming a Political Party will never affect your opponent's aligned Compromise Markers, only your own.

10.0 Violence Actions

Violence shocks and radicalizes opinion on both sides. When confronted with a Violence card in the Events Display, the player may either take the action or permanently Reserve the card—provided their Org allows for this. A key element of the Violence Action is that it must be the last Action that the player takes during their Player Phase, and that it results in the expenditure of all their PW, regardless of their Organization Capacity.

10.1 Violence

The player pays the PW cost of the card. In every Region, they flip some of their Markers to their Compromise side. The number of Markers flipped in each Region is equal to the PW cost of the card. The card is removed from the game (not simply Discarded); their Org is increased by one. The enemy gains PW equal to the PW cost of the card.

10.2 Reserving the Violence card

The player pays the PW cost of the card and then places the card into their Reserve where it stays for the rest of the game. The opponent gains no PW for this.

11.0 Law Action

The most complicated action is the Law Action; a thorough understanding of these procedures is key for good play. Passage of Laws have specific game effects, and result in gains of VPs for one side or the other.

Laws on their "No Pass" side cannot be the target of a Law Action.

11.1 Attempting Passage of a Law

The player selects one of their eligible Law cards from the Events Display and pays its PW cost. They then attempt passage first in the House, then in the Senate.

The House

The player compares their Influence in the House to the Influence of the opposing Faction. If the player's total exceeds that of the opposing bloc, the Law passes the House and must move to the Senate. The opposing player earns 2 PW when a Law passes the House.

If the player's total does not exceed the opposing Faction's total (including ties), the Law does not pass and is Discarded. (Generally, it does not make sense to attempt passage of the Law if you do not have sufficient Influence in the House.)

The Senate

The acting player adds together the Seats held by their Faction with those of the aligned-Compromise Faction, and compares the total to the Seats held by the opposing Faction and its aligned-Compromise Faction. If the acting player has a face-up Public Opinion card in Reserve, they may Discard that card (no PW expenditure) to Persuade the opposing Compromise Faction to vote in their favor instead, on any issue except Expansion.

For example: if Oppression and Red Compromise each have 10 seats, Justice 8, and Blue Compromise 20, the vote would be 20 - 28 and would not pass the Senate. But if Oppression Discarded a Public Opinion card from their Reserve, they steal the 20 Blue Compromise votes, making the final tally 40 - 8.

If the player's total exceeds that of the opposing bloc, the Law passes the Senate. The opposing player can React to this with a Speech, 11.2. The Law's Marker is flipped to its "No Pass" side and it is advanced one space in the player's direction (toward the red end for Oppression, toward the blue end for Justice). The opposing player earns 2 PW when a Law passes the Senate, and the Law card is Discarded.

If the player's total does not exceed the opposing Faction's total (including ties), the Law does not pass the Senate. The player may place the card in Reserve (11.3) or may Discard it as she chooses and is able.

11.2 Speech

To attempt to prevent a Law from passing the Senate, the opposing player may make a Speech, doing so after the acting player has decided whether or not they will Persuade. The opposing player must have a face-up Public Opinion card with the keyword Speech in Reserve. They Discard the card (no PW cost). The player making the Speech adds the votes of both Compromises to their own, while the acting player only has the votes belonging to their own Faction.

Continuing our example from 11.1, which saw Oppression steal the Blue Compromise votes for a result of 40 - 8, if Justice were to Discard a Speech card (no PW cost), they would add the 20 Blue Compromise and 10 Red Compromise votes to their total, blocking the bill 10 - 38.

11.3 Law Cards in Reserve

A Law card that passes the House, but does not pass the Senate, can be placed in a player's Reserve. The player may, on a subsequent action - including on the same turn - pay the PW Cost of the card to attempt passage of the Law, skipping the House step entirely (it's already passed the first time around) and going immediately to the Senate. If the Law still fails to pass, they may hold it in Reserve again or Discard it.

11.4 Effects of Laws

Each Law has specific effects when passed:

Tariffs

Low-priced imports damaged the economy of the industrial North (pop. over 7 million) while facilitating the profitable sale of cotton in the agrarian South (under 4 million free citizens and over 2 million slaves). Tariffs meant to protect Northern industry were damaging to the South's bottom line and slave economy, and were thus strongly resisted in the South. The Tariff of 1828, dubbed The Tariff of Abominations in the South, led directly to the Nullification Crisis.

Money, of course, is power. In game terms, when the Tariff Law Marker is on a blue space, the functional Org of Oppression is reduced by the number on that space (but never less than "1"). When the Law Marker is on a red space, the functional Org of Justice is reduced by the number on that space (but never less than "1"). The actual Organizational Capacity Markers are not moved at all - use the Modified Capacity Marker. The Modified Capacity is used whenever a game function depends upon a player's Org, with one crucial exception: the number of cards a player holds in Reserve remains equal to their actual Org.

Fugitive Slave Acts

The Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 attempted to force Northern states to return escaped slaves to the South. Defiance of this Law by abolitionists, and the passing of State-level Personal Liberty Laws, inflamed Southern anger over their "property rights". Southern lawmakers agitated for stricter laws, and got their wish when a new Fugitive Slave Act was passed as part of the Compromise of 1850. Abolitionists continued their work in defiance of the law, and were seen as criminals by moderates who were "more devoted to 'order' than to justice", in the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. over a century later.

In game terms: at the instant that the Fugitive Slave Acts Law Marker is moved into a red space and toward the red end of the track, Justice Markers in each Region are flipped to their Blue Compromise side. At the instant that the Law Marker is moved into a blue space and toward the blue end of the track, Blue Compromise Markers in each Region are flipped to their Justice side. In both cases, the number of Markers flipped is equal to the number on the new space.

Note that moving into a red space toward the blue end of the track, or a blue space toward the red end of the track, does not result in any flipping of Markers.

Anti-Federalism

Most states did not conceive of themselves as part of a single, unified nation, but rather as separate states and commonwealths - essentially as separate nations - at the mercy of other nations bent on dismantling their economy and way of life. State Legislatures on both sides passed laws in defiance of federal laws, such as South Carolina's Ordinance of Nullification and the various Personal Liberty Laws in the North. Such threats to Federal authority were generally knocked down either legislatively (such as the Force Bill that ended the Nullification Crisis) or in the courts. Whether or not a State had the right to secede, or more generally to defy the Federal Government, was at the time an open question.

In game terms: At the instant that the Anti-Federalism Law Marker is moved into a red space and toward the red end of the track, Red Compromise Markers in each Region are flipped to their Oppression side. At the instant that the Law Marker is moved into a blue space and toward the blue end of the track, Oppression Markers in each Region are flipped to their Red Compromise side. In both cases, the number of Markers flipped is equal to the number on the new space.

Note that moving into a red space toward the blue end of the track, or a blue space toward the red end of the track, does not result in any flipping of Markers.

Expansion

Hemmed in by the North, the South looked for ways to expand slavery into new territories. Opponents of the Mexican War declared that the expansion of slavery was its true aim. Radicals in the South pushed for the annexation or purchase of land in South America and the Caribbean, where slavery (and even in some cases the abolished trade of new slaves) would be legal, but there was never popular support for these actions.

In game terms: When attempting to pass an Expansion Law in the Senate, the opposing player automatically has both flavors of Compromise added to their own Faction; to pass the Law, the acting player's Faction must outnumber the other three combined. Note: in a previous edition of these rules, there was an exception to this rule which made Expansion easier to pass. This exception has been removed in this edition as it was more trouble than it was worth.

11.5 Any Law cards

Some Law cards specify "Any Law". These may be utilized to take any Law Action, provided the Law is not on its "No Pass" side. Unlike specific Law cards, if these fail to pass the Senate, they cannot be held in Reserve.

12.0 Special Event Actions

There are five Special Event cards. When one is utilized to take the Special Event Action, it is set to the side of the mapsheet and a long-term effect comes into play. Whenever a Special Event card is used in this fashion, all Discards are shuffled back into the Deck. Note that Organization cards used to Form an Organization and Violence cards were not Discarded, but were removed from the game and therefore will never re-enter the Deck. Play of a Special Event card costs PW as printed on the card, and will result in the opposing player earning PW equal to that cost.

12.1 The Pinckney Resolutions (Oppression)

Resolutions put forth by Henry L. Pinckney in the House of Representatives automatically tabled all discussions of abolishing or restricting slavery, and was the first of several "gag rules" that stifled debate and action over the issue. In game terms, this chilling effect is represented by the ability of Oppression to Table an issue in addition to the issue Tabled by the player who normally possesses the ability to Table (6.1).

12.2 The Mexican War (Oppression)

Fought over three years and instigated by American territorial ambitions and belligerence, the Mexican War resulted in the acquisition of 529,000 squares miles of new territory. When this Special Event is used, move the Expansion Law Marker one space in the red direction (even if it is on its No Pass side). Add the card Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo to the Discard pile before shuffling the Discards back into the deck.

12.3 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (Oppression)

The resolution of the Mexican War. When this Special Event is used, the Southwest Region enters play with three Red Compromise Markers in its boxes. If there are insufficient Red Compromise Markers available, then Blue Compromise Markers are placed instead. In either case, move the House Marker one space for each new Marker placed.

12.4 The 1840 Census (Justice)

The United States Census determines the number of representatives for each State, and here also encompasses the incorporation of new States and territories into the Union. When the 1840 Census Special Event is used, three additional boxes each become available in the Deep South and Midwest Regions as indicated on the map. This also increases the number of Senate Seats available in those Regions.

First, for the Deep South, place one Oppression, one Red Compromise, and one Blue Compromise. Then, for the Midwest, place one Justice, one Blue Compromise, and one Red Compromise. If Justice or Oppression run out of Markers while resolving this, the missing Markers are replaced by their opponent's Compromise Markers. In either case, move the House Marker one space for each new Marker placed.

Add the card The 1850 Census to the Discard pile before shuffling the Discards back into the deck.

12.5 The 1850 Census (Justice)

The 1850 Census Special Event puts the final set of Midwest Region boxes into play and adds four more Seats to that Region (on top of the eight already in play). The player who has the most Support in the Midwest's existing boxes (not including Compromise Markers) places two of their Markers in the new boxes, as well as two aligned Compromise Markers. Their opponent places two aligned Compromise Markers in the remaining boxes. If neither player's Faction has the most Support, then Justice is considered to have the most Support. If either player does not have sufficient Markers available, then the opposing player places an additional Compromise Marker or Markers. In either case, move the House Marker one space for each new Marker placed.

13.0 Discard Action

Sometimes the cards in the Events Display are not advantageous for you. You may, at the end of your Player Phase, as your Final Action, move any number of your cards from the Events Display to the Discard pile, with two caveats:

• You can never Discard a Violence card.
• If you Discard any cards, and you have an "Any Law" card in the Events Display, the "Any Law" card(s) must be Discarded.

14.0 Purchase of Victory Points

A player may exchange 6 PW for 1 VP as many times as they like on their turn.

15.0 Turn End Phase

The Turn End Phase consists of the following steps, always performed in this order:

• Check for Game End Triggers (16.0)
• Award Senate Seats (15.1)
• Award VPs (15.2)
• Refresh Reserves (15.3) & Flip "No Pass" Laws
• Turn 1 card additions (15.4, Turn 1 only)

15.1 Award Senate Seats

Remove all Senate Markers from the Track. Beginning with the Midwest Region, and working clockwise, award each Region's Senate Seats as follows:

If either Justice or Oppression has more Support than all other Factions (including both Compromises) put together, then that player Faction is awarded all the Senate Seats for the Region.

If the first case does not apply, add each player Faction's Support to the Support of its aligned Compromise Faction. The Compromise Faction for whichever side has the highest total is awarded all the Senate Seats for the Region.

If neither of the above two cases apply, Red Compromise is awarded all Senate Seats if the Region in question is the Upper South, Deep South, and Southwest (if in play), and Blue Compromise in all other cases.

As each Region is resolved, the awarded Seats are recorded on the Senate Track with the appropriate Marker.

15.2 Award VPs

Each Law awards VPs equal to the number on its current space, with the recipient determined by the color of the space: red spaces award VPs to Oppression, and blue to Justice.

If the stock of VPs is exhausted - that is, 30 VP have been awarded - then the next Game Turn will of necessity be the last (16.3). Place the remaining supply of VP Markers into the stock to accommodate scoring.

15.3 Refresh Reserves

Each player, simultaneously, may refresh their respective Reserves, flipping face-down cards to their face-up sides. The number of cards that can be flipped is equal to one less than the player's Org (as potentially modified by Tariffs). This number can thus be less than one, in which case no cards are flipped face up by that player.

15.4 Turn 1 card Additions

On the first Game Turn only, shuffle The Pinckney Resolutions and The 1840 Census into the Deck (do not shuffle in any Discards).

16.0 Game End Triggers

There are several ways in which the game can be ended and won, which are all checked during the Check for Game End Triggers step of the Turn End Phase. If one of these Triggers occurs, the Game Ends immediately. Because more than one may potentially apply, the Game End Triggers are always checked in the following order, with the earlier Triggers taking precedence.

16.1 Decisive Legislative Victory

If three of the Law Markers are on their final red space, Oppression wins. If three of the Law Markers are on their final blue space, Justice wins.

16.2 Marginalization

If one player has no Support at all - having zero Support Markers for their faction (not counting Compromise) - their opponent wins. If both players have no Support, this does not trigger Game End.

16.3 VPs Exhausted

If the VP pool was exhausted on the previous Game Turn (or during this Game Turn as a result of forming a Political Party or purchasing VP) - necessitating the addition of the spare VP Markers - then the players will score VP for Laws as they would normally (15.2). Justice then scores 1 VP for each point of Support they possess (not for Support possessed by Blue Compromise). The player with the most VP wins. If there is a tie, Oppression wins.

16.4 Deck Exhausted

If there are no cards remaining in the Deck, score VP for Laws (15.2). Justice scores 1VP for each point of Support they possess (not for Support possessed by Blue Compromise). The player with the most VP wins. If there is a tie, Oppression wins.

Credits

• Game Design: Tom Russell
• Map & Counter Art: Cole Wehrle
• Covers, Cards, and Counter Layout: Tom Russell
• Rules & PAC Layout: Mary Holland-Russell
• Rules Editing: Mary Holland-Russell & Travis D. Hill
• Statistical Analysis: Toby Mao
• Playtesters: Max Goesler, Travis D. Hill, Rand Lemley, Andy Mesa, James Nathan, Aaron Thompson, Steph Thompson, Jon Weber, Cole Wehrle, among others.