GAME OVERVIEW
The Generalissimo is Dead is a Megagame set in the chaos that follows the death of a strong, autocratic leader without any clear plan for succession.
The game is set in the late 1980s, early 1990s.

The modern era is firmly underway, the internet is here to stay and there has only been one superpower for quite some time.
Yugenya has gone from being a forgotten backwater to the frontline of an economic cold war between China and the West due to the discovery of large rare earth metal mines. In the latter years of the Generalissimo’s life, he used the wealth from these mines to expand the revolutionary guard, build a navy and establish an air force.

Critics would also say he channelled much of the wealth into paranoia-fuelled schemes against imagined foes. Regardless, Yugenya has never been so important.

The loss of the guiding hand at this time is a crisis for all Party Members!

PLAYER ROLES
Most players in this game are Party Members of the People's Party of Yugenya - the only political party in the fictional nation of Yugenya.
In this capacity, players are either members of the central Committee - the remnants of the Generalissimo’s governing body, and the tool for making further change in Yugenya - or leading bureaucrats in one of Yugenya’s robust government agencies.

A select few players will also act as the senior executives of foreign corporations with a vested interest in Yugenya, its natural resources and its growing economy.

CHANGING ROLES
It is certainly possible to rise to the Inner Circle of the Committee, and it is possible for those in power to fall from grace.
A recurring feature of the types of regimes this game is representing is the removal of opponents by arrest and execution. This is something that can happen in this game.

We (the designers and facilitators) do not expect this will be the norm for the majority of players, as the timescale of the game is the 7 days immediately following Generalissimo’s death.

In the immediate chaos, there might be some opportunity for a zealous party to order an execution, but for the most part, the country of Yugenya has been very stable, with a process and order signed by the Generalissimo for everything.

In the event of your execution or arrest, you will be granted a new briefing within the party - perhaps playing your own replacement.

This may result in changing objectives and shifting allegiances. This is to be expected. If this occurs it is expected you will act in good faith to your new role and leave any grudges, as well as sensitive information, from your previous life behind.

GAMEPLAY THEMES
The focus of the game is on negotiation.

Anytime you have something of value, but nothing to use it for, you become a valuable asset to other players. This works both ways.

The core mechanic – creating new policies for the nation of Yugenya – is impossible to accomplish without the assistance of others.

The nature of the game is also one of mistrust. You may not be able to trust your ministry colleagues, other Party Members or even your Central Committee member.

Everyone has their own agenda and will be building their own coalition to support their goals.

CONTENT THEMES
While the content of this game is relatively light and satirical (the game’s design is heavily inspired by the film The Death of Stalin by Armando Iannucci and Fabien Nury), there is still scope for the game to touch on the following issues:
▪ Oppressive regimes and totalitarianism
▪ Negligent social policy
▪ Xenophobic foreign policy
▪ Player betrayal, exile, imprisonment, and death
▪ Political coups and social unrest

Other inspirations for the game’s design include House of Cards, The Thick of It, Papers Please, The Dictators Handbook and working within a ministerial bureaucracy.