Junta Game Rules

Have you ever played the game of Junta? If not, let me give you a brief rundown of the rules. Junta is a board game designed for those who love both strategy and politics. In Junta, you take on the role of a military dictator in the fictional country of Los Bananas. Your goal is simple: stay in power by any means necessary.

So how do you go about achieving this? Well, you start by rallying your loyalists. These are the people who will support you during times of crisis. They are the backbone of your regime, and you must keep them happy if you want to remain in power. This means making sure they have enough money and resources to survive, as well as rewarding them with promotions and honors.

But of course, not everyone is loyal to you. There are other players in the game who want nothing more than to see you ousted from power. They will use any means necessary to undermine your rule, from sabotage and espionage to outright rebellion. You must always be on your guard and ready to defend yourself from these threats.

Another important aspect of Junta is diplomacy. You will often have to negotiate with other players in order to secure your position. This can involve making deals, forming alliances, and even betraying your allies when it suits you. The key is to always act in your own best interests and to never trust anyone completely.

Finally, there is the issue of money. As a dictator, you need to have a steady supply of cash in order to maintain your power. This means managing the country’s resources and economy effectively. You will have to make tough decisions about taxation, spending, and foreign aid. The goal is to keep the economy stable while also enriching yourself and your supporters.

So, are you ready to take on the challenge of Junta? Can you outmaneuver your opponents and hold onto power? If you think you have what it takes, gather your loyalists, sharpen your diplomatic skills, and get ready to rule with an iron fist. Good luck, and may the best dictator win!

Welcome to the captivating island nation of La Republica de las Bananas, or as we’ll affectionately refer to it, Banana Republic – a land of mystique and contradictions. Here, the tranquil symphony of chirping crickets is occasionally punctuated by the echoes of gunfire, a somber reminder of the unrest that plagues these vibrant shores.

Life in Banana Republic is far from idyllic. The hardworking farmers grapple with poverty, while the brilliant minds of the intellectuals are stifled under the weight of oppression. The middle class, unfortunately, remains but a fleeting dream. The air, heavy with humidity, is teeming with relentless mosquitoes, an ever-present annoyance in this tropical paradise. And can you not perceive that unmistakable scent of rebellion and political upheaval that permeates the air?

As I navigate through the enigmatic alleys of Banana Republic, it becomes increasingly apparent that the powers that be are merely puppets on strings, swayed by a global superpower that leaves no room for inquiry or accountability.

Within this complex web of power dynamics, a select group of enormously wealthy families exerts their influence. Yet, their stranglehold on the nation’s affairs is not driven by any sense of duty or loyalty to their people. Instead, it is a calculated game of self-interest, a means to feed their insatiable greed and fatten their already bloated Swiss bank accounts. Power, manipulation, wealth, and the ever-present specter of revolution are but tools in their treacherous pursuit of personal gain.

Now, it is within these intricate folds of Banana Republic’s tapestry that you and I find ourselves. Each one of us holds the reins of one of these formidable families, vying for power and prosperity in this tumultuous land.

JUNTA is a game designed for a group of players, usually between four and seven people. However, we have also created rules for smaller groups of two or three players. It’s worth noting that the game is at its best when played with a full group of seven players.

This game is made up of two distinct parts. The first part is a political and satirical card game, where players work to sway events in their favor by using cards for elections, assassinations, and unexpected events.

The second part of the game kicks in when a coup d’etat occurs. At that point, JUNTA transforms into a strategic board game, where players move markers around to represent the chaotic battles that take place during the coup. Once the coup is resolved, JUNTA transitions back into a card game until the next coup occurs.

When I, El Presidente, can no longer get enough money from Development Aid, the game is over. The person with the most money in their Swiss bank account wins.

#image.jpg Here’s the game board.

Getting Started

First, I need to choose which family I want to be. Each family has a different coat of arms – it could be a sports car, sunglasses, a martini glass, quill pens, a pocket watch, or cigars. Here’s what I need to do:

• Get the five location cards with my family’s coat of arms on the back.
• Take three control markers with my family’s coat of arms on them. Here’s what they look like: #image.jpg
• Get the Swiss Bank Account card – this is important.

#image.jpg

First, let’s talk about placing the yellow game markers on the board.

The Political Phase marker goes on the first space of the row of Political Phases at the top of the board. And the Coup Phase marker goes on the first space of the row of Coup Phases.

Lastly, the No Pretext marker is placed on the space labeled Coup Pretext?

When we start a game of Bank Shootout, here’s what happens: The Bank Secure space gets a marker called the Bank Shootout, and the Bank Open? space gets a marker called the Bank is Open. We’ll need markers called Coup Pretext, Siesta, and Bank Holiday later in the game, but not right now.

Next, we take all the banknotes and shuffle them up. Then, we place them face-down on the board in the space marked Development Aid. These banknotes are what we’ll be using throughout the game.

We also need some Politics cards. We shuffle them up and each of us takes five of these cards. Make sure not to show them to anyone. The remaining cards are placed face-down on the board in the corresponding space.

Now, I have to let you know that technically, this game has more counters than it really needs. So, bear that in mind as we play.

Lastly, we distribute the markers for units like this:

• Each of the three army brigades’ six units goes in their bases on the board;
• We place one Police marker in each of the four police precincts;

The Importance of Choosing the Right Presidente in Tropico

When it comes to ruling the tropical paradise of Tropico, it’s important to choose the right Presidente. I mean, think about it – who wouldn’t want to be in charge of a beautiful island with breathtaking beaches, lush forests, and a thriving economy?

But here’s the thing – being Presidente is not all fun and games. It’s a position of great responsibility, and the decisions you make can have a huge impact on the well-being of your people and the future of your island. So, before you make any hasty decisions, let’s dive into what it takes to choose the right Presidente for Tropico.

The Four Qualities of a Great Presidente

When someone is running for Presidente, there are four qualities you should look for:

• Leadership
• Charisma
• Intelligence
• Experience

These qualities are like the four legs of a chair – without one, the whole thing will topple over. A great Presidente needs to be a strong leader, able to make tough decisions and rally the people behind them. They also need to be charismatic, able to charm and persuade others to support their vision for the island. Intelligence is key too – they need to be able to think critically and make smart, informed choices. And of course, experience is crucial – they need to have a deep understanding of the island’s history, culture, and economy.

How to Choose the Right Presidente

Now that we know what qualities to look for, let’s talk about how to choose the right Presidente. Here are a few tips:

• Consider their track record. Have they held any positions of leadership before? How well did they do?
• Listen to what others have to say. Talk to people who have worked with or know the candidate. Do they have a good reputation?
• Look at their platform. What are their goals and plans for the island? Do they align with your vision?
• Consider the needs of the people. A great Presidente is someone who listens to the needs of the people and works towards improving their lives.

By taking these factors into account, you can ensure that you choose the right Presidente for Tropico – someone who will lead with integrity, charm, intelligence, and experience.

Choose the First Presidente

Choosing the first Presidente in Tropico is no small task. The Parliament, which consists of all the players, is responsible for electing El Presidente.

At the start of the game, the owner of the game has the honor of nominating one or more candidates for Presidente. They can even nominate themselves if they wish! After that, the right of nomination passes clockwise, giving each player a chance to put forward their candidate.

When it’s time to choose a nominee, each player gets to have their say. We all have Influence and Vote cards, and we can use these to cast our votes. You can vote for someone or choose not to vote at all. And here’s a neat twist – you can even split your votes! That means you can give different cards to different candidates. But here’s the catch: Each Influence and Vote card can only be given to one candidate. No splitting allowed.

Once all the votes are in, everyone’s assigned to their chosen candidates. But here’s the thing – anyone can choose not to run for Presidente. If they do, all the votes that were assigned to them go down the drain.

And now, it’s time for some good ol’ democratic discussion and deal-making, just like a real parliament. Let the negotiations begin!

Finally, I want to tell you about the thrilling second round of votes. This is when the players have a chance to add more votes to their initial ones, using their unused Influence and Vote cards.

The player who can gather the most votes after the two rounds of voting will become the new Presidente. And as a reward, they will receive the esteemed Presidente card.

But what happens if there’s a tie? Well, in that case, all players have to discard their Politics cards. And to level the playing field, everyone will get five fresh cards. The owner of the game gets the top banknote from the Development Aid deck as a consolation prize. Then, a new round of voting begins.

This cycle repeats until we have our first Presidente. Or, if we run out of banknotes, the game comes to an end.

Game Play

The Political Game

The Constitution of the Republic

So here’s the deal: this island has a parliament, and the boss is El Presidente. They hold that position for life, and in every round, they get to pick who sits on their cabinet. They also control the distribution of Development Aid.

Now, El Presidente can only be booted out under certain circumstances. Either they kick the bucket, resign, get overthrown in a coup d’etat, or get voted out with the Vote of No-Confidence card. As for the parliament, well, it’s run by the powerful families on the island (that’s you and the other players). These families can play special cards to gain more power in parliament.

This is how the power is divided:

El Presidente

I am the Presidente, and I have some important responsibilities:

• I control the Palace Guard.
• I receive the Development Aid funds.
• I propose a budget.

But that’s not all. I also assign the six other government offices of the junta:

Ministro of Internal Security

The Ministro of Internal Security has a lot of power. Here’s what they can do:

• They control the Police.
• They can occupy the Parliament with the Police to push through a defeated budget.
• They can conduct an assassination during the Assassination Attempts phase.
• They can have those who return from exile shot.

General of the First Army Brigade

The General of the First Army Brigade is in charge of the First Army Brigade.

General of the Second Army Brigade

The General of the Second Army Brigade is responsible for the Second Army Brigade.

General of the Third Army Brigade

The General of the Third Army Brigade controls the Third Army Brigade.

Almirante of the Navy

I am also the Almirante of the Navy. It’s my job to oversee the Navy.

So, as you can see, being El Presidente comes with a lot of responsibility. I control the Palace Guard, receive funds, propose budgets, and assign key government positions. Together with the Ministro of Internal Security, Generals, and Almirante, we work to keep the country running smoothly.

• I control the Marines and carry out bombardments with the Gunboat
• I am the Comandante of the Air Force
• I control the Paratroopers and carry out Air Raids

The Presidente Is Killed

If the Presidente is killed during the Assassination phase, we immediately elect a new Presidente. This works just like the first presidential election, with a few differences:

Everyone can cast an additional vote for their Office(s). Each Office has one vote. In a game with 4-7 players, one player can hold a maximum of two Offices and get up to two votes. Players who are dead cannot vote. The voting starts with the player to the dead Presidente’s left.

If there is a tie, all Vote cards are discarded, and the voting starts over. We keep going until we have a new Presidente.

When a former Presidente’s term ends, their cousin takes over their responsibilities. We call this person “El Presidente’s Cousin.” Until the next Office Assignment phase, El Presidente’s Cousin doesn’t do anything.

El Presidente Steps Down

A Presidente can choose to resign from their position at any time, except during a Coup d’Etat. When this happens, a new presidential election immediately takes place.

The second election is similar to the first one, but with a few differences:

Everyone can use the additional vote from their Office(s). Each Office counts as one vote. In a game with 4-7 players, each person can hold a maximum of two Offices and will have a maximum of two votes. Players who are deceased cannot vote. The outgoing Presidente can use their Presidential Vote, start the voting process, and potentially be re-elected.

If there is a tie, we have to start the voting process again. This will continue until we have a new Presidente.

The previous Presidente will give all of their money to the new Presidente.

The previous Presidente will take on all the roles of the new Presidente.

How We Vote

When we vote for something other than the first presidential election, like on the budget, the process is the same, but there are a few differences. In addition to casting our own vote, we also get to cast the vote for the office(s) we hold.

There are two rounds of voting in each election. El Presidente starts the voting, and if there’s a tie, they get to decide which side wins.

The Different Parts of the Political Game

Every turn in the game is made up of the following parts:

1. Every player gets two Politics cards. The markers on the Phases board are reset.
2. El Presidente assigns the different offices.
3. El Presidente draws eight banknotes from the Development Aid deck.
4. El Presidente suggests a budget, and the Parliament votes to decide whether to adopt it or not.
5. Each player secretly chooses a Location for this turn.

Assassination attempts are when someone tries to kill another person. If someone tries to kill someone else, it becomes a problem – people want to stay alive! But, luckily, in this game, assassination attempts don’t mean the end for anyone. The game has a way to resolve these attempts and keep the fun going.

Now, let’s talk about the bank. The bank is a place where people can keep their money. In this game, if the bank is open, you can do two things with your money. You can transfer it, which means you can move it from one place to another, or you can withdraw it, which means you can take it out of the bank and have it with you.

Sometimes, things get really intense in this game, and a coup d’etat is declared. A coup d’etat is when a group of people takes control of a government by force. When a coup d’etat happens in the game, the rules change a bit, and new things come into play.

And let’s not forget about coup consequences. When a coup happens, there are consequences that follow. Consequences are the result or effect of something that happened. So when a coup is declared in the game, there will be some new things that happen as a result.

Now, let’s move on to the first phase of the game: drawing cards. Drawing cards means you get to take some cards from the pile. These cards will be important for you in the game. So make sure you pay attention and choose carefully!

When a round starts, we all get to draw two Politics cards. If there aren’t enough cards left in the deck, we gather up the ones we’ve already discarded, shuffle them up, and create a new deck.

When drawing cards, only the person doing the drawing gets to see them. Each player can have a maximum of six cards in their hand.

If anyone has more than six cards, they have to either play, discard, or give away the extras until they’re back to six. Cards that are already on the board count towards the limit of six.

Players who are in exile don’t get to draw any cards.

During this phase, we put all the markers back where they started: the No Pretext marker on the Coup Pretext space, the Bank Is Open marker on the Bank Open? space, the Political Phase marker on the first space of the Political Phases row, and the Coup Phase marker on the first space of the Coup Phases row.

If a coup occurs, all the unit markers go back to where they started.

Step 2: Assigning Offices

During this step, I, El Presidente, distribute the remaining offices among the families by giving the appropriate players the corresponding card.

Here are the rules for this step:

• I, El Presidente, cannot hold any other office.
• Every family must have at least one office.
• Each family can have a maximum of two offices.
• No family can have two Army Brigade generalships.

I, El Presidente, can choose to follow previous agreements, but it’s not mandatory. I may assign all or some of the offices exactly as they were in the previous round.

In this step of the game, offices can only be reassigned (except for the office of El Presidente), even if a new Presidente has taken over in the meantime.

Example: When we play a game with four players, all of us, except El Presidente, get two Offices. We each have one Office as a general and one more Office.

Step 3: Get Help from Others

I draw eight banknotes from the deck of Development Aid, but I can’t let anyone else see them. These banknotes will help me later.

Step 4: Make a Plan for Spending

Now it’s time to create a budget. I need to think about how I want to spend my money and make a plan.

So, here’s the deal. After El Presidente gets his hands on the Development Aid, it’s his job to come up with a budget and present it to Parliament. This budget decides how he’s going to divide up the Aid among all the players. And you know what? He doesn’t have to be 100% truthful about how much money he actually has to distribute. Sneaky, right?

He can give out less money than he actually received, or he can be a real scoundrel and keep it all for himself. On the other hand, if he’s got enough cash in his pocket, he can promise more than he actually has in order to make himself look good. It’s a bit like magic, really.

But here’s the catch – El Presidente isn’t allowed to propose a budget that forces the players to give him change for the banknotes they get. If someone needs change, he’ll have to provide it with his own money. Talk about bending the rules, huh?

If I, El Presidente, draw eight three-million-peso notes, I can propose giving the Ministro of Internal Security 15 million and the General of the First Army Brigade another 6 million. I would keep 3 million for myself. However, I can only propose giving the Almirante of the Navy one million since I only have a single 1,000,000-peso note in my cash reserve.

Once I propose the budget, you, the Parliament, vote on it. If you adopt the budget, I distribute the money accordingly. I have the option to distribute more than what the budget originally proposes, but not less.

If you reject the budget, the marker Coup Pretext replaces No Pretext for the rest of the turn.

As the Ministro for Internal Security, I have the power to push through a rejected budget by relocating all the Police units to the Parliament space. This allows me to distribute my proposed budget as planned. However, this move will cause the bank to close for an extended break. During the rest of the turn, we will place a Siesta marker on the Bank Open? space.

If I decide not to use force, the bank will still close for an extended holiday. Instead of the Bank Is Open marker, we will replace it with the Bank Holiday marker for the rest of the turn.

On top of all this, I get to keep all the Development Aid notes for myself. It’s a nice little perk of being El Presidente.

Now, let’s move on to Phase 5: Choose Locations. This is where everyone gets to pick a place to be for the whole turn. We have five options: Bank, Headquarters, Home, With the Mistress, and Nightclub. Choose wisely!

When I play, I have cards that represent different locations. I choose one of these locations and place it face-down in front of me. The remaining four cards are also set aside, face-down.

Where I am on the map has nothing to do with what happens in the game. It is determined solely by the card I choose.

If I don’t want to choose a location, I can go into Exile. I place one of my Location cards face up on the space of any Embassy that I like (see Exile).

Tip: If I want to put money into my Swiss Bank Account, I should choose Bank as my location. If I want to start a coup, I should choose Headquarters, provided there’s already a Coup Pretext or I have an appropriate Politics card.

Exile

When I’m playing the game, I have the option to choose a location where I can go into Exile. All I have to do is pick a Location card and place it face-up on an Embassy of my choosing. But before El Presidente can join me in Exile, he has to step down from his position and let new elections take place.

Now, it’s not just El Presidente who can go into Exile. During a Coup, any player who has at least one unit in an Embassy can also choose to go into Exile.

Once I’m in Exile, I’m outside of the real game. I don’t have to worry about being assassinated or facing a firing squad. I can’t deposit or withdraw from my Swiss Bank Account, and I can’t draw or play any Politics cards.

Hey there! Let’s talk about a special role in the game called El Presidente’s Cousin. As El Presidente’s Cousin, I have some unique abilities and restrictions. I can’t vote in Parliament or order any assassinations. Also, when there’s a coup, my units won’t move.

But don’t worry, I can still make some moves. I have the power to discard Politics cards or trade them with other players. And as El Presidente’s Cousin, I can take one office from a player in Exile, but just one.

Coming Back from Exile

Players who are in Exile can come back to the Banana Republic whenever they want. However, the Ministro for Internal Security has an option. They can choose to assassinate the returning exile, and it will be a guaranteed success. But they can also decide not to do anything. In case they choose to assassinate, there are Politics cards that can stop the assassination.

In a few situations, nothing happens to a player coming back from exile:

• If the old Presidente is no longer around (and there’s no new Presidente yet), or if there isn’t a player holding the position of Ministro for Internal Security.

When a coup takes place, I can offer the exiled player a safe-conduct if I have units in the corresponding embassy. If the player accepts, they can return to their former offices and take back their associated units.

If a player is in exile, they have a chance to win the game if they have the most money in their Swiss Bank Account when the game ends.

Now let’s talk about Phase 6: Assassination Attempts.

First things first, I want to talk about this game I’ve been playing called “Assassination”. It’s a game where the Ministro of Internal Security is in the spotlight. They announce their assassination attempts, and everyone else takes turns doing the same thing in a clockwise order. That way, everyone gets a chance to declare an assassination attempt.

The Ministro is in charge of the Secret Police, which means they get a free assassination attempt every round. But, for everyone else, extra attempts are only allowed if you have the right Politics cards.

When you want to make an assassination attempt, you have to name the type of attempt you’re making (like playing a specific card) and the person you’re trying to get rid of. Then, once all the attempts are declared, the Location cards are revealed to show whether the attempts were successful or not.

When playing the game, each person gets to try as many times as they have Assassins. You can try to kill one person multiple times, or you can try to kill different people. You can also try to kill someone at one or more Locations.

It’s important to keep track of the order in which you declare your attempts. If a player is killed before their attempt is carried out, the attempt is still considered valid.

The Secret Police, who are controlled by the Ministro of Internal Security, have a special rule. They can only attempt to assassinate someone in the Bank every other turn. During this time, the Bank is considered secure and no other attempts can be made.

Hey there! Let’s talk about the Bank and what happens when an assassination takes place. It’s a pretty interesting topic, so stick with me!

The Bank and the Secret Police

The Bank is a safe place. When the Bank Is Secure marker is in play, even if a new player becomes the Ministro of Internal Security, the Secret Police can’t carry out an assassination there. It’s like a fortress!

But hey, don’t worry! Other assassination attempts are still fair game. The Bank is just off-limits, keeping things fair and balanced.

What Happens When Someone Gets Assassinated?

So, imagine this: someone gets assassinated. It’s a big deal! The first thing they have to do is discard all their cards, including any Influence cards they had in play. Everything goes. And wait for it – all their cash goes to the person who successfully orchestrated the assassination. Money makes things interesting, huh?

Now, here’s the twist. The poor soul who got assassinated doesn’t come back to life right away. They stay dead until the end of the current turn. No actions allowed, nada. But hey, there’s hope! At the beginning of the next turn, their family gets to choose a new jefe. Time for a fresh start!

Oh, and let’s not forget the big boss – El Presidente. If someone manages to assassinate El Presidente, things get even crazier. New elections happen right away as soon as all assassination attempts are taken care of. It’s a game-changer!

If any player gets killed, that’s considered a Coup. (We put down the Coup marker to indicate it).

The death of a player doesn’t affect the Swiss Bank Accounts.

Just a tip: Since all bank transactions happen right after this phase, being in the Bank is always risky!

Here are some examples of assassination attempts:

Andy, Bill, and Daniel decide to try to assassinate each other in that order.

• Both Andy and Daniel try to assassinate Bill at the same time. Since Bill is actually there, he dies and Andy, who declared the attempt first, takes his money.
• Andy tries to assassinate Bill, and Bill tries to assassinate Andy at the same time. They both succeed, so they both die and put their cash in hand under the Development Aid deck.
• When Andy kills Bill, Bill’s money goes to Andy, and Daniel puts his money face-up under the Development Aid deck.
• When Andy kills Bill, and Daniel kills Andy, Bill’s money goes to Andy, and then goes to Daniel, along with all of Andy’s money.

About El Presidente’s Cousin and players who are dead or exiled

If a player is killed or in exile during the Assassination phase, El Presidente’s Cousin (the player who is currently the Presidente) can take control of one of their Offices, but only one.

El Presidente’s Cousin can then use the vote of that Office and control the Units that belong to it. However, during the Office Assignment phase, the Office can only be assigned to someone other than El Presidente’s Cousin.

Let’s talk about the different phases of the game El Presidente. In one of the phases, called Phase 6, El Presidente has the option to fill an unoccupied Office with his Cousin. However, he can only do this once, and other unoccupied Offices do not contribute votes or have any active participation in a Coup. It’s important to note that if the Ministro of Internal Security is dead or in Exile, his special abilities cannot be used.

Now, let’s move on to Phase 7: Banking.

In this phase, players who have chosen the Bank as their Location and are still alive can perform banking transactions. However, the Bank is not open if a budget has been rejected or if a Politics card dictates it to be closed.

But don’t worry! If the Bank is closed due to a budget rejection, you can conduct bank transactions again in two scenarios:

• At the end of a round after a Coup
• If all players decide not to instigate a Coup

When it’s a Bank Holiday, you can’t do any banking transactions. That means no depositing or withdrawing money. It’s just a day where the banks are closed and you can’t do any business with them. It’s an important rule that affects everyone.

Deposits & Withdrawals

When I want to add money to my Swiss Bank Account, I simply take the banknotes from my cash and put them under my Swiss Bank Account card. If I need to take money out, I can do so by taking it from the account and putting it back into my cash.

It’s important to note that the money in my Swiss Bank Account can either stay there or be withdrawn. However, I cannot use it for bribes, assassinations, or any deals without withdrawing it first.

Tip: I should be cautious with withdrawing money from my Swiss Bank Account. I should only do so when I have a good reason, as the money in the account is crucial for winning the game. But don’t worry, it’s allowed to withdraw it if necessary.

Phase 8: Coup D’etat

Before each turn begins, the No Pretext marker is placed on the Coup Pretext? space. Throughout the turn, it can be replaced by the Coup Pretext marker if:

When El Presidente’s budget gets rejected, the Ministro of Internal Security takes over Parliament with the Police. Or it could be when someone gets assassinated. Another way is if a Politics card is played with a coup pretext. During a Coup Pretext, anyone except El Presidente can start a coup.

If you’ve chosen Headquarters as your Location, you can start a coup even without a pretext.

There are two ways to start a coup:

1. Play a Politics card that brings new Units into play, like Students, Agitators, Demonstrators, Strikers, Bank Guards, Private Security Force, Christian Militia, or the Helicopter.

2. Move the Units of your Office, which makes you the first move in the Rebellion phase.

When the Almirante of the Navy or the Comandante of the Air Force announces that they are firing on the Presidential Palace with the Gun Boat or an Air Raid, it’s a signal that a Coup is about to happen. If multiple players want to start a coup at the same time, the player closest to El Presidente in a clockwise direction gets to start it and becomes the Rebel Leader. Once the coup starts, the Political Game is set aside and the game continues following the rules of the coup. This is what happens in Phase 9: Coup Consequences.

If there’s a coup attempt and El Presidente’s side wins, El Presidente can order any of the Rebels who are not in Exile to be executed by a firing squad.

If the Rebels win, the Rebel players immediately form a junta to decide on the new Presidente. Players loyal to the old regime who voted for the Rebels (see box) don’t participate in this junta.

Each member of the junta gets one vote. Votes from Offices, Vote cards, and Influence cards don’t count here. If there’s a tie, the Rebel Leader chooses which of the candidates with the most votes becomes the new Presidente.

The new Presidente can order one player, not in exile (including another member of the junta), to be executed by a firing squad.

The player who is shot will give up their money to El Presidente.

If the Bank is taking a nap, it is now open for business again, and those of us who are at the Bank can handle our banking needs.

It’s now the next player’s turn. All players who were previously out of the game are now back in action – they’ve been replaced by new leaders in their respective families.

If the rebels come out on top, there will be:

• El Presidente
• players who are loyal to the regime (that is, to El Presidente) and picked El Presidente’s side (refer to Choosing Sides)
• Rebels who voted for El Presidente
• Rebels who voted for the Rebels

The Coup D’ Etat Rules

End of the Game

The game ends when El Presidente is no longer able to withdraw eight face-down bank notes during the Accept Development Aid phase.

The player with the most money in their Swiss Bank Account wins.

Cash in hand doesn’t matter right now. If two players have the same amount of money in their secret account, it’s a tie. It’s possible to win JUNTA even while in exile or when dead. But if all players die at once due to assassinations, then the game is lost for everyone.

Let’s talk about ways to speed up the game:

1. Each player has a limited amount of time (for example, thirty seconds) to make their decisions in each Phase. If someone takes too long, they lose their turn.

2. Only a player in their Headquarters can start a Coup, and there needs to be a valid Coup Pretext.

3. After every Coup, four banknotes are taken from the Development Aid deck and placed face-up under the deck.

Now, if you want to make the game longer, try these options:

1. Remove the time limit for decision-making in each Phase. Take your time and think carefully.

2. Allow players to start a Coup from any location, not just their Headquarters. This gives more opportunities for strategic moves.

3. Instead of drawing four banknotes after a Coup, draw six or more to increase the money flow in the game.

Remember, the choice is yours. Whether you prefer a faster or a longer game, these options can add more excitement to your JUNTA experience.

When I come across discarded or spent banknotes in the Development Aid deck, I don’t just leave them face-up at the bottom like they’re worthless. No, I flip them face-down and put them back in the game. It’s like they get a second chance to make something happen.

Of course, there has to be a limit to how many times I can do this. I mean, the game can’t go on forever, right? So we might agree to only allow, let’s say, ten replacement notes. That way, there’s still some suspense and strategy involved.

Here’s a Tip

Listen, if I declare an action, I have to follow through on it. That’s the rule, and it’s only fair. But hey, we can negotiate or even throw some threats around (just kidding… maybe). I mean, it’s all part of the game, right?

Now, we’re allowed to step out for a bit and make secret agreements. That adds a little mystery to things. But we shouldn’t take too long. After all, we don’t want to keep everyone waiting.

Now, here’s where things get interesting. We’re allowed to lie and betray each other, but only within the boundaries of the rules. So if we make a deal, we have to honor it. However, promises about the future can be kept or broken. It’s all about playing the game smart.