Hegemony Board Game Rules – PDF

Hegemony is an asymmetric, card-driven strategy board game for 2–4 players where each side represents a different pillar of society: the Working Class, Middle Class, Capitalist Class, or the State. Each role plays uniquely balancing economics, politics, and public opinion while pushing national policies through elections to achieve its own victory path.

Key Features:

1. Four Distinct Roles: Control the Working, Middle, or Capitalist Class or the State each with different objectives, actions, scoring, and economics.
2. Dynamic Politics & Policy Track: Propose Bills and hold Elections to shift seven Policies (e.g., Fiscal Policy, Labor Market, Foreign Trade, Immigration), directly changing wages, taxes, public sector size, tariffs, and more.
3. Economy in Motion: Build and staff Companies, set Wages, produce Goods/Services (Food, Luxury, Health, Education, Influence), pay Taxes, and sell domestically or via Export cards and Business Deals.
4. Social Pressure: Use Strikes, Demonstrations, and Trade Unions to influence wages, create jobs, and gain Influence & VP especially as the Working Class.
5. Asymmetric Scoring: Prosperity (Working/Middle), Wealth (Capitalist), and Legitimacy/Agenda fulfillment (State) provide different paths to points across rounds and at game end.
6. Scales by Player Count: 2p uses Working vs. Capitalist; 3p adds Middle Class; 4p brings the State into play with Events and Political Agendas.

Gameplay Overview:

Hegemony plays over 5 rounds. Each round flows through: Preparation (setup, new workers, market refresh), Action (players alternate playing action cards or basic actions for five turns each), Production (pay wages, produce goods/services, cover Food needs, check IMF limits, pay taxes), Elections (resolve proposed Bills via cubes + Influence), and Scoring. After Round 5, apply end-game scoring and penalties for outstanding Loans.

Roles at a glance: The Working/Middle Classes aim to raise Prosperity by providing Health, Education, and (ideally) Luxury; the Capitalist Class maximizes profit through Companies and sales; the State balances Legitimacy across classes while advancing its Political Agenda and managing Events.

Why it shines: Every policy vote reshapes the economy, so timing Bills, leveraging Influence, and reading your opponents’ incentives are as critical as operating your own engine.

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Hegemony – Comprehensive FAQ

General (Tricky / Edge Cases)

• Q: Can a Bill jump two steps on a Policy track?
  A: No. A Bill can only move a Policy to an adjacent section. To go from one extreme to the other, you’ll need multiple successful Bills over time.
• Q: Who can call an Immediate Vote, and when?
  A: Only the player proposing the Bill can call an Immediate Vote, deciding as they place the Bill. It costs that player 1 Influence.
• Q: What happens if the vote bag empties mid-vote?
  A: Refill it per the normal refill procedure and continue drawing cubes for the same vote. The current vote does not reset.
• Q: Do State cubes ever go in the vote bag?
  A: No. The State never adds cubes to the bag; it influences voting by spending Influence.
• Q: Do supporters get VP if they didn’t actually contribute any votes?
  A: No. To be a “supporter” for VP, you must have contributed at least one vote (via drawn cubes or spent Influence) in favor of the passing Bill.
• Q: Do ties pass or fail?
  A: Ties pass in favor of the proposer of the Bill.
• Q: If a Policy change makes my current wage illegal, when do I adjust it?
  A: Immediately when the Policy changes. You must bring wages into the new legal range right away (before Production). You can’t lower the wages of committed Workers until after Production, but you must still be within the legal range.
• Q: Can a company with a Strike token produce by any means (card effects, etc.)?
  A: No. A company with a Strike token does not produce that round. Wages also aren’t paid there in that Production.
• Q: What exactly makes a company “operational”?
  A: It must have all required worker slots filled (or be an automated company printed as automated). A machinery token doesn’t automate a company by itself.
• Q: If I assign only some of the required slots, can I still run the company?
  A: No. It’s all or nothing. If you can’t fill all required slots, the company is non-operational.
• Q: Are assigned Workers “locked”? Can I fiddle with them later in the round?
  A: Assigned Workers are committed until after Production. While committed, you can’t reassign them, lower their wage, or sell that company.
• Q: Can I sell a company that has committed Workers?
  A: No. You must wait until after Production when they’re no longer committed.
• Q: When am I allowed to take Loans?
  A: Only when you must pay a mandatory cost (needs, taxes, wages, etc.) and cannot. Take Loans in 50-money chunks until you can pay that obligation.
• Q: Do tariffs go to the State or the supply? And what about the foreign goods cost?
  A: Tariffs are paid to the State. The cost of the foreign goods themselves is paid to the supply.
• Q: If the bag is refilled during Elections, do we re-check who contributes cubes?
  A: Yes. Each refill uses the current state of the board for who adds what to the bag. Late-round refills can differ from early ones.
• Q: Can I do a Free Action both before and after my main Action?
  A: You may perform one Free Action on your turn, either before or after your main Action, not both.
• Q: In what order are “needs,” wages, and taxes handled?
  A: Needs and wages are handled during Production, then taxes. You may be forced to take Loans at different points in the Phase to satisfy each mandatory payment.
• Q: What triggers IMF intervention?
  A: During Production, if the State is above its allowed Loan limit (from Fiscal Policy) and cannot resolve it, IMF intervenes immediately—forcing multiple Policy shifts (including wages) and other sweeping effects that round.

Working Class – FAQ

• Q: What’s my main scoring engine?
  A: Prosperity. Each time you increase Prosperity, you score VP equal to the new Prosperity value.
• Q: When can I place a Strike?
  A: On an operational company paying low wages (typically L1–L2). Place it with an appropriate action; that company won’t produce this round unless its wage is raised to the top level before Production.
• Q: Do I still get paid if my company is on Strike?
  A: No. Striking companies skip production and no wages are paid there.
• Q: How do Demonstrations work in practice?
  A: If your unemployed Workers exceed your available Working-Class slots by at least 2, place the Demonstration token. If it’s still there at Production, discard it: you gain Influence, and you distribute VP losses among opponents based on your unemployed and Trade Unions (subject to per-player caps).
• Q: Trade Unions keep breaking on me—why?
  A: A Union requires that you keep at least 4 Workers employed in that industry. If you drop below 4, the Union dismantles.
• Q: How do I raise Prosperity with Free Actions?
  A: Use Healthcare, Education, or Luxury by spending a number of that good equal to your Population to gain +1 Prosperity (some also grant a new Worker or an upgrade).
• Q: What happens if I can’t cover Food for my Population?
  A: You must try to buy it; if you still can’t pay, you’re forced to take Loans until you can. Failing to cover needs is not optional.
• Q: Any subtle tip on policy play as WC?
  A: Pushing Labor Market upward has compounding benefits (wages, strike relief, stability). Time it so you have Workers assigned to benefit the most.
• Q: End-game reminders?
  A: You gain VP for money left (to a cap) and for how aligned Policies 1–5 are with your ideological side. Don’t forget late Prosperity bumps—they’re often worth more than a small purchase.

Middle Class – FAQ

• Q: Do my companies pay wages if only MC Workers are assigned?
  A: No. If a Middle-Class company operates solely with MC Workers, it pays no wages.
• Q: What’s the catch with employing WC Workers in MC companies?
  A: You must meet their wage level and you’ll get the employee production bonus when they work—but those Workers are committed for the round, and strikes can shut you down.
• Q: Do storage limits ever bite?
  A: Yes. Goods/services go to Storages that typically cap at 8. Plan sales and production so you don’t waste output due to full Storages.
• Q: I assigned only some required slots—does the company run?
  A: No. You must fill all required slots to be operational.
• Q: Can I lower a WC employee’s wage after assigning?
  A: Not until after Production. Assigned Workers are committed and their wage can’t be reduced mid-round.
• Q: Taxes trip me up—what do I owe?
  A: You pay Income Tax based on where you have Workers in non-MC companies, plus Employment Tax for each operational MC company multiplied by the current Tax Multiplier.
• Q: Can I receive State Benefits later if I skip them now?
  A: Yes. The State places benefits in your area; you take them with “Receive Benefits.” When you do, the State gains VP.
• Q: Prosperity pacing tips?
  A: Like WC, you can use Healthcare/Education/Luxury (spend equal to your Population) to bump Prosperity. Align this with your storage cycles so you don’t starve your own market.
• Q: What’s a common mistake?
  A: Over-hiring WC Workers right before a wage hike or a strike wave. Keep one eye on the Policy tracks.

Capitalist Class – FAQ

• Q: What’s the difference between Revenue and Capital?
  A: Revenue is untaxed money you earn this round and generally spend from. Capital is already-taxed money. If you can’t pay a mandatory cost from available funds, you take Loans (which add money to Capital).
• Q: Can I sell a company with committed Workers?
  A: No. You must wait until after Production when Workers are no longer committed.
• Q: Do machinery tokens make a company automated?
  A: No. Machinery enhances production on eligible companies, but you still need to fill all required worker slots unless the card is printed as automated.
• Q: Assignment priority—do I have to hire unskilled first?
  A: If an unskilled slot exists and there are eligible unskilled Workers available, you must fill that before using a skilled Worker for that slot.
• Q: How do Business Deals interact with tariffs?
  A: If you store imports in regular Storages, tariffs apply per the current Foreign Trade Policy. If you place them in your Free Trade Zone, you skip tariffs but those goods can only be re-exported back to the Foreign Market.
• Q: Taxes overview?
  A: Pay Employment Tax first (operational companies × Tax Multiplier), then Corporate Tax based on your remaining Revenue bracket.
• Q: Wealth scoring timing?
  A: In Scoring, Revenue converts to Capital, then you score based on your Wealth track. Moving your Wealth marker right is a repeated VP source—aim for steady increments.
• Q: Common pitfall?
  A: Building a web of companies that barely meets wages just before a wage hike. Keep a buffer to pay higher wages or you’ll stall production (and profits).

The State – FAQ

• Q: How do I actually “sell” public services?
  A: Your Public Companies produce services (Health/Education) into the Public Services area. Other classes buy them there. Prices (even free) depend on Policies. Selling/free provision can grant you VP and/or Legitimacy per thresholds.
• Q: I don’t add cubes—how do I win votes?
  A: You influence votes by spending Influence. You also get 3 VP if your proposed Bill passes, and 1 VP when you support a passing Bill.
• Q: Public sector size changed—what happens to staffing?
  A: Expansions/downsizing flip companies accordingly. When expanding, you attempt to assign available Workers of the matching class automatically; when shrinking, displaced Workers become Unemployed.
• Q: When exactly does IMF fire?
  A: During Production if you’re over your allowed Loan limit (from Fiscal Policy) and cannot resolve it. When triggered, IMF imposes forced Policy shifts (including wages), attempts forced loan repayments, and hits your Legitimacy.
• Q: Where do taxes and tariffs go?
  A: All taxes and tariffs are paid to your Treasury. The foreign goods’ base cost goes to the supply, not to you.
• Q: Events vs. Benefits—what’s the flow?
  A: Event actions typically make you target players for effects immediately. “Provide” instructions place items in a class’s Benefits area; when they later “Receive Benefits,” you gain VP.
• Q: How do I score round-to-round?
  A: You score based on your Legitimacy (usually the sum of the two lowest); then your Legitimacies are halved (round up). Keep your three Legitimacies balanced—one laggard can cap your scoring.
• Q: Common mistake?
  A: Proposing popular social policies while sitting on low Treasury and high debt—then getting forced into IMF. Ensure your finances and public sector size match your ambitions.

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