Hegemony – Super-Simple Beginner Strategy Guide

(for players who know the basics, played a couple of times, and want a clear plan)

Hegemony is an asymmetric political-economy board game where 2–4 players lead different parts of society: the Working Class, Middle Class, Capitalists, or the State, while changing national policies, running companies, and navigating votes that reshape the economy each round. This beginner-friendly guide won’t overwhelm you with jargon: it explains the core flow of a round in plain English, shows what each role should focus on first (with easy checklists), and gives simple “do this next” suggestions you can apply immediately. If you’ve read the rules and played a game or two but still feel unsure, use this guide to turn basic knowledge into a clear plan so your turns feel purposeful, your buys and builds fit your role, and your votes actually matter.

First: Plain-English terms you’ll see

• Policy / Bill: A “rule” of the country (like Taxation or Immigration). A Bill moves one policy one step (e.g., from middle to low taxes).
• Immediate vote: Decide a Bill right now (costs 1 Influence). Use it only when the change matters this round (today’s wages/taxes/imports).
• Elections (end of round vote): All Bills not decided immediately are voted at the end of the round.
• Influence: A resource you can spend to add extra votes to the Bill vote.
• Operational company: A company with all required worker slots filled (or printed as automated). Only operational companies produce.
• Prosperity (WC/MC): Your “quality of life” track. Spend enough Health/Education/Luxury for your Population to raise it and score points.
• Wealth (CC): Your “richness” track. Profits turn into Wealth during scoring.
• Legitimacy (State): How accepted the State is by each class. The State scores best when its three Legitimacies are balanced.
• Loans: Taken only when you must pay and can’t.
• Strike / Trade Union (WC tools): Strike stops a company producing this round; Unions give steady points and voting power if you keep 4 WC workers in one industry.

How a round feels

1. Take turns: On your turn, do one main action (build, buy, propose a Bill, etc.) and one free action (before or after, not both).
2. Production: Companies pay wages and then produce goods/services.
3. Needs: WC/MC must cover Food. If you can’t pay any mandatory cost when it’s due → take a loan.
4. Taxes & small scoring steps.
5. Elections: Vote on any Bills you didn’t decide immediately.

Five golden rules (for everyone)

1. Plan one turn ahead: Before your turn, know what you’ll buy/build/vote.
2. Buy in “Population-sized” chunks (WC/MC): If your Pop is 4, try to buy 4 Health/Edu/Luxury so your free action immediately gives +1 Prosperity.
3. Build only if it will be operational: Empty companies don’t help and can cost you.
4. Use Immediate Votes only when the change helps you this round. Otherwise save Influence for Elections.
5. Talk to the table: “I’ll support low taxes if you keep wages at B this round.” Deals save you Influence and actions.

If this seems too basic for you, check our Hegemony Advanced Strategy Guide.

Quick plans by role (step-by-step)

Working Class (WC) – “Prosperity pops are your points”

Every round, try to do this:

1. Make sure you can feed your people (Food).
2. Buy Health/Education/Luxury equal to your Population (you can split across sources).
3. Free action: Spend those to gain +1 Prosperity.

Easy policy targets:

• Foreign Trade → high imports are cheap (C): Easier Food/Luxury.
• Immigration → slow growth (A): Smaller Pop makes Prosperity cheaper.
• Welfare (Health/Edu) cheaper: Easier to buy.

Smart uses of your tools:

• Trade Unions: Keep 4 WC in one industry to keep a union going (steady points + voting help).
• Strikes: Use only where it changes something now (force a wage raise or stop a big production).
• Bills: Even proposing (and sometimes losing) clears opponents’ cubes from the vote bag; passing good ones also gives you points.

Common WC mistakes to avoid:

• Letting Population grow without money to feed/buy services.
• Ignoring Unions.
• Striking “for fun” instead of to flip a result.

Middle Class (MC) – “Low Pop, self-supply, repeat”

Your simple engine:

1. Build early so at least 2–3 companies will be operational.
2. When you Buy Goods & Services, you can buy from two sources: one can be yourself.
   
   • Example (Pop 4): buy 4 from your own storage + 4 from State/CC/Foreign.
   • Free action now: Spend 4 for +1 Prosperity.
   • Next turn free action: Spend the other 4 for another +1 Prosperity.
     
3. Try to finish the round with more operational companies than your current Prosperity-you often get a free Prosperity in scoring.

Easy policy targets:

• Immigration → A (keep Pop low).
• Taxation → B (fair for you; doesn’t supercharge CC).
• Public sector size → B (enough Health/Edu to buy when needed).

Do / Don’t:

• Do staff with MC only when possible (no wages); add WC only when the extra output is worth strike risk.
• Do keep an eye on storage so you don’t overproduce.
• Don’t forget your free actions-they’re your Prosperity buttons.

Common MC mistakes:

• Hiring WC right before wages go up or strikes hit.
• Not doing the two-source buy pattern.
• Ending the round with operational ≤ Prosperity (misses the free bump).

Craving a change of pace from politics to planets? Jump to our Beginner’s Guide to playing SETI Board Game: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence and start scanning the stars.

Capitalist Class (CC) – “Build now, fix taxes, then profit”

Simple plan:

1. Build and make it operational quickly (loans are okay early).
2. Work the Taxation policy down so your profits actually turn into points.
3. Prefer MC workers when you can (no strikes/unions). Add machinery where it pays off soon.

Easy policy targets:

• Taxation → C: Your biggest lever.
• Labor Market → B/C (avoid A): Lower wages help you; A hurts.
• Foreign Trade → A (when it raises prices now): Good if you’re selling domestic Food or similar.

Do / Don’t:

• Do stay lean early if needed, but fix taxes before your big-money rounds.
• Don’t over-expand before wages/taxes suit you (it chokes your cash).
• Do use an Immediate Vote if better taxes matter this round.

Common CC mistakes:

• Building lots before adjusting taxes/labor.
• No cash buffer when wages rise.

The State – “Stay solvent, stay balanced”

Simple plan:

1. Price Health/Education so people actually buy them (5 is often the sweet spot).
2. Keep public wages manageable and watch your Treasury.
3. Try to keep your three Legitimacy values close together (you score best when they’re balanced).
4. Use Events-they feed benefits and points.

Easy policy targets:

• Taxation → A for income (don’t starve the economy, though).
• Labor Market → C to keep public wages down.
• Welfare → B so goods move and you earn a trickle (free can bleed you; 10 can stall demand).
• Public sector size → C if payroll is hurting; B if table needs more services.

IMF (the big warning):

• If you run out of money and break the loan limit, IMF hits and shakes many rules at once. Decide it on purpose or avoid it.

Common State mistakes:

• Making services free with no cash buffer.
• Chasing fancy agendas instead of money/Legitimacy balance.

When to use Immediate Vote

• Yes: If changing today’s wages/taxes/import costs helps you right now.
• No: If it only matters next round-save the Influence for Elections.

Quick checklists you can hold in your head

WC: Feed → Buy to match Pop → Free +1 Prosperity → Start/keep Unions → Strike only when it flips the round.
MC: Build early → Two-source buy (one can be yourself) → Use two Free +1 Prosperity across two turns → End with operational > Prosperity.
CC: Build and operate → Get taxes down → Prefer MC workers → Add machinery with quick payoff.
State: Price to sell → Keep wages/public size in check → Balance Legitimacy → Avoid surprise IMF.

Common beginner pitfalls (all roles)

• Forgetting you get only one free action per turn (before or after).
• Buying the wrong quantity (WC/MC) so you can’t press the Prosperity button.
• Building companies that won’t be operational this round.
• Calling Immediate Vote when you don’t need the effect this round.
• Not checking the State’s money-IMF surprises everyone.

Tiny “first two rounds” example plans

• WC: Round 1 buy Health/Edu matching Pop (+1 Prosperity). Round 2 set up a Union or a Strike that actually changes something; buy again for another +1.
• MC: Round 1 build and operate. Round 2 do a two-source buy (self + market) for two +1 Prosperity over two turns; keep building so operational > Prosperity.
• CC: Round 1 build/operate (loan if needed). Round 2 push Taxation lower; add machinery where it pays back quickly.
• State: Round 1 set service price to 5, push public wages down. Round 2 keep treasury healthy; do events; nudge taxes where you can.

That’s it. Keep it simple: one clear goal per role, buy/build in the right amounts, and vote only when it truly matters now. The rest will click fast.