Oligark

Oligark is a competitive strategy game in which 2–6 players take the roles of powerful members seeking to control nations while keeping their own debt lower than that of their rivals. Players conquer countries, negotiate and exchange territories, establish trade agreements, collect customs duties, use political and economic cards, wage war, and occasionally find themselves sent to a refugee camp. Although players may cooperate or negotiate when it serves their interests, each player is ultimately competing for their own victory.

On a turn, a player rolls one eight-sided die and two six-sided dice. The d8 may affect income or expenses, force the player to dispose of a toxic-waste barrel, send the player to a refugee camp unless a bribe is paid, or alter how the movement dice may be used. The player's pawn then moves clockwise through the countries. Landing on an uncontrolled country allows the player to take control of it, while landing on certain spaces requires drawing and resolving red, blue, or green cards. Passing or landing on another player's pawn can transfer debt or allow a card to be taken, and landing on an opponent's pawn can send that player to a refugee camp.

When a player lands on a country they control, they may attack an adjacent country or establish a trade agreement between adjacent countries they control. Battles are resolved with dice: the attacker normally uses three armies and the defender two, with trade agreements potentially adding an army; the highest dice are compared and defensive armies win ties. Players may also propose one country exchange per turn, with or without compensation. Trade agreements can generate customs payments when opponents stop in those territories. Meanwhile, players must try to dispose of their magnetic toxic-waste barrels on the world map without causing them to clump together or move outside the storage area; barrels that do so are returned to the responsible player's inventory.

Before play, the players agree on the duration of the game. When the time expires, play stops immediately and each player performs a final debt calculation. Remaining toxic-waste barrels and unused blue cards increase debt, while controlled countries, retaining the country containing the player's headquarters, successfully disposed barrels, and secret tax-haven accounts can reduce it. The player with the least debt wins.

—description the from designer