‘Anti-war wargame’ Chicago ’68 is a board game with impeccable timing

polygon.com:

In the summer of 2020, filmmaker Yoni Goldstein looked out the window of his home to see a line of police officers advancing on demonstrators — neighbors of his who had taken to the streets to protest the killing of George Floyd. In that moment, his mind flashed to another image, one that was burned into the memories of many Chicagoans like a sunspot: the protests surrounding the 1968 Democratic National Convention, where a similar line of powder-blue helmets advanced on a similar line of demonstrators.

Thinking of activists in action, both old and new, planted the seed of an idea in the rookie gamemaker’s mind. And the result of that pang of inspiration — a board game titled Chicago ’68 —launches on Kickstarter Aug. 6.

On a call with Polygon in the first week of July, Goldstein described Chicago ’68 as a kind of “anti-war wargame.” The game pits The Establishment — including the Democratic National Committee itself as well as then-mayor Richard J. Daley and the infamous Chicago political machine — against The Demonstrators, a motley group composed of the Youth International Party, street performers, and other loosely affiliated agitators.

Rather than using historical figures and events as unique, one-time events dropped into the game (much like Twilight Struggle or Labyrinth: The War on Terror does), Goldstein said his design instead uses cards as a “menu of actions.” Each side plays from two separate decks, one called the Leadership Deck and another called the Rank and File Deck. Together, these decks allow players to both control the state of the game, and to maneuver their units and engage in direct conflict on the streets.

The Establishment’s goal is straightforward: Protect the convention delegates and minimize the impact these protests have on choosing a Presidential nominee. The Demonstrators, in turn, are working to embarrass The Establishment and hijack the convention in order to nominate their own chosen candidate for the Presidency.

But don’t confuse