Lenin's Legacy Interview: Mathias Cramer

 

Lenin’s Legacy is a fast-paced solo or two-player game about the power struggle between Stalin and Trotsky in the early days of the USSR, starting the moment Lenin’s health began to weaken after a failed assassination attempt in 1918 and culminating with Lenin’s death in 1924. Players will take on the role of either Stalin or Trotsky, playing cards from a common display (plus one hidden card each) to gain control of “issues,” such as the NKVD, Politburo, and personal access to Lenin.

The rules and images shown here are not final.

You can find it in P500

Why did you decide to make this game?

In 2017, the film"The Death of Stalin"; was released in cinemas. This comedy tells the story of the power struggle between Khrushchev and Beria, with an outstanding ensemble cast and British black humor. I carried the idea of a game on this topic around with me for a while, and then decided on the much more famous power struggle between Stalin and Trotsky, which played out over several years during the slow death of Lenin.

Tell us about the mechanics

Lenin´s Legacy is a brutal power struggle across two dimensions: the Party and the Army. Both dimensions can lead to sudden victory, so neither player can ignore them. If there is no sudden victory by the time Lenin dies, the winner is determined by whoever has more Fame, i.e., status in the history books. In each round, players fight for control of several Issues, e.g. control of the secret service, the regions, or direct access to Lenin´s infirmary. They manipulate these Issues by playing cards from a face-up display, with one additional card face-down for each player. Two Issues allow players to add cards to the shared deck at the end of the round, adding a deck construction aspect to the game. Forcing moves and card denial are important tactical aspects in the struggle for power.

Tell us about the solitaire system.

Bruce Mansfield and Jason Carr will both be working on the solitaire system, so it is definitely in safe hands. Jason is the head of GMT’s specialized solitaire gaming division, GMT One, and assisted Bruce with the creation of the Jacquard card-based non-player system used in Gandhi and other COIN volumes. Together they are certain to come up with something special!

Do you plan to release other games with the same system?

Not yet, but I think the system could be worth adapting for other themes.