Many a weekend have I spent playing JUNTA, just to do it all over again at the soonest chance I could get.JUNTA is mostly a political game, with a touch of turned-based wargame thrown in on occasion. It's set in an unnamed republic run by a dictator-like President and his chosen cabinet. The object of the game is to have the most money in your bank account at the end of the game. The primary method of playing is with 7 people, although it can be played with less using alternative rules.
At the start of the game, cards are passed out and everyone immediately plays cards that include "influence". Having more influence (or sometimes any at all) lets you have more impact on things that are happening in the game like voting on budgets, voting for a President, and gives you more favor with the current President to gain better positions and more money. After voting on a President, the chosen player then appoints his cabinet of positions out to the remaining players. The President has to be careful though. Giving a low ranking position to a player who has a lot of influence may cause them attempt an assassination on him, or even come up with an excuse to call a coup d'etat. Once the cabinet is chosen, the President draws money randomly for that turn, and tells each player how much they're getting that turn. If a player agrees, they cast their vote based on how much influence they have, or they can vote against the budget. If enough players vote against the budget, the President may have to redo the money for that turn until it's agreeable, or he/she may have it forced. Once again, the President must be careful, or it could be coup time! After the money is dished out, players may then attempt to assassinate any other player if they have a card to do so, or, if they are the Prime Minister, they may use their free assassination every turn. If a player is successfully killed, they are out for a full turn and another player takes control of their position on the cabinet.
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| Position cards. |
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| The money! |
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| Influence, event, and assassin cards. |
If at any point someone gets angry enough that they want to try to oust the current President, they may call a coup to try and overthrow him! Once a coup is called, play moves to the board. Each position controls a certain number and kind of unit with different abilities (Generals have armies, Air Force Commander has airstrikes and paratroopers, Navy Admiral has gunboats and marines, etc...). Players announce their loyalty (either Rebel or Loyalist), and the fight ensues. Players move their units, take control of areas, and maybe even switch to the other side! Players may have cards that allow them to play extra units, bribe units from other players, or gain other combat advantages. The main objective is for the Rebels to control enough of the important locations in the city to overthrow the President. If the Rebels win, the President is executed for a turn and a new President is chosen. At the end of the round, players may have the option of depositing their money. I've played in games where there was a coup every round, and in games where there were none at all; you never know what will happen!
The parts of each round are repeated until there is no more new money to hand out. When that happens, the last round is finished, and the player with the most money in their bank account is the winner!
JUNTA is made by West End Games and can be purchased HERE. This is by far one of my favorite board games of all time, and I highly recommend it to everyone.
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| This is where the magic happens. |