Every player gets a turn as the Dictator. Every Dictator has a hidden agenda.
The Premise
You're a Cabinet member in a paranoid regime. Each turn you must report intelligence to the Dictator (the role rotates). The Dictator must decide who to trust. But the Dictator themselves is hiding something — they have a secret agenda card.
When you're the Dictator you can punish a truth-teller to hit your agenda — but you'll be a Cabinet member next round, and they remember.
The Roles
Dictator (rotates)
×1 per roundDraws a secret Agenda. Must Trust or Exile cabinet members each round to score it.
Cabinet Member
×all othersReceives Intel cards (some true, some false). Reports verbally. Earns Loyalty if Trusted.
How a Round Plays
Dictator draws Agenda
A secret goal: "End round with 3 Loyalty tokens", "Have at least one member exiled", etc.
Cabinet draws Intel
Each member receives Intel cards. Some true, some false. They cannot show them.
Reporting
Each member verbally reports. Truth or lie is up to them.
Trust / Exile
Dictator chooses to Trust (gain Loyalty) or Exile (lose a member, gain Fear). Public.
Score & Rotate
Agenda scored secretly. Role passes left.
Win Conditions
Highest score
After everyone has been Dictator once, highest total VP wins.
Designer Notes
It's a multi-round score game where every player gets to be the deceiver AND the deceived. The hidden agenda means the Dictator isn't just truth-finding — they're optimizing for a secret goal that warps their behavior.
Strategy Tips
- Reciprocity is realTrust cabinet members who will be Dictator after you. They remember.
- Read the agendaA Dictator who exiles two members early is chasing the "fear" agenda.
- Plant truthsReporting one truth and one lie consistently makes you readable but trusted.