Hierarchy 2013

Hierarchy is a highly interactive negotiation and voting game, built on top of a simple roll-and-move game, with a splash of player selected special player powers on top for spice. A game with 4 players takes 45 to 60 minutes to play.

Each player starts Hierarchy as a pawn, advancing up a simple roll-and-move track. As you advance up the track, you "promote" from pawn to rook, knight, bishop, queen, and (ultimately) king. Each promotion gives you a new special power to help you bend or break the rules of the game. Several of these powers pertain to voting.

Oh, did I forget to mention voting? Each player has a hand of cards. Some have immediate one-shot effects while others are votes. Votes introduce new rules to the game. When you propose a vote, you declare who (one, some, or all players) the new rule will apply to. If the vote passes, it stays in play one round for every vote it passed by (If a vote is 5-to-3 in favor, that vote's rule will stay in play for two rounds.). Votes can affect many different things such as movement, cards in hand or in play, votes, etc.

The first player to reach the last square of the board wins the game. With the player powers, unexpected one-shot card effects, and the possibility of sanction through votes against you from the other players, it's a task easier said than done.