Radio Chaos

Handy Rule Book

Note. Accompanying the rules are Handy Reference Tables and a Sequence of Play chart.

Beginning the Game

1. Make random assignments (clockwise order)

a. Player orientations

Randomly assign or choose orientations.

b. Distribute volunteer cards

Deal out 30 volunteers evenly. In a four-player game, give 8 cards to each player.

c. Distribute jobs and set player order

If jobs distribute evenly, roll to see who goes first. Otherwise, player to the left of last to receive a job goes first in Year 0.

d. Assign decision rules

Place the majority rule marker on the decision rule box for the general membership.

Roll a die for the decision rules that the staff, Board, and committees will use: on a 1 or 2 they use majority rule; on a 3 or 4 they use 3/5 majority; on a 5 they use consensus-minus-one, and on a 6 they use consensus.

2. Place people and influence markers

All players simultaneously place people in the job slots they received (and place other people off the board) and put one influence marker on every person on or off the board.

3. Place Year and Authority Markers

a. Designate current year as "0"

b. Place authority markers on appropriate decision-making bodies:

1) Staff has fundraising power.

2) Board can hire and expel.

3) Personnel Committee can fire.

4) Programming Committee sets programs.

5) General membership can amend by-laws to change decision rules or the delegation of authority.

6) General Manager (G.M.) has no power

4. Set Initial Programming Lineup

To determine the initial lineup, roll a 10-sided die once for each slot. Roll again if you get any program (except Dead Air) a third time. After rolling, determine initial listenership (see rules below).

Roll Programming Roll Programming

1 Blues/Jazz 6 NPR Programs

2 Classical 7 Pop Music

3 Experimental 8 Dead Air

4 Folk Music 9 Dead Air

5 Local News/Talk 10 Dead Air

How to Play the Game

The Setting

You are influential people at a small community radio station, and in the next few years you will form alliances and battle others to change the shape of WXYZ 88.9 FM. Some corporate puppeteer may direct staff and loyal volunteers to commercialize the station. An activist may try to organize the volunteers to take over the airwaves. Another bitter soul may spitefully lead the station to self-destruction.

Can you weather the purges of the Board of Directors? Can you thwart the Music Director's attempts at sabotage and hold a string of successful fundraisers? Can you rewrite the bylaws to cripple corrupt volunteer committees? If you can, then you're ready to play Radio Chaos!

The game is for 2-6 players and takes 1-3 hours.

The Objective

Each player takes on an orientation at the beginning of the game, and this gives them three objectives to pursue. For example, a player in the Stalinizer role aims to reduce the number of volunteers at the station, increase the size of the staff, and give as much authority as possible to the G.M. Players may select or randomly assign orientations.

Decision Rules

The staff, Board, committees, and general membership all use decision rules that determine whether a proposal passes or fails. Majority rule requires yea votes from a majority of those voting. 3/5 majority requires a three-fifths majority (e.g., three-out-of-five, five-out-of-seven). Consensus-minus-one requires yea votes from all but one of the people voting (e.g., four-out-of-five), and consensus requires a unanimous vote.

Abstentions do not count as no votes. For example, if four-out-of-five committee members vote yes and one abstains, the committee has consensus.

Authority

There are seven kinds of decisions made at WXYZ. The playing board shows which of these powers the G.M., staff, Board, committees, and general membership can hold.

Programming. The body with this power can set the programming for the year. In playing order, each person can make a proposal to switch or replace one or more of the programs in the lineup. No program (except Dead Air) may hold more than two slots in a lineup, and the last proposal to pass is final.

Fundraising. The body with this power decides whether or not the station will hold fundraisers. In any given year, a station may hold up to two fundraisers. The first time a proposal to hold a fundraiser passes, the player making the proposal rolls the fundraising dice, the number of which is determined by the current programming lineup and the abilities (and willingness) of the staff. The total rolled is income for the station.

The second time a fundraising proposal passes in a given year, the same calculation is made, except that seven dice are subtracted due to listener weariness. If the subtraction of seven dice results in a negative number of fundraising dice, the number rolled is added to the station's expenses. A fundraiser can lose money.

Hiring. The body with this power can hire new staff members to fill vacant seats. A player makes a hiring proposal by naming an "applicant" (a current staff member or any volunteer) and a vacant job. If the player controlling the applicant wishes to direct him/her to pass up the job, the player must make a loyalty roll for the applicant before a vote is taken.

Firing. The body with this power can fire staff members. A proposal to fire names a current staff member, and if the proposal passes, the station fires the staff member. The player controlling the staff member loses her influence marker, and the fired person is put at the bottom of the inactive volunteer deck. (The person may return again some day, although probably under someone else's influence!)

Expulsion. The body with this power may expel any volunteer. This power is used in the same manner as firing, but it can be used against any person except a current staff member.

By-laws revision: Delegation. The body with this power can shift any power (including this one) to a new body. A proposal to change the delegation of authority specifies which power will go to which body. If the proposal passes, power shifts immediately.

By-laws revision: Decision rules. The body with this power can change any body's decision rule. A proposal must specify which body will change to which decision rule. The general membership begins the game with majority rule, but a player can use this power to change its decision rule. The G.M. is always autonomous and has no decision rule.

Influence Markers

Each player begins with the same number of influence markers and places one marker on each person (volunteer or staff member) she controls. The markers range in value from "L" to "7". A person with an "L" will always act as directed, but all other people require loyalty rolls every time a player wishes to make them vote a certain way or resign. When a person is fired, expelled, or fails a loyalty roll, the person and his/her marker are discarded and cannot be used again.

Making Proposals & Voting

When a meeting convenes, players may announce one agenda item each. The player going first announces her proposal (no loyalty roll required), and the committee votes. Then the player to the left may make a proposal, which is then voted on, and so on, until all players have had the chance to place an item on the agenda.

There are two ways to determine a staff, board, or committee member's vote on a proposal. The player controlling that person may "direct" him/her to vote a certain way or let the person vote randomly (1 or 2 = "no"; 3 or 4 = "abstain"; 5 or 6 = "yes").

When a proposal is announced, each player must decide privately which of her people she will direct. Once all players have decided who to direct, a single loyalty roll is made. After any defections are resolved, rolls are made for any undirected voters.

After these votes are tallied, members of the respective decision making body announce their votes in descending order of influence. Thus, a directed person with an influence marker of 6 has to announce his/her vote before a directed 4. This rule permits directed people with low influence markers to change their minds before announcing their votes.

Loyalty Rolls & Defections

To make a loyalty roll, roll two six-sided dice. If the roll is greater than the influence marker on a directed person, he/she acts as directed. If the loyalty roll is equal to or less than the influence points on that person, he/she defects and the influence marker is discarded, not to be used again.

All players (including the one who failed the loyalty roll) may then compete for the person, and the person joins ranks with whoever places the lowest influence number on him/her. In the event of a tie, the person goes to the highest roller among the tied players.

The winner then places her influence marker on the person, and all other players keep the markers that they bid for later use. If the winner wishes to direct the person on the present decision, the winner must make a new loyalty roll for that one person.

When a body votes on a proposal or holds an election, a single loyalty roll is made that affects all directed staff and volunteers. For example, if players are directing all five Personnel Committee members during a vote, then one player rolls two dice. Any directed person with an influence marker equal to or greater than the roll defects.

Elections/Appointments

In Year 0 and even years, the staff appoints staff members to its two committee seats (maximum one seat per staff member). In all years except Year 0, the Board appoints committee members, and the general membership holds Board elections. Elections and appointments follow essentially the same process.

Beginning with the lead player, each player announces which of their people they nominate for the open seats on the Board or a committee (each player can make a maximum of three nominations). After the last player announces her nominations, the players privately decide which of their people they intend to direct in the election.

Next, a single loyalty roll is made for all controlled people, and any defectors are immediately bid upon. This may mean that a candidate's loyalty changes prior to the vote. Players then announce the votes of their directed people, and a six- or ten-sided die roll randomly determines which candidates the undirected people support. (But for the general membership, see the Apathy Rule.)

No matter how many seats are open and/or how many nominees are running, each voter can only vote for one candidate. After all votes are tallied, the candidates with the highest vote totals fill the open seats. In the event of a tie, a runoff is held among the two or more tied candidates. If this election results in any ties that leave seats unfilled, the seats remain vacant until the next year.

Note that the two staff committee appointments are made separately in two consecutive elections.

The General Membership & the Apathy Rule

The general membership consists of all active people, including staff, Board members, committee members, and volunteers placed beside the board. Whenever the general membership meets, only those members directed by players actually cast votes for candidates and proposals. All others automatically abstain (mostly by not showing up to the meeting).

Listenership

At the close of each programming committee meeting, the players determine the number of listeners the station attracts. (You can think of the listenership and income/expenses numbers as representing hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands depending on your mood when you play.)

At the beginning of the game, simply add the number of listeners for each program in the initial lineup. The number of listeners per program is shown in the Handy Reference Tables. The sum total is the station's starting listenership.

At the close of each programming meeting, the listenership usually changes. Follow the following three steps to determine the new listenership. First, subtract five listeners due to attrition and competition from other stations.

Second, subtract two listeners for any of the five slots that changed. For example, the committee may have voted to replace one program with a new one, costing two listeners. Alternatively, the committee may have agreed to keep the same programs but switch all of their slots, which would cost ten listeners.

Finally, add the number of listeners for each program, using the Handy Reference Tables. This may result in a net gain or net loss of listeners, depending on how many changes the committee made and what programs it put in the lineup.

Ending the Game

At the beginning of the game, players may wish to set a time limit for play. When the time limit comes, simply finish the current year. Players could also agree to play a certain number of years. How long each year takes depends upon the number of players, players' familiarity with the game and their anal-retentiveness, the time of night, and the quality of the healthy snack products offered by the host!

Another method makes the end of the game uncertain, a feature that complicates players' strategies. At the end of Year 0, players roll a six-sided die. If a 1 is rolled, the game ends once they have completed Year 1. Otherwise, the game continues as normal, and at the end of Year 1, one of the players rolls a die again. If the number is a 1 or a 2, the game ends at the close of Year 2. If not, then a roll of 1, 2, or 3 at the end of Year 2 signals that the game will end after Year 3. The game could go as far as Year 6, or it could end after Year 1. Year by year, the ending looms ever closer, but players remain unsure when to make their decisive moves.

Calculating Points at the End of the Game

When the last year of the game ends, calculate the points for Listenership, Volunteers, the Balance of Payments, the Size of the Staff, and each Authority Level. The Handy Reference Tables show how to make these calculations (round down any fractions).

For each player, calculate a base score by adding or subtracting these points, depending on the player's orientations. For example, the Volunteer Rule player adds the number of Volunteer points, but if these points are negative, she loses that number of points. By contrast, the Stalinization player benefits from negative Volunteer points because her orientation multiplies these points by negative one.

In games with three or more players, you then add each player's difficulty bonuses to her base score. For instance, if the Stalinizer had played against the Strictly Business and Activist Rule orientations, she would gain bonuses of -10 and +20, and she would add 10 points to her total score. It can turn out that a player has a negative base score but wins due to huge difficulty bonuses (e.g., Strictly Business vs. Scapegoater and Saboteur).

Staff Abilities

In addition to voting at staff meetings, players may use staff members' special abilities, which are listed in the Handy Reference Tables. The Community Developer (C.D.) has the ability to attract two listeners per year. The Music Director, News Director, and C.D. can each recruit one volunteer per year.

The G.M. and Grants Developer can bring in grants (rolling $dice during the income phase each year). The G.M. and the three directors can all add $dice to fundraisers.

Strategy Tips

Be wary of revealing your motives too early because all that counts is how things stand at the end of the last year. Some cagey players even act against their own interests, causing other players to support them in positions of power...until it's too late. Meanwhile, try to figure out others' orientations.

Never force a volunteer's vote when you don't have to. If you want a committee member to vote a certain way, a random die roll will give you your vote one in every three times anyway.

Don't use your lowest influence markers too early. As the game proceeds, you will have the chance to pick up new people and place an L, a 2, or a 4 on them.

Game Variants

Classic Conflicts

Rather than randomly or independently picking orientations, players may wish to select their orientations together to set up a "classic" conflict. In a two player game, the most intense rivalry is between Volunteer Rule and Stalinization. Stalinization and Scapegoating make for an amusing game of self-destruction. A three-player game with shifting alliances is Volunteer Rule, Activist Rule, and either Strictly Business or Sabotage. A challenging four-player game is Strictly Business, Stalinization, Volunteer Rule, and Scapegoating. A four-player game with two primary alliances is Strictly Business, Bureaucratization, Scapegoating, and Sabotage. Add Volunteer Rule to this four-player game, and you have one insane five-player mess.

Open Orientations

In this variant, players simply turn their orientation cards face-up, making it clear what motivates each player. Some people prefer to play their first game this way, as it lets one's mind focus on the other strategic decisions in the game. For those that crave more strategic complexity and uncertainty, try the Subtle Influence or Hidden Power variants.

Subtle Influence

All the rules are the same, except that influence markers are used only for their colors, not their numbers. Players use sheets of paper to record how much influence they have on each volunteer and how much of their influence they have used. The game works on an honor system, and each player is responsible for keeping accurate records. Players only find out a piece's influence level when it fails a loyalty roll.

Hidden Power

This takes the principle of subtle influence a step further, and it is only for devoted players who crave mystery and have nothing better to do for a few solid hours. A single neutral facilitator keeps all players' records, and they use written notes to communicate their votes and other actions to the facilitator. Players do not place any influence markers on their pieces, and nobody can be sure who influences whom. To heighten the confusion, each player always has the ability to propose an agenda item when the staff, Board, committees, or general membership meet--even if that player does not have influence over any people within that body.

For example, when the staff holds its meeting, Player #1 proposes that the staff hold a fundraiser. The players may talk among themselves before voting--working out compromises, etc. Then the facilitator asks each player to hand her a slip of paper stating which of their staff members they are controlling. The facilitator then makes a loyalty roll and announces if any staff failed the roll. If none failed, the facilitator adds up the directed votes and rolls randomly for the others. Finally, the facilitator announces how each staff member voted, but players can not be sure why staff members voted as they did.

Crisscross

In honor of the blessedly brief 1980s fashion of wearing one's clothes inside-out, players play against their orientations. The winner is simply the player with the worst score at the end of the game. Plenty of time for losers in this one.

Cooperative Rules

Upon receiving player orientations, players turn their cards face-up so that everyone knows how the others will play. The objective is to raise all players' scores so that the combination of players' scores is high and no player's score is twice that of any other. (Include difficulty scores in all final calculations.) Record your high score and try to beat it next time.

Common Enemy

In a game with three or more players, one player chooses to play an "evil" orientation, then the other players try to defeat the enemy by playing another orientation. The enemy gets dealt volunteers and positions as if she were two players.

The enemy wins the game if her final points are greater than all other players combined. The others collectively win if their combined score is greater than that of the common enemy. Include no difficulty scores, as this is akin to a two player game.

For an added challenge, the cooperating players can take on different orientations.

for Cindy Simmons (a.k.a. The Crane)

Game design help from

Steve & Carol Cabiedes & Ed Huefe.