Die Macher: Limited Edition now on Kickstarter
Spielworxx has launched a Kickstarter for a Die Macher, a landmark heavy euro-game about the German electoral system and designed by Karl-Heinz Schmiel. Originally published in 1986, Die Macher has been republished several times, updating the rules, political parties, player supportability, and variants for faster play. The last version published was in 2006, and the popular game for die hard Euro enthusiasts has been hard to find.
The Kickstarter campaign offers fans of the game a limited opportunity to add the game to their collection. Die Macher: Limited Edition will be available for direct sales after the Kickstarter campaign, but it is unlikely to go into distribution for sale by retailers.
Die Macher: Limited Edition includes additional rules improvements designed by the original designer, Karl-Heinz Schmiel and developed by the Spielworxx team. Like the later editions, the Limited Edition supports 3-5 players, but only advances through four German federal state elections in the standard game. For players who want to dive even deeper into the election campaigns, there is an expanded game which covers seven elections, as in the original edition of the game, that is included as well. This edition also features all new art by long-time game artist Harald Lieske (The Castles of Burgundy, Puerto Rico, Power Grid, Dominion, and many more).
Die Macher: Limited Edition plays 3-5, ages 14+, in about 3 hours. Contents include 4 Federal State Boards, 1 Media/Party Base board, 1 Popular Opinion Board, 42 Popular Opinion Cards, 1 Party Program Board, 56 Party Program Cards, 1 Poll Board, 10 Poll Cards, 16 Federal State Cards, 40 Shadow Cabinet Politician Cards, 15 Donation Cards, 1 Marker Board, 5 Party Markers, 4 Double Markers, 2 Ballot Box Markers, 150 Playing Money Bills, 10 Players Aids (5 English/5 German), 1 double-sided scoring pad, 100 Party Rally Cubes, 25 Media Markers, and 45 Tracking Markers.
To learn more about Die Macher: Limited Edition, go to the Kickstarter campaign, which runs through July 11. Delivery of the game is expected in November 2019, though a limited number of the copies may be available at Essen and BGG Con if they are ready in time.
