I have posted playtest files of the nine games in the Heads of State series and am looking for people to try the games out and give me feedback. Pdfs of the individual games plus an intro to the series, sampling of dictator facts, and tyrant/character sheet are located on the playtesting page. These files will be available for downloading during February and March 2007. I encourage you to download and play one or more of the games and then to post a report of your play and/or send me feedback. I’ll be sure to acknowledge everyone involved with any playtest games in the published versions. I’m primarily looking for feedback in February and March but if you get to try out the games after March there’s a good chance that I’ll still be working on the games and will be able to incorporate your comments. Feel free to post or email me at mark@headsofstate.net if you have any questions about the games.
fact #16: Chairman … President … Dentist
When Enver Hoxha, dictator of Albania, became ill in the 1970s, the regime kidnapped a dentist who was a Hoxha look-alike, kept the man hidden from his family, and forced him to impersonate the sick leader, including during hours-long official meetings.
Saddam Hussein executed
The long time dictator of Iraq was hanged on Dec 30, 2006. It’s hard to work up sympathy for a despot of Hussein’s magnitude but I count myself among those who think his trial was flawed, his sentencing rushed, and his execution twisted into a mockery of justice.
Saparmurat Niyazov dies
Wile I was taking a break from posting over the holidays, one of the world’s most eccentric dictators, Turkmenistan pres for life Saparmurat Niyazov died on December 21, 2006. Leaving aside the serious issues of human right and democratic processes, the lip-syncers, dogs, video gamers, doctors, drivers license applicants, beard wearers, gold teeth manufacturers, record […]
Pinochet dies
Former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet died yesterday. He cheated justice but at least he was exposed anew in his last years as a coward, as are most torturers and military rulers. In this 1985 photograph by Marcelo Montecito, the general listens to an underling.
fact #15: I will vote for him
Former Liberian President Charles Taylor, currently awaiting trial for war crimes, ran his 1997 campaign on the slogan “He killed my ma, he killed my pa, but I will vote for him.”
the thingness of things
my game Palace Gates revolves around things, objects found in the residence of the late dictator. Players weave stories aroud these items, so I’ve been trying to come up with a longish list of things to include in an appendix of the game. Today I walked down to a row of antique shops and wrote […]
Fact #14: Saloth Sar
People who knew Saloth Sar before he adopted the revolutionary name Pol Pot and transformed Cambodia/ Democratic Kampuchea into a killing field, described him as a sweet child, a calm, pleasant, honest man, and a skilled teacher.
fact lucky # 13: Vlad the Impaler
Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu sought to rehabilitate Count Vlad “the impaler” Tepes, the historical source of the Dracula legends, as a national hero. He built a summer palace near the Count’s tomb, issued a stamp honoring Vlad on the 500th anniversary of the Count’s death, and banned Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula.
fact #12: Book of the Soul
Saparmurat Niyazov, president of Turkmenistan, has written two volumes of a book entitled “Ruhnama” (Book of the Soul) outlining his interpretation of Turkmenistan history. Children have to study the book daily at school; adults are obligated to read it every Saturday as part of their spiritual development. Not satisfied with these requirements, in June 2004 […]