Proletariat-The_Uprising.pdf

Proletariat: the Uprising

Gordon Fay

The Communists disdain to conceal their views and aims. They openly declare

that their ends can be attained only by the forcible overthrow of all

existing social conditions. Let the ruling classes tremble at a Communistic

revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They

have a world to win.

-Marx and Engels, The Communist Manifesto

The city of _ has long languished under the oppressive thumb of the

bourgeois. The petty industrialists, the merchants, the bankers, have

held political power for years, and rest secure in their well-appointed

middle class homes every night, unaware or uncaring of the poorer classes'

plight. It is time for a change, comrades, and we shall be the instruments

of the New and Good!

Welcome to the resistance, Comrade . We regret that this form

is probably not long enough to fill in your actual last name; as much as you

can fit in will suffice. This, and the rest of your Party paperwork, should

not take very long to complete. Please take a seat over there; perhaps you

would like some coffee? I am afraid we have no milk right now, but there is

still sugar. You won't? Ah, all right then. Your work ethic does you

credit, comrade. As Comrade Marx said, "From each according to his

abilities, to each according to his needs!" I will leave you now, comrade;

please deposit the completed form in the box to your left - yes, there.

Thank you, comrade.

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Portrait of a Revolutionary

The party asks only for a few basic pieces of information about yourself,

Comrade: your name and other personal details, and a brief sketch of your

potential abilities. The cubical objects that should be near at hand are

devices especially developed for rating these abilities; this form will

tell you when and how to use them.

In case you wonder, comrade, the abilities are as follows: Muscle, the

power to smite with righteous wrath and perform feats of Endurance (Stalin

is your exemplar in this area); Wits, the intelligence and subtlety needed

to plot and learn (Dostoyevsky's hero Peter Verkhovensky is an admirable

example); and Magnetism, the expression of one's charisma and

persuasiveness (Comrade Marx is generally considered the prototype here,

whether or not he actually was).

Comrade (Patronym) (Surname)

Your reason for joining the Party:

Here, comrade, you pick up one of our quality-rategivers. Shake it in your

palm to allow it to acclimate, then gently roll it out onto the table or

other surface you are working on. Inscribe the number on the top face after

the first line below, then repeat for the other fields.

Muscle:

Wits:

Magnetism:

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Excellent, comrade. We have chosen for your venture the city of

. The bourgeois pigs have considerable control there, but

for one of your skill it should prove none too difficult, while still

remaining an interesting project, to say the least. Further information

about the city will be given you upon your arrival. Your train leaves in

three hours from R Station.

In , Comrade, you will be grouped with other agents of the

Party. They will meet you at the train station there. You are to cooperate

with them as best as possible.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

I hope the trip was not over-dull, comrade. Anyway, allow me to welcome you

to your current project. These are the other comrades with whom you will be

working to remove the bourgeois capitalist pigs from power. Good luck to

all of you, comrades.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

The Possessed

Your circle, comrade, has one major goal: incite the proletarians of the

city first to unrest, then rioting, then successful insurrection. You have

many methods to choose from: bribery, blackmail, speechmaking, poisoning,

intimidation, writing of manifestos - the list could go on for pages. You

will probably use many of them.

At the beginning of the game, the Bourgeois Pig holds almost all of the

several types of tokens: money, political power, and proletariat (30 each

of Money and Power, and 50 Proletariat). Your circle has four Money tokens

(a fifth being consumed by immediate needs such as room and board) and one

Power.

While the agents (and the Bourgeois Pig) may wander around the city as they

please to explore, find contacts, and other such activities, only one

action intended to further their respective goals may be taken per day - one

for every agent, one for the Bourgeois Pig. These actions may or may not

have an effect. If they are well-used and appropriate, the circle or

Bourgeois Pig may gain tokens above and beyond those it must spend to carry

out the action; if not, it may lose them.

The Bourgeois Pig moves first every day. He (for the Bourgeois Pig is the

epitome of blind feudal-descended patriarchal male-dominated society)

does not have any stats, but simply declares the day's event by fiat.

However, he does not gain or lose any tokens by this - the best the

oppressive capitalist bourgeois regime can do is maintain the status quo.

After the Bourgeois Pig has declared his 'action' for this turn, the agents

move in any order. They may or may not consult one another for advice or

assistance; if one agent assists another, both are considered to have

moved. This action should deal only with the proletariat or specific

members of the bourgeoisie; the Bourgeois Pig himself is a concept. Once an

agent declares an action, the Bourgeois Pig will nod and smile in an

infuriatingly condescending manner as he breaks the back of another

proletarian before deciding upon the two most relevant of the three stats.

In order to perform the action, one token must be risked from the circle's

treasury. Which type is indicated by the first stat the Bourgeois Pig

declares relevant: if Muscle, Power; if Wits, Money; if Magnetism,

Proletarian. This token is given to the Bourgeois Pig. If the action is

successful, it is refunded; if not, it is part of the Bourgeois Pig's

reward.

The agent (or, if agents, whichever of their number they choose to be the

primary) must roll two six-sided dice under the sum of these stats. If an

assisting agent has a higher score in the second stat, it may be substituted

for that of the primary.

If the agent rolls under the sum, the action is successfully carried out.

The Bourgeois Pig accedes the circle's reward, whether in Money, Power,

Proletarian converts, or some combination of the three. The number of

tokens must equal the lower of the agent's two relevant stats (even if being

assisted, only the primary agent's stats count) - and the token spent must

additionally be refunded.

However, should the agent roll poorly, the Bourgeois Pig's smile shall

become wider and more vicious, as he vilely abuses the proletarians and

takes tokens equal to the amount by which the roll failed from the circle's

treasury.

This continues, with the agents and the Bourgeois Pig chronicling the

city's condition and the lives of the people affected, until the game ends

in one of several ways; the first two are victory for the agents, the third

loss.

the Bourgeois Pig loses all Proletarian tokens (revolution)

the Bourgeois Pig loses all Power tokens (removed from office)

the circle loses all Power tokens after having gained at least

five (exposed and banished from the city)

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The Chairman Leads the Happy Workers in a Game

We follow our intrepid protagonists Stepanov, Gaidia, Cherevin, and

Shishkov in the city of . After arriving earlier to-day by

train from the capital, they proceeded to let a room offered for rent by a

remote cousin of Shishkov's. The bourgeois presence in is

exceptionally strong; before retiring, they plot among themselves

tomorrow's work.

They awaken the next morning, well-rested and prepared. The Bourgeois Pig

passes his first turn, the city being at peace. So the circle moves

immediately into action.

Stepanov sees no opportunities yet, and does nothing.

Gaidia bids the circle's Power token on making a sudden speech at a factory

on the outskirts of . The Bourgeois Pig nods and smiles,

allowing that Magnetism and Wits govern his endeavors. Gaidia has a 5 and a

3 in each respectively. The dice come up 3; the workers strike, lifting him

over their heads as a hero and savior as they abandon their tools and

machines. The Bourgeois Pig sighs and pushes three tokens to Gaidia: two

Proletarian, one Power. Gaidia retrieves the Power token he bid.

Cherevin, after offering suitable congratulations to his comrade Gaidia,

does nothing.

Shishkov bids a Money token to attempt to bribe one of the newly-restless

workers into working for the circle. The Bourgeois Pig names Magnetism and

Muscle, for which Shishkov has a 2 and a 3 respectively. He rolls a 7: two

tokens are lost. The Bourgeois Pig reclaims one of the Proletarian tokens

and takes the Money, explaining that the greedy worker simply took the

money and ran, with no intention of doing anything for the circle.

On the second day, the Bourgeois Pig sends police to the factory to force

the workers back to their jobs, also increasing the security on nearby

industrial areas.

Stepanov returns to the factory with Gaidia. The impetuous Stepanov bids a

Power token and attempts to outmuscle the police with Gaidia's - and, if

possible, the workers' - assistance. The Bourgeois Pig names Muscle and

Magnetism; Stepanov's scores are 5 and 2, but Gaidia's higher Magnetism

takes the place of his score. Stepanov's player rolls a 6 - a success. The

Power token is returned, along with two Proletarians.

Cherevin suggests that a local bourgeois is throwing a party that day. The

Bourgeois Pig is amenable to the idea, and Cherevin gate-crashes the fancy

masquerade dressed in dirty workers' clothing screaming the mantras of the

Party. He attempts to recite the Manifesto from memory while fending off

the bourgeois security - a Wits and Muscle roll is called, and he bids a

Power token. Cherevin's scores are 3 and 4; he rolls 11, and is escorted to

jail before he reaches comrade Marx's delineation of the different types of

socialism through history. The Bourgeois Pig takes four tokens: two Money,

for the event will sell many newspapers, and two Power including Cherevin's

bid.

Shishkov does nothing.

On the third day, the Bourgeois Pig gives the circle a Proletarian token,

saying that two workers from the local shipyard have heard of their

interests and want to assist the agents. The circle decides to accept,

though all of them except Cherevin remain suspicious of the newcomer.

Stepanov spends the day recovering from the bruises he inadvertently

received in the factory.

Gaidia bids a Proletarian token to try to further cement the loyalty of the

already-somewhat-interested factory foreman Kastrulye. He intends to go

about this in a somewhat odd method: by making Kastrulye's day as bad as

possible and proving it all the responsibility of the bourgeoisie. Several

separate rolls are required for each part of his plan: kidnapping

Kastrulye's daughter and secretly depositing her in the mansion of the rich

German merchant Schwerdtlein, a notorious rake; stealing valuables from

the hapless foreman's home; and causing his name to be slandered in the

bourgeois newspaper. Gaidia succeeds in two of these, failing only to

break into Kastrulye's home. He then speaks with Kastrulye, building his

arguments on unimpeachable foundations. The Bourgeois Pig declares Wits

and Magnetism to rule this roll, for which Gaidia has 3 and 5. He rolls a 5 -

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