Sent to me by an academic friend in Belfast, who wishes (for now!) to remain anonymous!!!!!

Cultural Traditions

A game for two to six players

Objective of the game:
To improve the standing of your Cultural Tradition by (a) increasing the Territory under your control or by (b) gaining Prestige Points.

Players may choose from the following colour counters:
Red, White, Blue, Green, White (do not confuse with earlier white) and Orange (may also be referred to as Gold).

Players also choose a symbol which gains recognition as the individual player gains Prestige Points.
Players may choose from the following or invent their own symbol:

• Bowler Hat
• Hand (red)
• Land Rover (armoured)
• Ballot Box (armalite contained inside)
• Dove (slightly soiled)
• Bomb (defused)

At the beginning of the game each player controls an equal number of adjoining areas.

During each players’ turn they may attempt to do one of the following:

1. Strengthen their Tradition’s internal control
2. Increase the area under their control
3. Increase their International Prestige
4. Draw a Cultural Tradition card

1. Internal Control
Players may gain Prestige Points by strengthening control of the areas they already own. This may be done in the following ways;

A) Marking out Territory

A player may choose to increase control of their area by the use of Territorial Markings. In each turn a player can choose to do one of the following;
Kerb painting, wall murals, erect flags, erect arches.
Territorial Marking outside the control of the player may also be attempted but is subject to Mediation (see below).

B) Internal Housekeeping

Use their own Paramilitary Organisation (see below) to maintain control of the area. May lead to the loss of International Prestige Points but the effect can be lessened by the successful use of a Political Party if the player has one.

2. Increasing the area under the player’s control

Players may seek to expand their influence into either neutral areas or those of opposing players. This can be done through the successful use of Territorial Marking or by instigating a Cultural Tradition in the area. Players roll dice to determine whether they have been successful in Territorial Marking. They have less chance of success in areas controlled by other players than in neutral areas. A player can gain control of an area more quickly by establishing a new Cultural Tradition, however, this is open to challenge by other players who can say, ‘This is offensive to my Cultural Tradition.’ The attempt then goes to Mediation.

Creating a Cultural Tradition

Players may attempt to gain Prestige Points by creating a Cultural Tradition.
Cultural traditions may be celebrated within the area under the players’ control relatively easily. A greater number of Prestige Points may be gained by celebrating a cultural tradition outside the players’ immediate control, however, this can be Challenged (see below) by other players.

If successful the player has created a Cultural Tradition and gains Prestige Points.

Types of Cultural Tradition

Cultural Traditions can take any form, however, music, art and film festivals are popular options. Marches and Rallies may also be attempted, however, this can have a negative impact on Prestige Points if unsuccessful.

Creating Paramilitary Organisations and Political Parties

After the first round players may seek to create a Political party or Paramilitary Organisation. Players may choose to name their organisations (the words; People’s, Democratic, United and Socialist are popular – as indeed is Popular – but these are purely for cosmetic purposes and have no effect on game mechanics since the Political Parties and Paramilitary Organisations operate in much the same way).

Political Parties help improve Prestige but can face Political Embarrassment from the activities of paramilitary organisation or other set-backs.

Challenges

At any point in the game a players’ attempt to create a new Cultural Tradition can be challenged by other players. A player issues a challenge by stating, ‘This is offensive to my Cultural Tradition’. The player’s chance of succeeding in creating a new Cultural Tradition is reduced in proportion to the number of other players who claim that their Cultural tradition has been offended. Each player may issue three Challenges per game.

If a Cultural Tradition is challenged it goes to Mediation – roll two dice and check result (if the result is drawn the cultural tradition does not take place in its original form but can be attempted again in subsequent rounds).

3. Increasing International Prestige

Players may seek to gain points by increasing their international prestige. This can be done by sending a foreign delegation abroad or by receiving representatives from other countries (roll dice). International Prestige may also be lost due to the activities of Paramilitary Organisations or by conflicting international support.

4. Drawing a Cultural Traditions Card

In each turn a player may choose to draw a card from the board rather than attempt to increase Prestige Points. Cards may modify the players’ future attempts to increase Prestige.

Examples:

• Win a European Union community development grant – add one to roll.
• A delegation from your Political Party meets the Prime Minister – add one to roll.
• US President says you are playing a vital role in the peace process – add one to roll.

Some cards can have a detrimental effect on the player:
Examples:

• Paramilitary activities abroad cause Political Embarrassment – minus one from roll.
• Members of Political Party are caught spying on other players – minus one from roll.
• Prime Minister says political process might go forward without you – minus one from roll.

The game ends when everyone becomes thoroughly bored with it.