Overview
Kremlin is a game of political satire for 3-6 players based loosely on the Soviet Politburo. Each player represents a faction within the Communist Party maneuvering for control of the government. Players secretly allocate Influence Points to politicians, then declare them to take control and direct politicians’ actions through purges, investigations, promotions, and political maneuvering. The first player to have their controlled politicians wave three times from the rostrum at the October Parade wins.
Components
- 1 game board (13 Politburo/Candidate slots, Tally Track, sequence of play reference)
- 26 Politician cards (each with name, ID letter, starting age 50-80)
- 34 Intrigue cards (Advanced Game only)
- Influence Points pad (one sheet per player)
- Die-cut markers: faction IP markers (numbered, in faction colors), Age/Stress Point markers, Sick markers (Red Cross), Cure markers, Suspicion markers (?), Triple Suspicion markers
- 1 twenty-sided die
Setup
- Each player takes an Influence Point sheet, a pen, and all IP markers of one faction color.
- Place “Nestor Aparatschik” in the Party Chief slot with a Sick (Red Cross) marker — he cannot be controlled by any player.
- Shuffle the remaining 25 Politicians; deal 12 face-up into the remaining Politburo and Candidate slots.
- Of the 13 remaining Politicians, place the 4 oldest in the People box; keep the rest offboard beneath the People box, displayed in age order.
- Each player secretly records IP allocation on their Influence Sheet: write “10” for one politician, “9” for another, down to “1” — exactly 10 politicians receive IP (values 1-10, each used once). None may be allocated to Nestor.
- Players may then declare (reveal) as many or few IP as they wish by placing numbered faction markers on politicians.
Turn Structure
The game lasts up to 10 turns (years), each composed of 8 phases in order:
- Cure Phase — Sick/Ill politicians choose Sanatorium; aging occurs
- Purge Phase — KGB Head may attempt to purge politicians
- Spy Investigation Phase — Defense Minister conducts trials and investigations
- Health Phase — All Politburo members roll on the Health Table
- Funeral Commission Phase — Nominate new Party Chief if position is vacant
- Replacement Phase — Party Chief shifts, promotes, and demotes politicians; vacancies filled by age
- Rehabilitation Phase — Politburo members may release politicians from Siberia
- Parade Phase — Party Chief stands at the October Parade and attempts to wave
Actions
Declaring Influence
Players may declare IP at any time by placing numbered faction markers on politicians. The player with the most declared IP on a politician controls that politician. Ties go to whoever declared first. Declared IP cannot rescind an action once dice have been rolled or the next action has occurred.
Phase Actions
| Phase |
Actor |
Action |
| Cure |
All Politburo members |
Sick/Ill politicians may go to Sanatorium (inactive but better healing odds). Party Chief ages 1 SP automatically. Politburo members age 1 SP per Red Cross if not at Sanatorium. |
| Purge |
KGB Head (or successors: Ideology Chief → Party Chief → Industry Minister) |
Name a target, roll d20. Roll >= Purge Number = success (target to Siberia, purger +1 SP). Failure = +3 SP, phase ends. Sanatorium targets: +3 to roll. |
| Spy Investigation |
Defense Minister (or successors) |
Conduct Trial against politician with “?” marker (2 Innocent votes needed for acquittal). Place “?” markers on politicians (+1 SP each). Condemn a Candidate directly (+2 SP). |
| Health |
All Politburo members |
Roll on Health Table cross-referenced with age. Third Red Cross = death. |
| Funeral Commission |
Foreign Minister (or successors) |
Nominate Party Chief successor from 1st Level. Confirmed by vote (3 nays defeats). If second nominee fails, Foreign Minister becomes Party Chief. |
| Replacement |
Party Chief, then KGB Head, then others |
Shift politicians within levels (free). Promote/demote one step (+1 SP each). Vacancies filled by oldest. |
| Rehabilitation |
Each Politburo member |
Release politicians from Siberia (+5 SP each). |
| Parade |
Party Chief |
If healthy: automatically waves. If Sick: +1 SP, roll >= 7 to wave. If Ill: +2 SP, roll >= 14 to wave. Successful wave = faction marker on Tally Track. |
Purge Numbers
| Level |
Purge Number (roll >=) |
| Party Chief |
18 |
| 1st Level (KGB, Foreign Minister, Defense Minister) |
14 |
| 2nd Level (Ideology, Industry, Economy, Sport) |
10 |
| Candidates |
6 |
Scoring / Victory Conditions
- Primary Win: First player whose controlled politicians wave a total of 3 times at the October Parade wins immediately.
- Time Limit Win: If no one has won after 10 turns, the player controlling the Party Chief at the end of Phase 5 of turn 11 wins.
- Insufficient Politicians: If there aren’t enough living politicians outside Siberia to fill the Politburo at the end of any Replacement Phase, the player controlling the highest-ranking active Politburo member wins.
Special Rules & Edge Cases
- Inactive Politicians: Politicians in the Sanatorium cannot vote or take actions. Their powers pass to the next politician in the succession order listed on the board.
- Politicians without declared IP: They do not vote (except in their own defense at Trial) and never go to the Sanatorium. They are not considered inactive.
- Siberia: Purged/convicted politicians retain age and health problems. All “?” and declared IP markers are removed. Undeclared recorded IP remain on the Influence Sheet but declared amounts must be subtracted.
- Aging (Stress Points): Age is tracked by SP markers over the printed age. SP come from purging, investigating, promoting, rehabilitating, and standing at the Parade while sick.
- Retirement: Any politician reaching age 96 retires at the end of the current phase and is removed from play. At age 96, they may not initiate actions that would cause further aging.
- Death: Three Red Cross markers = death. The politician is buried within the Kremlin Wall.
- Sanatorium effects: Better healing odds but more vulnerable to purges (+3 to roll) and cannot vote.
- Swiss Version variant: The game ends when one Party Chief waves 3 times regardless of who controlled him. The winner is the player controlling the Party Chief at game end, unless another player has equal or more recorded IP on that politician.
Player Reference
Phases: 1. Cure → 2. Purge → 3. Spy Investigation → 4. Health → 5. Funeral Commission → 6. Replacement → 7. Rehabilitation → 8. Parade
Win: 3 waves at October Parade by your controlled politicians. Fallback: control Party Chief after turn 10.
Key Costs: Purge success +1 SP, Purge failure +3 SP, Investigation +1 SP per target, Promotion/Demotion +1 SP each, Rehabilitation +5 SP, Condemnation +2 SP.
Control: Most declared IP = control. Ties go to first declarer. Declare at any time before dice/votes resolve.