A few months ago, I caught wind that The Dietz Foundation was working with a new designer named Yoni Goldstein on his first game called Chicago ’68 for a summer Kickstarter campaign. Chicago ’68 deals with the Democratic National Convention riots of 1968 in Chicago and sees players taking on the role of either the Establishment or the Demonstrators in a fast-paced game of street battles and political maneuvers. I reached out to Yoni and he was more than willing to discuss the game with me and also work on a series of Event Card spoiler posts in a run up to the Kickstarter campaign that is set to launch on August 6th.

In this series of Event Cards Spoilers, we will cover several different types of cards included in the game and give their details so that you can understand how the game works and how it incorporates the historical narrative of the 1968 Chicago Democratic National Convention Riots.

But first off, a bit about the game itself. Chicago ’68 is a game about the riots during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, set against the social upheavals of America in the sixties. On one side: the Youth International Party (aka The Yippies) and the National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam (aka the MOBE), on the other: Mayor Daley, the Chicago Police Department and the National Guard. The game unfolds over the course of three days during the Democratic National Convention – from the 26th to the 29th of August, culminating in the nomination of a presidential candidate. There are two victory conditions: one is to gain the most media exposure favorable to your side and the other is to influence the delegate vote and bolster your political aims. The Demonstrators may pivot between these two objectives while the Establishment, although more powerful, must fight and win on both fronts.

Card #5: Tactics Card: Mob Payoffs

Tactics Cards signify the dominant policing strategy of the moment. The other Tactics are free one-time actions such as targeting political adversaries or redeploying TAC forces. Mob Payoffs, however, is unique because it is a persistent effect directly linked to the Instability Track. As the game unfolds, Mob Chaos Events and direct actions (such as clashes and teargas deployments) affect instability. Rising instability unlocks certain abilities and powers for the Demonstrators. Mob Payoffs allows the Establishment to exploit civil disorder as well.

In 1968, the Chicago Police Department was notoriously “on the take” – i.e. on the crime syndicates’ payroll. A Life Magazine exposé, published on Dec 6 1968, printed actual ledgers from Mob accountants with officers’ names and cash “bonuses” paid (this is the image featured on the card). In the article a police officer explains the scope of the matter as; “There is no way you can be on this police force and not take payoffs. I’m offered money every day. Now I get a payoff from my sergeant.” A Justice Department report from 1963 is also quoted, pointing at officers and local politicians who took orders from Chicago gangsters Momo Salvatore Giancana and Gus Alex. “Significantly,” reports Life Magazine, “some of the worst instances of police rioting in August occurred where the districts are most corrupt…And this corruption, in turn, has a lot to do with the inability of certain Chicago police commanders to control their men.”  

In the game, this is a critical card to play for the Establishment player if and when you’re about to lose control over Instability (or, conversely, if you are about to unleash a coordinated multi-area teargas attack). Beware though, there are a number of ways that Mob Payoffs can backfire!

You can catch up on the series to date by following these links:

Card #1 – Police Action Card: Mass Arrest

Card #2 – Mob Chaos Card: “A stiff west wind…”

Card #3 – Supplementary Police Action Card: Flame-Throwers

Card #4 – Street Theater Card: The Battle of Michigan Ave

Next card up in the series will be Card #6: Street Theater Card: Improvised Barricades.

We recently published an interview with the designer Yoni Goldstein and you can read that at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2024/07/22/interview-with-yoni-goldstein-designer-of-chicago-68-from-the-dietz-foundation-coming-to-kickstarter-august-6th/

Also, if you are interested in learning more about Chicago ’68, you can visit the Kickstarter page at the following link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dietzfoundation/chicago-68?ref=discovery

-Grant