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 #6: Street Theater Card: Improvised Barricades
There are two barriers in the game that prevent and control movement: barricades (placed by the Demonstrators) and barbed wire (placed by the Police). The game starts with a barricade already erected by the demonstrators on two paths leading out of Grant Park. In reality, it was a structure that spanned about 35 yards, in the shape of an arc. It was constructed out of benches, trash bins, tables, and human bodies. According to the Walker Report, “approximately 200 persons gathered immediately behind the center, but most people stood in what grew to be a crowd of about 1,000 some distance (perhaps ten yards) behind, forming a kind of bell-shaped curve.”
This initial barricade placement allows the demonstrators to get a head start on breaching the downtown city areas before the Police break through. Unless this card comes into play, no additional barricades may be placed.
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
Card #5 – Tactics Card: Mob Payoffs
The next card up will be our last entry in the series and will be a double feature with Card #7: Street Theater Cards: Jean and Allen and Allen Ginsberg OMM Chant.
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
The Players' Aid 