Reichstag rummy
| Reichstag rummy | |
|---|---|
| Game data | |
| author | Martin Koser |
| graphic | Martin Koser , Erich Kästner |
| publishing company | UHU |
| Publishing year | 1930 |
| Art | Card game |
| Teammates | 3 |
| Duration | k. A. |
| Age | k. A. |
Reichstag rummy is a satirical card game that was published in UHU magazine in 1930 and caricatured the circumstances of the 1930 Reichstag election . The game based on rummy was designed by Martin Koser and equipped with verses by Erich Kästner .
Background and equipment
The Reichstag Rummy consists of 33 cards, each dedicated to individual politicians in the 1930 Reichstag election and representing the parties represented in the Reichstag in relation to the election results. The National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP) was able to increase the number of its seats from 12 to 107 in this election and emerged as the absolute winner of these elections. The Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) remained the strongest parliamentary group with 143 seats, but lost more than 5% compared to the last election. The Communist Party of Germany (KPD) also won with an increase of 2.5% to 77 seats in the Reichstag. The German National People's Party (DNVP) received 41 seats, the German Center Party (Z) 68 seats and the Bavarian People's Party (BVP) 19 seats, the remaining seats were distributed among several smaller parties such as the German People's Party (DVP) and the German State Party (DStP ), the Economic Party ( WP), the Christian National Peasants and Rural People's Party (CNBL) and others. This distribution of power meant that there could be no governable majorities and coalitions .
The card game takes up this situation and intensifies the political situation with caricatures of 33 politicians according to the results in drawings by the political cartoonist Martin Koser and vicious verses by Erich Kästner . Included in the game were the following parties and people:
The party leaders are marked with an »F« on the cards. The respective party program of the parties is printed on the back of the cards.
Style of play
The game is based on the Rummy card game , but is only played with the 33 available cards. The optimal number of players is given as three players, each player receives seven starting cards and the remaining cards are laid out as a face-down draw pile. The aim of the players is to form a government from the cards in their deposit. To do this, they must be given six cards in their hand with politicians from one party or from several parties that can form a coalition. If representatives of one of the major parties are to be part of the government, the player must also have the respective party leader, marked with an F, in hand.
Starting with a starting player, the players draw a card in each round and discard one on an open discard pile. The players are allowed to take a face down card from the draw pile as well as the top card previously discarded by a fellow player from the discard pile; he does not have to meet any requirements for this. If the draw pile is completely used up without a player having won, the discard pile is shuffled and set aside as a new draw pile. If a player has the required at least 6 cards for a government, he lays them out face up in front of him and tries to place the seventh card with another suitable government or to exchange it for a coalition card. The formation of a coalition is tied to political principles known at the time of the Weimar Republic and only parties can form a coalition where this is politically possible: The SPD and the NSDAP cannot form a joint government and the Communist Party would never support a coalition with the Center Party . The Weimar coalition , right or left coalitions or dictatorships from right or left are possible. Part of the game was that the players had to explain the coalitions they formed themselves. The joker can be used for any coalition, because “the capital joker supports every government”.
reception
No information is available on contemporary reception. Karl Weberpals described the game in 1998 in a series of the magazine spielbox about historical games. He points out that this game can only be played meaningfully if the other players have informed themselves in advance about the historical and political conditions at the end of the Weimar Republic and that it is interesting for people interested in history to play. However, he also asks: “Can you still play this game with these characters after almost 70 years? After all the terrible things that Hitler and his followers have done, does it not forbid itself to form coalition governments or even a dictatorship with him at the top, even if only playfully? ”He answered the question that such considerations“ are legitimate ”,“ in any case they are politically correct ”. However, he also points out that this is "a historical document that is historically informative and extremely interesting from the composition of the figures."
Weberpals also points out how little Kästner took the threat posed by Hitler and the NSDAP. His card text on the party read:
“They are very popular in the Reichstag because they make people laugh. They raise their hands in greeting and are otherwise a bit confused. "
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d e f g Karl Weberpals: Old games unearthed again, Part 5: Threatening dictatorship. spielbox 6/98, December 1998 / January 1999; Pp. 52-53.
literature
- Karl Weberpals: Old games unearthed again, part 5: Impending dictatorship. spielbox 6/98, December 1998 / January 1999; Pp. 52-53.
- Reichstag rummy. Each his own dictator. UHU 7. 1930/31, issue 3, December 1930; Pp. 48-55. ( Digitized version )