Secret Hitler: A Quick Review
One of the things that usually happens on the weekends…when Charles and I have schedules that magically align…is game night. We head over to the house that Charles used to live in back before we became a thing. It’s still inhabited by his old roommates, with some rotations in and out. In the end, it’s still the bro house though.
Recently, we’ve been playing a new game by the makers of Cards Against Humanity that I think is worth talking about. It’s called Secret Hitler.
Yes, Secret Hitler. It started out as a Kickstarter, but is now available to buy. Notably, the creators sent a copy to all of the US senators so that they could learn to spot the secret Hitler...but who knows if it worked, right?
The game must be played by a minimum of five people…which I find kind of constrictive. It’s only for game nights with a larger group of people. The idea is simple…it’s fascists (and Hitler) against liberals. One team has to win. At the beginning, everyone draws an envelope that has their secret identity: liberal, fascist, or Hitler. Once everyone knows who they are, everyone closes their eyes. Hitler keeps his/her eyes closed, but does a thumbs up, while all the fascists open their eyes. Fascists know who each other are, and who Hitler is, but the liberals and Hitler are all alone. This gives them the advantage immediately.
As for game play, there’s a series of elections and passing of new governmental policies. To win, the liberals must: pass five liberal policies, or kill Hitler. The fascists must: get Hitler elected chancellor, or pass enough fascist policies. Lying is encouraged as the liberals scramble to find Hitler and the rest of the fascists, but the fascists are hiding behind an increasing web of deception. It sounds complicated and kind of dull, but the gameplay is fast and easy, and surprisingly addictive. It also has lots of parallels to current political events, and lots of cool retro artwork.
If you’re feeling spendy, you can buy it online here, or download and print it out yourself here. It’s a fun game for your next game night, if your friends don’t mind fighting over who the Hitler is.
What’s your go-to game for game night?