Annotated games: 7 players

This game was played during testing. The player decisions were either derived through reasoning (based on what players should know about the cards) or randomization (if no option seemed better than another).

Black workers win with more than 8 required work cards to complete the Canal and only 8 played.

Turn 1

The commissar (player 1) knows that player 7 is also disloyal and selects her as supervisor. Since player 7 knows player 6, player 6 is also selected. A standard opening when the commissar and her known player share the same loyalty. Player 5 is the 2nd worker selected.

Since player 7 knows that player 6 is loyal, she decides to supervise her, which is wise since she intended to work and now is forced to play a strike card instead. However, player 5 gets to play a work card.

Turn 2

In the next turn, the commissar (player 2) doesn't share the loyalty of the player she knows (player 1) and doesn't select her. Given that player 1 selected player 7 previous turn, she's also suspected for being disloyal and consequently not selected either. Instead, the presumably loyal player 5 is selected as supervisor and, since she's known by player 5, player 4 is selected for the task. Player 7 would have liked to select player 6 as well but must select 2 new workers and selects player 3 instead.

The outcome of the task is good for the loyal players as player 5 supervises the striking player 4 and player 3 loyally works.

Turn 3

The next commissar is player 3 and since she knows player 2 is also loyal, she's selected as supervisor with the intention that she'll supervise the presumably disloyal player 1. Since player 5 has participated in 2 successful teams, she's also selected.

However, player 1 expects to be supervised and plays a work card, which she happily replaces with a strike card after the supervision. The loyal players only get 1 work card played this turn.

Turn 4

The disloyal players have a commissar on their side again with player 4. She distrusts both player 3 (whom she knows) and player 5 (who supervised her two turns ago). She also, wrongly, distrusts player 1, since a strike card was placed previous turn in spite of her being supervised. This leaves player 2 and 6 to the task and player 7 to the supervision, since player 7 knows player 6.

In the task, player 6 gambles on getting supervised and plays a strike card but player 7 expects this and doesn't supervise her. Unfortunately, player 7 thinks player 2 is disloyal and doesn't supervise her either so the loyal workers get yet another work card played.

Turn 5

The next commissar, player 5, remembers the outcome of the first turn and selects the presumably loyal player 6. For the same reason, she excludes player 7. Player 4 is known to be disloyal and is excluded as well. Instead, player 3 is selected as supervisor and her known player 2 is selected as the second worker for the task.

Player 3 refrains from supervision and both workers loyally play work cards. The turn was successful for the loyal workers but the disloyal workers now understand that all the involved players are loyal.

Turn 6

When the turn has come to player 6, she faces a dilemma as she needs to select 2 new players but knows of no other loyal players (and there are no more loyal players either). She decides to keep player 2 from the previous team and to select the loyal player 5 as a supervisor with the intention that she'll supervise player 4.

Player 4 expects supervision and wins the gamble as player 5 supervises her and forces her to (willingly) replace the card with a strike card. The loyal workers get another work card played but must play at least one more to win.

Turn 7

The game ends with a disloyal commissar who, given what happened in turn 5, assumes that players 2, 3, 5 and 6 are loyal. Unfortunately, this leaves only player 1 and 4 for the task and she has to select a loyal player (3) as supervisor.

Fortunately for the disloyal players, this confuses player 3 and she refrains from supervising any worker. Two strike cards are played, leaving the work card count on 8, which is exactly twice as many as the red workers. The result is a draw and since the black workers are in minority, they win!

P&P (PDF, A4)	P&P (PDF, US Letter)

Annotated games

• 7 players

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