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Weimar: DNVP Agenda Cards Ranked for Round 1

Back to the question: Which agenda cards should you select in the first round of a game of Weimar: The Fight for Democracy (Matthias Cramer, Capstone Games/Skellig Games/Spielworxx)? We’ve done this for the Social Democrats (SPD), the Communists (KPD), and the Conservatives (Zentrum). Today, we’ll complete the series with our fourth faction, the Nationalists (DNVP). After a quick overview of the purpose of selecting agenda cards and the situation of the DNVP, we’ll hop into the ranking. Let’s go!

What Do Agenda Cards Do?

Each player selects one of their four agenda cards for each round of a game of Weimar. You can re-use agenda cards as often as you want – so you could play a full game of six rounds selecting the same card six times, but it is typically best to vary your selection according to – in order of importance – your strategic objectives, the situation on the board, and the cards you’ve drawn. Agenda selecting happens after you’ve drawn timeline cards, but before drawing party cards.

Each agenda card does a few of the following things: Adding new sets of cards to your draw deck, placing issues on the opinion track, giving you a little more of the game’s various “currencies”, or providing a unique bonus. Let’s have a quick look at each:

Card sets: Each party has two cards which add a five-card set to their draw deck. One of the sets has several cards that provide victory points (VPs), the other focuses your party on another goal. Cards from the additional sets have more action points than those from the base deck on average, but are typically not as flexible to use for the event. As you only have twelve cards in the deck initially (and draw at least three per round), inserting the decks at the right time to make the most of the cards (either before or after the reshuffle in a longer game) is crucial.

Issues: Most of the issues on the opinion track are placed via agenda cards. The right card can thus be your ramp to changing the board state in your favor, to taking over a minor party from a competitor, or to improve your fate in the long run… or, at least, to distract the other parties. In the worst case, you select an issue which potentially benefits a competitor and they win it in the arena of public opinion, thus making you worse off than before!

Currency: It’s always welcome to have a little bit more of something. Many agenda cards give you (in general order of awesomeness) an additional card, a marker on the society track, a seat in parliament, a party base in a city, or an action point in the reserve.

Unique Bonuses: Too many and too specific to go into detail here, the unique bonuses cover everything from conducting a free action to looking at the other players’ timeline cards.

The Situation of the DNVP in 1918

The DNVP in Weimar represents not only the historical party of that name (Deutschnationale Volkspartei, German National People’s Party), but also other groups and individuals which challenged the Weimar Republic from the right. While their political ideas and goals were diverse (summarized in Weimar as establishing right-wing regimes in the cities which provide VP and, if you get enough regimes, win you the game outright), they all had in common that they regarded Germany’s defeat in World War I and the subsequent German Revolution which had swept the old monarchy away as traumatizing catastrophes.

Lots of SPD red, Zentrum blue and KPD pink – and very little DNVP black: The beginning of a *Weimar* game.

As a consequence of these defeats, the DNVP is the weakest of the four parties. It has the fewest party bases, the fewest seats in parliament, and, most crucially, it is initially very weak in units (with only three).

As units are essential for conducting actions in the streets which will lead to party bases, regimes (and, indirectly, also to seats in parliament), the prudent DNVP player will look to increase their unit pool. More units enter the fray on the DNVP’s side either by play of event cards (both DNVP party events and some timeline events) or through the flipping of army units from their white government to their black DNVP side.

Taking over the two-dice Reichswehr unit has shifted the balance in favor of the DNVP.

Somewhat unintuitively for a party so opposed to the Republic, it is thus a good idea for the DNVP to temporarily enter government – because government parties can raise more army units! They can also conduct foreign policy, which comes with some very nice bonuses for the DNVP, particularly strengthening its party bases in cities.

Usually, the DNVP’s stint in government will be short (as the party wants to go back to establishing regimes for VPs or outright victory). The most important consideration for the DNVP player when entering government for the first time will be: “Is the Republic likely to fail under my watch?” …for as it is, the VP penalties for failed governments will be severe, and likely ensure that an opposition party will win.

With that in mind, on to the ranking!

4: We Need a Strong Man!

“More power to the Reichspräsident! Away with the sole reign of the parliaments”. ©Capstone Games/Skellig Games/Spielworxx.

It pains me to put this agenda in last place.

Exchanging one white issue for another of your choice is an amazing bonus in any situation, and the Farmers society marker also provides strong benefits (either a VP or a seat in parliament).

The main effect of this agenda, however, is to bring the Presidential card set into play. There is one card in the set which would be great to have for any round 1 DNVP player – Stahlhelm, which places a whopping three units in your pool.

Nice republic you’ve got there. Be a shame if something happened to it. ©Capstone Games/Skellig Games/Spielworxx.

Yet the remaining card events added are close to useless on round 1, depending on

the democratic parties having lost their majority (which is unlikely to happen before round 2 or 3 )
Hindenburg being Reichspräsident (which cannot happen before round 3), and
Nazis showing up (which cannot happen before round 3, and will only begin in earnest in round 5).

Thus: Focus on the destruction of the democratic majority and/or Hindenburg’s election as Reichspräsident… and once you’ve accomplished one or the other, play We Need a Strong Man!

3: Populism

“List 5: Vote German National!” ©Capstone Games/Skellig Games/Spielworxx.

Populism is a flexible agenda card which is a decent choice in many situations:

The Stab in the Back agenda is a big boon to the DNVP, if the party wins it (two party bases and a seat in parliament), and if it doesn’t, no other party can benefit from it (reflecting the asymmetrical struggle over disinformation in the public sphere).
Two more party bases are always welcome.

Yet on round 1, the specific issue brought into play – economy – can do a lot more for the government parties (which will use it to improve the economy) than for the DNVP (which will place party bases with it). And there’s no reason to do your opponents any favors.

2: With Power to the Power

“Voters! It *must* hit! Vote German National!” The ship flying the German republican colors of black-red-gold fires with “black market” and “bolshevism”, while the submarine under the old monarchy’s black-white-red flag has launched a torpedo labelled “Reichstag election” at it. ©Capstone Games/Skellig Games/Spielworxx.

A pretty direct way to solve your unit shortage: You just select a card which provides units from your deck (and draw the other two cards randomly as per usual).

The agenda also adds the Coups set to your deck which has some pretty strong cards (three of the events provide you with opportunities to establish the all-important regimes, and the big-circle values of the cards are very high).

I think this is a very solid agenda for round 1. The only reason why I didn’t rank it higher is that it can paint too much of a target on your back if you start couping early, and your strong (but few) units are vulnerable to being removed by the democratic parties winning the Security or Protecting Republic Law issues. However, if you want to start throwing punches, this is the agenda for you!

1: March Through the Institutions

“Do you want Bismarck’s Germany?” ©Capstone Games/Skellig Games/Spielworxx.

Sometimes it’s best to take a setback mildly, put an agreeable face on, and plot your revenge in private. March Through the Institutions lets you do just that.

Let’s start with what is possibly the best part: The agenda lets you draw two more party cards. You’ll also have to discard two, so you don’t get more cards, but your cards will be better. You can keep whatever you like best (for example, cards which place more units) and discard the more underwhelming cards (of which the DNVP has more than one).

Draw five, keep three. Which two would you discard?

The bonus seat in parliament helps directly with your mid-term goal of entering a government – the stronger you are in parliament, the less likely is it that a majority can be formed without you.

The issues placement part of the agenda supports this goal as well: I’m neutral about reparations (maybe you win the issue, maybe someone else does – the effect is symmetric in any case), but the white issue of your choice could either be the reliable DNVP boost Stab in the Back or, if you want to play hardball with the Zentrum, the DVP minor party issue. Either would be a key issue to win for you!

Finally, I find that – especially with new players – a DNVP which decides to March Through the Institutions just doesn’t seem like a big threat compared to a KPD which likely goes haywire with coups early on. That might give you just the breather you need to quietly rally your voters and troops before tackling the republic head on later.

What’s your favorite DNVP agenda card for round 1? – Let me know in the comments!

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