Billionaires & Guillotines
Pluto’s first board game!
Alongside long-time Pluto author Max Haiven, we have developed and produced an easy to learn, multi-level game that will test your anti-capitalist soul. We’re joining the ongoing burgeoning board game renaissance by creating a platform to publish and promote anti-capitalist, internationalist and revolutionary games to fan the flames of discontent!
A special thank you to all our backers on Kickstarter. The production of this game would not have been possible without all of you!
The Game
‘One of those rare games that are both hilariously fun and politically smart’ – Matteo Menapace, co-creator of Daybreak
2-5 players take on the roles of rival plutocrats, competing tooth and nail to accumulate the wealth of the world before their actions trigger a revolution.
Will you play the media baron or the property speculator? The aristocrat or the tech overlord? Whoever you play, your goal is to acquire five extravagant assets prized by the super-rich (a mega yacht, a celebrity spouse, art masterpieces and more!) and prevent your opponents from achieving their dreams.
But watch out! As you gobble up ever more resources, crises cascade out of control: wildfires and floods, pandemics and doomsday cults… Will you collaborate to put down the rebellions, or escape into your luxury bunker?
Played in under 90 minutes, the game is fun for all sorts of players.
How to Play
Billionaires & Guillotines is designed in levels, so you can start with a simple game and add more complexity when you are ready.
GRAB THE ASSETS, CRUSH YOUR OPPONENTS. In the first level, select your billionaire (aristocrat, media baron, property speculatory, tech overlord, or war profiteer). Each billionaire needs to collect five assets to win, so head to the market using cards you draw to your hand to try to buy the treasures you cherish (eg. a private zoo, a mega yacht, a tabloid empire and more!). Sprint for victory, but if the odds aren’t in your favour why not get your more successful opponents audited by the tax authorities, run a scam or game the markets?
THERE’S A REVOLUTION BREWING. The second level is where things really get challenging. As the billionaires’ competition heats up, their greed begins to have its consequences: political and ecological crises start to randomly cascade out of control, including floods, collapsing infrastructure and doomsday cults. With each crisis rebellions break out and if they grow too large a revolution will end the game for everyone. On the brink of disaster, you’ll have one chance only to put aside your differences and cooperate to undermine the revolution, and then may the best (or worst) billionaire win!
ADVANCED PLUTOCRAT TACTICS: Can’t I just run away to my disaster bunker? Yes, of course! In the third level of Billionaires & Guillotines! Additionally, each billionaire will get a secret role that offers special powers. Maybe you’ll be the banker who gets to cheat, the gangster who gets to steal, or the celebrity who is so popular they win when all their competitors succumb to the revolution.
BRIBE THE GOVERNMENT: Why not simply pay the government to put down the rebellions, favour your investments, or sabotage your opponents? We’ve heard you! In level four you’ll be stuffing envelopes full of cash to ensure the democratic process goes your way.
There is also a 2-player version of the game, where your billionaire will control another billionaire from the shadows!
Want to learn more? Check out the video tutorial, or read the manual, or download a free “beta” version to print-and-play at home! Or find events near you and game merch here.
What’s in the box?
- 11 small cards that sit on the table like a modular board, allowing you to play the game in a variety of places
- 20 asset tokens you need to collect to win
- 10 rebel tokens, that threaten revolt
- A standup cardboard guillotine, to keep you focused
- 88 cards by which the game is played
- 1 six-sided die
- 5 envelopes for bribes and which also help you remember (and break?) the rules
FAQs
What if I get bored? Are there expansions?
Yes! The Reform or Revolution expansion is available now. It adds two new dimensions to the game. In the first, you can try and escape the revolution by investing in your own private space program. In the second, you can secretly play a rebellious troublemaker. But only you know if you’re a reformist trying to convince the billionaires to clean up their mess, or a revolutionary accelerating the game to its dramatic conclusion. You can also add a sixth player to the fun.
Can kids play it?
Due to the themes, we do not recommend the game for people under the age of 14.
What would you compare it to?
Our favourite players say that Billionaires & Guillotines has the fast-paced, take-that back-and-forth of a hit game like Exploding Kittens or Uno, the cheeky irreverence of Cards Against Humanity, and a strategic edge that will satisfy more “serious” gamers but won’t overwhelm casual players.
I don’t really enjoy board games. Will I enjoy this?
Maybe. It’s clearly a board game, but we have reports from dozens of very satisfied first-time players that this game’s combination of good-natured social chaos, role-playing, and easy-to-learn rules makes it fun for everyone (except billionaires).
Where can I try it before I buy?
We’d appreciate it if you’d ask your local game store, public library, or bookshop to order copies. But failing that, to get a sense of the game you can watch a tutorial video, read the manual, or download a free “beta” version to print-and-play at home.
Who made the game and why?
Max Haiven is a social theorist who has published several books with Pluto, including Palm Oil: The Grease of Empire and Revenge Capitalism: The Ghosts of Empire, the Demons of Capital, and the Settling of Unpayable Debts. He made the game as a way to spark discussions about what happens when we let billionaires and capitalism run out of control.
Who did the amazing art and can I get it on a T-shirt?
The artist is Berlin’s Amanda Priebe. And yes, head over to the game’s TeeSpring shop to order t-shirts, jumpers, mugs and more!