Supreme Leader

ugh....read the rules and was really concerned that this game all hinges on a popularity contest. First play didnt go over so well.

I played it once with 7 players (got eliminated halfway). The game dragged for more than 2 hours, and I had to throw a tantrum for it to end. You can get arbitrarily eliminated in the first turn (of course, it's a Werewolf-like game with open roles, each turn you vote for someone to get eliminated). Sure, you go to the UN and get to collectively vote each turn, but it remains a very weak mechanism to stay active.

What kills the game for me is the Event phase. It just lasts too long, and it's not simultaneous. Each player looks at each single Event card, ponders a bit, then can throw Event to draw more Event cards... and it doesn't ever end.

Also, you can get killed just because. Some people will play strategically and try to eliminate the player who gets too strong... Some others just eliminate you because they don't like you. Or because it's fun. I guess...

The final vote lacks any tension because everyone is too tired after so long a game.

Last, the rulebook is not great. There is no list of components, for instance, and it doesn't state how much are worth the different color cubes.

(I also had the promo pack with the additional leaders.)

I like the artwork, I like the theme and I like the designers' attention to detail when it comes to giving the historical personalities suitable play styles and abilities. I also generally like games like Werewolf and Supreme Leader gives the whole thing a twist, because you play with open roles and it's primarily about negotiating skills, persuasion and clever use of your resources to win a round - a very fun adaptation of mean politics.

What I don't like so much is the very long duration of the game in the worst-case scenario, which is particularly annoying in combination with the soft player elimination. Although the eliminated players are not completely out, as in Werewolf, their options are greatly minimized and waiting 60 minutes as an eliminated player for the end of the round is no fun at all. In addition, the rulebook and the card texts are not very polished, the wording is not consistent and there are often questions that cannot be answered clearly - and I like Supreme Leader.

I like "Supreme Leader", but objectively it's probably not a good game and I probably won't be playing it again.

Lots of roles, supports lots of players. Good alternative to mafia/werewolf. There are no day/night close-your-eyes type of rounds for this one.

Fun social game in the style of Mafia/Werewolf. What separates it from (and, IMO, makes it better than) those is that there's no hidden information or guessing. It's purely about social manipulation and strategy.

Supreme Leader was a pleasant surprise! It relies heavily on who you play with, but with the right group this game really shines.

The political intrigue and alliances that can fall apart within seconds is a thrilling experience, with a player (and sometimes more than 1) getting eliminated every round can make for a fairly quick game. However!

Being eliminated and becoming apart of the “United Nations” is easily just as fun as being in the game. You can easily make an “active” player your puppet and bend them to your will or they risk being eliminated by the very powerful UN.

I would say the only gripe would be the rulebook has no images to guide you, and I do wish it was more clear in some areas (Does “Choose a Player”, mean any player including yourself?), some text could be more clear on the cards, but it doesn’t hurt the game in a dramatic way since the gameplay itself is fairly simple yet extremely political!

I would highly suggest anyone that enjoys history as well as political debates to give Supreme Leader a try.

This game has become the newest hit in our gaming group and I look forward to seeing it grow!