From: brandon@aardvark.ucs.uoknor.edu (Garland Operator 7-G)
Subject: Re: JUNTA - help please
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Organization: The Anime Doujou
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1992 23:55:00 GMT

In article <la>, ahabig@bigbang.astro.indiana.edu (Alec Habig) writes...
>In article <wi> gbradley@uks197.Berkeley.EDU (Gary Bradley) writes:
>>1) Since money must go through the bank, doesn't this mean people will
>>simply target the bank for assassinations all the time (especailly the
>>Minister) on the basis that SOMEONE is probably going there?
> 
>No, because you have to specify "General X at place Y" (just like in "Clue").
>Not everyopne goes to the bank every turn.  Also, assasination attempts aren't
>free - there's some penalty involved or you have to play a card (my memory
>fails me as to exactly what).

Exactly, the only way you can assasinate someone is if you play an ASSASSIN
card. Some are free, like the psycho ... but they dont always work and the
psycho may turn on you! Others like the ninja and rambo guy cost MONEY to hire
that you have to pay! Hence, too many wrong assassination guesses will leave
you at the poor house.

The secret police (Minister of Internal Security) can target the bank, but if
they do, the BANK IS SAFE next turn from the secret police.

What is fun is having bankers influence and seeing that everyone else went to
bank....play the BANK IS CLOSED THIS TURN card :-)

>>2) When the president draws the yearly budget money, isn't it going to
>>obvious if he keeps some back for himself since everyone will know how
>>many notes he drew. How can the President hide the fact that he is
>>skimming money??
> 
>Well, everyone KNOWS that the president is skimming money anyway.  Who
>wouldn't?  What they don't know is how much.  This is a great part of the game
>- exactly how much can the president appear to be skimming and get away with
>it?  How much does he pay out, and to whom, to keep enough people on his side
>in a coup?

..and sometimes the president will assign NO MONEY to himself on a turn! Isn't
that swell...what a nice guy! (Only because he skimmed 5 million last turn :-)
Another thing I sometimes do as president is give MORE money to a player
than I DECLARED for him in the budget. Helps out when loyalty during a coup is
in question. eg. I will say someone gets 2 million and hand him 2 bills....
but one of those will be a 2!

>>3) Does a single game have a high death rate for the players?
> 
>What's high?  You can expect to die once or twice a game, at least with the
>people I play with.

Depends...I have lied and dealed and squealed and begged to keep myself from
the firing squad many times. :-)

>>4) Is the Minor JUNTA game (2 & 3 players) worth playing?
> 
>I haven't tried it, but it didn't sound real good.

It isn't. My advice...if you don't have at least 6 people, don't bother
playing JUNTA. Play something else instead.

>Now I've got a question : according to the rules, each player can move 1
>stack per turn during the fighting in a coup.  Since the coup lasts for such a
>short time (3 turns??), how does anything ever happen 
             ^--- 7...one rebel and six regular turns
>(especially if you're the
>guy with the police spread out all over, or have a few extra mobs under your
>control).
> 
>Has anyone tried the way the rules suggest?  If so, how does it work, and/or
>how are we interpreting it wrong?

You are forgetting some things:

The minister can seize the chamber of deputies if the budget fails. This is a
good way to get your police counters together. Even if you like the budget,
VOTE IT DOWN so that you can seize the chamber and get your counters together.

Also, during rebel phase, if any rioters, strikers, etc. are put out onto
the board, the Minister can have all 4 police counters converge to the
location where it happens to be a "riot squad". Now, whether the police
FIGHT or HELP the rioters is another matter entirely! :-)

Also, in general, if you feel that you can't use a set of counters to their
efficiency, give them over to another player who you think (heh heh) is
helping you out. An example of this is to give a stack of strikers over to
the Air Force Commander since all he gets to do besides Air Strikes is place
the paratroopers (who usually take the radio station in our games). In this
way, he gets other counters to play with, and if he is helping you out
(because of the 4 million pesos you gave him during the budget :-) then there
are more forces helping you.

We play the way the rules state, and we don't have a problem with it.
Remember that the main fighting is going to happen in the 5 red areas anyway
so usually it only takes 3 turns to get to one. . .so there is enough time
(usually :-).

Domo. Ja na.

Brandon Freels (Garland Operator 7-G)
brandon@aardvark.ucs.uoknor.edu  -or-  brandon@uokucsvx.bitnet
"I'm witty naturally, I don't need quotes."
Newsgroups: rec.games.board