In August 1968, Democrats gather at their National Convention in Chicago to debate a platform for a deeply divided party and select a presidential nominee. Factions are split over issues such as civil rights, infrastructure, and the war on poverty—not to mention the war in Vietnam. Meanwhile, crowds of protesters descend upon the city. Impassioned antiwar demonstrators plan sit-ins and marches, while the absurdist Yippies, determined to make a mockery of the convention, intend to nominate a pig for president. On the sidelines are cultural and media figures with their own perspectives on the chaos that threatens to ensue. Using the Year Zero Engine mechanics, players will develop a better understanding of the complexities of the social and cultural tumult that has come to be known as “the Sixties.”

This game is a play test of a simplified version of the Reacting Consortium’s published game, “Chicago 1968” (https://reactingconsortium.org/) using the Year Zero Engine. The Reacting Consortium is a group of educators who use RPGs to teach college courses; the play test will be run by college professors who are part of the Consortium. Your feedback will be used to shape the development of these games, which can be implemented in classrooms or as entertaining games in their own right.