STATECRAFT

The International Relations Game

Learn the moves nations make on the world stage.

Based on IDEA/GDELT event coding & GICS sector classification

How to Play

How to Play

Objective

Reach 75 Influence Points to win — or reduce your opponent's Stability to zero to cause their government to collapse.

Turn Structure

  1. Event Phase — A random world event fires, affecting both players
  2. Action Phase — Choose one move from your available actions
  3. Resolution Phase — Effects are applied, opponent may react
  4. Economy Phase — Passive income and costs are calculated

Your Nation's Attributes

  • Influence — Political capital and global standing (win at 75)
  • Economy — Economic strength and available resources
  • Military — Military capability and projection power
  • Stability — Internal domestic stability (lose at 0)
  • Reputation — How other actors perceive you

Moves

Every move corresponds to a real-world event code from the IDEA (Integrated Data for Events Analysis) system. Moves fall into three categories:

  • Cooperative — Build alliances, reputation, and influence through diplomacy
  • Confrontational — Pressure opponents, but risk your reputation and stability
  • Strategic — Gather intelligence, propose deals, or flex institutional power

Global Tension

A shared meter tracking how hostile the world is. High tension makes events more severe. Cooperative moves lower it; hostile moves raise it.

The Street Math

This game teaches the real mechanics of international event handling — the same coding systems used by analysts to track global events. Each move you make has a Goldstein Score (-10 to +10) representing its cooperative or hostile nature.

Global Tension
30
Round 1 / 20

Event Log

  • Game started. Global Tension: 30

Victory!

Player 1 has achieved diplomatic supremacy.