Communist Food Rationing Turned into a Board Game
Launched in mid-November, a Polish board game based on the communist-era food rationing system will allow younger generations to get a feel for their elders' past hardships.
A food rationing system was used in Poland in the 70s and 80s to keep prices under control and fight speculation with food and goods that were difficult to get hold of. Regulation: The Coupons Game was introduced by the state-run National Remembrance Institute (IPN), which documents and teaches about Polish history.
In this entertaining and challenging game, players are taken back in time to the communist People’s Republic of Poland, where, in the cold of the 1983 winter, they will have to fight for extra ration coupons for meat, sugar, and other goods. You will need to finish your grocery ‘shopping’ in time before the arrival of your guests at a party you are hosting. Unfortunately, there's not much in stock and the distribution of goods is regulated – the cards that you get do not necessarily respond to your needs.
It may well be that other players have the cards you are looking for, and you’d better hurry up because the shop lady will start working as soon as she finishes sipping her tea… Trade takes place at a fast pace in this game, as it was underscored in a comment by one of its first winners, Arkadiusz Flak: "You need to act fast because the others may lay hands on the goods that you need," calling the game interesting but stressful.
Karol Madaj, the author of Regulation, has created a very dynamic board game – and in order to win it, you will need a mix of luck, skill, and bargaining talent. The educational purpose of this game is to depict one of the most telling symbols of the downfall of the communist economy. It comes in a package with an illustrated historical brochure in which Professor Andrzej Zawistowski introduces young players to the phenomenon of rationing.
A potentially inter-generational game, Regulation can remind older folk about the past era, while giving the young a glimpse of the dubious charms of life in the communist Polish People’s Republic.
To find out more curious facts about the past era of Communism, why not also see: Communist Poland’s Beloved Baby Ride
Number of players: 3-5 Age: 10+ Playing time: 30 minutes
The box contains 35 cards for 7 different goods, 20 shopping cards, 6 announced visit cards, 1 game board, 6 wooden figures, 5 wooden houses, 1 wooden for counting down time, 1 dice
Edited by Paulina Schlosser, sources: IPN, abcnews.com
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