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The world is shifting fast, and the mighty influence of the US is slowly waning. As one of four global powers vying for control, it’s up to you to wield diplomacy, leverage economic power, and, when needed, deploy military might to expand your influence across continents. A new era of dominance is dawning, but only one of you will claim the title of world leader. Will it be you who seizes the reigns of global hegemony?
👥 2-4 players, ages 14+
⌛ Playing time: 120-180 minutes
📝 Designers: Vangelis Bagiartakis & Varnavas Timotheou
🎨 Artwork: Miłosz Wojtasik
🏢 Publisher: Hegemonic Project Games (preview copy provided)
Check out World Order on Kickstarter
Gameplay Overview
In World Order, players compete over six rounds to gain influence in key regions worldwide. Each round, you’ll choose a strategic focus—whether domestic, diplomatic, or military—that grants extra perks for actions taken in that area. At the start of each round, you’ll have a hand of six cards drawn from a personal deck (with potential to gain more through growth cards). Taking turns, each player will play four cards, one at a time, until everyone has made their moves for the round.
Through diplomacy, you can foster alliances by claiming alliance cards and engaging in specific regions. Activating an ally card lets you gain influence in that ally’s region, strengthening your foothold. On the economic front, you can export goods for income or import resources from others, enabling you to produce even more valuable exports. If you invest in an allied country—by flipping their card and paying the cost—you gain ongoing funding and extra influence in that region. Military actions, on the other hand, allow you to build bases in your allies’ territories and move armies there, further increasing your regional control.
Domestic actions don’t directly boost your influence, but they’re essential for growing your role as a global power. By acquiring growth cards, you can unlock ongoing abilities, like increasing your hand size, drawing and discarding cards for better flexibility, or reducing action costs. There’s also the “produce” action, which lets you generate basic resources or convert them into more advanced ones.
Once everyone has played their four action cards, the research phase kicks in. Here, remaining cards in each player’s hand are revealed, and income is collected, including diplomacy points and research symbols. With these symbols, you can buy new, powerful action cards that often combine multiple effects, boosting your efficiency in future rounds.
After research, it’s time for the aftermath. This is when you collect returns on your investments, gain prosperity points by fulfilling certain requirements, and resolve any regional threats by comparing military presences. Every third and sixth round, regions are scored based on influence majorities, with victory points awarded to the most influential players in each region. Players also compete for additional points based on three achievements: the most money, the largest military presence, and the highest number of alliances.
After the final scoring at the end of the sixth round, the game concludes, and the player with the most points will emerge as the ultimate global power.
Game Info
Two years back, Hegemonic Project Games, a new publisher from Cyprus, wowed us with Hegemony: Lead Your Class to Victory. Its unique, asymmetric gameplay, where each player stepped into the shoes of a different socio-economic class, resonated deeply with fans of complex, thematic games. The game didn’t just win our hearts—it snagged several awards and high praise across the board. Fast forward to today, and Hegemonic Project Games is back with their latest Kickstarter, World Order: A Race for Global Hegemony. We were lucky to get our hands on a preview copy to help you decide if this epic battle for global influence deserves a spot in your collection. Just a heads-up: since it’s a prototype, some elements may change in the final release.
Comparing World Order to Hegemony, this new game takes a slightly lighter and less asymmetrical approach, yet it still packs a strategic punch. The designers, Vangelis Bagiartakis and Varnavas Timotheou (yes, the same duo behind Hegemony), have crafted a game for 2-4 players that’s recommended for ages 14 and up—a fair guideline, as it dives into complex, often intense themes. A full playthrough lasts about 2-3 hours, but for your first few games, clear your schedule because you’ll need extra time to wrap your head around all the layers of strategy.
Components, Production, and Artwork
While our copy is just a preview, it already showcases impressive quality. For a game with this level of detail, there are quite a lot of components, but each one has been thoughtfully designed to enhance the experience. At the center of it all is a large world map board, with regions laid out and spaces for alliance cards that players will claim and manage. Each player has a personal board to track their resources, focus, production, and prosperity—basically, your command center for managing your global ambitions. You also have a custom deck of starter cards, which you’ll build on as the game progresses.
The game includes plenty of wooden pieces—resource markers, influence cubes, and army tokens, each in the four player colors. You’ll also find large, double-sided player aids that clearly outline the game flow and actions, making it easier to stay organized and plan your moves. And let’s talk about the artwork: Miłosz Wojtasik has done a fantastic job. The illustrations on the cards, in particular, pull you right into the political drama, capturing the intensity and ambition of global power struggles. The overall aesthetic is sleek yet thematic, setting the perfect tone for the game’s content.
Gameplay
World Order blends mechanics like area majority, deck building, and multi-use card management, creating a strategic feast for players who love a bit of complexity. Be prepared for a challenge, though—this game isn’t for beginners. However, for those willing to learn, the payoff is big. In our first rounds, we had to feel our way through our decks, trying out different strategies. By round three, though, we were making sharper decisions and feeling more confident—each playthrough sharpened our tactics.
Each of the four global powers—the USA, China, Russia, and the EU—has a unique board, starting deck, and alliances that give each player a slightly different play style. There are also thematic twists: for example, the USA and EU, both NATO members, can’t directly threaten each other militarily. If the USA doesn’t establish dominance in at least four regions, it even faces a penalty. It’s not as asymmetrical as Hegemony, but each power definitely has its own flair and strengths to master.
Since the game is card-driven, you’ll need to manage your hand wisely. Each round, you’ll balance diplomacy, economics, and military to expand your reach across the globe. As you progress, you’ll get access to stronger cards with combined actions that add versatility to your strategy. But don’t count on the same hand each turn—there’s even a chance to remove weaker cards to fine-tune your deck.
Player Interaction and Influence
If you enjoy games with high player interaction, World Order has you covered. Despite its emphasis on area majority, the game keeps things civil; you won’t find yourself in direct battles. Instead, interactions are subtle yet significant. Players can buy resources from each other, allowing for tactical bartering and mutual gain. The influence cubes also come into play here: some regions allow temporary placements, meaning you can bump other players’ influence cubes out if the space fills up, changing the balance of power.
Military moves offer another way to keep your rivals in check. By establishing bases and deploying troops in key regions, you can disrupt opponents’ plans and even prevent them from gaining majority influence, without ever needing to fire a shot. It’s a chess match on a global scale, with each move quietly tipping the scales.
Scaling for Fewer Players
In our opinion, World Order truly shines with a full group of four players, though it does offer options for playing with two or three as well. In these cases, dummy influence is added through automated cards, and allied countries fill in for missing trade partners, keeping the game’s flow intact. Even with fewer players, the game maintains its depth and intensity.
World Order Concepts Book
One bonus that came with our preview copy was the World Order Concepts Book: Introduction to International Relations. This extra is a hefty, expertly written guide that dives into each power’s history, strengths, weaknesses, and relationships. It’s an intriguing read, full of stunning illustrations that match the game’s artwork. Whether it’s part of the final game or an optional add-on, we found it genuinely enhanced our experience and understanding of the game’s thematic depth.
Final Thoughts
World Order has made a strong impression on us, and it’s clear that Hegemonic Project Games has once again made something special. Each global power feels distinct, encouraging varied strategies and enhancing replayability. The research that went into capturing each power’s unique role and influence shines through, grounding the game in real-world international relations without feeling like a textbook.
We especially love how World Order keeps competition intense without relying on direct conflict. You’ll constantly be considering your rivals’ moves, from trade deals to strategic influence placement, and military positioning. If you’re looking for a game that balances strategy, theme, and interaction with a twist of realism, this one’s worth a look. We’re excited to see how the final version shapes up, and we recommend checking out the Kickstarter campaign to see if it’s a good fit for your game shelf—because trust us, it’ll fill more than a few evenings!
📝 We received a preview copy of the game from the publisher, Hegemonic Project Games.
