Plutocracy

Plutocracy is a business and political simulation set during the “Golden Era” of the first US billionaires. Starting from scratch, you build a financial empire and become a hidden power broker, using companies, markets and political influence to shape the country while keeping your role secret.

Build your empire

Find profitable companies, negotiate with shareholders for controlling stakes, put your associates in charge and absorb competitors. You can issue stocks and bonds, capitalize companies and bring them to the stock exchange, merge businesses, unite them into trusts and monopolies, and expand your market share. Choose an available industry, improve enterprise infrastructure and technology, build new facilities and plan expansions to increase dividends.

Companies and industries are linked through a self-organizing economy. For example, buying out regional transport companies lets you raise competitors’ supply costs. At a national scale, your actions can affect prices, GDP and unemployment. You can manage company processes yourself or appoint directors and delegate routine work to them, while setting a strategy for current market conditions.

Manage workers and rivals

You can raise production targets, lengthen working days and cut wages to increase profitability, but these choices also raise the risk of strikes and workplace accidents. Discontent can lead unions to oppose you, while strikes reduce production and cause company losses. You can respond to demonstrators’ demands, use corrupt police to disperse them, or motivate workers and improve their skills.

You can also compete through cartels, sabotage and control of supply. Build trusting ties with company heads and conspire with them to lower market prices, drive out competitors and, after establishing a monopoly, raise prices threefold. Organize strikes at rival businesses, disrupt their supplies or block logistics. Competitors may eventually sell to you, but this strategy takes resources; you can instead use politicians and legislation to weaken them.

Influence politics

The political system models the adoption of laws at both regional and national levels. Federal and local officials include governors, treasurers, prosecutors and police, while political debates cover areas such as taxation, business, education, healthcare, migration and social programs. Lobbyists can promote laws that benefit you or harm competitors, and you can sponsor politicians’ election campaigns in return for their support.

You can also gather compromising material on politicians and use controlled media against those who refuse to cooperate. Republicans and Democrats have different ideologies: Republicans favor less government regulation of markets, while Democratic proposals include social programs that can reduce unemployment, raise wages and provide benefits. You can push for measures such as lower corporate taxes, but must balance the interests of different groups to keep a monopoly from collapsing. Your political choices can favor public welfare or your own wealth.

Use influence and intrigue

The game includes 15,000 characters, including shareholders, officials and politicians, each with interests, fears and ambitions. You can build connections by giving gifts and helping people pursue their goals, or use influential characters as agents in schemes against competitors. Relationships can provide access to resources, but people may also pose a threat.

Your tools include arson, staged accidents, strikes, production blockades, tax evasion and stock-market manipulation, as well as working with journalists and the media. Illegal actions can be punished in court, unless you have influence over the judge or prosecutor. You can also use auctions and luxury goods to build social standing and relationships: collect rare coins or paintings, buy houses for annual rent, and acquire horses, cars, yachts and aircraft. Horses can earn money at races, and collectibles may rise in value.