Turn Three, 1968
The Rhodesia Herald Phase
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Drought strikes Rhodesia, which flips the population marker from up to down, which will effect scoring at end of game if I don’t correct it. Because race relations are good, there is limited impact, however.
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There is an urban bombing in Salisbury. ZANU terrs claim responsibility, but there is no overall impact on the situation.
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Conservative members of the RF pull off a great success abroad, purchasing jumbo jets for Air Rhodesia. This increases Rhodesian Front popularity (and upsets my plans to call for a new election.
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ZANU factionalism paralyzes the terrs. The ZANU terr in Mozambique is eliminated.
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The Cabora Rossa Dam in Tete changes hands yet again, as local rebels push out the Portuguese government.
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Radio and TV propaganda strengthens the RF yet again, pushing RF popularity to the maximum.
This turn’s random events are going to force me to reconsider my strategy. I was going to call new elections to try and reduce the number of conservatives in the Assembly House. I have the option of trying to cooperate with left-wing parties in the commercial phase to reduce the strength of conservatives, and that might be the best bet. If I fail to pass the constitution, I can call a new election and try again.
The Politics Phase
There is no British or South African election in the politics phase. I will call a Rhodesian Election, however. I roll two dice and add RF popularity. That results in a landslide in the RF’s favor, returning the government to the same position. Botswana declares independence from the UK, which triggers an increase in ZAPU activity in the country.
Commercial Phase
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Rhodesia again gets a massive influx of revenue from its population and abroad (max income of $16).
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I will make another attempt at bribing Chitepo. I need a six. I don’t get it, and it costs me $5 to attempt the bribe.
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I will spend two to reach a deal with the opposition, which costs RF 5 popularity, and allows me to pass liberal policies on a 4 or higher.
Policy Review Phase
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The policy up for debate is “Proclaim Republic,” which concerns the Rhodesian constitution. I will attempt to pass the liberal version of the bill. Because a liberal constitution is a radical move from the perspective of the conservative members of the Rhodesian Front, it triggers a party split. As a result, I subtract 1 from my die roll, meaning I will need a 5 or a 6 to pass the policy.
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I roll the hard 6, which is enough to pass the constitution on the first effort. It causes some problems from the RF in the country (RF popularity -2) and leads to white flight (population -2).
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Because I passed a liberal constitution, I get a +1 bonus to die rolls to pass liberal policies. I also net 3 VPs at the end of the game, assuming I survive that far.
Chimurenga Phase
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All available Troopies and Foreign troops are on the board, so I don’t spend anything to put new troops in play.
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The terror level remains at two, so I roll two dice and place two Terrs. I roll a 2 and a 4 (again), so a ZAPU Terr is deployed to Botswana, and a ZANU Terr is deployed to Mozambique. The ZANU Terr cannot cross the border, because Mozambique is controlled by Portugal, but the ZAPU Terr will move into Matabeleland.
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The ZAPU terr moves in to Matabeleland. First, I roll for infiltrating a “handshake” region. The ZAPU terr is able to slip through, but it encounters a sizable contingent of troopies, who destroy the terr.
Cosmopolitics Phase
- The 1968 US Presidential election ends in an upset, as Vice President Hubert Humphrey defeats Richard Nixon. Democrats retain control, which keeps the status quo.
The state of the board at the end of turn three:
Turn three was a major victory for Prime Minister Kane and his efforts to liberalize Rhodesia. A liberal constitution should pay great benefits down the line. Unfortunately, Prime Minister Kane’s liberalization efforts have put his popularity among the white residents, who control the vast majority of the votes due to Rhodesia’s disenfranchisement of black Africans. Kane will need to put time, energy, and cash into propping up the RF’s popularity, so that he can see his vision through. Luckily, foreign sanctions have still not been implemented, which ensures that Rhodesia will be well funded in 1969.