- BGG rank
- BGG #217
- BGG rating
- 7.9
Dune
- 2–6 players
- 120–180 min
- Complexity 4.0/5
- 2019
- BGG rank
- BGG #7,764
- BGG rating
- 6.1
Ideology: The War of Ideas
2003
Rules assistance for Ideology: The War of Ideas
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–5 players
- 90 min
- 12+
- Complexity 2.8/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Ideology: The War of Ideas
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Ideology: The War of Ideas is a board game released in 2003 for 2–5 players, 90 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Andrew Parks and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Area Majority / Influence, and Alliances.
Similar games
- BGG rank
- BGG #242
- BGG rating
- 7.5
A Game of Thrones: The Board Game (Second Edition)
- 3–6 players
- 120–240 min
- Complexity 3.7/5
- 2011
- BGG rank
- BGG #594
- BGG rating
- 7.6
Dune
- 2–6 players
- 60–180 min
- Complexity 3.5/5
- 1979
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,406
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Rex: Final Days of an Empire
- 3–6 players
- 120–180 min
- Complexity 3.3/5
- 2012
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,083
- BGG rating
- 7.9
Pendragon: The Fall of Roman Britain
- 1–4 players
- 60–360 min
- Complexity 4.5/5
- 2017
- BGG rank
- BGG #3,630
- BGG rating
- 7.6
Tiny Epic Game of Thrones
- 1–4 players
- 45–60 min
- Complexity 3.4/5
- 2025
- BGG rank
- BGG #4,595
- BGG rating
- 7.3
SHASN
- 3–5 players
- 90–120 min
- Complexity 2.9/5
- 2021
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,826
- BGG rating
- 6.7
Assault of the Giants
- 3–6 players
- 60–150 min
- Complexity 3.4/5
- 2017
- BGG rank
- BGG #818
- BGG rating
- 7.5
A Game of Thrones: The Card Game (Second Edition)
- 2–4 players
- 60–120 min
- Complexity 3.5/5
- 2015
- BGG rank
- BGG #23
- BGG rating
- 8.4
Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy
- 2–6 players
- 60–200 min
- Complexity 3.7/5
- 2020
- BGG rank
- BGG #155
- BGG rating
- 7.8
Rising Sun
- 3–5 players
- 90–120 min
- Complexity 3.3/5
- 2018
- BGG rank
- BGG #259
- BGG rating
- 7.7
Ankh: Gods of Egypt
- 2–5 players
- 90 min
- Complexity 3.1/5
- 2021
About the game
From Pyramid's Industry News, October 10, 2003: Ideology is a 2-5 player game where each player symbolizes one of the 20th Century's most powerful Ideologies -- Capitalism, Islamic Fundamentalism, Imperialism, Communism, or Fascism. Starting with one global region completely under its sway, each Ideology attempts to influence and control the independent regions of the earth. Each Ideology will use economic, cultural, and military influence to bring countries under control. If a player has influence in a country in which you have influence, you can both engage in economic, cultural, and military conflict (depending on your diplomatic stance toward each other) to knock out your opponent's influence. You can also purchase Advancements like Propaganda, Tactics, etc. to make it harder for an opponent to conflict you or to make it easier for you to influence a country. The goal is to posses a Global Influence of 12 or more. Components: 12" × 24" color world paper map (used as reference mostly.Deleted from the second edition) 5 Ideology cards 43 Region cards 225 Influence cards 85 Advancement cards 125+ counters
Designers
Publishers
- Z-Man Games
Questions and answers
Ideology: The War of Ideas supports 2–5 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Ideology: The War of Ideas is 90 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Ideology: The War of Ideas for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Ideology: The War of Ideas has a complexity rating of 2.8 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Ideology: The War of Ideas belongs to these categories: Card Game and Political. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Area Majority / Influence, and Alliances. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Ideology: The War of Ideas are: Andrew Parks. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Ideology: The War of Ideas as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.