It is titled Beware of the dvce! and it is a tale of "the deeds of a few people, often alone and poorly organized but filled with anger, courage, and above all hope for a new world free from fascism."
One of the most entertaining historical exercises is to try to imagine what the history of countries and peoples would have been like if things had gone differently, if certain pivotal moments had occurred in a way opposite to what we have read in history books. English speakers saywhat if, “imagine if”, “let’s say that”. For example: what would have happened to Italy if Mussolini had died before becoming Prime Minister? And if he had died before enacting the most fascist laws? And if he had died before delivering the declaration of war to the ambassadors of France and Germany? The answer, in reality, we all know; there is no need for some great effort of imagination: if Mussolini had not been there, Italy would have been a better place, the fate of the country would not have been so tragic and terrifying. But the point here is not to ask whether things would have gone better without Mussolini; the point here is to ask how Italy could have freed itself from the Duce before April 28, 1945. One possible answer to this question is: it would have been enough for one of the many attackers and attackresses who tried to assassinate Mussolini over the years to succeed in their mission.
Unfortunately, there is no way to go back in time and remedy the misfortunes of history. Not for real, at least. For fun, yes, instead. And that is why Cronache Ribelli has created the board game Beware of the Duce!, which is exactly what the title suggests: a game in which players take on the roles of historical figures who actually existed and organized attempts on Mussolini’s life (failing, unfortunately). “Take on the roles of historical figures who tried to strike at the heart of the regime, plan the action, and avoid searches and gunfire from the n4z1st3 guards. Beware of the Duce! is a thematic hidden role game, with characters having variable powers, dice, and a short modular board. The game is made in collaboration with No Board Games,” this is how the game is described on the Cronache Ribelli online store. And further: “Beware of the Duce! brings you right here, to these attempts at tyrannicide. Acts of a few people, often alone and poorly organized but filled with anger, courage, and above all hope for a new world free from fascism.”
How does the game work? We don’t want to go into too much detail and bore you with overly nerdy analyses of the rules, but essentially it is a team board game. On one side are the players who must protect Mussolini. Protecting him roughly means escorting him to a rally, getting him on stage, letting him speak, and bringing him home safe and sound. On the other side are the players who must carry out the assassination against Mussolini and, as it reads on the game box, “liberate Italy”. Along with the game comes a small booklet titledKilling Mussolini, a text that tells the true story of the people who tried to liberate Italy before April 28, 1945.
