We are the Volk! Combined Edition
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It's 1973, and the oil crisis has just hit. You've planned everything: economy, reforms, standard of living. But your partner has just played a card that turns the tables. And your citizens are taking to the streets.
WHAT IT IS ABOUT
Forty years of rivalry in an afternoon
1949: Germany is divided in two by the Iron Curtain. East and West become rivals, laboratories of opposing systems. Who will rebuild faster? Who will make their citizens happier? Richard Sivél and Peer Sylvester have created an asymmetric card-driven game that has won awards across Europe. This Combined Edition contains the award-winning base game and the 2+2 expansion that brings the USA and USSR to the table for four-player games.
Manage your Germany with action cards. Build the economy, raise the standard of living, plan every move. But History doesn't wait: the '73 oil crisis, Monday demonstrations, events that can derail even the best-laid plans. In 2+2 you form a partnership, but ultimately only one can win: every decision becomes a calculation between common interests and personal victory.
What they say abroad
"1949: Germany, still in ruins from WWII, is split in two, as the Iron Curtain of the Cold War descends."
— Histogame
The base game is already a jewel. The 2+2 expansion transforms it into a completely different experience, with betrayed partnerships and geopolitical calculations.
— FroGames
Wir sind das Volk!: Combined Edition
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · based on rules, international reviews and play sessionsWhat you play on the table
Cards, events and History knocking at the door
Action Cards
Each card has two sides: an action (build economy, reforms, propaganda) and a historical event. Choose which one to play. The other goes to your opponent.
Standard of Living
The track that determines who wins. Every citizen who leaves your Germany costs you points. Every protest lowers morale. You must balance development and social equilibrium.
Historical Events
Oil crisis, fall of the Wall, Monday demonstrations. They arrive when you least expect them and can overturn three turns of planning. You cannot avoid them.
2+2 Partnership
In the expansion, you form a pair (USA-West or USSR-East), but only ONE of you can win. Every move is a calculation: do I help my partner or sabotage to win myself?
Recommended Sleeves 144 cards in 1 size ▼
If you play often, we recommend protecting your cards with transparent sleeves to make them last longer.
| Size | Quantity |
|---|---|
| 56 × 87 mm | 144 |
| Total cards | 144 |
🎲How to playThe rules in four steps▼
How to play
The flow of each round
A round is a handful of cards played, painful choices, and immediate consequences.
You draw cards. In the base game, everyone has their own hand. In the 2+2 expansion, you draft with your partner: you choose together, but each knows the other is thinking about personal victory.
Choose a card. Decide whether to use the action (build, reform, propaganda) or the historical event. What you don't use goes to your opponent. Every card is a calculation.
If you played an event, resolve it. Some are immediate (lose citizens, gain points), others trigger mass protests or crises. The other player can react if they have the right cards.
Check the living standard track. If your citizens are unhappy, they take to the streets. If too unhappy, they flee to the other side. Each defection costs you victory points.
⏱️Your first gameThe story, moment by moment▼
A game in five moments
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
The Reconstruction
First turns, cards in hand. You play to build the economy, the other does the same. Everything seems manageable. Then you realize that each of your cards has an event that, if you don't play it, ends up in your opponent's hands. And that's a terrible event.
The first crisis
A historical event that no one expected arrives. The '73 crisis, a demonstration, a citizen fleeing to the West. Your three-turn plan falls apart. The other smiles. You rethink everything.
The tug of war
Mid-game, the living standard track fluctuates. You push, the other pulls. Every card is a painful choice: do I use the action or the event? If I make a mistake, I lose citizens. If I wait, the other overtakes me. The tension rises.
The betrayal (2+2)
In the four-player expansion, your partner plays a card that sabotages you. Not openly, but enough to put you in trouble. You realize they are playing to win for themselves, not for the partnership. You start doing the same.
The fall of the Wall (or not)
End of game. One has won the Cold War. The other has lost citizens, points, dignity. In 2+2, one of the four betrayed everyone and won. No one speaks for five minutes. Then someone says: "Another game?"
🐸Good to know beforehandThree honest things, from friends▼
Good to know beforehand
Three things you need to know
Steep learning curve
The rules aren't complex, but the consequences of choices are. The first game will be a disaster for the loser: you won't understand why you lost until the final turn. It takes a second game to master it. It's an investment.
Total asymmetry
East and West don't play the same game. East manages propaganda and control, West attracts citizens with welfare. It's never balanced: it's designed to be tense. If you're looking for symmetry, this isn't the right game.
Variable downtime
In the two-player base game, the pace is fast. In the four-player 2+2, discussions between partners can lengthen turns. If one of the four suffers from analysis paralysis, the game grinds to a halt. Choose your tablemates carefully.
🏆Victory and defeatWhat the ending rewards▼
How it ends
How to win and how to lose
The game ends after a fixed number of turns (depending on the scenario). The player with the highest living standard wins.
Victory
- You have the highest living standard at the end of the game (sum of accumulated points)
- In 2+2, you have more points than your partner AND the opposing team (betray well)
- You managed economy, reforms, and protests better than the other for 40 years of History
Defeat
- You lost too many citizens due to protests or defections: your living standard collapses
- You played historical events poorly: the other exploited crises, you didn't
- In 2+2, your partner sabotaged you and won (or the opposing team surpassed you)
This isn't a game about the Cold War. It is the Cold War in two hours of painful choices. And when it's over, you just want to understand where you went wrong. And do it better.
💬Frequently Asked QuestionsQuick answers before checkout▼
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ about Wir sind das Volk!: Combined Edition
What mechanics does Wir sind das Volk! use?
It's a card-driven game with asymmetric tug-of-war. Each card has an action and an event: you choose which to play, the other goes to your opponent. Add historical simulation, resource management (economy, living standard), and team-based play in the 2+2 expansion.
Is it hard to learn?
The rules can be explained in 20-30 minutes, but understanding the consequences of choices requires a full game. It's heavy (3.8/5 on BGG): you need to study it. The second game is a whole different story.
Is the 2+2 expansion necessary?
No. The two-player base game is complete and awarded. The 2+2 adds betrayed partnerships and geopolitical calculations: if you like negotiating and sabotaging your partner, it's gold. Otherwise, the base game is enough.
Does it play well with four players?
Yes, but it's a different experience. With two, it's pure, tense, and fast-paced tug-of-war. With four (with 2+2) it's negotiation, betrayal, calculation. Slower, more political. Depends on what you're looking for.
Is it available in Italian?
This is the English edition. Rules, cards, and texts are in English. Knowledge of the language is required to play: historical events have dense text. There is no official Italian edition at the moment.
The people behind the game
Who invented it, who designed it, who publishes it — and what else they've done.
Wir sind das Volk! Combined Edition is a card-driven strategy game for 2-4 players, lasting 60-200 minutes, ages 12+. Designed by Richard Sivél and Peer Sylvester, published by Histogame, it simulates 40 years of rivalry between East and West Germany during the Cold War. Mechanics: asymmetric card-driven, tug-of-war, historical simulation, resource management. Includes the awarded base game and the 2+2 expansion which brings the USA and USSR to the table for four-player games with betrayed partnerships. Weight 3.8/5, for experienced players. Available at FroGames.it.
We are the Volk! Combined Edition
Frequently Asked Questions
The answers you're looking for, no beating around the bush.
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