Chicago ’68 board game allows players to reimagine outcomes of convention riots

In the weeks leading up to the 2024 Democratic National Convention, many have been reliving the details of the tumultuous 1968 version in Chicago.

But some are more focused on reimagining.

Was there a path for Eugene McCarthy to beat out Vice President Hubert Humphrey for the Democratic presidential nomination? How could Mayor Richard J. Daley have utilized the Chicago Police Department differently in response to anti-war protesters? And what tactics should those activists have taken to drum up more public support for their cause?

Those answers are explored in a new historical conflict board game, Chicago ’68, designed by Chicago-based documentary filmmaker Yoni Goldstein. Targeted for an early 2025 release, the game has garnered positive feedback from reviewers and received nearly $27,000 in funding through a Kickstarter campaign. Taking on the roles of either the Establishment or the demonstrators, players engage in a battle during the riots of the 1968 convention.

Goldstein worked with developer Joe Dewhurst and illustrator John Biggs to create the game, which will be published by the Dietz Foundation, based in downstate Effingham. Goldstein’s brother, Ronen, provided creative development.

Goldstein, 42, of Logan Square, said Chicago ’68 demonstrates how a slight change in conditions can reshape historical reality.

“It really promotes this idea that history is not an inevitable series of events,” he said.

Goldstein and his brother conceived of the game in 2020 — well before they knew the Democratic National Convention would return to Chicago. They were inspired by the protests they saw in Chicago following the murder of George Floyd. As they watched the city raise downtown bridges and deploy the police and Illinois National Guard, they thought about the unrest in the city more than 50 years ago, Goldstein said.

Goldstein also said he was motivated by the popularity of recent historical games such as Votes for Women, Stonewall Uprising, Red Flag Over Paris and Free at Last, which was also published by the Dietz Foundation.

To ensure the historical accuracy of Chicago ’68, Goldstein consulted the book “Rights in Conflict” by Daniel Walker.

“[The game] is like a tactile expression of documentary research,” Goldstein said. “I found that I was actually using the same kind of toolkit that I developed as a filmmaker, like primary source research, interviewing historians and looking at literature, poetry and theater that was made around this event.”

The Chicago ’68 game board doubles as a map of central Chicago, featuring notable sites of the convention protests including Grant Park, Lincoln Park and the Hilton Hotel.

Assuming the role of the Establishment, represented by the mayor and police, players employ a variety of tactics, including everything from authorizing tear gas to deploying the National Guard. As the demonstrators, players represent the yippies (Youth International Party) and the MOBE (National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam). They are able to take actions like building barricades and engaging in “street theater,” or public spectacle.

To win, the Establishment must secure Humphrey as the presidential nominee and control the media narrative. But the demonstrators can prevail by either securing McCarthy as the nominee or gaining media attention through street theater or clashes with police.

Goldstein said he considered releasing the game in time for the 2024 convention, but didn’t want to rush the process.

“I wanted this to be something that can live on beyond the current moment,” he said. “As we found out in 2020, these things are going to keep happening. The issue of civil unrest, the relationship between social movements, activists, the police and the city administration is always going to be negotiated in the streets.”

Though the game will certainly appeal to history buffs, it is fun for everyone, said publisher Jim Dietz, of the Dietz Foundation, who contributes a percentage of game sales to a scholarship fund for students pursuing teaching careers.

“Board games are one of the last things we have left where you sit down with other people and there’s no phone or computer.”

Dietz also said he is pleased with the positive feedback from the gaming community.

“I’m excited because there are some big-time game designers backing the project.”

Among those praising the game is Daniel Thurot, of Salt Lake City, who writes about board games on his website, spacebiff.com.

“It’s really fascinating,” said Thurot, who has play-tested the game twice. “It does some really cool stuff that has actually led me to think a little bit differently about some of the street interactions that I’ve been in.”

Thurot said the game stands out because of its detailed focus on street theater and media exposure. He expects it to be well-received, although there will be some naysayers.

“There’s a tension between those who say they don’t want politics in games and those who are very happily embracing politics in their games,” he explained.

Whatever their political leanings, Goldstein said he hopes players take joy in role-playing and learning how to be strategic.

“The thing that I got out of making [this game] is that we have to pay attention to circumstances that define our choices,” he said. “I’m one of these people that believes we are more free when we do things collectively. Together, we’re stronger. And what we do sets the stage for what people after us are able to do.”

Goldstein will launch Chicago ’68 at a Kickstarter release party from 4:30 to 9 p.m. on Aug.16 at Revolution Brewing, 3340 N. Kedzie Ave. He will also host a teach-and-play demo at 10 a.m. on Aug. 17 at Co-Prosperity, 3219 S. Morgan St., and a play-through at 7 p.m. on Aug. 26 at Pilsen Community Books, 1102 W. 18th St.