This is a game of elections and politics in Germany. Five players representing different political parties attempt to win votes and influence public opinion in seven German regions. Please bring questions regarding rules interpretations to the GM's attention before the convention.

Die Macher is being held as part of the Sampler Showcase pre-con. A separate admission is required to participate, except for Tribune level members who may participate free of charge in any and all Pre-Cons.

Tournament Format
Try your hand at Die Macher on Monday Evening and Tuesday morning. Few events have been harder hit by the urge to experience more of WBC than Die Macher - a golden oldie hurt by its length and the resulting competition from shorter fare at WBC itself. Many are the laments of those who want to play it but just can't find the time, so this year we've decided to put that theory to the test and schedule it on Monday and Tuesday free of competition from other events. Two rounds (Prelim on Monday and Final on Tuesday) will determine a champion without missing a single tournament before WBC events actually begin.
Two five-hour rounds will be held beginning with Prelims on Monday evening. The top five players will advance to the Final on Tuesday at 9 AM. If there are more than five boards, the five finalists will be the winners with the highest percentage of their board's total points. If there is a tie, the tied player with the higher percentage of their board's total Mandate will advance. Conversely, if there are less than five preliminary boards, second-place will advance based on the highest percentage of their board's total points.

Die Macher Tournament Info and Rules Clarifications
We will play 5- and 4-player games. Rankings will be by finishing position and percentage of the board's total points. Players in a 4-player game will have their percentages scaled by 0.8. The Final will consist of the winners, then the second-place finishers, and so on until there are five players. Please let me know if you will be unable to make the Final, so the next in line can be notified.
Please bring a copy of the game. I only have one copy myself.
A number in ( ) indicates the section of the 1997 Rio Grande edition rulebook.
(4.2) Setup
--While setting up the four initial regions, any Peoples Opinion [Volkes Meinung] card that is identical or opposite to an already-revealed card in the same region, is sent to the Exchange Pool [Taushpool].
--At the start of the game, six cards should be taken from the pile of Peoples Opinion cards and placed in the Exchange Pool. There is a maximum of one card allowed in the Exchange Pool for each position on each issue. Any card going to the Exchange Pool that matches a card already in the Exchange Pool is discarded (i.e. there can be up to 14 cards in the Exchange Pool, one for each of two positions on each of seven issues).
(5.1) The First Round
--While figuring your Starting Position, use the Mandate max number instead of the region name to indicate where your initial resources are placed. You may sign up for multiples of a possibility in a region (e.g. three Media markers in the region with a Mandate max of 60 [Bayern]).
--This is the only time that there can be more than five Media markers placed into a region.
(5.2.1) Choose the Starting Player
--Remember, you are bidding to choose the starting player, not (necessarily) to be the starting player.
(5.2.2) Party Program Commission Conference
--Look at your (two or three) face down cards, discard all you do not want, then draw back to three before deciding on whether or not to change one of the cards in your Party Program.
(5.2.3) Shadow Cabinet
--The Starting Player places one or more cards (one per region maximum per turn) face down on the region board(s). The remaining players follow, and then all cards are turned face up. All players pay for their cards. The Starting Player leads the players in carrying out one of the available actions on all of their revealed cards.
--If the Shadow Cabinet card has a telephone on it, a coalition tile for that player\'s party must be placed on the region board. The coalition tile will remain on the region board until the region becomes the Current Region and its election is resolved.
--A Doubler tile (with a \"2\" on it) can only be placed on a Peoples Opinion card or removed from it; it can not be moved directly from one opinion to another. There can be only one Doubler tile per region.
(5.2.4) Forming Coalitions
--The first player who has a Coalition tile in the region may ask any other player who has a Coalition tile in the region to form a coalition. Two players may not form a coalition unless they have at least two Party Position cards in common. If the players have three or more Party Position cards in common, a player may be forced into a coalition. If the player asked to form a coalition refuses, the first player may ask other players until a coalition is formed, or until all suitable players have refused. Then the next player may attempt to form a coalition, and may even force a coalition with the first player (if they have at least three positions in common). Each coalition can only consist of two Parties, and no Party can be a member of more than one coalition.
(5.2.5) Media Markers
--Starting with the Current Region, if a player has a simple majority of Media markers (i.e. more than every other single player, not necessarily more than all other players together), that player may exchange one of that region\'s Peoples Opinion cards for one from the Exchange Pool. The new card may be the opposite position of the card removed. Remember to discard the card going to the Exchange Pool if it matches one already there.
--A Peoples Opinion card with a Doubler tile on it may not be changed.
(5.2.6) Organize Election Meetings
--A player may pay to add up to four Party Meeting markers to each region per turn. There are only ten available spaces for Party Meeting markers for each player in each region.
(5.2.7) Auction Opinion Polls
--The first auction will be held in the Current Region, and continue clockwise to the newest region.
--When a player publishes an Opinion Poll, the Trend marker of one or two of the parties may be changed. A player with Media control (the simple majority of Media markers in the region) may not have their Trend marker moved downward.
(5.2.8) Converting Party Meeting markers into Votes
--Begin this phase with the newest region (with only one face up card) and continue counterclockwise through the remaining regions.
--A player must have at least five Party Meeting markers in a region before they can convert any into votes. Since Regions 5 through 7 are set up without an initial Party Meeting marker, no one will be able to convert markers in those regions on that region's first turn.
--A player who has a conversion factor of zero or less may still receive one vote for each two markers converted.
--Note that the starting position of the Trend marker is \"0\". If a player at \"0\" Trend has no Party Program cards that match or are the opposite of the region\'s positions, his conversion factor is zero, and thus would convert at two Party Meeting markers for each vote.
--The maximum number of votes a player may have in a region is 50. If another player then reaches 50 votes, their Vote marker is placed on top of the previous player\'s marker.
--After each region is completed, a player with an absolute majority of votes (more than all other players combined), may exchange one Peoples Opinion card in the region (except for one with a Doubler tile) with one from the Exchange Pool. This will not be done in the Current Region as that election will be resolved.
(5.3.1) Determine Mandate
--Each player determines their Mandate with their individual number of votes, not with the total votes they may have as part of a coalition.
(5.3.2) Decide Election Victor in the Current Region
--When there are no coalitions, the election winner is the player with the most votes. If there is a tie between two or more players (usually at 50 votes), the player who last arrived at that space (whose Vote marker is on top in that space) is the winner \"by a nose\" (or \"short head\" in German).
--A coalition\'s total is the sum of the two players\' votes, and may exceed 50 votes. If a coalition ties with a single player or another coalition, the single player or the player in a coalition with the most votes will win \"by a nose\". If there are two or more highest Vote markers, the player whose Vote marker is on top in that space wins.
Example 1: CDU - 50 votes, (SPD - 30 votes & PDS - 20 votes). Both sides have 50 votes, CDU wins with the highest Vote marker (by a nose).
Example 2: CDU - 50 votes, (SPD - 50 votes & PDS - 0 votes). Both sides have 50 votes; the winner (by a nose) is determined by whose marker (CDU or SPD) is on top in the 50 votes space.
Example 3: (CDU - 49 votes & FDP - 6 votes), (SPD - 30 votes & PDS - 25 votes), Grune - 50 votes. Both coalitions have 55 votes; CDU has the most votes among those tied so CDU & FDP win (by a nose).
Example 4: (CDU - 40 votes & FDP - 25 votes), (SPD - 40 votes & PDS - 25 votes), Grune - 45 votes. Both coalitions have 65 votes; the winner (by a nose) is determined by whose marker (CDU or SPD) is on top in the 40 vote space.
(5.3.3) Results of Election Victory
--Single Party Victory: Move a Media marker, if available, from that region board to the National board. Move two Peoples Opinion cards from the region board to the National board, or move only one card if the win was by a nose.
--Coalition Victory: Both players may move a Media marker from that Region board to the National board.
Each party may move one Peoples Opinion card from the region board to the National board (starting with the coalition member with the higher vote total or the one on top if both are in the same space).
--The player(s) losing by a nose may each move a Media marker, if available, from that region board to the National board, but do not get to move a Peoples Opinion card.
The results of Example 1 above: CDU can move one Media marker and one Peoples Opinion card, SPD & PDS can each move one Media marker.
Example 2a: (CDU\'s Vote marker is on top) CDU can move one Media marker and one People\'s Opinion card, SPD & PDS can move one Media marker.
Example 2b: (SPD\'s Vote marker is on top) SPD & PDS can move up one Media marker and one People\'s Opinion card each. CDU can move up one Media Marker.
Example 3 & 4: The winning coalition can move up one Media marker and one People\'s Opinion card each. The losing coalition can move up one Media Marker.
--Placing Peoples Opinion cards on the National board: Start by placing cards from left to right. If at any time a second card of the identical position is to be added, it is placed on top of the first as a Security card. A third card of the same opinion can not be placed and must be discarded. A Secured card pair may only be removed by that card\'s opposite opinion. When all five spaces have been filled, if a card to be added is the opposite of an existing card, it must remove that existing card. If the new card is not identical to or opposite from a card on the National board, then any of the non-Secured cards may be replaced. When a card is replaced, the old card is removed, the cards to the right of it are slid one space to the left, and the new card is placed to the right of the last card in the row.
(5.4.1) Turning the Opinion Cards
--Newly-revealed cards that are identical to or opposite from currently displayed cards in the Region are sent to the Exchange Pool. Remember the Exchange Pool limit.
(5.4.2) Special Cases
--There are no coalitions allowed in the seventh Region.
--When setting up the board for the seventh region, two Opinion cards are placed face up instead of one.
(5.4.4) Party Contributions
--When rolling dice after taking a contribution, a player only loses the number on the highest die