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The Chair Is Empty
Game Night Pick

The Chair Is Empty

Designed by Brian Train

Published by BTR Games

Casual Flow: 15 Min Teach

Players

2-5

Community Snapshot

Best with 3–4
Medium-Light complexity
100–180 min
7.0 on BGG (1)
Text-heavy

Categories

Card Game
Cards are the primary component — may involve hand management, drafting, or deck building.
Modern Warfare
Set in modern-era conflicts — 20th/21st century military operations and geopolitics.
Political
Navigate politics — elections, legislation, influence, and power struggles.
Print & Play
Download and print at home — accessible DIY gaming.
Wargame
Simulate warfare — military strategy, tactics, and historical battles.

At its best with 3 players, this medium-light game offers dice rolling gameplay in 100–180 min.

How It Plays

Dice Rolling

You roll dice to determine outcomes — there's always that thrilling moment of suspense before they land!

End Game Bonuses

Extra points are awarded at the end for meeting certain goals — keep an eye on those bonus objectives!

Matching

You match similar items together for points or effects — simple to understand, satisfying to pull off.

Turn Order: Progressive

Turn order shifts gradually each round — the player in last often gets a helpful boost.

About This Game

The Chair is Empty is a card-based game about political tensions and power vacuums, for 3 or more players. This is a much cleaned-up and streamlined version of Caudillo, a power politics game placed in a thinly disguised post-Chavez Venezuela which I first designed in 2013 (before Chavez was post-Chavez). It is basically similar in its semi-cooperative and semi-competitive nature, and it plays up the constant tension between these urges.…

Source: BoardGameGeek

View on BoardGameGeek

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Collections

Featured In

🌿Medium-light board games for 2 players🌿Medium-light board games for 3 players🌿Medium-light board games for 4 players🌿Medium-light board games for 5 players

Play Time

100-180 min

Complexity

2.0 / 5

Rating

7.0

Year

2025