Lenin's Legacy

Lenin’s Legacy is a fast-paced solo or two-player game about the power struggle between Stalin and Trotsky in the early days of the USSR, starting the moment Lenin’s health began to weaken after a failed assassination attempt in 1918 and culminating with Lenin’s death in 1924. Players will take on the role of either Stalin or Trotsky, playing cards from a common display (plus one hidden card each) to gain control of “issues,” such as the NKVD, Politburo, and personal access to Lenin. Cards can also be played for specific historical events, and additional Region and Politician cards may enter play each round, favoring whichever player was able to control the relevant issue in the previous round. Victory can be achieved in three different ways: control of the Army, domination of the Party, or lasting Fame after Lenin’s death. Players must therefore balance short-term gains towards each of these conditions with long-term bonuses from Regions and Politicians, while also ensuring that their opponent is not able to play the cards that will most benefit them. The result is a tense, fast-paced game where every card counts and you always have to stay one step ahead of your opponent.

Stalin’s historical victory in this power struggle led to Trotsky’s exile and eventual death in 1940, determining the course that the young Soviet Union would take over the following decades. In contrast to Trotsky’s internationalism, Stalin was a proponent of “socialism in one country,” focusing on the survival of the Bolshevik government in Russia and building up the military and industrial capacity of the USSR. Stalin went on to purge several thousand internal opponents during the 1930s, including suspected allies of Trotsky, but under his leadership the Soviet Union was also instrumental in defeating Nazi Germany and its allies during World War II. We can only speculate about how things might have turned out if Trotsky, instead of Stalin, had been leading the USSR, but history would certainly have been different. Lenin’s Legacy lets you recreate this critical period of world history, experiencing a struggle that undoubtedly shaped the twentieth century.