Riyasat: The Great Anarchy
is an asymmetric political-economic strategy game for 2–4 players, set during the power vacuum of 18th-century India (1707–1775) following the death of Emperor Aurangzeb. Players act as Zamindars, local landowners managing tax collection, resource production, and standing armies amidst a fracturing empire.
Land, Labour, Capital
Every decision in Riyasat starts with capacity, modelling the base economic principles of land, labour and capital. Workers produce resources, resources flow, and armies cost. Contracts pull players toward specific goods from specific regions; since no single player controls everything, trade is inevitable and profitable. That trade is never fixed; a base price sits at the centre of every deal, shaped and reshaped through political and financial action.
Pay What Is Owed
Every action has a cost. Every age ends with the sovereign's due; the silver the emperor must have if you want to keep your land. Sair, the tax on the base price, is your lever: improve it, build your revenue around it, and never let the drain outpace the return.
History on the Table
Riyasat is driven by narrative events drawn from real history between 1707 and 1775. Global event cards and contracts reflect the defining conflicts of the period: Indian kingmaking, European colonial rivalry, and the alliances and betrayals that shaped the era. Players must survive shifting demands while absorbing the financial weight of large-scale regional and global war.