Abolition Now!


7 septembre 2015

Activist, journalist, lawyer, diplomat or head of government? You choose your role in order to accomplish one single mission: abolishing the death penalty in four countries. Ready to play Abolition Now?

Abolition Now is the first board game that Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM) has created with the support of the Ludocom publishing company. A cooperative game to understand from the inside the difficulties and obstacles faced while fighting for abolition. "Until now, we mainly developed academic teaching tools to be used during class timewith the intervention of a teacher, explains Marianne Rossi, the Teaching Abolition Project Manager at ECPM. We needed a more fun tool to reach a wider audience and raise awareness on the fight against the death penalty. "

But how can we combine a fun game to such a topic? "The game can be serious and the mechanics that underly it still be playful ", explains Serge Comba from Ludocom, an active defendor of a new innovative way of considering board games, who was able to create board games on topics as unusual as ecological agriculture or the dovecotes of Tarne-et-Garonne."That's what's great in the games, says the editor. They help communicate complex issues in an entertaining way."

In Abolition Now, the 4-6 players have the power to take action according to their role and are encouraged to develop a strategy taking into account three criteria: public opinion, the political context and the freedom of expression. "It's a game that reflects our values and our way of perceiving and implementing the abolitionist work, says Marianne Rossi. We must succeed in combining skills and influences to create a global context which can lead to the vote of a law abolishing the death penalty." But in real life as in the game, "there are always events that make things more complicated, says Serge Comba. This is what spices up the game. "

So want to try? Abolition Now will be available on the ECPM stand during the Fête de l’Humanité from September 11th to September 13th and will be presented in the forthcoming militant actions of the association. Francophones and Anglophones can play together as the game cards are available in both languages. Players can also download and print the extension of the game, which is already available, to test their abolitionist strategy in ten additional countries.

The extension of the game :
Donwload the country cards in English here
Donwload the intellectual cards in English here.

To know more about the game, contact Marianne Rossi mrossi@abolition.fr

Camille Sarret.