player guide
How to Play the Budget Game: Rules, Episodes and Scoring
The goal: bring the deficit from 5.9% of GDP down to 3.0% within five seasons, without losing the December vote.
Start seasonThe five indicators
| Indicator | What it measures | How you lose |
|---|---|---|
| Deficit | Budget balance as a share of GDP | No direct end state; it worsens debt and yields |
| Debt | Debt stock as a share of GDP | Weighs on your score and on the spread |
| Bond yield | The cost of refinancing the debt | Above 5% a funding crisis opens |
| Political capital | Your capacity to force hard measures | At zero you cannot pass anything new |
| Popularity | Public support | Under 10% the prime minister removes you |
The twelve episodes of one season
Every month has a title, a scene and three options.
| # | Month | Episode |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | January | The handover and the priority speech |
| 2 | January | The Handover |
| 3 | March | The Hearing |
| 4 | April | The Number |
| 5 | May | Brussels |
| 6 | June | The Envelopes |
| 7 | July | The Élysée |
| 8 | August | The Press Room |
| 9 | September | Budget Day |
| 10 | October | The Count |
| 11 | November | The Amendments |
| 12 | December | The Last Vote |
How the score is calculated
- Fiscal improvement: up to 72 points, capped at a deficit of 12% or better.
- Debt: 0.6 points for every point of debt ratio below 130%.
- Seasons played: 25 points each.
- Survival: 60 points for finishing all five seasons.
- Popularity: 0.5 points per point.
Ties are broken by arrival: whoever scored first appears higher.