Why we created DIKTAT
DIKTAT was born from a simple desire: to offer a strategy card game that is deep yet accessible, playable in about twenty minutes, with no physical materials, and no compromise on tactical richness. Too many online games rely on luck or speed; we wanted, on the contrary, a title where every card played triggers a chain of consequences, where the decisions of other players directly influence your own possibilities, and where victory rewards long-term planning.
The theme — that of a fictional political assembly where players write laws, organize plots and negotiate their influence — allows us to model real economic and social dynamics: monopoly, inflation, asset downgrading, sanctions, vetoes, lobbying. Every game of DIKTAT tells a different story, because the order in which laws are passed alters the entire ruleset of the next turn.
Our approach: a free game with no intrusive advertising, open to the community, accessible from the very first click without account creation (in solo mode) and with a progressive interactive tutorial to learn the rules at your own pace. The game logic source code is shared between the client and the server, ensuring rule consistency between solo and multiplayer modes.
A mechanic built on influence
At the heart of DIKTAT lies a central concept: Influence Points (IP). Each player accumulates tokens of three different metals — Bronze, Silver and Gold — representing their political influence. A Bronze token is worth 1 IP, a Silver token is worth 4, and a Gold token is worth 15. This non-linear progression is the engine of the entire strategy: converting your tokens to the most precious metal maximises your power, but exposes you more to opponents' plots.
This tension between concentration of wealth (few Gold tokens, high value, vulnerability to Hostile Takeovers and Bankruptcies) and dispersion (lots of Bronze, more resilient but few IP) is what makes every turn interesting. You can decide to play it safe for three turns, accumulate Bronze, then convert massively at the BANK to make a spectacular leap in the rankings — at the risk of becoming the designated target of all other players.
The Book of Laws
Six shared slots make up the Book of Laws. At any time, up to six laws can be active simultaneously. These laws apply to all players, including the one who passed them. They can automatically transfer tokens (economic laws), trigger conditional effects (conditional laws), modify bank conversion rates (conversion laws) or punish a specific behaviour (sanction laws).
The only way to permanently remove a law from the Book is to play an Executive Decree card. A Political Veto card also lets you modify a parameter of an already-recorded law, without removing it. This rule creates tense negotiation moments: if a law benefits you, your opponents will actively seek to cancel it; if it penalises you, you must choose between enduring it or spending an Executive Decree to get rid of it. When all six slots are occupied, no new law can be recorded until a slot is freed.
The art of the plot
The game features 30 Plot cards spread across six families, each with a precise role in the dynamics of the game:
- Hostile Takeover Silver (×3) — You pay 1 Silver token to the Bank, then steal 1 Silver token from the player of your choice. Direct IP transfer: your opponent loses 4 IP, you gain 4. The cost is paid before the veto, which makes the card risky.
- Hostile Takeover Gold (×3) — Same principle with Gold. The IP swing is massive: 15 IP change camps. It's the ultimate weapon against the leader, but the stakes make it the card most likely to be vetoed.
- Bankruptcy (×6) — Targets a player who has no Bronze tokens; they must downgrade their highest-value token (Gold to Silver, Silver to Bronze, or Gold directly to 5 Bronze). It's the punitive card that prevents players from rising too quickly to Gold without keeping a Bronze buffer.
- Speculation (×6) — Exchange up to 5 Bronze tokens for as many Silver tokens directly with the Bank. It's the "economic boost" card: it doesn't directly harm anyone but accelerates your rise in IP spectacularly (+3 net IP per converted token, up to +15 IP).
- Executive Decree (×6) — Permanently cancels a law of your choice from the Book of Laws. The "reset" card that completely changes the strategic landscape mid-game.
- Exchange Control (×6) — For one full turn, no player can exchange tokens at the Bank. A tempo card: used at the right moment, it prevents an opponent from making a decisive conversion.
The Veto: reactive defence
Every action can be contested. The game features 15 Veto cards spread across three families, playable in reaction (and a maximum of one Veto per turn, across all players):
- Standard Veto (×7) — Cancels a Proposition, Plot or Resources card played by another player. The attacking card is discarded with no effect (but the cost already paid is not refunded).
- Political Veto (×3) — Lets you modify a parameter of a law already recorded in the Book of Laws (target, quantity, token type, condition...). Can be played during your own turn. Very powerful for turning an opposing law to your advantage without having to remove it.
- Targeted Veto (×5) — Cancels a Plot targeting you and turns it back against its author. It's the most spectacular card in the game: a reversed Hostile Takeover can trigger the immediate elimination of the attacker if they no longer have the corresponding metal token.
Managing your Veto hand is central: a player who always keeps a Veto in hand becomes nearly untouchable, but every Veto card in hand is a card not played to attack. The balance between offence and defence often determines the final outcome.
Game modes and accessibility
DIKTAT offers several modes to suit every player profile:
- Solo against artificial intelligence — From 2 to 5 bots (for games of 3 to 6 players in total), with three difficulty levels (Easy, Medium, Hard). The AI was developed specifically for DIKTAT, with multi-turn strategic evaluation that analyses the Book of Laws, anticipates opponents' vetoes and plans its turns over multiple cards.
- Online multiplayer — Private games with room codes (perfect for playing with friends), random public games, and soon seasonal tournaments with cosmetic rewards.
- Spectator mode — Watch any ongoing game without participating. Ideal for learning from the best players or commenting on a live game.
- Interactive tutorial — A guided fifteen-minute introduction covering the five phases of a turn, the four card families and the victory conditions. Recommended before your first online game.
The game is compatible with all modern browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge) and works equally well on desktop and tablet. Particular attention has been paid to smartphone landscape mode, with a compact layout specific to screens in horizontal orientation.
Our commitment to the community
DIKTAT is free and will remain so. No "pay-to-win" mechanics: all strategic advantages are obtained solely through gameplay. The optional cosmetic packs (avatars, visual themes) only serve to support development and never affect game balance.
We believe in transparency: the rules shared between client and server are fully tested (over 1,700 automated tests cover game logic), and every major update is documented in our changelogs. Personal data handling is detailed in our privacy policy, and the terms of use are available in our terms of service.
The team can be reached at info@diktat.ca for any question, improvement suggestion or bug report. Community feedback is the main source of our upcoming features.
Roadmap
Several developments are planned in the coming months:
- Seasonal tournaments with exclusive cosmetic rewards.
- Ranked mode with ELO system and progression badges.
- Game replays with interactive timeline to review every turn.
- Advanced statistics per player: card play distribution, veto rate, etc.
- Native mobile app for iOS and Android.
- Additional translations beyond French, English, Spanish and Portuguese already available.