Forget sci-fi battles and WW2 recreations, wargame designer Samuel S. Drucker has created a much more grounded miniature game which he says is "about the nuances of mass protest". People's State involves one side playing a crowd, exercising their freedom of speech and trying to occupy an area, while the other works as law enforcement to try and disperse that crowd. Boo! The author plans to release the ruleset in May 2026 on the Wargame Vault marketplace.
While we've only got Drucker's social posts about the game to give us a sense of the ruleset, it certainly sounds interesting. Perhaps surprisingly, it's not focused on combat. In a Facebook post sharing the game, Drucker writes: "Where other games may highlight violent riot behavior/combat, my game deals with a balance between crowd control, optics, and tension within peaceful protest."
On Reddit, he explains that while the protest can escalate and law enforcement can use violent methods like rubber bullets and tear gas, they won't win by "just taking the 'brutal' approach". Instead, managing public opinion is vital for both sides, with an NPC faction representing the Press playing into proceedings. What's more, the situation never deteriorates into outright war, with escalation ending at less-lethal methods.
Though recent events in the US and elsewhere obviously spring to mind when looking at this game, its creator says people can decide for themselves what the protest is actually about. Their own protestor minis sport signs voicing their displeasure at a local game store closing down.
This isn't the first weirdly specific wargame Drucker has produced. They've already got a game up on Wargame Vault called Matchlocks & Witchcraft. It's a 17th Century miniatures game inspired by folk horror, and featuring Puritans versus Witches.
People's State is expected to be released in May 2026. Let us know if you're interested by joining the conversation over on the Wargamer Discord.