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Countries

Lawmaker features multiple fictional countries, each functioning as an independent political simulation. This guide introduces the countries available in the game.

How Countries Work

Common Features

All countries share:

Unique Characteristics

Each country has:

  • Different population - Affects scale of politics
  • Different legislatures - Number and structure of assemblies
  • Different cabinet positions - Unique government roles
  • Different player community - Distinct political culture
  • Different history - Unique legislative and electoral records

Available Countries

Avalon

Parliamentary Democracy

Population: 65 million Legislature: National Assembly (650 seats) System: Westminster-style parliamentary democracy Elections: Every 4 game years

Avalon is the flagship country in Lawmaker, featuring a large legislature (650 seats), active player community, established political traditions, and complex coalition dynamics. Read more about Avalon →

Marianne

Republic

System: French-inspired republican system Style: Multi-party parliamentary democracy

Named after the French national symbol, Marianne offers distinct political character, European-influenced governance, and an active legislative system. Read more about Marianne →

Columbia

Presidential System

System: American-inspired governance Style: Presidential democracy

Columbia brings New World political traditions with a different executive structure, unique cabinet system, and distinct political culture. Read more about Columbia →

Rheinland

Federation

System: German-inspired federal system Style: Federal parliamentary democracy

Rheinland offers federal governance with German political traditions, coalition-focused politics, and a structured approach to government. Read more about Rheinland →

Private Countries

Some countries are set up as private, invite-only games. These are created by supporters who want to run a closed game with friends or a specific community.

How to Recognise a Private Country

Private countries are marked with a padlock icon on the country list and on their detail page. Instead of a "Create Party" button, you will see a "Join with Invite Code" button.

Joining a Private Country

To create a party in a private country you need an invite code — a short alphanumeric password provided by the country owner.

There are two ways to join:

  1. Via the invite link — The country owner can share a direct URL of the form /countries/<country-slug>/new-party/<code>. Opening that link takes you straight to party creation with the code pre-validated.
  2. Via the "Join with Invite Code" button — Click the button on the country list or detail page, then type in your code when prompted.

If you enter an incorrect code you will see an error and can try again.

Getting an Invite Code

Ask the country owner to share their invite link with you. The shareable link looks like: https://lawmakergame.com/countries/my-country/new-party/ABC123

Creating a Private Country

Private countries are a supporter-only feature. If you have supporter status you can tick the "Make this a private country" option when proposing a country, and set your own invite code (up to 8 alphanumeric characters). A random 6-character code is suggested for you, but you can edit it.

Supporter Feature

The private country feature is available exclusively to Lawmaker supporters. Visit the support page to find out how to become a supporter.

Choosing a Country

Factors to Consider

When selecting which country to play in:

1. Player Activity

Check which countries have:

  • Active parties
  • Regular proposals
  • Frequent elections
  • Engaged community

Join Active Countries

The game is more fun when other players are active. Check recent activity before choosing!

2. Political Landscape

Review existing parties:

  • What ideologies are already represented?
  • Where is there a gap you could fill?
  • Which parties dominate?
  • What coalitions exist?

3. Your Preferences

Consider:

  • Large vs. small community - More or fewer competitors?
  • Established vs. new - Join mature politics or help build new country?
  • Political style - Which system interests you?
  • Available niches - Where can your party make an impact?

Starting in a New Country

If you're new to Lawmaker:

  1. Research first - Check country overview pages
  2. Review existing parties - See who's already playing
  3. Check recent elections - Understand power balance
  4. Read current laws - Know the status quo
  5. Identify opportunities - Find your niche

Fill a Gap

Look for ideological spaces not covered by existing parties. Creating a unique party is more impactful than copying others!

Country Meta-Game

Developing Culture

Each country develops unique:

  • Political traditions - How coalitions form
  • Legislative norms - What proposals are acceptable
  • Electoral patterns - Typical vote distributions
  • Player relationships - Alliances and rivalries

Becoming Established

Long-term players in a country:

  • Know the history
  • Have existing relationships
  • Understand unwritten rules
  • Shape political culture

Historical Events

Each country has a Historical Events section on its detail page, displaying major lore entries from its past. These are significant moments in the country's fictional history — typically 10–20 events spanning its existence.

What counts as a historical event?

Historical events are major, one-off moments in a country's life story that give it depth and character. Good examples include:

  • The founding or independence of the country
  • A constitutional revolution or regime change
  • A major war, invasion, or peace treaty
  • A significant natural disaster or national crisis
  • The discovery of a valuable resource
  • A landmark social or cultural turning point

Don't duplicate what's already recorded

Events that are already tracked elsewhere in the game — such as constitutional changes, elections, and passed legislation — should not be entered as historical events. Use the historical events section for lore that isn't captured by those systems.

Adding a historical event

Each event records a year (AD), a short headline, and an optional longer description that is hidden until a player clicks to expand it.

One event per year

Only one historical event can exist per year in a country. If a year is already taken, you will see a warning as you type.

Who can add events:

User type Action
Country owner or admin Add event — published immediately
Any other logged-in player Propose event — saved as a draft pending approval

Proposed events are shown in a dashed style and marked "Pending approval". Only the submitting player, the country owner, and admins can see them until approved.

Approving proposed events

Country owners and admins see an Approve button on each pending event. Admins can also Reject & delete a proposal that doesn't fit the country's lore.

Country Information Pages

Each country has overview pages showing:

  • Historical events - Major lore events from the country's past
  • Current laws - Status of all laws
  • Legislative history - What's been changed
  • Active parties - Who's playing
  • Seat distribution - Current legislature composition
  • Government - Current cabinet
  • Election schedule - Upcoming votes
  • Recent activity - Latest proposals and votes

Tips for Country Selection

!!! success "Choosing Wisely" 1. Check activity levels - Join active countries 2. Review existing parties - Find your niche 3. Consider your time - Match commitment to activity 4. Think long-term - You'll be here for many election cycles 5. Try the main country first - Avalon is most established 6. Communicate - Talk to existing players before joining 7. Be unique - Fill gaps in political spectrum

Next Steps

Once you've chosen a country:

Good luck building your political legacy!