Strategy Guide¶

This guide provides advanced strategies for success in Lawmaker. Whether you're aiming for electoral dominance, legislative influence, or coalition leadership, these tactics will help you achieve your goals.

Core Principles¶

1. Consistency is King¶

The most important strategy: Vote consistently with your ideology.

Why it works:

✓ Clear party brand - Voters know what you stand for
✓ Predictable behavior - Coalition partners trust you
✓ Electoral appeal - Voters reward consistency
✓ Long-term credibility - No flip-flopping accusations

The Golden Rule

A mediocre ideology voted consistently will outperform a perfect ideology voted inconsistently. Voters value reliability over perfection.

2. Know Your Voters¶

Study the elector system:

Each elector has preferences on 8+ issues
They vote for parties matching their values
Recent votes matter more than old votes
Consistency matters more than individual votes

Action: Commission polls regularly to track your standing.

3. Think Long-Term¶

Electoral success takes multiple cycles:

First election - Establish presence, win some seats
Second election - Build on record, grow seats
Third election - Achieve breakthrough or coalition leadership
Fourth+ elections - Sustained success or natural decline

Don't expect instant dominance. Build steadily.

Ideological Positioning¶

Finding Your Niche¶

Analyze the political landscape:

Review existing parties - What ideologies are covered?
Identify gaps - Where is there an underserved voter segment?
Check voter distribution - Where are most electors positioned?
Choose unique position - Don't clone existing parties

Common Ideological Archetypes¶

Left-Wing Progressive¶

Profile: - 🌱 Environmental protection: +1.0 - 🙋‍♀️ Gender equality: +0.9 - 🔨 Workers' rights: +0.8 - 🛡️ Welfare state: +0.9 - ☮️ Diplomatic solutions: +0.7 - 🌍 Open immigration: +0.6

Electoral base: Young progressives, urban voters, environmental activists

Strategy: Propose green energy, welfare expansion, equality legislation

Right-Wing Conservative¶

Profile: - 💰 Free market: +0.9 - 👮‍♂️ Law and order: +0.8 - 🏴 National identity: +0.7 - ⛪ Religious governance: +0.6 - ⚔️ Military strength: +0.7 - 🚫 Border security: +0.8

Electoral base: Traditional voters, business owners, older conservatives

Strategy: Propose tax cuts, law enforcement, border security

Libertarian¶

Profile: - 🗽 Individual liberty: +1.0 - 💰 Free market: +0.8 - ☮️ Diplomatic solutions: +0.6 - 🌍 Open immigration: +0.5 - 🏛️ Secular governance: +0.7 - 👮‍♂️ Law and order: -0.5 (reform focus)

Electoral base: Personal freedom advocates, young professionals, tech workers

Strategy: Propose deregulation, civil liberties protection, non-interventionism

Socialist¶

Profile: - 🚩 Wealth redistribution: +1.0 - 🔨 Workers' rights: +1.0 - 🛡️ Welfare state: +1.0 - 🙋‍♀️ Gender equality: +0.8 - 📚 Education investment: +1.0 - 👶 Support young people: +0.9

Electoral base: Working class, labor unions, social justice advocates

Strategy: Propose worker protections, universal services, wealth redistribution

Centrist¶

Profile: - Most issues: 0.0 to ±0.3 - Balanced, moderate positions - Pragmatic over ideological

Electoral base: Moderate voters, swing voters, pragmatists

Strategy: Build broad coalitions, compromise legislation, stability messaging

Centrist Challenge

Centrist positioning is difficult - you can appear indecisive. If you go centrist, be consistently moderate, not randomly inconsistent.

Legislative Strategy¶

Proposal Timing¶

Early in Election Cycle¶

Best for:

✓ Controversial proposals
✓ Testing voter response
✓ Establishing record

Why: Voters forget over time. Controversial votes early in cycle have less electoral impact.

Mid-Cycle¶

Best for:

✓ Routine legislation
✓ Coalition-building proposals
✓ Standard policy changes

Why: Normal legislative activity. Neither too risky nor too visible.

Late in Cycle (Pre-Election)¶

Best for:

✓ Popular proposals
✓ Campaign-defining legislation
✓ Coalition statements

Why: High visibility. Recent votes matter most to voters. This is your campaign platform.

Late-Cycle Risk

Avoid proposing unpopular or divisive legislation late in election cycle. It will cost you votes!

Multi-Article Strategy¶

Single-article proposals:

✓ Clear message
✓ Easier to pass
✓ Specific focus
✗ Uses full 30 PP for one change

Multi-article proposals (2-5 articles):

✓ Efficient use of PP
✓ Coherent policy package
✗ Harder to pass
✗ One bad article can sink entire proposal

Package Deals

Use multi-article proposals for ideologically coherent packages: "Green Energy Transition Act" (renewable energy + emission standards + conservation) makes sense together.

Building Support Before Proposing¶

Don't waste 30 PP on failed proposals:

Draft proposal - Plan what you'll propose
Message potential supporters - Use communication
Offer deals - Vote trading, coalition agreements
Count votes - Do you have majority support?
Propose - Only when you have the votes

Pre-Negotiation

The best proposers spend more time negotiating support than writing the proposal. Build your majority before spending PP.

Coalition Strategy¶

Finding Coalition Partners¶

Look for parties with:

Similar ideological positions (±0.3 on key issues)
Compatible legislative goals
Reliable voting records
Active, communicative leaders

Coalition Negotiation Tactics¶

1. The Even Split¶

Distribute benefits proportionally:

Cabinet positions by seat share
Legislative agenda time-sharing
Mutual support commitments

Example:

Party A (250 seats, 38%): PM + 3 ministers
Party B (180 seats, 28%): Deputy PM + 2 ministers
Party C (90 seats, 14%): 1 minister

2. The Senior-Junior Partnership¶

Larger party leads, smaller party supports:

Senior partner: More cabinet positions, sets agenda
Junior partner: Guaranteed support for key priorities
Clear hierarchy prevents disputes

3. The Issue Alliance¶

Partner on specific issues, not overall:

"We'll support your environmental laws if you support our worker protections"
Flexible, issue-by-issue cooperation
Good for parties with mixed compatibility

Coalition Management¶

Maintain your coalition through:

Regular communication - Don't ghost your partners
Honor agreements - Vote as promised
Share credit - Public recognition of partners' contributions
Flexibility - Compromise on minor issues
Transparency - No secret deals that undermine coalition

Coalition Collapse

Most coalitions fail due to: - Broken vote commitments - Poor communication - Uneven benefit distribution - Ideological drift by one partner

Electoral Strategy¶

Vote Timing and Elections¶

Votes 0-30 days before election: CRITICAL - Very high impact

Votes 30-90 days before election: Important - Moderate impact

Votes 90+ days before election: Foundational - Lower impact but builds record

Campaign Mode

Enter "campaign mode" 30 days before elections: - Only vote on safe, popular proposals - Commission polls to track position - Communicate electoral platform - Avoid risks

Reading the Electorate¶

Commission polls to track:

Your vote share trajectory (rising/falling?)
Competitor positions
Turnout projections
Seat predictions

Adjust strategy based on polls:

Leading: Maintain course, avoid risks
Competitive: Differentiate from rivals, take clear positions
Trailing: Bold moves needed, propose popular legislation

Post-Election Strategy¶

After winning seats:

Form government - Lead cabinet formation if largest party
Recruit characters - Build activist roster for cabinet
Propose agenda - Use electoral mandate for proposals
Strengthen coalitions - Reward supporters

After losing seats:

Analyze defeat - What went wrong?
Adjust ideology - Small tweaks if needed
Build opposition - Coordinate against government
Prepare for next cycle - Start building new record

Resource Management¶

Political Power Budgeting¶

Weekly sustainable budget: ~168 PP (24/day × 7 days)

Recommended allocation:

60-90 PP - Proposals (2-3 per week)
30-50 PP - Character recruitment (3-5 per week)
20-40 PP - Polls (2-4 per week)
Reserve - 30-60 PP saved for opportunities

PP Efficiency Tips¶

Coordinate with coalition - Take turns proposing to share costs
Use free actions extensively - Voting, messaging, commenting
Don't cap out - Spending wasted generation is inefficient
Poll before proposing - 10 PP poll can prevent wasting 30 PP
Recruit strategically - 3 great characters > 10 mediocre ones

Character Strategy¶

Building Your Roster¶

Early game (Cycles 1-2):

Recruit 2-3 activists with high traits
Focus on persuasion traits for proposing
Save PP for proposals

Mid game (Cycles 3-5):

Expand to 5-7 activists
Add profile-focused characters for cabinet
Develop star politicians

Late game (Cycles 6+):

Maintain 7-10 top activists
Replace low-performers
Build recognizable party leadership

Character Roles¶

Assign specific roles:

Chief Legislator - High persuasion, authors all proposals
Cabinet Members - High profile, fill government positions
Rising Stars - Growing activists, future leaders
Specialists - Issue-focused characters

Advanced Tactics¶

The Legislative Blitz¶

Rapid proposal strategy:

Save up 90-120 PP
Propose 3-4 laws in quick succession
Force rivals to respond
Dominate legislative agenda

When to use: After winning election with mandate

The Opposition Block¶

Coordinate to defeat government:

Identify government's priorities
Message other opposition parties
Coordinate No votes
Block their agenda

When to use: When excluded from government, building alternative coalition

The Trojan Horse¶

Strategic proposal design:

Include popular articles most parties want
Add one controversial article aligned with your ideology
Package forces others to accept your controversial position

When to use: When you have majority support but want to push boundaries

Risky

This can backfire if parties vote No on entire package to block the controversial article.

The Electoral Pivot¶

Shift positioning for electoral gain:

Commission polls to identify popular positions
Gradually adjust voting to align
Maintain consistency within new position
Avoid flip-flopping appearance

When to use: After sustained electoral losses, need strategy change

Dangerous

This can destroy your brand if done poorly. Only pivot gradually and with clear justification.

The Kingmaker¶

Small party with swing votes:

Win enough seats to tip majority
Negotiate with both major coalitions
Extract maximum concessions
Join coalition offering best deal

When to use: When you're small but both major coalitions need your votes

Common Mistakes to Avoid¶

Strategic Errors

Inconsistent voting - Destroys your brand
Ignoring voters - Proposing unpopular laws
Poor coalition management - Breaking commitments
Wasting PP - Failed proposals, unnecessary actions
Capping out PP - Hitting 120 repeatedly wastes generation
Late-cycle risks - Controversial votes before elections
Over-recruiting - Too many low-quality activists
No communication - Isolation from other parties
Impatience - Expecting immediate electoral success
Copying others - No unique ideological positioning

Measuring Success¶

Electoral Metrics¶

Vote share - Growing over time?
Seat count - Increasing representation?
Government participation - In cabinet?
Coalition leadership - Leading coalitions?

Legislative Metrics¶

Proposals passed - Success rate of your proposals?
Influence - Do others support your legislation?
Issue ownership - Are you the party on certain issues?

Long-Term Metrics¶

Party longevity - Surviving many cycles?
Brand strength - Clear identity?
Relationships - Strong coalition network?
Character development - Growing activist profiles?

Next Steps¶

Practice: Apply these strategies in your country
Adapt: Adjust based on your political landscape
Experiment: Try different approaches
Learn: Study successful parties in your country
Communicate: Build relationships with other parties

Remember: Strategy is about consistent execution over time, not perfect individual decisions. Play the long game!