Strategic Role-Playing Game Explores Post-Election Crisis Scenarios in the U.S.

In a Dupont Circle salon, about two dozen participants joined a scenario-planning game designed by Atoll Society co-founder Dmitri Mehlhorn to probe how American democratic institutions might unravel after a razor-thin 2028 election. Players were divided into Institutionalists, Nationalists and Capitalists, each pursuing distinct objectives ranging from preserving congressional oversight to seizing economic assets. The Nationalists employed administrative tactics—restructuring 401(k) eligibility, creating a federal pardon portal, and bolstering militia forces—while the Institutionalists launched corruption probes and sought Capitalist support for free-election campaigns.

Capitalist players debated hedging strategies, including offshore asset shifts and private-army concepts, ultimately channeling funds to break a National Guard cordon around the Capitol. The AI adjudicator determined that the Institutionalists prevailed, preventing full-scale civil war but still damaging the economy, and Wes Moore was inaugurated as the 48th president. Mehlhorn noted that repeating the game with identical moves would let Nationalists win roughly one in six times, underscoring the fragile balance of power.