OnlyCoups is a political simulation where you scheme, work, and occasionally overthrow the government -- all in about 15 minutes a day.
The game runs on 4-hour cycles. You queue actions during the cycle, and they all execute when the cycle ticks. Think of it as submitting your evil plans and waiting for the universe to process them.
Every cycle, your energy resets to 100. You cannot hoard energy across cycles. Use it or lose it -- just like real political capital.
Actions cost energy and sometimes crowns. Queue them up, and they execute at the next cycle tick. If an action fails, you get 50% of the energy cost refunded. The crowns, however, are gone. Such is the price of ambition.
Earn 100 crowns base income. Career level and political positions add bonuses. Merchants and Industrialists earn more. Your nation may also apply an income multiplier. Honest labour -- the foundation of every future coup.
Click an adjacent hex on the city map to move there. Six directions (N, S, NW, NE, SW, SE). Water hexes are impassable -- apparently, politicians cannot swim.
Gain +5 influence in one of four types: Political, Military, Economic, or Media. Priests double the gain. Influence caps at 100. Choose your sphere of corruption wisely.
Hire manpower at 10 crowns per unit. Your nation's cost multiplier applies -- some dystopias charge extra for the privilege of having henchmen.
Attempt to seize a political position. Requires 50+ military influence. Base success rate: 10%. Military influence above 50 adds +2% per point. Generals get +20%. Some nations have a coup bonus (looking at you, Croissantia). Maximum success rate: 70%. On success, you gain the position and +30 to all influence types. On failure, you lose 50 military influence. High risk, high reward -- the OnlyCoups way.
Four types of influence represent your grip on power. Each caps at 100.
| Type | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Political | Your standing in the halls of power |
| Military | Controls access to coups (need 50+ to attempt) |
| Economic | Your financial clout |
| Media | Your ability to shape public opinion |
Every time you work, you gain 1 XP. Level-ups are automatic when you hit cumulative XP thresholds. Higher levels mean better income bonuses.
| Level | Total XP Required |
|---|---|
| 1 | 5 XP |
| 2 | 15 XP |
| 3 | 30 XP |
| 4 | 50 XP |
| 5 | 75 XP |
| 6 | 105 XP |
Positions are seized through coups. Each position grants bonus income when you work. The bigger the title, the fatter the paycheck.
| Position | Level | Bonus Income |
|---|---|---|
| Mayor | City | +150 crowns |
| Police Chief | City | +100 crowns |
| Tax Collector | City | +100 crowns |
| Judge | City | +100 crowns |
| Governor | Province | +300 crowns |
| Captain | Province | +200 crowns |
| Prefect | Province | +200 crowns |
| Intendant | Province | +200 crowns |
| Emperor | National | +1000 crowns |
| Minister | National | +500 crowns |
| General | National | +400 crowns |
The world has three zoom levels, navigated via the breadcrumb in the game header:
| Level | What You See |
|---|---|
| Nation | List of provinces in your nation |
| Province | List of cities with population and level |
| City | Hex map where you move and interact |
Click the breadcrumb labels to zoom out. Click a city or province to zoom in. Your character is shown as a pulsing dot with a "YOU" label. Other players in your city are visible on the map.
Three public channels are available:
| Channel | Audience |
|---|---|
| City | Players in your current city |
| Nation | All players in your nation |
| Global | Everyone. For diplomatic incidents and trash talk. |
Each nation provides passive bonuses that affect gameplay. Choose your dystopia based on playstyle, not just the flag art.
| Bonus Type | Effect |
|---|---|
| Income Bonus | Multiplier on crowns earned from Work |
| Cost Multiplier | Multiplier on Recruit and Coup costs (lower is better) |
| Coup Bonus | Multiplier on coup success rate |
Every 4 hours, the cycle ticks. Here is what happens, in order:
The cycle countdown is visible in the game header. Plan accordingly -- or do not plan at all and blame the universe. Both are valid strategies.