Victory Card Game – The English Masters versus the Leadership of Nazi Germany – England, C. 1940.
A patriotic propaganda card game intended to boost the morale of the British public (especially children and families) during the Blitz and the difficult days of the war, while familiarizing players with the branches of the British military and its leadership. The game is based on collecting sets of similar cards (resembling the well-known “Quartets” card game). Players are required to assemble sets of three or more cards belonging to the same branch of the armed forces. The dominant cards in the game are the “Master” cards (special cards that can function as jokers or confer an advantage), featuring colorful caricatures of the leaders of the British realm during those years: Chamberlain, the former Prime Minister of Great Britain, is depicted with the famous umbrella that became his trademark; Winston Churchill – the Prime Minister who led Britain to victory (mentioned in the instruction sheet as the Master card for the Navy set); Lord Gort / John Vereker – the general who commanded the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France and led the famous evacuation from Dunkirk in 1940 – appears as the Master card for the Army set; Sir Cyril Newall – Marshal of the Royal Air Force (RAF) at the beginning of the war until the end of 1940 – serves as the Master card for the Air Force set.
On the other side are the Penalty Cards, represented by the leadership of the Nazi regime – Adolf Hitler, Joachim von Ribbentrop, Joseph Goebbels, and Hermann Göring. In contrast to the British leaders’ cards, which provide an advantage and function as jokers, the cards of the enemies of the Allies work in precisely the opposite manner – they are a burden, and the player’s objective is to rid himself of them during the game so as not to be left holding them at the end of the round. A brilliant example of how the British transformed the Nazi enemy into an interactive game: your leaders are the heroes who save you (the Masters), while the German leadership is the “rubbish” that must be thrown from your hand. The first player to reach 125 points wins the game.
The instruction sheet sets out the official rules under the heading Entered at Stationers’ Hall.
Original box. 43 cards (One card is missing). And the instruction sheet. Tears and losses to the box. The cards are in very good condition.
