Politics

America's government is older than ever, so we made this 'Dungeons & Dragons'-inspired tabletop role-playing game to show you why the system favors gerontocracy

The cover photo of Insider's TTRPG designed to explore America's gerontocracy.
Tyler Le
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For several weeks, Insider has explored the reality of America's aging government.

Congress is older than ever, and America's young people are not represented in the body at the rate they otherwise should be. The effects are felt in Congress, the White House, and across the judiciary. And the issues that fuel this reality — the incentives of seniority, the advantages of incumbents, the ascendant fundraising from retirees, the effects of redistricting — are both systemic and tough to define. 

To better understand how difficult it is for younger politicians to attain and remain in office, Insider has designed a game: Welcome to "Dungeons & Democracy," a dice-based adventure inspired by Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition.

Print out your character sheet — play first as a younger member, then again as an older member — get some dice and perhaps a friend to play as game master, and get ready for a journey that could take you from your sleepy home district straight to the halls of power in the US Capitol.

 

 

 

 

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Walt was Business Insider's Deputy Editor for Data and Analysis.Hickey is the author of You Are What You Watch, and also writes Numlock News, a daily morning newsletter. He came from FiveThirtyEight where he was chief culture writer. Walt previously worked at Business Insider from 2012 to 2013, and  graduated from The College of William and Mary with a degree in Applied Mathematics. In additon to his work on elections and data journalism, he also edits comics at Business Insider.In 2022, Hickey won the Pulitzer Prize for Illustrated Reporting for his work on Business Insider's I Escaped A Chinese Internment Camp documenting the plight of Uyghurs in China.