Country Roles
We’ve designed all the roles at First Contact: 2035 to ensure every player will have an awesome day. Regardless of what role you play, whether it’s the leader of a country, scientist attempting to understand the alien’s biology or a member of press reporting on the day’s chaos, we expect you’ll have a fantastic time.
You can find an outline of the types of roles that each country will be made up of below.
Head of State
There are 27 played countries in First Contact: 2035 and each one needs a leader. Do you have what it takes to lead a team of players — and your country — through the inevitable issues that will strike?
What type of player will enjoy this role?
If you’re good with people, enjoy negotiating and most importantly delegating responsibility to other players then this role could be for you.
You’ll need to make decisions with incomplete information that could affect your country, team, allies and adversaries and then deal with the inevitable consequences.
Do you have broad shoulders, the ability to bring other players on side, the capability to manage a team of people and your country’s budget? If you do, this role could be for you.
Chief of Staff
Only three countries in the game — the United States, Russia and China — will have a Chief of Staff role that will report directly to the President. Because these three teams are larger than the others, the Chief of Staff will help manage everything that will be going on.
What type of player will enjoy this role?
Are you organised and two steps ahead of your rivals? Can you quickly analyse a complex situation and distil it down to a short explanation and a couple of options? Do you enjoy managing large teams of people and acting with the authority of the President?
If the answer is yes to all these questions, then we’ve got the role for you. As a Chief of Staff you’ll be expected to help manage the team’s priorities, understand and collate information on complex, real-time situations and act as a bridge between the President and the rest of the team.
Got what it takes? Sign up now.
Interior Minister
The Interior Minister, or Home Secretary, if you’re a member of the British Government, is primarily a diplomatic role that focuses on a number of sections of the game, including liaising with corporations, scientists and the press.
What type of player will enjoy this role?
Interior Ministers will need to be able to successfully negotiate with non-state actors to gain access to resources and new technologies and put a positive spin on whatever your country’s leader just signed off on with the press.
If you like working with other people to accomplish your team’s goals, this could be the role for you.
Foreign Minister
The Foreign Minister is the externally facing member of the government and focuses on ensuring trade deals are in place, making alliances with non-played countries on the regional maps and liaising with world leaders.
What type of player will enjoy this role?
If you’re the type of player that enjoys making your own game, this role will be great for you. In addition to setting up trade deals with other played countries, you’ll want to keep an eye out for what is happening across the game and how it might impact your country.
You’ll obviously be guided by your leader in what they would do, but this is a more free-form role so you should be comfortable with being a self-starter and knowing how to get things done.
Military Commander
Military Commanders will spend the majority of their game at the regional maps, representing their nation’s military forces. This isn’t a game of Risk, but you will need to bring your A-game to ensure resources are protected, your country’s interests represented on the world stage, liaise closely with your allies and potentially most importantly of all, find out what your adversaries are up to.
What type of player will enjoy this role?
If you enjoy board games you’ll probably find this role to your liking. You will need to manage your military forces, make alliances with non-played countries on the regional maps, understand what implications your actions can have on the wider game and manage the interception of….weather balloons.
Think you’ve got what it takes to be a 21st Century military commander? Sign up now, solider!
UN Ambassador
The United Nations Security Council is made up of the five Permanent Member States (China, France, Russia, UK and USA) along with the United Nations Secretary General and discuss/vote on resolutions affecting the world.
What type of player will enjoy this role?
If you enjoy putting your point across — and crucially — listening to others, acting as a UN Ambassador for one of the Permanent five could be for you. The United Nations Security Council has the power to intervene in global crises, sanction countries that are breaking international law and pass new resolutions that could directly impact the game.
This much power cannot be wielded alone in a multilateral world however, and you’ll need to ensure your allies and adversaries alike have reasons to vote with you, if you want your favoured resolutions to pass.
Looking for another role? Check out the Roles Guide for further information.