Ernest Ng’s new card game based on Malaysian politics

Ernest Ng, the cartoonist who made us laugh with his comic series ‘Bro, Don’t Like That La, Bro’, just released a set of cards (designed to look like playing cards) called ‘I Have The Numbers’.  

In an interview with Malaysiakini, the 37-year-old explained: “I worked on this game with my collaborator, Brian Ooi for almost two years.

“We began sometime in early 2022. Initially, it was expected to be released before the 15th general election but the development process took quite a while as making a simple card game turned out to be more complex than expected.

“Although we missed the initial launch date, I’m glad the game is finally completed,” he said, adding that the cards can also be a collector's item as the deck features various different characters.

There are 20 different politicians featured including Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, DAP national chairperson Lim Guan Eng and PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang.

The game’s objective is to help Anwar get the numbers by rallying as many politicians to one player’s side and help him win the election.

“This game is based on the famous catchphrase uttered by our prime minister and the gameplay mechanic is based on that.

“There is a set of rules under which these cards can be played. This game involves quick math and a bit of deception,” he added.

Maverick figures

Considering that Malaysian politics is a roller coaster ride, we asked Ng if he was concerned that some of those featured such as former ministers Adham Baba and Rina Harun are now old news.

“I see it as some sort of memorabilia and these featured politicians are some of my favourites that I have drawn over the years.

“To me, Mahathir is the most wily and cunning politician. So he gets the honour of being the wild card,” said Ng.

Each deck is sold for RM50 and they are available on Shopee for now. They will soon be available at bookstores and selected game outlets by the end of the month.

Not one to stand still, Ng said there are also expansion plans for this card game.

“This is just the core set and the expansion set would introduce more exciting game mechanics to illustrate our colourful political scene in Malaysia,” he added.

Ng is also the cartoonist who created the pandemic-inspired ‘If Malaysia Was Anime: Covidball Z’.

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