Mr. President - Political Campaign and Election Game

Mr. President is a game based on US Presidential Elections. The game starts with players deciding which political party they will represent (Democrat or Republican) and choosing their Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidates from the set provided. Candidates are rated on their Campaign Ability, Financial Support, Press Support, Fund Raising and Advertising ability. They also have a Home State (where they have an advantage) and what programs they are identified with (things like "Tax Reform" or "National Defense").

Once the candidates are chosen, each player receives a number of "Ballot Cards" equal to their Campaign Ability. They then choose which region in which to campaign for this turn. There are four regions (North, South, East and West) each containing 12-14 states (or the District of Columbia). The states in the region are numbered 1-12. The player rolls two dice. They can campaign in the states matching the number on either of the dice or the one matching the total of the dice.

Each ballot card contains a number of votes and a list of states (one from each region). If the player has a ballot card matching one of the states they are campaigning in, they may "cast ballots" in that state. They may play as many cards as they wish as long as the state on the card matches the die roll. Their opponent is not told how many votes are being cast, only that a card is being played.

When a player has played all of their ballot cards they refill their hand from the deck. When one of the players has played all of the cards in their deck then the election is over. The players then, for each state, add up all of the votes cast in that state and add in the "built in edge" for that state for their political party. The party with the most votes in that state wins the state and gets the electoral votes for that state. Whichever party wins the most electoral votes wins the game.

There are additional rules covering undecided voters, advertising, debates and the effect of the press on the election.

At it's core Mr. President is a card game with an election theme. The game is actually fairly well done and manages to carry a lot of flavor of an election. Unfortunately, it is horribly out of date (the statistics in the game are compiled from the election results of the 1940 - 1960 elections which makes it around a half-century behind) and obviously the number of electoral votes for the states have changed.

The game also presents an almost idealized view of elections. There is none of the back-room politics, dirty dealing or mudslinging that we have become accustomed to over the past 20-30 years in the game. A game closer to the modern perception of politics is probably Lie, Cheat and Steal. Still, Mr. President is a fairly good game and a good look back at a time now gone.

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