1960: THE MAKING OF PRESIDENT
John F. Kennedy
Richard M. NixonAll elections are turning points, but the presidential election of 1960 holds a special place in American history. The 1950s had been a period of unparalled economic growth and US global power under the stewardship of President Dwight Eisenhower and his Vice President, Richard Nixon. Nixon's humble origins gave him a common touch that appealed to small-town America and encompassed the idyllic spirit of the 1950s. Senator John F. Kennedy was in many ways Nixon's antithesis; charming, Harvard-educated, and the scion of an American political dynasty. Kennedy challenged Americans to confront the emerging uncertainties of the era, not with a vision based in the past, but embracing the future's new frontiers.
In 1960: The Making of the President, you take on the role of one of these formidable opponents as they vie to lead America. As candidates, players must contend with all of the great issues of the day, from the Cold War and the voters' pocketbooks to civil rights and religious intolerance. The contest is fought out on an electoral map of the United States as it stood in 1960. Using a card-driven game system, all of the major events which shaped the actual campaign are represented: Nixon's "Lazy Shave", Eisenhower's belated endorsement, and Mayor Daley's "Late Returns from Cook County" are just a few of the many specific event cards players will encounter. The famous televised debates are also a pivotal element of gameplay.
As with a real election campaign, the challenge is to adapt your game plan as the ground shifts beneath your feet. There are never enough resources or time to do everything that needs doing. You will need to make tough calls about where to expend your effort and momentum. Your sole object is to propel yourself into the White House. This fast-playing strategy game for two players challenges you to relive the most significant political contest of the Twentieth Century.
Will you recreate history, or rewrite it?
1960: The Making of the President provides you the opportunity to do both.
OVERVIEW
The goal in 1960: The Making of the President is to claim a majority of electoral votes on Election Day. To do so, you must win states worth a larger combined electoral value than your opponent. Electoral votes are won by gaining State Support in individual states. This support is represented by cubes placed as state support into states. As only one player may have support cubes in a particular state at a time, Support will shift back and forth as the players battle over valuable states. Whichever player manages to have support cubes in a state at the end of the game claims that state's electoral votes.
Players may also supplement their campaign efforts with Media and Issue Support. Media Support is represented by cubes placed as media support into different regional advertising boxes. It facilitates campaigning on a regional level. Issue Support is represented by cubes placed as issue support onto issue tiles. It helps players to gain Momentum and valuable Endorsements capable of tipping states in their favor on Election Day.
All three types of Support are similar in that only a single player may ever have support cubes in the same place at the same time. When a player gains support cubes in a location already occupied by opposing cubes, he first reduces or eliminates his opponent's cubes as needed. Any support cubes left over once all opposing cubes have been removed are added to the board normally.
This same restriction is also true of Endorsements: when a player gains endorsement markers in a region where the opposing player already has an endorsement marker, the opposing marker must first be eliminated.
Most turns consist of playing cards either as Events or for Campaign Points (CP) that may be spent on campaign operations designed to gain State, Media, or Issue Support. Events can have a wide range of effects that often involve gains or losses of these three types of Support as well. The objective is to maximize the impact of Events that favor your own candidate while minimizing the impact of those which further your opponent's interests. Momentum serves this goal by enabling players to spend momentum markers in order to trigger favorable Events on cards played by their opponent. Alternatively, momentum may be used to preempt negative Events on your own cards so your opponent cannot do the same.
COMPONENTS
THE BOARD
SAMPLE STATE BOX
50 STATE SEALS
1 for each state - 2 samples shown.
MOMENTUM MARKERS
TURN TRACK & PHASE TRACK MARKERS
3 ISSUE TILES
1 for each issue: Civil Rights, Defense, and Economy.
BLUE (KENNEDY)
RED (NIXON)
2 CANDIDATE TOKENS
BLUE (KENNEDY)RED (NIXON)THE POLITICAL CAPITAL BAG
ENDORSEMENT CARDS BACK
THE POLITICAL CAPITAL BAG
Players place cubes into the Political Capital Bag at the end of each turn. These cubes are drawn from the bag as part of several game actions. Often, the cubes determine the success or failure of a particular action.
SUPPORT CHECKS
Cubes are commonly drawn from the bag for Support Checks. A Support Check involves drawing a single cube from the bag in hopes of gaining a particular type of Support. If the player draws a cube of his own color, he may place it as a support cube in the appropriate location. If it is the opposing player's color, it must be returned to that player's cube supply.
INITIATIVE CHECKS
The other way cubes are drawn is as an Initiative Check. Initiative Checks are made at the start of each turn to determine which player has the initiative. Usually, the player with initiative decides who acts first that turn. During the Debates and on Election Day, initiative confers other advantages instead. (See the Debates section 1 and Election Day sections 2 and 3). To resolve an Initiative Check, draw cubes from the bag one at a time until two cubes of the same color have been drawn; the player who had two of their own cubes drawn gains the initiative for that turn. All cubes drawn from the bag during an Initiative Check are returned to the player's supply.
RESEEDING THE BAG
If the Political Capital Bag becomes depleted of cubes at any point before the Campaign Strategy phase on Election Day at the end of the game, it should be reseeded with ten cubes from each player.
SETTING UP THE GAME
1) Place the state seals face-up in their corresponding states.
2) Place the appropriate number of state support cubes in each state as indicated by candidate icons; each icon represents one point of starting Support.
3) Place the candidate tokens in their home states; Kennedy in Massachusetts, Nixon in California.
4) Place the issue tiles on their indicated spaces on the Issues Track.
5) Place the turn and phase markers on the first spaces of the Turn and Phase Tracks.
6) Give each player the following:
A) The cube supply of the appropriate color.
B) The appropriate Candidate Card.
C) Two momentum markers.
7) Seed the Political Capital Bag with ten cubes from each player.
8) Shuffle the Campaign Card deck and place it facedown near the board.
9) Shuffle the Endorsement Card deck and place it facedown near the board with the stockpile of Endorsement Markers.
10) Set the Debate Board aside for now; it will not be used until turn 6 - The Debates.
Note: Cube, endorsement marker, and momentum marker totals are not absolute. In the unlikely event that players run out during the game, they should use a convenient replacement such as coins.
SEQUENCE OF PLAY
The game consists of nine turns. Each turn represents roughly one week of the campaign. With the exception of turn 6 (the Debates) and turn 9 (Election Day), these turns all share the following sequence of play:
1) Initiative Phase
2) 5 Activity Phases
3) Momentum Phase
4) Campaign Strategy Phase
Throughout the game, the markers on the Turn and Phase Tracks should be advanced to reflect the current turn and phase.
The Turn & Phase Tracks. In this example, it is the third phase of the second turn.
1. INITIATIVE PHRASE
1) New cards: Each player is dealt a new hand of cards. On the first five turns (before the Debates), players are dealt six cards; on the last two turns (after the Debates), players are dealt seven cards. If the deck is depleted, shuffle the discards to form a new deck.
2) Initiative: An Initiative Check is made to determine who gets to choose the start player for the turn. The player with the initiative may select the start player, who will play first during each Activity Phase of this turn.
Reminder: After the Debates, players receive seven cards per turn rather than six.
Tip: While it is generally advantageous to force your opponent to play first, it may sometimes be more valuable to take the first action of the turn. Choose wisely!
2. ACTIVITY PHASES
There are five Activity Phases per turn. Each phase, both players play and resolve a single card, beginning with the start player. On their turn, players have several options:
a) Play a card as an Event
b) Play a card for Campaign Points
c) Play their Candidate Card
Additionally, players always collect the number of rest cubes indicated on their chosen card (if any). These are cubes taken from the player's supply and placed in their Rest Cube Zone on the board. During the Campaign Strategy Phase, these rest cubes are deposited into the Political Capital Bag.
Reminder: Do not forget to take your rest cubes! It is a good idea to get into the habit of taking them as soon as you play a card, before resolving its effects.
EXAMPLE: The Kennedy player plays this Campaign Card, which indicates a gain of 2 Rest Cubes...
...so the player moves 2 cubes from his supply to his Rest Cube Zone.
A. PLAY A CARD AS AN EVENT
When a card is played as an Event, its event text is read and resolved. After resolving the Event, the card is removed from the game. If the Event has an effect which lasts for the remainder of the turn, the card should be kept in front of the affected player as a reminder until the end of the turn, then it may be removed normally.
PERSISTENT EVENTS
Some Events, identified by special frames around their event text, have effects that remain in play for the duration of the game. These cards should be placed on the designated spaces on the board as a reminder of their effects rather than being removed. Persistent Events fall into three categories, identified by the frame around their event text. Each category has its own designated space on the board.
• DEBATE EVENTS are resolved during the Debates - Turn 6
• ELECTION DAY EVENTS are resolved on Election Day - Turn 9
• PREVENTION EVENTS render certain other Events unplayable
Election Day Event
Normal Event
Debate Event
Prevention EventReminder: Once a card has been played as an Event, it is never placed in the discard pile! Persistent Events are placed on the designated spaces on the board; the rest are removed from the game.
LOSING SUPPORT
Whenever an Event refers to a player subtracting or losing Support, this effect is always limited to what the player has on the board. The opposing player never gains support cubes, even if this means none of the penalty can be applied.
EXAMPLE: The "East Harlem Pledge" event states that Nixon loses 1 Support in the Civil Rights issue as well as 5 State Support in the South. If the Nixon player had no support cubes on Civil Rights at the time this event took place, he would have nothing to lose there; the Kennedy player would not gain Issue Support.
Similarly, if he had only 3 state support cubes in the South, he would lose only those 3 cubes; Kennedy would not gain the remaining 2 Support.
SEQUENCE OF PLAY
B. PLAY A CARD FOR CAMPAIGN POINTS
When a card is played for Campaign Points, the player may spend the number of Campaign Points (CP) indicated on the card to perform one of three possible actions:
B1) Campaigning in States
B2) Advertising in Regions
B3) Positioning on Issues
A player may choose only one of these options during a particular Activity Phase. Campaign Points for a single card may not be split between different types of action.
Regardless of how these points are spent, the opposing player has the opportunity to trigger the Event as described below. After resolving the action, the card is placed in the discard pile (unless triggered, see below).
This card grants 2 Campaign Points (2 CP) when played.
Note: A player does not receive rest cubes for triggering an Event on an opponent's card! The rest cubes for any card always of to the player who played it, regardless of how it was played..
TRIGGERING EVENTS
After a card has been played for Campaign Points and resolved, the opposing player may trigger the Event by spending one momentum marker. Doing so causes the Event on the card to be resolved exactly as if the triggering player had just played it from his own hand. After it is resolved, the card is removed from the game just as it would have been had it been played as an Event in the first place.
Tip: Watch for when your opponent plays a card with your candidate icon on it - the event on that card benefits you, and it might be worth spending the momentum marker to trigger it.
PREEMPTING EVENTS
A player may prevent his opponent from triggering an event by spending two momentum markers at the time he plays a card. If the Event is preempted, the opposing player may not trigger it, and the card is discarded normally. A player may only preempt Events on his own cards. He may not prevent his opponent from playing a card from his own hand as an Event.
Note: A player announces his preemption of an event at the time the card is played, and before resolving his action. The opposing player need not reveal whether or not he intends to trigger the Event until after this decision has been made.
B1. CAMPAIGNING IN STATES
With this action, players increase their State Support by adding state support cubes to individual states. At any given time, a player is said to be leading a state if he has any state support cubes there. A player with at least four state support cubes in a state is said to be carrying that state. The primary benefits of these conditions are:
• The player leading each state at the end of the game receives that state's electoral votes. The player with the most electoral votes wins the game.
• A player carrying a state forces his opponent to make Support Checks when Campaigning in that state.
EXAMPLE: Kennedy is leading in Idaho with 2 State Support... while Nixon is carrying Wyoming with 4 State Support there.
Tip: As an added visual indicator, you may want to flip over the state seal in a carried state to show the reverse side. This is not necessary, but it can be helpful as a reminder.
To perform this action, a player spends his card's Campaign Points to increase his State Support in one or more states within the region currently occupied by his candidate token. Campaign Points may also be used to move a player's other option. They may freely divide their Campaign Points as they choose, and may switch back and forth between traveling and adding State Support.
Reminder: Only a single player may ever have support cubes in the same place at the same time.
If you gain support cubes in a location already occupied by opposing cubes, each cube gained there - instead of being placed in the location - allows you to remove 1 opposing cube from the location.
Each such removed cube (and the cube "spent" to remove it) is returned to its owners' supply.
If you have any support cubes left over once all opposing cubes have been removed, those remaining cubes are then added to the location normally.
INCREASING STATE SUPPORT
Each Campaign Point may usually be spent to add one state support cube to any state in a candidate's current region. Under certain circumstances, however, a player must make a Support Check for each Campaign Point spent to gain cubes. There are two instances that require a Support Check:
• If the opposing player is carrying that state, and/or
• If the opposing player's candidate token is present in that state.
However, a player is exempted from such Support Checks in any region where they have Media Support. Therefore, a player with media support cubes in a region does not have to conduct Support Checks. Also, note that these Support Checks are only required for state support obtained through Campaigning. State support granted directly by events without Campaigning do not require Support Checks.
Players Campaigning in a state where they are required to make Support Checks must first declare how many Campaign Points will be spent there during that Activity Phase. The player then draws the declared number of cubes according to the Support Check process.
EXAMPLE: The Kennedy player is currently carrying New York with 4 Support. The Nixon player wishes to Campaign there using 4 CP. Since the state is currently carried by Kennedy, the Nixon player must make Support Checks.
The Nixon player declares that he will spend all 4 CP in New York, so thus draws 4 cubes from the bag: he gets 2 red and 2 blue. Since only two of the checks are successful (his own color), Nixon gains only 2 Support there, which results in Kennedy's State Support being reduced to 2. Kennedy still leads in New York, but is no longer carrying it.
If Nixon had media support cubes in the East, on the other hand, no Support Checks would have been required and his 4 CP would instead have reduced Kennedy's 4 Support in New York to zero.
SEQUENCE OF PLAY
MOVING THE CANDIDATE TOKEN
Each time a player spends a Campaign Point to increase his State Support, his candidate token should be moved to the state in which he is Campaigning. There is no cost associated with this movement, as long as it is within the region currently occupied by a player's candidate.
For movement purposes only, Alaska and Hawaii are considered to be in their own regions; otherwise they are considered to be part of the Western region.
However, if a player wishes to move his candidate token to a different region he must pay travel costs of 1 CP each time he crosses a regional boundary. Note that travel between Western and Eastern regions requires crossing two such boundaries, and travel to or from Alaska or Hawaii can only be done via the Western region.
EXAMPLE: The Kennedy candidate token is currently located in Illinois, but the Kennedy player wishes to Campaign in New York using a 3 CP card.
He could spend 1 CP in travel costs to cross from the Midwest into the East, and 2 CP in New York.
Alternatively, he could spend a single point in New York and spend the remaining 1 CP in any state in the East, or in the Midwest prior to leaving that region.
He could even use the third point on additional travel costs and cross into the South, coming to rest in any state in that region.
Note: While both Alaska and Hawaii are nominally part of the Western region, each is enclosed by its own regional boundary that must be crossed when traveling to or from these states.
As each of these states may only be reached by way of the Western region, travel between the two would require crossing both of these boundaries at a cost of 2 CP.
B2. ADVERTISING IN REGIONS
With this action, players attempt to increase their Media Support by adding media support cubes to regional advertising boxes on the board. Media Support has two primary effects:
• When Campaigning in a region where they have media support cubes, players are exempt from the Support Check requirement imposed when placing state support cubes in a state carried by (or occupied by) their opponent.
• If either player has more media support cubes on the board than their opponent during the Momentum Phase, they may switch the positions of two adjacent issues on the Issues Track.
To perform this action, a player makes a number of Support Checks equal to the number of Campaign Points provided by his card. When a player draws a cube of his own color, it may be placed into any regional advertising box or used to removed an opposing cube as appropriate.
This gives the Kennedy player one media support cube to place, which could be used to remove Nixon's cube from the East or simply placed in any region where Nixon has no Media Support. The two drawn red cubes would be returned to the Nixon player's cube supply.
Reminder: only a single player may ever have support cubes on the same issue tile at the same time.
The usual "remove opposing cubes first" rules apply when adding issue support.
B3. POSITIONING ON ISSUES
With this action, players increase their Issue Support by adding cubes to issue tiles. A player is said to be the leader in an issue if he has any issue support cubes on that tile. There are two primary benefits to leading an issue:
• Many Events benefit the leader in a particular issue.
• The leaders of each issue tile receive rewards of momentum markers and/or endorsement cards. (See Momentum Phase, Step 2)
To perform this action, a player spends his card's Campaign Points to increase his Issue Support in one or more issues, with the first cube in an issue costing 1 CP and each additional cube in the same issue costing a further 2 CP. This increased cost applies only to multiple support cubes bought in a single issue as part of the same action. An additional cube placed on that issue as part of a subsequent action costs only the normal 1 CP.
EXAMPLE: A player could spend 3 CP to increase all three issues by one support cube, or to increase a single issue by two cubes (1 CP for the first cube 3CP and 2 CP for the second).
On his next action, if he wished, he could play another 3 CP card to have the same choices.
Reminder: Only a single player may ever have support cubes on the same issue tile at the same time.
The usual "remove opposing cubes first" rules apply when adding issue support.
SEQUENCE OF PLAY
C. PLAY A CANDIDATE CARD
Instead of playing a card from his hand, a player may choose to play his Candidate Card for 5 Campaign Points. This is resolved in exactly the same way as playing any other card for Campaign Points, with one exception:
Candidate Cards are flipped over to their Exhausted side after being played. While flipped to its Exhausted side, a Candidate Card should be treated as out of play in the same manner as a card played as an Event. Candidate Cards may only be returned to their active face by play of specific Events.
Note: Candidate Cards are not considered to be part of a player's hand, and are never placed in the discard pile.
3. MOMENTUM PHASE
STEP 1 - MOMENTUM DECAY
At the start of the Momentum Phase, both players must discard half of their momentum markers, rounded down..
STEP 2 - MOMENTUM AWARDS & ENDORSEMENTS
Then, players are awarded momentum markers and/or Endorsement Cards for leading each issue based on its position on the Issues Track:
• Third-place issue: 1 momentum marker.
• Second-place issue: 1 momentum marker or 1 Endorsement Card.
• First-place issue: 1 momentum marker and 1 Endorsement Card.
These benefits are awarded in the order indicated above. In other words, the player winning the second-place issue must decide whether they wish to take an Endorsement Card (and, if so, must resolve that card) before the first-place winner resolves their Endorsement Card.
ENDORSEMENTS
When a player draws an Endorsement Card, they immediately place one endorsement marker into the region indicated on the card. Endorsement markers are placed into the marked spots in the regional advertising boxes and follow the same rule as with support cubes: if the opposing player already has one or more endorsement markers in the same region, the player must remove one of these markers instead of placing one.
STEP 3 - ISSUE SUPPORT DECAY
After momentum markers have been awarded, one issue support cube is removed from each issue tile that has any.
STEP 4 - ISSUE SHIFT
At the end of the Momentum Phase, the player with the most media support cubes on the board may switch the positions of two adjacent issue tiles on the Issues Track. If both players have an equal number, neither may do this.
Reminder: Momentum decays immediately before new momentum markers are awarded; Issue Support decays immediately after.
4. CAMPAIGN STRATEGY PHASE
STEP 1 - CAMPAIGN STRATEGY
Both players play one or two cards from their hand facedown to their Campaign Strategy Card Stack on the board:
• on the first 5 turns (before the Debates), players must place exactly one card.
• on the last 2 turns (after the Debates), players must place exactly two cards.
If either player has any cards remaining in their hand after they have done so, those extra cards must be immediately discarded.
Tip: During the first five turns, you are setting Campaign Strategy cards aside for the Debates. These cards should have high Campaign Point values and should feature your own candidate's icon.
After the Debates, you are setting cards aside for Election Day. These cards should have state abbreviations for states in which you are looking to pick up extra help.
STEP 2- REST
Both players deposit their rest cubes (cubes in their Rest Cube Zone) into the Political Capital Bag.
Note: The four "Gathering Momentum" cards may not be played as Campaign Strategy cards! Players must make sure to retain a valid Campaign Strategy card in their hand until the Campaign Strategy Phase.
In some very rare instances due to the effects of certain Events, players might end up with invalid "Gathering Momentum"(s) in their hand during the Campaign Strategy Phase. In such cases, those players must discard the invalid card(s) in lieu of playing them to their Campaign Strategy Card Stack. Those players will have to do the best they can with fewer cards in their Stack.
THE DEBATES - TURN 6
On the sixth turn, the normal sequence of play is not followed. Instead, the process described below is used to resolve the Debates, after which the normal sequence of play resumes with the seventh turn on the board. There are several steps to the Debates:
1) Determine Initiative
2) Campaign Strategy
3) Set The Stage
4) Debate!
5) After The Debates
Reminder: Remember during the Debates to apply all effects of any Debate Event cards that are in the Persistent Events Card Stack on the board. Those cards can have a significant effect on the outcome of the Debates.
1. DETERMINE INITIATIVE
An Initiative Check is made to determine who has the initiative for the duration of the Debates. The player with the initiative wins any ties that occur on an issue.
2. CAMPAIGN STRATEGY
Both players retrieve the five cards from their own Campaign Strategy Card Stack.
3. SET THE STAGE
Place the Debate Board between the two players. Remove all three issue tiles from the Issues Track and place them into the corresponding spots on the Debate Board - the first-place issue goes onto the spot labelled "first-place issue" and so on.
4. DEBATE!
Both players select one of their cards, and then they reveal them simultaneously. Each of these cards is then placed face-up next to the issue indicated by its debate icon. It is placed on the side of the Debate Board corresponding to the player whose candidate icon is shown on the card. If a card shows icons for both candidates, the player may place it to either side. In the event that both players play such cards, the player with the initiative may decide who will place their card first.
Example: The Nixon player reveals the "The Great Seal Bug" card, which shows the Economy debate icon and the Nixon candidate icon. The player places the card next to the Economy issue tile on his own side of the debate board.
The Kennedy player reveals the "Fifty Stars" card, which shows the Defense debate icon and shows both candidate icons. The player places the card next to the Defense issue tile, and has the choice of which side of the debate board to place it on; he chooses his own side of the debate board.
This process is repeated until two or more cards have been played to the same side of an issue. At this point, that issue has been won by the player having the higher Campaign Point total played to their side of that issue. If both players have the same total, the player with the initiative wins that issue. In the event that two issues are won simultaneously, they are resolved in ascending order, with the issue in lowest original position from the Issues Track being resolved first.
Example: Counting from the previous example, the Nixon player reveals the "Congressional Summer Session" card, which shows his own candidate icon and the Defense debate icon. The Kennedy player reveals the "Nixon's Pledge" card, which shows his own candidate icon and the Defense debate icon as well. After both cards are properly placed, we can see that there are two cards on one side (the Kennedy side) of the Defense issue. Totalling the CP on each player's side of the Defense issue, we see that Kennedy has 6 CP there and Nixon has only 4 CP there. Kennedy wins the Defense issue!
WINNING AN ISSUE
The moment an issue is won, that issue tile is immediately returned to the lowest unoccupied position on the Issues Track. Any cards played to either side of it are moved to the discard pile. In addition, the player who won that issue is awarded a bonus of state support cubes that are immediately placed in one or more states of their choice:
• First issue awarded: 2 state support cubes
• Second issue awarded: 3 state support cubes
• Second issue awarded: 3 state support cubes
• Last issue awarded: 4 state support cubes
Once an issue has been won, no further cards may be played to that issue. If a player plays a card associated with an issue which has already been won, that card is instead discarded.
Note: Again, make sure to retain any issue support cubes on the issue tiles while returning them to the Issues Track.
ENDING THE DEBATES
This process is repeated until all three issues have been won, or until both players have played all five of their cards, whichever occurs first. At this point, any issues that have not yet been won are resolved in ascending order. The issue in lowest original position from the Issues Track is resolved first. Each issue is won by the player with the higher Campaign Point total played to their side of that issue. If both players have the same total, the player with the initiative wins that issue.
5. AFTER THE DEBATES
At the end of the Debates, all Campaign Strategy cards for both players, whether played or unplayed, are discarded and the normal sequence of play resumes with the seventh turn.
DEBATE EVENTS
Remember during the Debates to apply all effects of any Debate Event cards that are in the Persistent Events Card Stack on the board.
ELECTION DAY - TURN 9
On the ninth turn, the normal sequence of play is not followed. Instead, the process described below is used to resolve Election Day and determine the winner of the game:
1) Deposit Bonus Cubes
2) Determine Initiative
3) Campaign Strategy
4) Election Day Events
5) Endorsements and Undecided Voters
6) Final Tally
1. DEPOSIT BONUS CUBES
Remove all media support cubes and issue support cubes from the board and deposit them into the Political Capital Bag. Also, both players should exchange any remaining momentum markers at this time. They place two cubes into the bag from their cube supplies for each momentum marker exchanged.
2. DETERMINE INITIATIVE
An Initiative Check is made to determine who has the initiative for the duration of Election Day.
3. CAMPAIGN STRATEGY
Both players retrieve the four cards from their respective Campaign Strategy Card Stacks and reveal them. For each of these cards, the player gains three Support Checks in the state indicated on that card. The player with the initiative will resolve their cards first. Each player may resolve their cards in any order desired.
Note: If the Political Capital Bag runs out of cubes at this point, it is not refilled.
4. ELECTION DAY EVENTS
Any Election Day Events played during the game are retrieved from the designated space on the board and resolved. The player with the initiative chooses the order in which these events are resolved.
5. ENDORSEMENTS AND UNDECIDED VOTES
At this point, any state that currently contains no state support cubes for either player has an endorsement marker in that state's region, that player wins the state and may place a state support cube there. If neither player has an endorsement marker in that region, it goes to the player indicated by that state's edge (blue edge indicates Kennedy, red edge indicates Nixon), and that player may place a state support cube there.
6. FINAL TALLY
Players should now claim the state seals for every state where they have state support cubes. At this point, players may total up their electoral votes (displayed on the backs of the state seals) and determine the winner.
Note: There are a total of 537 electoral votes available, which means any player who takes at least 269 of them has won the game!
Tip: One easy way to simplify the math of totaling up your electoral votes is by grouping your collected state seals into sets adding up to 50 votes each.
UNPLEDGED ELECTORS
If the "Unpledged Electors" event is in play, it is possible that one or more states that Kennedy is leading but not carrying will not be awarded to either player. This makes it possible that neither candidate will achieve a clear majority of 269 votes. In this case, the decision goes to the House of Representatives, who give the election to the player who achieved a plurality of the largest total number of votes.
In the extremely unlikely event of a tie in electoral votes, the victory goes to the player who won the largest number of states. Should players somehow manage to achieve a tie in this as well, Kennedy is voted in by the House by virtue of his marginal lead in those states denied him by the electors.
STRATEGY TIPS
GATHERING MOMENTUM
The Campaign Deck contains four "Gathering Momentum" cards, one for each region. These Events grant whichever player is leading more states in a particular region two benefits: a momentum marker and, more significantly, one state support cube in every state in that region which currently contain no cubes for either player. These Events can be extremely powerful early in the game, particularly in the East and Midwest. Try to gain the advantage in these regions if you can, and watch out for your opponent's attempt to do the same. Even if you don't think you can get the upper hand in one of these regions, you can often limit the damage these cards can do by leaving as few states empty of Support as possible.
GAFFE
Due to the defensive benefit of candidate presence, it is often advantageous to park your candidate token in a valuable state if you and your opponent are both in the same region. Beware the "Gaffe" Event, however, which robs you not only of a momentum marker, but of three state support cubes in your current state as well.
A SAMPLE TURN
TURN 1 - INITIATIVE PHASE
The first two cubes drawn for the Initiative Check are split, 1 blue and 1 red, so a third cube is drawn to determine the winner. The result is a second blue cube, giving Kennedy the initiative. He chooses to have Nixon play first this turn.ACTIVITY PHASE 1
Nixon plays HERATLAND OF AMERICA for 3 CP, which he spends on a Positioning action to give himself 2 points of issue support in Defense. In addition, he receives 1 rest cube for this card, which he places in his designated rest cube zone.
Then, Kennedy plays NIXON'S PLEDGE as an event. For the remainder of the turn, he will gain a momentum marker each time Nixon plays a card as anything other than a Campaigning action.
ACTIVITY PHASE 2
Nixon plays NEW ENGLAND for 3 CP, which he spends on a Campaigning action to add 3 state support cubes in California. He also collects 1 rest cube.
Kennedy chooses to expend one of his momentum markers at this point to trigger the NEW ENGLAND event, allowing him to increase his state support by 2 in New York, 2 in Massachusetts (bringing his total support there to 4, meaning he now carries that state), and 1 in Connecticut.
Kennedy then plays the NIXON'S KNEE event. For the remainder of the turn, Nixon will be required to expend a momentum marker in order to play any card as a Campaigning action. This event also causes Nixon's candidate token to be moved to Maryland.
ACTIVITY PHASE 3
Nixon plays SOUTHERN REVOLT for 3 CP, which he spends on an Advertising action. His 3 CP entitle him to 3 support checks, so he draws 3 cubes may be placed, so he decides to put his one media support cube in the Eastern advertising box. He also gains 1 rest cube. Since he did not perform a Campaigning action, Kennedy gains a momentum marker due to NIXON'S PLEDGE.Kennedy now plays HARRY F BYRD for 2 CP and 2 rest cubes. He opts to Campaign in New York for 2 additional points of state support; he now carries that state. As this was the only state he Campaigned in, he moves his candidate token to New York.
Nixon then chooses to expend a momentum marker to trigger the card's event, allowing him to subtract 2 points of state support from Kennedy in Mississippi and 1 in Alabama.
ACTIVITY PHASE 4
Nixon plays GAFFE as an event, causing Kennedy to lose a momentum marker as well as 3 state support in New York (where his candidate token is located). With only 1 remaining support there, he no longer carries that state (although he is still leading it). Nixon's decision not to perform a Campaigning action, however, gives Kennedy a momentum marker due to NIXON'S PLEDGE.
Kennedy plays GATHERING MOMENTUM IN THE WEST for 4 CP, which he spends on Campaigning to add 3 state support in New York (which he now carries again) and 1 in Pennsylvania. Since he is not leaving the region, he could choose to leave his candidate token in either state simply by changing the order in which he visits these states, but he decides to finish in Pennsylvania and so moves his candidate token there.
Once he is done, Nixon doesn't hesitate to trigger this event, since he is currently leading more states in the West than Kennedy. He will therefore gain a momentum marker to offset the one he spent to trigger it plus 1 point of state support in every empty state in the West.
ACTIVITY PHASE 5
Nixon plays HARVARD BRAIN TRUST for 4 CP, which he spends on a Campaigning action (first expending a momentum marker due to NIXON'S KNEE) to add 2 state support each to New York and Pennsylvania. As New York is currently being carried by Kennedy, he would ordinarily be required to make a support check for each point spent there, but Nixon's media support in the East exempts him from this requirement and he simply reduces Kennedy's support there by 2 points. Similarly, while he would ordinarily be forced to make support checks in Pennsylvania due to Kennedy's presence there (despite the fact that he is not actually carrying the state), he may simply apply 2 points of state support there thanks to his earlier advertising in the region. These 2 points allow him to remove Kennedy's single support cube in the state and place one of his own, stealing the lead in that state. He has the option of moving his candidate marker to either of the states in which he Campaigned (since he has not left the region), so he chooses to move to Pennsylvania.
Once Nixon is done, Kennedy spends a momentum marker to trigger the event on his card and places the HARVARD BRAIN TRUST card on the board in the space reserved for persistent Debate events. This card will give him a bonus when resolving issues during the Debates on turn 6.
Kennedy then plays PUERTO RICAN BISHOPS for 3 CP, which he spends on Positioning to add 1 issue support each in all three issues, reducing Nixon to one cube in Defense and taking the lead himself in both Economy and Civil Rights. He also collects 1 rest cube.
MOMENTUM PHASE
At the start of the momentum phase, both players must discard half of their unused momentum markers. This loss is rounded down, however, so Kennedy gets to keep his one remaining momentum marker, while Nixon has none to lose.
The players then receive awards for their issue support. Kennedy's lead in Civil Rights wins him one momentum marker, while his lead in Economy gives him the choice of another momentum or an endorsement. He chooses to draw an endorsement card and receives an ENDORSEMENT IN THE SOUTH, allowing him to place an endorsement marker in that region's advertising box. Nixon has the lead in Defense, which is the top issue in the Issue Track, so he gains both a momentum marker and an endorsement. Drawing a card from the endorsement deck, he receives a MAJOR ENDORSEMENT that allows him to place an endorsement marker in any region he chooses; he picks the South, removing Kennedy's endorsement there.
After resolving these awards, 1 issue support cube is removed from each issue on the Issue Track. As neither player had more than 1 support in any issue, no support now remains for either candidate in any issue.
Lastly, Nixon has the opportunity to shift an issue on the Issue Track since he has more media support cubes on the board than his opponent (one cube in the East to Kennedy's none). He decides to boost Economy and moves that issue up one space to the top position in the Issue Track, moving Defense down to second place.
CAMPAIGN STRATEGY PHASE
Both players place their sole remaining card facedown on their respective Campaign Strategy Stacks. Finally, both players place their accumulated rest cubes in the Political Capital Bag. Turn 1 is now complete!
TURN 6
DETERMINE INITIATIVE, CAMPAIGN STRATEGY, & SET THE STAGE
The first two cubes drawn for the Initiative Check are both blue, so no third draw is necessary: Kennedy wins the initiative. Both players retrieve the cards from their Campaign Strategy Stacks on the board and move the issue tiles from the Issues Track to the corresponding spaces on the debate board, from lowest to highest position: in this case, Economy, Civil Rights, and Defense.
DEBATE! ROUND 1
Nixon selects his "Opposition Research" card while Kennedy selects ""Give Me A Week" and both players reveal their selected cards. Nixon's card is played to the Defense issue and is placed to his own side of that issue. Kennedy's card is played to Economy on his own side.
DEBATE! ROUND 2
Kennedy decides to play his "Peace Without Surrender" card this time, a Defense card which features only his opponent's candidate icon, meaning it will be placed to Nixon's side. This is Kennedy's only Defense card, however, so (knowing he cannot win that issue) he chooses to force that issue to resolve early, increasing the rewards for the other issues which he still hopes to win. Similarly, Nixon selects "Nikita Kruschev", an Economy card. While this card features icons for both candidates (meaning he can place it to either side), he too knows he cannot win this issue and chooses to place it to his opponent's side using similar thinking to Kennedy's.
• Nixon now has 2 cards on his side of the Defense issue, while Kennedy has 2 cards on his side of Economy. Both of these issues have been won, but Economy (being in a lower position) is resolved first. Nixon has no cards on his own side of this issue, so Kennedy wins it by default, earning 2 state support cubes to place anywhere he likes. He uses both in California to reduce Nixon's support there from 3 cubes down to 1. The Economy issue tile is then returned to the Issues Track, in the lowest position. The cards played to the Economy issue are discarded.
• The Defense issue is now resolved, giving Nixon (the only player with cards next to that issue) 3 state support. He places 1 in Indiana to give him his fourth cube there, allowing him to carry the state, and puts the remainder in California to rebuild his support to 3 there. The Defense issue tile is then returned to the middle position in the Issues Track. The cards played to the Defense issue are discarded as well.
DEBATE! ROUND 3
Nixon selects "Herb Klein"; Kennedy selects "Kennedy's Peace Corps". Both cards are played to Civil Rights and placed on the players' own sides.
DEBATE! ROUND 4
Nixon selects "Rising Food Prices"; Kennedy selects "Profiles In Courage". Again, both cards are played to Civil Rights, on the players' own sides. This closes out the issue, with 5 CP played to Kennedy's side and 6 CP to Nixon's side - an apparent win for Nixon. However, the "Harvard Brain Trust" persistent Debate event is in effect, (having been played on turn 1), which gives Kennedy +1 to his total in each issue during the Debates. This brings his total up to 6 CP, creating a tie in Civil Rights. In the case of a tie, the issue goes to the player who won the initiative, so Kennedy wins the final issue and gets to place 4 state support cubes. He places all 4 in California, removing Nixon's 3 support there and placing 1 cube of his own. The Civil Rights issue tile is then returned to the Issues Track, in the highest position. The cards played to the Civil Rights issue are discarded.
With all three issues having been resolved, the Debates are now over. The players' remaining unplayed cards are discarded, and the game resumes with turn 7.
SAMPLE ELECTION DAY-TURN 9
DEPOSIT BONUS CUBES & DETERMINE INITIATIVE
Both players remove all their media support cubes from the regional advertising boxes as well as their issue support cubes from the issue tiles and place them in the Political Capital Bag. In addition, Kennedy turns in his one remaining momentum marker for 2 additional cubes to be placed in the bag while Nixon, with two momentum markers left, adds 4 cubes of his own. Next, an Initiative Check is made: the first two draws are 1 blue and 1 red, so a third (red) cube is drawn, giving the initiative to Nixon.
CAMPAIGN STRATEGY
Both players then retrieve the cards from their Campaign Strategy Stacks on the board and make 3 support checks for each. The player with the initiative gets to go first, so Nixon draws 3 cubes each for the states identified on his cards: Minnesota, North Carolina, Connecticut, and Florida. He draws 3 red cubes for Minnesota, removing Kennedy's 2 support in that state and gaining 1 of his own. In North Carolina, he draws 1 red and 2 blue; this gains him only 1 support, which is enough to remove Kennedy's single cube there but not enough to add one for himself. Nixon draws 2 red and 1 blue for Connecticut, where he already has the lead with one cube, so he increases his support there by two. Lastly, in Florida, he draws 3 blue cubes, failing to win any support in that state.
Kennedy now draws for his own cards: Wisconsin, Ohio, and two cards for New York. His draw of 3 red cubes for Wisconsin gains him nothing there, but he draws 3 blue cubes in Ohio for a gain of 3 state support, enough to eliminate Nixon's 3 support cubes there. Kennedy then draws 6 cubes for New York (since he had two New York cards set aside), drawing 4 blue and 2 red. Four state support is enough to remove Nixon's 3 cubes in New York and give him one there of his own
ELECTION DAY EVENTS
After resolving both players' Campaign Strategy cards, any persistent Election Day events are resolved. In this case, Nixon gets to resolve the "Recount" event, which grants him 3 support checks in a state of his choice. He selects Ohio, but draws 3 blue cubes and fails to add any support there.
ENDORSEMENTS AND UNDECIDED VOTERS
At this point, any states which are currently empty of support for either player are tipped to the player having an endorsement in that region or (where neither player has an endorsement) the built-in edge in that state. Kennedy places 1 cube in Ohio thanks to his two endorsement markers in the Midwest; Nixon, with an endorsement of his own in the South, gains support in both North Carolina and Georgia. Neither player has any endorsements in the East, so the empty New Hampshire with its edge for Nixon goes to him, while Kennedy takes West Virginia. There are no empty states in the West.
FINAL TALLY
Finally, both players claim the state seals for every state where they have support and add up their total electoral votes. However, the "Unpledged Electors" Election Day event happens to be in effect, so Kennedy may not claim Louisiana, where he has only 3 support (less than the 4 required by this event); neither player receives this state's votes.
In the end, Kennedy finds he has won only 261 votes to Nixon's 266: in a reversal of history, Nixon has won the election and the game! Note, however, that if it had not been for the "Unpledged Electors" event, or if Kennedy had managed even one more point of support in Louisiana, he would have received an additional 10 votes for that state and
won the election himself. Maybe next time...
PLAYER AID
TURNS 1-5 AND TURNS 7-8: THE MORIVAL SEQUENCE OF PLAY
1. INITIATIVE PHASE
1) New Cards: Both players draw cards. In turns 1-5: 6 cards; in turns 7-8: 7 cards.
2) Initiative Check: To see who goes first in this turn.
2. FIVE ACTIVITY PHASES
During each phase, each player plays a single card. Each player may:
PLAY A CARD AS AN EVENT
NORMAL EVENT
Player resolves the event text on the card. Once resolved, the card is removed from the game.
PERSISTENT EVENT
Player places card in the appropriate persistent event stack on the board. It will be resolved at the appropriate time later in the game.
OR
PLAY A CARD FOR CAMPAIGN POINTS...
PREEMPTING THE EVENT (prior to resolving)
Player can spend 2 momentum markers to prevent their opponent from triggering the event on the card.
...AS A CAMPAIGNING ACTION
Player can split the card's CP freely amongst:
• Increasing State Support (Adding state support cubes to any state in the currently occupied region; 1 CP per added cube. Must make a support check to do so if state is carried by opponent or occupied by opponent's candidate token.)
• Moving The Candidate Token (1 CP to move the token across any regional boundary.) Card is discarded after all CP are spent.
OR
...AS AN ADVERTISING ACTION
Player performs one support check per CP. Each success equals one media support cube that may be placed in any region's advertising box. Card is then discarded.
OR
...AS A POSITIONING ACTION
Player can add issue support cubes to any issue. The first cube added in any issue costs 1 CP, each additional cube added per issue costs 2 CP. Card is then discarded.
TRIGGERING THE EVENT (after resolving)
Opponent can spend 1 momentum marker to trigger the event on the card, unless the event has been preempted. If triggered, card is resolved as if opponent had played it, then removed from game.
OR
PLAY A CANDIDATE CARD
Candidate Card can only be played if it is not exhausted.
When played, it is resolved in the same manner as if a normal card had been played for Campaign Points.
Once resolved, do not discard the Candidate card. Instead, flip it to the exhausted side.
COLLECT REST CUBES AS INDICATED ON THE CARD REGARDLESS OF HOW THE CARD IS PLAYED!
3. MOMENTUM PHASE
1) Momentum Decay: Both players discard half of their momentum markers (rounding down).
2) Awards for Issue Support: Players earn rewards (momentum and/or endorsements) for leading issues.
3) Issue Decay: 1 issue support cube is removed from each issue tile.
4) Issue Shift: Player with most media support on the board can switch two adjacent issue tiles.
4. CAMPAIGN STRATEGY PHASE
1) Campaign Strategy: Both players place cards into their Campaign Strategy stack. (During turns 1-5, each places 1 card; during turns 7-8, each places 2 cards.) No "Gathering Momentum" cards allowed.
2) Rest: Both players put their collected rest cubes into the Political Capital bag.
TURN 6: THE DABATES
FIRST ISSUE WON: 2 STATE SUPPORT CUBES
SECOND ISSUE WON: 3 STATE SUPPORT CUBES
THIRD ISSUE WON: 4 STATE SUPPORT CUBES
1) Determine Initiative: Initiative Check to see who will win an issue in the event of a tie.
2) Campaign Strategy: Both players retrieve the 5 cards from their Campaign Strategy Stacks.
3) Set The Stage: Move the issue tiles (with any issue support cubes) from the Issue Track to the Debate Board.
4) Debate!: In a series of rounds, both players simultaneously reveal 1 card, and then place them next to the Debate Board according to the debate icon and candidate icon on the card. Once an issue has 2 cards on at least one player's side, the player with the most CP on their side of the issue has won that issue, and earns the reward listed to the left. The Corresponding issue tile is returned to the lowest available spot on the Issue Track. Rounds continue until all issues are won or cards run out. If cards run out, remaining issues are resolved as they stand, with most CP winning.
5) Ending The Debates: All Campaign Strategy cards are discarded and the game resumes with turn 7.
DURING THE DEBATES, REMEMBER TO TAKE NOTE OF ANY PERSISTENT DEBATE EVENTS IN PLAY AND TO APPLY THEIR EFFECTS AS APPROPRIATE!
TURN 9: ELECTION DAY
1) Deposit Bonus Cubes: Put all media support and issue support cubes into the Political Capital bag. Both players ELECTION DAY may exchange remaining momentum markers, adding 2 cubes to the bag for every marker exchanged.
2) Determine Initiative: Initiative Check to see who will go first during Campaign Strategy.
3) Campaign Strategy: Both players reveal their 4 Campaign Strategy cards, then each conducts 3 support checks in the states indicated by those cards.
4) Election Day Events: Any persistent Election Day events are retrieved from the board and resolved in the order determined by the player with initiative.
5) Endorsements & Edges: Each empty state in a region with any endorsement markers receives 1 cube of that player's color. Each empty state in a region without any endorsement markers receives 1 cube of the color indicated by that state's edge.
6) Final Tally: Players collect the state seals for all states in which they have state support, and tally up the electoral votes noted on the seals. The player with the highest total of electoral votes wins the game! Remember to account for the "Unpledged Electors" card if it is in play.
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