Rules: 1960: The Making of the President

 

1960: The Making of the President Game Rules

All 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
50 STATE SEALS
3 ISSUE TILES
2 CANDIDATE TOKENS
MOMENTUM MARKERS
TURN TRACK & PHASE TRACK MARKERS
THE POLITICAL CAPITAL BAG
CUBES
91 CAMPAIGN CARDS
2 CANDIDATE CARDS
16 ENDORSEMENT CARDS
ENDORSEMENT MARKERS
THE DEBATE BOARD

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.

1. INITIATIVE PHASE

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.

A. PLAY A CARD AS AN EVENT

PERSISTENT EVENTS
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.

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.

a. PLAY A CARD AS AN EVENT
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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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
candidate token to a different region. Players are not restricted to one or the
other option. They may freely divide their Campaign Points as they choose,
and may switch back and forth between traveling and adding State Support.

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:


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.

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.

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 remove an opposing cube as appropriate.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

ELECTION DAY - TURN 9

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 VOTERS

At this point, any state that currently contains no state support
cubes for either player will tip toward one player or the
other. If 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!

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 HEARTLAND 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 from
the Political Capital Bag: 1 red and 2 blue. Only his own color 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!

SAMPLE DEBATES - 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.

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.

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 edorsement)
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...


 

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