Do you have what it takes to have the most powerful job in the world? Well, I have a great game to tell you about called The Presidential Game where you can compete to win the job of President and you do not have to be 35 years old, ha!
When the interest form for this game was released I knew I wanted to be on it. From previewing the game on the website I thought it would be a great way to teach the girls about the electoral college and votes needed to win. The Presidential Game did not disappoint so let me tell you a little more about it.
Aimed at 11 year olds and up and retailing for $35.00, this game of strategy teaches you to focus your efforts on winning states, just like in a real Presidential campaign. With this board game, teaching or learning about the electoral college just got a little easier. The game comes in a bright blue square box with the following contents:
- 1 United States game board
- 2 “VOTE” cards ( Democrat & Republican)
- 300 game chips (150 red & blue)
- 6 game dice ( 3 red & blue)
- 80 Politics cards
- 40 “Write your own” Politic cards
- 1 electoral votes score pad
- 1 Electoral WebMap Calculator Access Code
In this battle to win votes the game is played on two teams, Republicans & Democrats. You can play with as little as two people or for more action packed fun play on teams. To begin playing you first need to decide how many weeks you will run your campaign. 30 weeks is the recommended minimum and that will take you approximately 1 hour to play. The weeks correspond to the number of “turns” you will take throughout the game as you push towards the 270 electoral votes needed to win.
On your turn you need to decide if you want to campaign or fundraise. When campaigning your team chooses and declares three states on the map. The team rolls the three colored dice of your party. Each member on the team then decides the number of votes on each dice goes to which state. For example, if you declare to campaign in WA, GA & VA and you roll a 5, 1, & 3 on the dice your team then decides which number goes to which state (WA – 1, GA – 3, VA –5) or whatever combination your team decides.
With Fundraising it is a little different. There are only 4 states that you are aloud to fundraise in, CA, NY, FL & TX. Once you declare the state you will fundraise in your team then rolls the three dice. Add up the total of the three dice and then at least half of the votes must go to the state you choose to fundraise in. Any other votes may go to any other states until they are all allocated. For example, if your team declares TX and rolls a “16”, at least 8 of the votes need to go to TX. You are then free to either use the remaining 8 votes on TX or split them up to any other states on the map.
At the end of a fundraising turn, the team then proceeds to draw a Politics card. There are many rewards and a few penalty cards in the stack making for fun game play. I should mention that no political ideology is included on the cards just fun things like:
“Your campaign plane gets grounded during a snowstorm in Montana. The local news interviews you live at the Billings Holiday Inn.
Add 2 votes to Montana.”
Some of the political cards must be played immediately and will be marked with a star on the card.
“A popular independent candidate suddenly announces his/her intention to run.
Remove 4 of your votes and remove 4 of your opponent;s votes from any states of your choice.
*Play immediately.”
So, I am sure you are thinking that there must be math involved in this game with electoral votes and all. And you are right, but it is simple adding and subtracting only on the included game score card. I think it does slow down the game play a little but it is doable. Another option for keeping score is by using the optional Electoral WebMap Calculator which is an interactive WebMap that is available on a smart phone, computer or iPad shows and calculates the votes for you. The WebMap eliminates the need to do the math and to just concentrate on winning the game. To win the job as free leader of the world your team must have the highest number of electoral votes after all the states have been accounted for.
We have really been enjoying this game. I think we have played it about 20 times, and each time we have gotten better at strategy to gain the electoral vote. I have found that this is a great way to help reinforce geography of the US too. I definitely recommend you check this game out for your family. It has given us a greater knowledge of the electoral process so that when the next election rolls around the girls will have a better understanding of the process.
Be sure to check out what my fellow Crewmates thought of this game by clicking the banner below. Some people were able to tweak the game and make it work for younger children too which I think is great!
Company / Product ~ The Presidential Game
Price ~ $35.00
Ages ~ 11 years and up
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