1960: The Making of the President

Objective and victory: The two players represent Kennedy and Nixon in the 1960 presidential election. Use campaign cards to contest states, issues, and media, build support, and win electoral votes. Normally, the winner needs at least 269 of the 537 electoral votes. If electoral votes are tied, GMT’s rules compare the number of states won, then the total number of state support cubes.

Edition and components: This entry uses GMT’s 2017 Final Rules for BGG 27708. GMT’s third-printing note says it matches the second printing except that known errata are corrected; the GMT rules also list changes from previous editions. Each side uses candidate cards, campaign cards, Momentum markers, and support cubes, with Political Capital cubes drawn from the bag to determine Initiative.

Setup: Choose candidates and place them in their home states: Kennedy begins in Massachusetts and Nixon in California. Place the issue, phase, and round markers, prepare each player’s support resources and the Political Capital Bag, and shuffle campaign and endorsement cards. Set the Debate Board aside until round six. GMT’s game lasts nine rounds, each representing a week of the campaign.

Normal round sequence: Each side receives six cards in rounds 1–5; round 6 is the debate. Afterward each receives seven cards in rounds 7 and 8; round 9 is Election Day. A normal round proceeds through Initiative, five Activity phases, Momentum and Campaign Strategy. The player with Initiative chooses who acts first in the Activity phases; each player plays a campaign or candidate card in each phase.

Campaign cards and points: Play a campaign card for its Event or spend its Campaign Points on one category, without splitting points across categories. Choices are campaigning in the candidate’s region (which can also move the candidate), media advertising, or issue positioning. When a card is used for points, the opponent may spend one Momentum to trigger its Event; before the action, the active player can spend two Momentum to prevent this. A candidate card substitutes for a hand card for five points, then is exhausted until a specific Event restores it.

State support and checks: Only one side can have support cubes in a state. When gaining support, remove opposing cubes first and place your own only after those are gone. One cube gives the lead; four or more means carrying the state. Campaigning to add support in a state carried or occupied by the opposing candidate requires a Support Check, unless the campaigning player has media support in that region. GMT also requires checks for certain Events adding state support as specified in its rules. The state leader receives its electoral votes at the tally.

Momentum phase: Each player first discards half of their Momentum markers, rounding down. The player with more media support may swap adjacent issues on the issue track; a media tie allows no swap. Then award Momentum and Endorsement cards according to issue positions and resolve issue-support decay. GMT’s current rules specify that the media leader moves issues before Momentum and endorsements are awarded; do not use the earlier edition’s sequence.

Campaign Strategy and debate: Each player secretly saves one card in each of the first five rounds. In round six, both select and reveal one card at a time, placing each by its issue and candidate icons. When two cards lie on one side of an issue, compare both sides’ Campaign Points; Initiative wins a tie. Issues award 2, 3 and 4 state support cubes in the order actually won, placed immediately without checks. If issues resolve together or remain unresolved after all cards are played, resolve the lowest original issue first.

Election Day: Save two cards in each of rounds seven and eight. In round nine, each player adds supply cubes to the Political Capital Bag equal to their media cubes, then adds all their media and issue cubes and two supply cubes per remaining Momentum. After Initiative, both reveal their four saved cards; each provides three Support Checks in its printed state, with the Initiative player resolving first. Resolve Election Day Events, endorsements and undecided states before the final tally; there are no ordinary Activity phases.

Final tally and scope: Normally a player needs at least 269 of 537 electoral votes. The Unpledged Electors Event can remove votes from certain states Kennedy leads but does not carry, changing that usual threshold or producing a tie. If electoral votes are tied, GMT compares states won and then total state support cubes. The GMT Final Rules include revisions to earlier Z-Man rules; the official rules provide no solo or cooperative procedure.