1960: The Making of the President
Encyclopedia
1960: The Making of the President is a board game
simulation of the 1960 U.S. presidential election
in which John F. Kennedy
defeated Richard M. Nixon. It was created by Jason Matthews and Christian Leonhard and is published by Z-Man Games
. Graphic design was supplied by Joshua Cappel. The game was released in 2007
.
The board game takes effect mostly in the last few weeks of the campaign, and many specific events add much historical flavor to the game. An "Unpledged Electors" card, for example, parallels the real-life worry that Kennedy had that many southern electors would deny his majority in the electoral college
. Nixon must worry about "Eisenhower
's Silence", where the incumbent president only gives a lukewarm endorsement of his party's candidate.
The famous debate between the candidates and election day are abstracted in their own separate set of rules. The debates tend to have a minimal impact unless one candidate or the other sweeps the issues, in which case it can jump-start a laggard campaign. Reflecting the historical record, there are a few cards that aid Kennedy in the debate but none for Nixon.
1960 has many mechanics in common with the board game Twilight Struggle
, which was also designed by Jason Matthews (along with Ananda Gupta).
in 2008 for "Best 2-Player Game" in the General Strategy category.
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
simulation of the 1960 U.S. presidential election
United States presidential election, 1960
The United States presidential election of 1960 was the 44th American presidential election, held on November 8, 1960, for the term beginning January 20, 1961, and ending January 20, 1965. The incumbent president, Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower, was not eligible to run again. The Republican Party...
in which John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
defeated Richard M. Nixon. It was created by Jason Matthews and Christian Leonhard and is published by Z-Man Games
Z-Man Games
thumbZ-Man Games is a company incorporated in 1999 in the USA to produce games. The headquarters is in Mahopac, New York, near New York City. It is named after its proprietor, Zev Shlasinger...
. Graphic design was supplied by Joshua Cappel. The game was released in 2007
2007 in games
This page lists board and card games, wargames, miniatures games, and table-top role-playing games published in 2007. For video and console games, see 2007 in video gaming....
.
Gameplay
1960: The Making of the President is a card-driven game in which each candidate is dealt several cards per turn; these cards can be spent to campaign, advertise, or position on issues. Each card also has a specific event, such as Nixon Egged in Michigan or Johnson Jeered in Dallas that influences the campaign. The core of the game is deciding whether to spend the card to campaign (which is more flexible) or on the event (which tend to be more powerful but restrictive). In addition, since the rival candidate can benefit from an event their opponent plays, timing the card plays to minimize any damage is a significant part of the game.The board game takes effect mostly in the last few weeks of the campaign, and many specific events add much historical flavor to the game. An "Unpledged Electors" card, for example, parallels the real-life worry that Kennedy had that many southern electors would deny his majority in the electoral college
Electoral college
An electoral college is a set of electors who are selected to elect a candidate to a particular office. Often these represent different organizations or entities, with each organization or entity represented by a particular number of electors or with votes weighted in a particular way...
. Nixon must worry about "Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
's Silence", where the incumbent president only gives a lukewarm endorsement of his party's candidate.
The famous debate between the candidates and election day are abstracted in their own separate set of rules. The debates tend to have a minimal impact unless one candidate or the other sweeps the issues, in which case it can jump-start a laggard campaign. Reflecting the historical record, there are a few cards that aid Kennedy in the debate but none for Nixon.
1960 has many mechanics in common with the board game Twilight Struggle
Twilight Struggle
Twilight Struggle is a card-driven board wargame for two players, with its theme taken from the Cold War. One player plays the United States , and the other plays the Soviet Union . The game takes its title from John F...
, which was also designed by Jason Matthews (along with Ananda Gupta).
Awards
The board game won the International Gamers AwardInternational Gamers Award
The International Gamers Awards is an award for strategy board games and historical simulation games.- Past winners :2009 - 2008 - 2007 - 2006 - 2005 - 2004 - 2003 - 2002 - 2001 - 2000- 2010 :- 2009 :- 2008 :- 2007 :- 2006 :- 2005 :- 2004 :...
in 2008 for "Best 2-Player Game" in the General Strategy category.