Game me to the White House

May 11, 2016 9:39 AM

Inspired by this offhand comment, I was wondering whether anyone can recommend a good presidential election simulation game (board or video), especially if bright tweens and/or teens can play it. I checked BGG, but didn't find it as helpful as you nerds are capable of being.
posted by Etrigan to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (6 answers total)

Response by poster: (Note: Not so much 1960: The Making of the President. Tried it, didn't cotton to it.)
posted by Etrigan at 9:40 AM on May 11, 2016

The Political Machine series might be what you're needing.
posted by owls at 9:46 AM on May 11, 2016

I like Campaign Trail by GDW. It came out in 1983 so it might be little bit dated, and luck plays a factor in winning. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good.
posted by Rob Rockets at 10:36 AM on May 11, 2016

I'd recommend Democracy 3 (Total Biscuit review, RPS review), but it's probably not what you're looking for, as it's doesn't focus on elections exclusively, and is more about what you do when you're in power. Fun game if you're interested in the intersection of policy and politics though.

On sale for the next 12 hours at Humble. https://www.humblebundle.com/store/democracy-3
posted by longdaysjourney at 5:42 PM on May 11, 2016

Our group loves Die Macher, which is literally entry #1 in BGG's database. It's a game of German political races, but a lot of the mechanics (balancing media coverage, aligning your party platform with that of the voters, making uneasy alliances to lock out a rival) apply to US politics. Can be tough to find a copy. Worth it.
posted by xedrik at 11:30 PM on May 11, 2016

longdaysjourney is right - Democracy 3 is awesome, though not about elections. I enjoyed this series of articles about using it to try to simulate some real-world policies.
posted by owls at 9:43 AM on May 12, 2016 [1 favorite]