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What You’ll Need

 

• Floor square spaces 

  • Can be made from washcloths, paper towels, painter's tape, a cut-up old area rug (for the traction underneath), etc.

    • Depending on the square footage or layout of your playing area and the number of candidates, you may need more or less floor spaces!

    • Use larger floor spaces that 2 people could fit on (like bath mats, towels, etc) for bottleneck areas like doorways or narrow halls

    • Be careful of washcloths or paper towels on hard floors, they can slide and cause injury

• Deck of 52 playing cards

• 5 beers/drinks per candidate: a campaign beer to start, 3 swing state beers, and a White House beer

  • If desired, more swing states can be added during the game’s constitutional convention

  • Candidates must also account for potential penalty beers throughout the campaign

• (Optional) A 6-12 pack of Smirnoff Ice for Chance Card Edition

• Equipment for swing state challenges and White House

  • Presidential Portraits (preferably printed, but could use phones as well)

    • https://www.whitehousehistory.org/galleries/presidential-portraits

    • Randomizer: https://spinthewheel.app/us-presidents

  • Craft supplies for a campaign badge (paper, pens, colored pencils, scissors, pins/clips)

  • Shot glasses and/or miniature plastic cups

  • Nerf guns

  • Musical instrument(s)

  • Solo cups

  • Coins

  • Wiffle ball and bat 

  • Etc.! Be creative!

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Game Play

 

All candidates must finish every swing state beer, their drink in hand (campaign beer), and the White House beer in order to win the game.

 

Each turn, the candidate must:

• Draw a card

• Play the card, hold the card, or discard

• Progress one spot on the campaign trail

• Say your state name, and hand the deck to the next candidate

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Beginning Your Campaign

 

1. Your first step is to choose which state you’d like to represent. You’ll have to shout it out at the end of every turn, and it can serve as inspiration for your campaign badge.

   • If there are more than 8 candidates, consider playing the Party Politics version of the game

2. The next step is initiation: everyone chooses a card, and highest card goes first. 

   • If there is a sitting President from the previous game playing, he/she will go first as a presidential courtesy. 

3. Traditionally, all candidates say “JFK! FDR!” cheers and then drink 3 sips or one shot…good luck!

4. The last step is choosing where to hold your first campaign rally. Before their first turn, candidates are given an opportunity to throw a coin at any floor space. If the coin comes to a stop on a floor space, the candidate may go to that spot for their first turn.

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The Constitution

 

1. All candidates must have at least one drink in hand at all times, and no more than 2. 

   • If a candidate runs out of beer between swing states, they must collect a penalty beer before taking their next turn

2. Unless dictated by a face card, all candidates can only move one space at a time. Jumps that require finesse are an exception. 

   • Climbing over furniture, appliances, or fixtures is allowed, but dependent on the host’s preference and must be decided before game begins 

   • Moving large furniture like chairs, stools, couches, etc. to assist in a move is allowed (at the host’s discretion and to be decided before the game)  if you stay on your square while moving them

   • Pillows, blankets, and other furniture accessories are not allowed to be used to facilitate a move, nor is “scooting” on a chair, hamper, etc between squares

3. Office-holding cards (face cards) must be played during a candidate’s turn. 

   • The only exception is the President’s veto power. 

4. Candidates may choose to save one office-holding card at a time for a later turn.

   • If a candidate draws a face card while holding a face card, one of the two must be played or discarded before ending their turn

5. Any rule can be overturned with a full majority vote (3/4, 6/7, 9/10, etc.) 

6. Only one candidate can occupy a space at a time. Maneuvering around a candidate to the next spot is allowed as long as neither candidate touches the floor. 

   • Larger two-person spaces may be allowed in particularly narrow or confined areas to prevent bottlenecking. These spaces must be called out before the game, or by necessity during the game with a majority approval

7. Touching the floor during a turn results in losing the turn, and the candidate must return to their previously occupied space. 

8. ​Candidates must remain on their space at all times, unless they are walking the deck to the next candidate for their turn. If they leave for any other reason (bathroom, snack, penalty beer, etc.) they will receive a 3 second chug penalty. 

   • If a candidate leaves their space and doesn’t return by the time of their turn, they lose the turn

   • Manifest Destiny Rule - if a player leaves their space for any reason, they must place a personal belonging on their space until they return. If they don’t, opposing players may claim manifest destiny and steal that space during their turn (assuming they can reach it without touching the floor). If a candidate’s space is stolen, they must return to the last swing state they finished (or the WH if they have none)

9. Candidates must successfully complete a challenge at each swing state before taking their swing state beer. 

   • Swing State Challenge Ideas

   • If a candidate has not completed the challenge by the time another player sanctions them or plays a succession against them, they must leave the swing state beer behind

10. Once a candidate has secured all swing state beers and reaches the White House, they must identify 2 random presidential portraits before acquiring the WH beer

    • Once a candidate has reached the WH, a 45 second time limit can be enforced to keep the game alive and moving 

11. The game ends after the WH beer is finished. The newly appointed President can then deliver an inauguration speech, name their cabinet, and propose policy changes for future games.​