1960: The Making of the President

About this board game

1960: The Making of the President is a two-player strategy game about the 1960 U.S. presidential election, with play lasting about 120 minutes. One player takes the role of John F. Kennedy and the other becomes Richard M. Nixon in a contest shaped by foreign policy, civil rights, the economy, and the Cold War.

The game unfolds on an electoral map of the United States as it stood in 1960, including historical electoral vote values such as Louisiana and Florida sharing the same total, as well as California and Pennsylvania. Players use campaign points to compete for states across four regions of the country while working to build momentum.

At the heart of the campaign is a card-driven game system that brings major events of the election into play. The deck includes events such as Nixon’s lazy shave, President Eisenhower’s late endorsement, and the “Catholic question.” The famous televised debates and the final election day push are represented by their own subsystems.

• Campaign across the 1960 electoral map
• Compete for states and their electoral votes
• Use campaign points, issue dominance, and control of the airwaves
• Respond to landmark campaign events and changing circumstances

There are never enough resources or time to pursue every opportunity, so both candidates must make difficult decisions as the campaign develops. Balancing social justice against the importance of Southern electoral votes adds another layer to the race, while the economy and international leadership remain central concerns.

Released in 2007, 1960: The Making of the President challenges players to recreate history—or rewrite it—in a pivotal election campaign for the most powerful elective office in the world.