President Maker Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Game Setup
  • Common Setup
  • Individual Setup
• Regional Board
• Game Play
• Playing a Round
  • 1. Rally Phase
  • 2. Political Action Phase
    • Political Maneuver
    • Policy
    • Independent Candidate Special Ability
    • Unite with a Minor Candidate
  • 3. Media Phase
    • Centrist Candidate Special Ability
• Presidential Poll
• Final Rally
• Vote Count
• Game End
• 3-Player Game Rules
  • Game Setup
  • Game Play
• 2-Player Game Rules
  • Game Setup
  • Game Play

Components

• 5 Regional Boards
• 1 Vote Count Track
• 4 Candidate Cards
• 1 Minor Candidate Card
• 50 Political Cards
• 20 Campaign Rally Cards
• 4 Political Orientation Cards
• 4 Priority Policy Cards
• 30 Risk Cards
• 4 Meeples
• 5 Engagement Cubes
• 20 Support Cubes
• 29 Vote Tokens
• 1 First Player Marker
• 1 Cloth Bag

Game Setup

The following is based on a 4-player game. For 2-3 player games, refer to the 2-3 Player Variant section.

Common Setup

1. Lay out the 5 Regional Boards. The Seoul-Gyeonggi board must be placed in the center, while the other 4 boards can be arranged freely.
2. Randomly place 4 Political Orientation Cards face-up, one on each regional board excluding Seoul-Gyeonggi.
3. Randomly place 4 Priority Policy Cards face-up, one in each space between regional boards.
4. Place one Engagement Cube on the first space of the engagement track on each Regional Board.
5. Place the Vote Count Track near the Regional Boards.
6. Place the Risk Card deck, Minor Candidate Card & Vote Token, and cloth bag nearby.

Individual Setup

1. Randomly receive one Candidate Card and place it face-up in front of yourself. This candidate is the one you will play in this game.

2. Take all components matching your candidate's color. (12-13 Political Cards, 5 Campaign Rally Cards, 1 Meeple, 5 Support Cubes, 7 Vote Tokens)

3. Place your Meeple on the space marked with a diamond on the Vote Count Track. The position represents your Core Supporters, who will cast their vote no matter what.

4. Place your 5 Support Cubes on your support track on each Regional Board.

   • Place them on the space matching the number of diamonds shown at the bottom of the Political Orientation Card on each board.
   • For Seoul-Gyeonggi, each player places their cube on the space marked with a diamond.

5. The Independent candidate randomly draws one Political Card and places it under the Candidate Card with only the Policy icon visible. This policy becomes the Independent candidate's Expertise. (The card placed underneath cannot be used in this game.)

   Excluding Seoul-Gyeonggi, advance the Support Cube one space in the 2 regions adjacent to the Priority Policy Card matching the icon.

6. One of the Progressive or Conservative candidates becomes the Ruling Party. Decide it by any method, then place the First Player Marker in front of that player. The other side automatically becomes the Opposition Party.

   The Ruling Party player additionally applies the effects listed:

   • Advance Support Cube one additional space in Seoul-Gyeonggi
   • Advance meeple one additional space on the Vote Count Track
   • Receive one Risk Card (do not look at the front)

Regional Board

1. Region Name
2. Political Orientation — Seoul-Gyeonggi is marked with a star and has no specific political orientation.
3. Engagement Track — The higher the engagement level, the more voters participate in voting.
4. Support Track — Indicates each candidate's popularity level in that region.
5. Support Size — During the Vote Count phase, each candidate puts Vote Tokens into the bag equal to the number shown above their Support Cube.
6. Popularity Threshold — A candidate whose Support Cube crosses this line is a Popular Politician in that region. During the Media Phase, the Engagement Level increases by the number of Popular Politicians in each region.
7. Engagement Amplification — When your Support Cube is on the last space and you play that region's Priority Policy, the Engagement level increases instead of Support level. (see the Priority Policy section)

Game Play

The game is played over two rounds. After the first round, conduct the Presidential Poll phase. After the second round, conduct the Final Campaign Rally and Vote Count.

Each round proceeds as: Round 1 (Rally Phase, Political Action Phase, Media Phase) → Presidential Poll → Round 2 (Rally Phase, Political Action Phase, Media Phase) → Final Rally → Vote Count.

Playing a Round

Each round proceeds in the following order: Rally Phase, Political Action Phase, Media Phase.

1. Rally Phase

In this phase, each candidate can visit regions of their choice to increase support level.

Each candidate selects 2 cards from their 5 Campaign Rally Cards. Place the selected cards face-down in front of you.

Once all candidates have selected cards, reveal them simultaneously.

For each region, resolve based on the number of candidates visited:

A) One Candidate

That candidate advances their Support Cube two spaces in this region.

B) Multiple Candidates

Each candidate advances their Support Cube one space in this region. Additionally, advance the Engagement Cube one space in that region.

If Support or Engagement Cubes are on the last space, they cannot advance further. Nothing happens in regions that no one visited.

Each player retrieves the 2 Campaign Rally Cards they played.

2. Political Action Phase

In this phase, each candidate engages in political maneuvering and announces policies to secure an advantageous position in the election.

The Political Action Phase always proceeds in turn order as follows: Ruling Party, Opposition Party, Centrist Candidate, Independent Candidate.

On your turn, play one card from the five Political Cards in your hand.

Each Political Card shows: Card Name, Cost, Target Region, Effects, Policy.

Political Cards apply effects in the following order: Political Maneuver → Policy.

Political Maneuver

First, take Risk Cards equal to the number shown in the Cost area.

Place the Risk Cards face-down in front of you. You cannot look at the front.

If the Cost shows the peace-sign icon, move your Meeple back on the Vote Count Track by the indicated number.

Then apply effects according to the Target Region and effect icons.

Target Region

• Any Region (question mark icon)
• Any Region, except for the Seoul-Gyeonggi star region
• Any two different Regions (A, B icons)
• A Region with exactly matching Political Orientation Icon(s)

If the target region is the pentagon icon, it cannot be applied to regions showing both pentagon and circle icons.

If two effects are shown together, both effects must be applied to the same region.

Effects

• Advance your Support Track
• Move Support Track back (Opponent)
• Advance the Engagement Track
• Move the Engagement Track back
• Receive 1 Risk Card
• Remove 1 Risk Card
• Move on the Vote Count Track

All effects must be applied if possible. You cannot choose to skip or partially apply them. If you cannot apply all effects, apply as many as possible.

Some effects advance another candidate's Support Cube. You cannot select a candidate whose cube cannot advance further; if possible, you must select a candidate whose cube can advance.

Policy

Choose one of the following options:

A) Advance your Support Cube one space each in the two Priority Regions for this policy. B) Advance your Support Cube one space in Seoul-Gyeonggi.

Priority Regions: Excluding Seoul-Gyeonggi, the two regions adjacent to the Priority Policy Card are the Priority Regions for that policy.

Example: The Priority Regions for the Environment policy are currently Chungcheong and Gangwon. When you play an Environment policy, you can advance support one space in Chungcheong and Gangwon, or advance support one space in Seoul-Gyeonggi.

Independent Candidate Special Ability

When the Independent candidate plays their Expertise Policy (see Individual Setup), they advance Support Cubes one space in both the Priority Regions and Seoul-Gyeonggi.

If you need to apply a policy effect but your Support Cube is already on the last space (i.e., Support Size 7), the Engagement Level increases instead of Support Level. (If the Engagement Cube is also on the last space, nothing happens.)

The substitution of Engagement for Support only occurs when applying Policy effects. When increasing Support Cubes through other effects (Rally, Political Maneuvers, etc.), if the cube is on the last space, nothing happens.

After applying all card effects, draw cards until you have five cards in hand. Set aside the used card. (It will not be used again this game.)

Then proceed to the next player's turn.

The Political Action Phase ends when each player has played 3 Political Cards in total.

Unite with a Minor Candidate

The candidate who plays this card first successfully unites with the Minor Candidate. Immediately take the Minor Candidate Card and red Vote Token. Unification only applies to the first player to play this card. If someone plays afterward, ignore all parts of the card except the Policy.

3. Media Phase

In this phase, a candidate's popularity is reflected in the media, while accumulated political risks may be exposed, potentially losing Core Supporters.

Apply the following in order:

Popularity Reflection

In each region, advance the Engagement Cube by the number of Popular Politicians (see Regional Board section).

Risk Exposure

Each player reveals all their Risk Cards and adds up the numbers on the front. Candidates who united with the Minor Candidate add 2 to their total. The candidate(s) with the highest total immediately move their Meeple back one space on the Vote Count Track. (Apply to all if tied.)

Return all revealed Risk Cards to the deck and shuffle thoroughly.

Risk Card deck composition: 15 cards worth 1, 10 cards worth 2, 5 cards worth 3.

Centrist Candidate Special Ability

During each Media Phase, if your Risk total is not the highest (including ties), immediately advance your Support Cube one space in Seoul-Gyeonggi.

The round ends after the Media Phase.

Presidential Poll

Gauge the election's momentum based on mid-campaign support. This polling agency has a fairly large margin of error, so don't get too excited or disappointed by the results. Also, public support always comes with both light and shadow.

Presidential Poll is conducted between the first and second rounds.

Put one Vote Token from each candidate into the bag (4 tokens total).

Additionally, the leading candidate in each region (i.e., the candidate whose Support Cube is furthest right) puts one additional Vote Token. If tied, all co-leaders put an additional token.

Example: The Centrist candidate leads in Gangwon and Chungcheong. They put 2 additional Vote Tokens in the bag. The Centrist candidate now has a total of 3 Vote Tokens in the bag.

The Ruling Party player draws 5 Vote Tokens from the bag. The candidate(s) with the most tokens drawn (including ties) applies the following effects:

• Advance Meeple one space on the Vote Count Track
• Receive one Risk Card (Popularity always comes with a price.)

Empty the bag. All Vote Tokens return to their respective candidates.

Then proceed with Round 2 (Rally - Political Action - Media Phase) in the same manner.

Final Rally

After Round 2 ends, conduct one final Rally. However, there are the following differences from regular Rallies:

• Each player selects only 1 Campaign Rally Card instead of 2.
• In regions that no one visited, the Engagement Cube moves back one space.

Vote Count

Vote Count is the final phase and highlight of this game. Now your fate rests solely in the hands of the voters. No matter how high your support, if voters don't show up to the polls, it's meaningless. Hope that your supporters turn out to vote and exercise their precious vote as democratic citizens!

Vote Count is conducted sequentially in all five regions.

Start Vote Count from the region in the upper left of Seoul-Gyeonggi and proceed clockwise. Seoul-Gyeonggi is always counted last.

The Ruling Party player takes on the role of the National Election Commission (NEC). The NEC is a neutral role conducting the Vote Count. Other players monitor to ensure fair counting.

The player acting as NEC prepares for the region being counted as follows:

• Put each candidate's Vote Tokens into the bag equal to their Support Size (see Regional Board section).
• Put the red Minor Candidate Vote Token into the bag. (Regardless of unification)

Shuffle the bag well, then draw Vote Tokens one at a time equal to the Engagement level. Each time a Vote Token is drawn, advance that candidate's Meeple on the Vote Count Track.

If a Minor Candidate token is drawn, advance the Meeple of the candidate who united with them. If unification did not occur, no one advances their Meeple. (Note: Do not draw another token in this case. One vote is still considered counted.)

After drawing tokens equal to the Engagement level, that region's count is complete. Return all tokens to each candidate, then proceed to the next region's Vote Count.

Very rarely, the total number of Vote Tokens in a region may equal or be less than the Engagement Level. In this case, consider the Vote Count completed and immediately advance each candidate's Meeple by their Support Size. Then move to the next region's Vote Count.

There is no maximum vote limit. If the Vote Count Track runs out of spaces, adjust the track by moving all Meeples back three or four spaces.

Game End

The game ends when Vote Count for Seoul-Gyeonggi is complete. The candidate furthest ahead on the Vote Count Track is elected president and wins the game.

In case of a tie, leave the tokens currently in the bag (i.e., all tokens not drawn during Seoul-Gyeonggi Vote Count) and add only one Vote Token from each tied candidate to the bag.

Then continue drawing Vote Tokens until one of the tied candidates appears. Ignore tokens drawn from non-tied candidates. However, if a tied candidate united with the Minor Candidate, the Minor Candidate's token also counts as theirs.

The first tied candidate whose token is drawn is elected president and wins the game.

3-Player Game Rules

In a 3-player game, the Independent candidate cannot be selected and exists as an NPC. The Independent candidate's special ability is ignored.

Basic rules are the same as the 4-player game except for the following:

Game Setup

Return the Independent Candidate Card and Political Cards to the box. Set aside the Independent candidate's Campaign Rally Cards.

Place the Independent candidate's Meeple and Support Cubes as in the standard game setup. However, ignore the Expertise.

Game Play

The Independent candidate only performs Campaign Rallies. During the Rally Phase, randomly reveal 2 of the Independent candidate's Campaign Rally Cards (1 card during the Final Rally) and apply the effects.

Presidential Poll progression and effects apply to the Independent candidate as well.

Players can select the Independent candidate as a target for Political Card effects.

The NPC can become the game winner based on Vote Count results.

2-Player Game Rules

In a 2-player game, only Conservative and Progressive candidates can be selected. The Centrist and Independent candidates exist as NPCs, with the Centrist candidate alternating cooperation with the Conservative and Progressive candidates. NPCs' special abilities are ignored.

Basic rules are the same as the 4-player game except for the following:

Game Setup

Return the Independent Candidate Card, Political Cards, and Centrist Candidate Card to the box. Set aside the Centrist and Independent candidates' Campaign Rally Cards.

Place the Centrist candidate's Political Card deck between the Progressive and Conservative candidates.

Place the Centrist and Independent candidates' Meeples and Support Cubes as in the standard game setup. Ignore the Independent candidate's Expertise.

In a 2-player game, there are no Ruling Party or Opposition Party concepts, and related effects do not apply. Determine who takes the First Player Marker by any method. The First Player Marker passes to the opponent when Round 2 begins.

Game Play

The Centrist and Independent candidates perform Campaign Rallies. During the Rally Phase, randomly reveal 2 Campaign Rally Cards each from the Centrist and Independent candidates (1 card each during the Final Rally) and apply the effects.

The Political Action Phase proceeds in order: First Player - Opponent - Centrist Candidate.

When it's the Centrist candidate's turn, reveal one Political Card from the Centrist candidate's deck. The First Player plays this card on behalf of the Centrist candidate on the first turn, the opponent on the second, and the First Player again on the third.

At this time, ignore the Political Maneuver section and apply only the Policy effect. (This means the Centrist candidate's Support will increase in specific regions)

Presidential Poll effects apply to NPCs as well.

At the start of Round 2, pass the First Player Marker to the opponent.

The Presidential Poll and Vote Count are conducted by the player holding the First Player Marker at the time.

The NPC can become the game winner based on Vote Count results.