1960: The Making of the President

by Z-Man Games

Product Features

• For 2 players
• Takes about 90 minutes to play
• Tons of replay value
• Historical theme
• Educational

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 14.6 x 10.7 x 2.2 inches ; 3 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 4.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000XXZK18
• Item model number: ZMG 7019
• Manufacturer recommended age: 13 - 17 years
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #31,030 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

In 1960: the Making of the President, you take on the role of Kennedy or Nixon in vying to lead America through an era of turbulent change. The candidates must contend with all the great issues of the day, from the cold war to civil rights to voters' pocket books. This is an election that will turn on positioning and momentum. The contest is fought on an electoral map of the United States as it stood in 1960. Using a card-driven game system, all the major events which shaped the campaign are represented Nixon's lazy shave, President Eisenhower's late endorsement, and the 'Catholic question' are all specific event cards. The famous televised debates are also an important component of gameplay. As with a real election campaign, the challenge is to adapt your game plan as the ground shifts out from under you. There are never enough resources or time to do everything, but you need to make the tough calls to propel yourself into the White House. This fast-playing strategy game for two players challenges you to relive the most significant political contest of the twentieth century.

Product Description

All elections are turning points, but the presidential election of 1960 holds a special place in American history. The 1950s had been a period of unparalleled economic growth and US global power. Richard Nixon served as President Eisenhower's Vice President through most of the period. Nixon's humble origins gave him a common touch that appealed to the small town, idyllic America encompassed by the spirit of the 1950s. John F. Kennedy, was Nixon's mirror image: charming, Harvard educated and the scion of an American political dynasty. Kennedy challenged Americans to confront the uncertainties and tumult that were already emerging in 1960. He set his vision not in the past, but on new frontiers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It takes two to tango., January 29, 2009

By 

Konstantin Papushin (Buffalo Grove, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

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This review is from: 1960: The Making of the President (Toy)

My 2 kids were constantly whining that they don't have any interesting games to play so I let them choose one game each. My older (11 almost 12) son picked "1960: The Making of The President". It was rated pretty high on boardgamegeek.com. So I took the plunge.

Game's box is bigger than a typical board game (50% longer than the box of "Settlers of Catan") creating potential problems with storage. Neatly packed inside are the rule book, big board representing the US Map, huge pile of red and blue wooden cubes, two wooden pawns for candidates, two white wooden markers to track turns and phases of a turn, big deck of playing cards of two sorts, two cards for candidates, and cardboard markers for states, momentum, and endorsements.

Setting up the board is relatively time consuming but the board is big and despite number of things on the board there is plenty of space to put everything.

Rules need to be read a few times but in the end end of the day they are relatively simple. There are a few issues we didn't resolve and I wish they were explained better in the rule book (does lowest possible place refer to a lowest number as I say or the worst place as my kid and wife think? I used my authority to make it the former but who knows if it's right).

The goal of the game is to win the election. For those unfamiliar with American election system it mean to get more electoral college votes than other player. Each state has a certain number of votes which need to go one way or another. In game terms you need to have wooden markers of your color representing state support on the state marker in the end of the game to get this state's votes. You have multiple means to gain support - campaigning, advertising, playing "events", etc. with one goal to get more points in the end of the game. Some actions have immediate results and some shift momentum or give you advantage later. Remembering what happens during each state of the game is essential to make good choices.

The game is well balanced and choices are very close in value and hard to make but after first play I'd question relative value of different actions and game events but probably we'll figure it out better after playing a few more games. The game is interesting but probably not for young kids because of the theme. I assume if you read text on a card it'll be a good history education for teens and even if you don't it's very good tool for understanding of American political system. The game represents very well flow of presidential campaign, you really feel like a candidate making tough choices.

Overall it's probably not as entertaining and fast paced as Settlers of Catan. But it's faster than Risk, deeper than most games, and it should be a good choice for two (and only two) players.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Complex, Geeky Entertainment, November 16, 2010

By 

A. Free "Addy Free" (Saint Paul, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:3.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:4.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 1960: The Making of the President (Toy)

This game is quite complex and has a very long play time (our first game was five hours long, though I'm told the second game will be much shorter).

The theme of the campaign between Nixon and JFK is right with opportunities and the game takes advantage of those opportunities, giving us the chance to hear a little bit about different events going on during that campaign. Wikipedia was a lot of fun at night after playing the game--reading up on what some of the cards were referring to.

It will be difficult for some people to convince others to play this game, but I think once they have played it, it won't be difficult to get them to play it again sometime.

4.0 out of 5 stars Great game, August 3, 2011

By 

DubCee83 - See all my reviews

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 1960: The Making of the President (Toy)

I am a history/political geek. Even I was learning new information about this groundbreaking campaign. Both sides are well balanced which is rare in this genre of games. Great construction. You will want to keep the rulebook handy as it took a few playthroughs to get all the rules figured out. It is not a knock on the rulebook which is well done. Its just there is a lot to recall.