Presidential race gets board-game treatment

Political junkies, it’s time to get your game on.

A new board game called The Presidential lets players see if they have what it takes to win office on Election Day (or really any day of the week they feel like playing).

{mosads}In the strategy competition, which its creators call the first mainstream board game centered on the U.S. presidential election, Republicans and Democrats go head to head trying to paint the country red and blue and win 270 electoral votes.

The game had grassroots beginnings — the mastermind behind it collected more than $35,000 in startup money from some 230 donors using a fundraising website.

On each turn, players must decide whether to campaign or fundraise, and can get tripped up or gain momentum along the path to the White House. 

Cards in the game draw from real-life scenarios, with one declaring, “It has been suggested that your vice presidential candidate has spent a great deal of money on a campaign wardrobe. Your opponent picks up two votes to be used anywhere.” 

Another says, “Your opponent wears loafers to a fundraiser at the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage in Oklahoma City. Add three votes to Oklahoma.”

At $35, the educational game, made in America (except for the Chinese-made dice), costs far less than mounting one’s own presidential campaign. It’s being sold online and at the Smithsonian.