This is not a review of GMT’s Mr. President: . In order to write a thoughtful review, I usually figure that I need to have played a game 3+ times for a “heavier” game and 5+ times for something lighter. So far, I’ve managed one play of the basic (“sandbox”) scenario set to easy mode… and that took 5+ hours.
So, instead, this is a first impression of the table-eating design by Gene Billingsley – albeit one informed by a lifetime of gaming and a particular (some would say peculiar) interest in solo board games. And, in honor of Helen Thomas (long-time White House press corps member), I’m writing this in the form of a press conference.
Wait a minute – you said your first game took five hours?!
Yes. Yes, I did.
Five hours?!
I’m not going to make you feel any better by letting you know that I managed to eke out an automatic win at the end of year two of my presidency – meaning I didn’t actually play a full game. (And there’s an option to run for a second term… but we won’t even go there.)
On the other hand, the first year learning how the game worked took roughly 3.5 hours, with the second year only taking about 90 minutes. So there is a definite learning curve that eases up as you keep playing.
Get out of here as fast as you can.
Murray Blum, CPA in DAVE
How long does this massive game take to set up?
While I didn’t use a timer while I was setting up, I think it was probably 30-45 minutes – granted, this was my first time playing and getting a game under my belt will make it much quicker to set up next time. (Also see my answer about 3D printed trays below.)
Somebody said there were a lot of rulebooks… what say you?
Technically, there are only three rulebooks – a small How To Play overview, a larger Governing Manual (aka “main rulebook”) and a folio of Scenarios.
That, however, doesn’t include the multiple books of charts: World, Domestic, Allies & Rogue States, China, and Russia. Nor does it include the incredibly helpful Turn Order flipbook, a spiral-bound book that walks you through each part of a turn step-by-step.
There are also four double-sided player aids – one each for Presidential, Domestic, Diplomatic, and Military actions.
And, for good measure, there is a separate book of designer notes with some help for your first game.
That’s a lot of rulebooks.
True… but I’m an old-school wargamer who also DM’d D&D and Traveller campaigns in the pre-computer days (aka “the early 1980s”) so this wasn’t overwhelming. I’m used to CRT (Combat Results Table) lookups and diving through multiple manuals to find a single elusive chart.
Credit where credit is due: the team of folks from GMT did a really nice job of compiling the rules and charts in a format that makes it easy to find what you’re looking for. I didn’t have any real issues with finding what I needed. (Note: there is a FAQ with errata available on the GMT site.)
Caveat where caveat is due: GMT has already announced an update kit for Mr. President (as well as a 2nd edition printing of the complete game) to incorporate errata and clearer wording from the FAQ for the 2nd Edition, as well as numerous game enhancements to make the game more challenging (especially in years 3 and following) and to add features, importance, and more difficult choices to areas of the game. (And, yes, I’ve already ordered it.)
Did you really need the 3D printed trays?
The game is playable without a specific storage solution – but it’s substantially easier to set up and play if you find some way to organize the 500+ counters/chits. The old school wargame chit organizers could work for this… or, you could splurge a bit and get a 3D-printed system.
I’m happy to recommend the Mr. President storage solution from PrintablesByCaren – it comes in both a printed version or you can simply order the STL files from her and print the pieces yourself.
After my first play, I reorganized the single bit trays to make it easier to divide them up in ways that aligned with how I set-up and play the game – which should make it even easier. (Photos of my tray layout are at the end of this post.)
The picture at the top of this “first impressions” post looks like it takes the entire table to lay out the game – is that really the case?
Mr. President is a table eater of the first order – though the 3D printed trays do take up a decent amount of space as well.
What you can’t see in that picture is that I’m using a chair for the stack of player aids/folios with charts.
Optimally, you would like to have a large table plus a small side table (for rules/charts) where you can leave the game out over a decent amount of time. (I’m privileged to have a space where I can do just that.)
Hail to the chief / He’s the one we all say “Hail” to. / We all say “Hail” / ‘Cause he keeps himself so clean! / He’s got the power, / That’s why he’s in the shower…
“Bill Mitchell” from DAVE
OK, we’ve asked enough questions about the logistics of the game – tell us more about the game itself.
I’ve already noted that my gaming background includes a lot of AH and SPI wargames as well as game-mastering role-playing games – specifically Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, the early editions of Traveller, and (more recently) Savage Worlds. Mr. President has strong elements of both of those worlds, including combat based on strength ratios (classic wargame stuff) and numerous “skill checks” (RPG stuff) across a wide variety of game situations. Not to mention a serious amount of DRMs (Dice Roll Modifiers).
I actually told my wife that Mr. President was basically a RPG for people interested in domestic and international politics – and I stand by that statement. (I’m Mark Jackson, and I approve this message.)
The game is more tactical than strategic – you’re often responding to whatever stupid thing just happened – a cyber attack by Russia, scandals in your cabinet, keeping Congress happy, the fickle mood of the American people, etc. – and your long-term plans can easily go up in smoke. Those “stupid things” are generated by the myriad of charts – and an event deck that can be generate both one time events and cascading events… in other words, events that can come back to haunt you at later times during the game.
Along with that, you’re telling a story – much like a RPG, you’re the lead character in a complicated drama that you can influence but not control. And, much like both RPGs and wargames, some dice rolls will break your way in stunning ways, while others will doom you into a spiral of bad consequences.
For example, while I couldn’t keep the Middle East from being a hotbed of rogue nations and civil wars, I managed to eliminate Chinese influence in the Asian Pacific and even slow down North Korea’s move towards nuclear weapons. At home, we managed to pass landmark legislation, even as the public kept changing their minds – and at the same time kept our economy incredibly strong. The seemingly constant hassling with Russian (cyber attacks, supporting Serbia attacking the Balkan States, etc.) didn’t overwhelm me – but I can easily see where multiple small wars could metastasize in a whirlwind of bad outcomes.
What’s Next?
President Bartlet – THE WEST WING
It sounds like there are a lot of choices to be made – isn’t it overwhelming?
Thanks to the game design, you are only making a small number of decisions at any one time. While you need to keep your eye on possible ramifications of your decisions (Am I leaving myself enough action points in case something else goes wrong? Will this decision affect one of my allies? Do I have the ability to assuage their frustration with a later move?), the scope of decisions is – most of the time – limited by the game track (and the flip book, which walks you through the game track).
Due to the way the game tracks where you are in a turn, it was easy for me to play for 10-20 minutes and then get up & take care of other things. My five hour playing time was actually spread out over about three days.
Robin McCall: I think the important thing is not to make it look like we’re panicking.
President Andrew Shepherd: See, and I think the important thing is actually not to BE panicking.
THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT
Wouldn’t it be easier/better if this was a computer game rather than a table-eating monster board game?
Yes… and no.
Yes, for those who don’t have the space to set up the game and/or the ability to leave it out in the open for extended periods of time, that makes perfect sense. In fact, one of the reasons for the second edition update kit is to act as playable kit for charts/etc.for players who want to use Tabletop Simulator or Vassal to play the game.
On the other hand, no. The job of the President is an immense task – and the size of the board(s) play a role in giving the player the correct “feel” of that weight. By the same token, I find it much easier to play large games in-person… it’s easier to scan the table for information than it is to try & figure out where the developers have hidden a view or menu.
I also think that auto-calculating DRMs would “hide” some of the key elements of the game – how do I balance everything I need/want to do while saving enough action points in reserve for the inevitable unforeseen crisis?
Should every self-respecting board gamer own a copy of this game?
Absolutely not.
Well, maybe I can be a bit more nuanced than that and list the reasons I don’t think this is going to be for every gamer.
- Space needed to play
- Length of the game
- Solo player only (yes, you could work with a partner – but it’s designed as a single player game)
- Requires some basic knowledge of domestic U.S. and international politics
- It really is more of a RPG than a wargame… and not everyone wants a long game that is more about participating in a story versus controlling every detail of a system
If you were going to recommend one history book to read for background to the game, what would it be?
That’s easy – John Dickerson’s The Hardest Job in the World: The American Presidency does a tremendous job of showing the enormity of the role, the ridiculous expectations we’ve layered onto the job, and the completely inadequate system we have for picking the best-qualified person to be president of the United States. Plus, John Dickerson’s a very good writer with a sly sense of humor.
“Nothing comes to my desk that is perfectly solvable,” President Obama explained to the author Michael Lewis. “Otherwise, someone else would have solved it. So you wind up dealing with probabilities. … You can’t be paralyzed by the fact that it might not work out.” Thomas Jefferson explained this to his secretary of the treasury: “What is good in this case cannot be effected. We have, therefore, only to find out what will be least bad.”
John Dickerson, THE HARDEST JOB IN THE WORLD
Any last words?
Two things:
- Although I’ve only played once, I’m very glad I have this in my collection. I have plans to play again soon – I’m trying to decide whether to crank up the difficulty level or try one of the historical scenarios. Even pulling out the trays/books to take pictures for this make me want to set it up right now.
- GMT is currently taking orders for the 2nd edition of Mr. President using their P500 system… the P500 prices is $69 while the MSRP will be $110, so if you’re interested, it’s worth taking a look.
A note of a tiny yet possible conflict of interest: While I purchased my own copy of Mr. President and of the excellent 3D printed bit trays from PrintablesbyCaren, the developer of the game (Mike Bertucelli) was a long-time member of the gaming group I ran in Central California and a great guy to game with. (Mike is personally responsible for my older son’s very large X-Wing game collection – thanks to teaching him the game back when it was released.)
“I forgot that I was hired to do a job for you and that it was just a temp job at that. I forgot that I had two hundred and fifty million people who were paying me to make their lives a little better and I didn’t live up to my part of the bargain.”
“Bill Mitchell” from DAVE
Thoughts From Other Opinionated Gamers
Matthew M. (1 play – I like it) – If you’re looking for a game where you can identify and make the right choice and are always rewarded for doing so then Mr. President will fall flat. While your decisions contribute meaningfully to the story that unfolds, you are always somewhat at the mercy of fate via the dice. That degree of uncertainty is part of the simulation of being the leader of the US, but it’s also a big ask for a player when a game is as demanding of your time and space as this one. If you are willing to accept what the game offers on those terms then Mr. President offers an immersive solo RPGesque experience unlike many others. Its audaciousness and ability to generate memorable narrative moments earns it a space on my shelf, even if I’ll only find time to actually play it once a year.
And now, as promised, my layout for the bit trays…
The four trays on the left are all or mostly initial setup trays… the seven trays on the right are elements that come into play during the game. (The empty tray was created by condensing some things and moving one set of chits to the boxes.)
The boxes are in three sizes: large (top row), medium (middle two rows), and short (bottom two rows). I moved UN peacekeepers into an empty box which left me with one empty tray (see above).
Heroscape In New Hands: The Renegade Con Panel
While a chunk of the gaming world (including a number of our writers here on the OG) were in Essen, Germany, scoping out 1k+ new games, the good folks at Renegade Game Studios were busy with their own online Renegade Con. (I’ll note that I think this is a good thing – the world of tabletop gaming is so big that a single event can’t contain it.)
One of the panels was of particular interest to me – and, since you’re reading this, likely you as well: the Heroscape: Meet the Team Panel. I’m a long-time fan of Heroscape – including some time as a playtester on a couple of waves of figures and the “hot lava death” terrain.
Part One: In Which the Author Attempts to Give a Bit of Background on the Wonder Which Is Heroscape And What Has Transpired Prior to The Summer of 2023
Here’s how I describe Heroscape in my top 100 games listing (it’s #4, in case you’re curious):
Game designer (and nice guy) Frank Branham described it well:
But, as always, all good things must come to an end – and after six years of releases, including four Master box sets, thirteen waves of small figures, three boxes of large figures, four boxes of special terrain, one set of flagbearers & dice, and a number of promo figures, Hasbro closed the book on Heroscape in 2010.
Fast forward twelve years… and then Hasbro/Avalon Hill/HasLab began hinting about HeroScape: Age of Annihilation – first with social media posts and then by displaying figures at GenCon 2022. Information began to dribble out through Reddit posts and the AH Discord channels and Craig Van Ness – one of the original designers – was involved. Then in October 2022, the crowdfunding campaign went live. (You can see the crowdfunding site, with lots of pictures… it’s still there.)
Reaction was mixed – even with an initial surge of folks willing to plop down $250 for Vanguard edition (essentially a new master set), the crowdfunding petered off as various questions cropped up about the cost, the fact that the miniatures were unpainted, the focus on fantasy/sci-fi elements to the exclusion of historical and/or trope-based figures, and the weird choices prior to (focusing exclusively on Discord to share details) and during (making major campaign changes 20 days into the effort when it became clear it wasn’t going to reach the goal.
In fairness, the long-time Heroscape players remember buying the initial master set for $40 in 2004… and the intervening 18 years did not make production less expensive nor reduce the cost of mass-producing painted figures. I’m afraid our expectations may have been out of whack – but I don’t think HasLab did a particularly good job of responding to those concerns in real time. One particular issue was the one-size-fits-all choice – spend $250 or get nothing.
When the crowdfunding campaign was unsuccessful in attracting enough backers (HasLab’s goal was 8,000 backers – they ended the campaign in November 2020 with 4,300), Avalon Hill announced that they were done (for the time being) with Heroscape
And with that, I truly thought that we could stick a fork in any more HeroScape.
I was wrong.
Part Two: In Which the Author Finds A Phoenix Rising From the Ashes (In Other Words, Heroscape Lives!)
Just seven months later, the good folks at Renegade Game Studios dropped this bombshell:
And with that, the speculation began once again… with fans perusing the press release searching for textual clues like they were rabbinical scholars working over the Talmud. It seemed clear that Renegade would not make the same mistake as HasLab, acknowledging from the beginning a need for “a variety of configurations and price points” as well as hinting at “terrain boxes” and “faction boxes”.
Part Three: In Which the Renegade Team Introduces Themselves and Gives The Rest of Us a Glimpse of What Might Be Around the Corner
The panel Renegade hosted on Saturday afternoon is well worth your time – but I’m still going to compile some choice bits and interesting information for those who don’t want to listen in on a 55 minute conversation about Heroscape and the game design process.
Five folks were on the panel:
The team acknowledged that there’s a lot of goodwill and nostalgia about Heroscape – so decisions are made with multiple elements in mind:
With those things in mind, they did confirm that they are working not simply to make a big single release but to create a living game and a “healthy line”. (A couple of times, they referred to “multiple waves”.) There will be a master set (with lots of terrain and lots of figures)… but there will also be a “starter set” with a lower price point to act as an entry point for new players and folks who can’t afford to jump straight into a master set.
Scott also noted that the Avalon Hill Heroscape team “went a little crazy” with their designs… giving the Renegade team a challenge to figure out how to make it work “because they are a little nuts.” (Scott then referenced ‘the blimp’ – which, I will grant, is conceptually cool but looks like a bear to produce as a figure.)
Rowan shared that playtesting is ongoing… both initial internal playtesting and a wider playtester pool as figures are closer to “finished”. She also shared their process for designing new figures from scratch – which is actually a series of questions/factors to consider:
They also let us know that you can apply to be a playtester – here’s the link!
With all of that shared, Scott began answering questions from the chat…
The current plan is to reveal MUCH more detail in the first quarter of 2024… specifically about Wave One. (And, yes, the mention of Wave One does mean that there are multiple waves being planned.) Scott was clear with the assembled folks who wanted more details: “we’re not going to tell you things until they’re ready.”
Finally – the game will release in 2024.
In closing, they reminded us to sign up for the Heroscape newsletter and that the best way to interact with the team members was through the Renegade Discord.
Part Four: In Which the Author Returns To React To All the News and Gives Himself Permission to Dream a Bit
By the time Renegade’s new wave of Heroscape stuff hits the street, it will have been 20 years since Frank Branham emailed me and told me to head to the closest Wal-Mart with $40 in hand and pick up a copy of Rise of the Valkyrie (the first Heroscape Master Set). Over the next six years, I bought, traded for, and/or was given at least one of each release – and in many cases, multiples of certain figure and terrain packs. They currently reside in three rolling cases in my office closet – waiting for my boys to get home from college to set up some serious battles in my new game room.
I am smack dab in the center of ONE of the target audiences for Renegade’s new Heroscape material. Note: I said ONE of the target audiences – but for the game to be successful, they need to bring in a lot of new players who don’t have a deep connection to the game Hasbro released between 2004-2010.
So, please take my reactions and suggestions that follow with a rather large grain of salt – I’m speaking as somebody who left this up in his game room for weeks while my sons, their best friend, and I played a 6000 points per side epic battle most afternoons after school.
All photos in this article are from the HasLab Age of Annihilation crowdfunding or the author’s personal collection.
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