Mr. President The American Presidency, 2001-2020 – 2nd Edition
🐸 Dettagli da BoardGameGeek
Consiglio BGG sul numero di giocatori
Design & Art
Lingua
⚠️ Avvertenze
Pairs well with
FroGames — Moments You'll Remember
The weight of every decision is real. Every crisis has a cost. And no one will tell you if you did the right thing.
What it's about
You are the President of the United States. You've already been elected. Now govern.
Mr. President is not a game about elections. It's a game about what comes after — the mandate, the desk in the Oval Office, the 3 AM calls, the decisions that have no right answer. Designed by Gene Billingsley over ten years of research and development, published by GMT Games, it is now one of the deepest and most respected solitaire games in the history of modern board games.
Manage always-insufficient presidential resources, build your Cabinet, push your domestic agenda in Congress, monitor terrorist cells, manage relations with Russia and China — each with their own AI and four levels of aggression — and navigate a crisis deck that generates a different story every time. Each game is a unique, unrepeatable term.
The 2nd Edition refines the original with clearer rules, improved balancing, and new mechanics for years 3 and 4 of the term. Those who own the 1st Edition can purchase the Update Kit separately.
There's no moment when you're truly safe. The next crisis is already coming — and you don't know from where.
The secret of Mr. President in one sentence
After ten years I could still sit down and play a game completely different from the last. That's what separates great solitaire games from everything else.
From the game experience
Mr. President: The American Presidency
Mr. President is born solitaire. Every system — the AI of Russia and China, the crisis deck, the variable-timed events — is designed to generate autonomous adversity and emergent narrative without a human opponent. The solo experience is what the designer had in mind.
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · based on rules, international reviews, and play sessionsYour Mandate
What you manage each year of your presidency
Agenda and Congress
Push your legislation, cultivate alliances, and neutralize opponents. Resources are never enough for everything.
Russia and China with their own AI
Four levels of aggression each, postures that change in response to your actions. Living antagonists.
Surprise Crisis Deck
Six key cards appear each turn in random order. You know they're coming. You don't know when. The pressure is constant.
Cabinet and Exceptional Talents
Build your staff: Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, domestic advisors. Each game, a different team.
At the end of your term, you won't remember the points. You'll remember the choices — and the ones you should have made.
📖RulesEnglish · Official GMT page with all PDFs
📦 CONTENUTO DELLA SCATOLA
A Presidential Term in Five Moments
What Happens at the Table
Not the rules. The experience.
You are the President. Now what?
The desk is yours. The Cabinet has been chosen — this time you have an exceptional Secretary of State, but the Secretary of Defense is mediocre. The agenda is set. Congress is divided. And already in the first card of the turn, Russia changes its stance. The game has begun before you've even decided what to push for.
The first unexpected crisis
You had three presidential actions planned. Then the crisis card arrived: a terrorist outbreak in the Middle East requires immediate military response. The resources you had allocated for healthcare reform disappear. Choose: domestic agenda or national security. There's no right answer.
Year three: everything gets complicated
The first term was manageable. Year three is not. China has raised its aggression to level three, Russia has a proxy war ongoing, public opinion is declining, Congress is hostile. Every resource you spend to hold the international front is a resource you cannot use for your domestic legacy.
The moment you'll remember for months
You calculated everything. You have enough resources to pass key legislation. Then the White House Life card comes out — a political scandal. Presidential resources plummet, a key Congressional ally switches sides. In one turn you've lost six months' agenda. The table falls silent.
End of term. What did you leave behind?
Four years have passed — some games, four to five hours. The final evaluation screen shows what you truly achieved. It's never everything you hoped for. But you reflect on the choices, the crises managed, the priorities sacrificed. And you already know you'll lead the next presidency differently.
How to Play
The flow of each annual turn
Each year of the presidency is a turn. Each turn, 18 shuffled cards determine the order of events. Six key cards — Russia, China, Terrorism, War, Crisis, White House Life — always appear, but you don't know when.
Shuffle the 18 turn cards, set the state of the world and Congress. Each year begins with expectations — and with the certainty that something will go wrong.
Spend your action points to push legislation, build relationships, move troops, manage the press. Resources are always less than what's needed.
Draw the next card. It could be an international crisis, an action by Russia or China, a terrorist attack, or a domestic event. Respond with the resources you have.
At the end of the turn: check public opinion, the state of Congress, national security. If a metric drops below the critical threshold, the term can end early.
Why it's different from others
Six systems that make it unique
Adversarial AI for Russia and China
Two antagonists with four levels of aggression each, country-specific AIs, stances that change in response to your actions. Not passive pawns — living rivals.
Variable timing crisis deck
The six key turn cards always appear — but in random order. You know the crisis will come. You don't know if it will come when you have resources or when you're already at zero.
Simulated Congress with real allies
Not just a numerical track — specific relationships with parliamentarians, leadership and opposition that change throughout the game in response to your results.
Domestic agenda vs. national security
Every resource has an opportunity cost. What you invest abroad cannot be invested in health, economy, education. The tension between the two priorities is never resolved.
Narrative sandbox — no two games alike
The variable crisis deck, the randomly generated Cabinet, alternative scenarios, and shifting stances guarantee a different story every time you sit at the Oval Desk.
Ten years of development — refined 2nd Edition
Gene Billingsley worked on Mr. President for over a decade. The 2nd Edition incorporates errata, FAQs, and new mechanics for years 3 and 4 — the term that challenges veterans.
How it ends
Success, defeat, or history
There is no simple score. The final judgment evaluates every dimension of the presidency — and it's rarely all positive.
Successful Presidency
- Complete the term without exceeding the critical thresholds of any metric
- Leave a measurable domestic legacy — approved laws, advanced agenda
- The world at the end of your term is more stable than you found it
Early End
- Public opinion collapses below threshold — the term ends
- A catastrophic event (war with NATO, economic collapse) causes immediate loss
- There are no second chances — but you reset everything and start over, with more wisdom
Mr. President: The American Presidency, 2001-2020 is considered by many to be the most ambitious solitaire game ever published. Those who play it once rarely stop at the first term.
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ about Mr. President 2nd Edition
Is it really that hard to learn?
Yes, the learning curve is real. The first game setup takes about 60 minutes, and the first playthrough can last up to 10 hours. However, GMT provides an excellent "How to Play a Turn" Flipbook and numerous official playthrough videos. Those who take the time to learn it describe the investment as amply rewarded.
Do I need to buy the 2nd Edition if I already have the 1st?
No. GMT offers a separate Update Kit for owners of the 1st Edition — it includes updated cards, revised counters, and all rewritten manuals. If you're starting from scratch, the 2nd Edition is the definitive version with everything already integrated.
Can more than one person play?
There are no official cooperative rules, but the game lends itself very well to 2-4 people playing together, discussing and deciding collectively. Designer Gene Billingsley explicitly suggests it. The experience becomes a presidential council simulator.
How long does a game actually last?
A complete term (4 years) requires 8-12 hours depending on experience. But the design allows for partial sessions: a single presidential year can be played in 2-3 hours. Many players leave the game "on pause" between turns, returning to the Oval Desk on the weekend.
Is the game available in a digital version?
GMT and Exia Labs are developing a PC version. Currently, there is a free official VASSAL module for those who want to try the game digitally. The physical version remains the complete and recommended experience.
Is it available in Italian?
This is the original English GMT Games edition. All manuals — which include the Governing Manual, the Scenario Book, the World Charts, and the Russia and China manuals — are in English. The thematic complexity requires a good command of the language.
Mr. President: The American Presidency, 2001-2020 2nd Edition is a heavy solitaire board game for 1 player (age 14+, duration 8-12 hours for a complete term). Designed by Gene Billingsley with scenario development by Tom Switajewski, published by GMT Games. Key mechanics: presidential resource management, narrative sandbox, adversarial AI for Russia and China. The player governs the United States from 2001 to 2020, managing the domestic agenda, Congress, public opinion, international crises, and relations with world powers. Reimplementation of the 1st Edition (2023) with refined rules, new mechanics for years 3-4, and integrated errata. English edition. Available on FroGames.it.
Mr. President The American Presidency, 2001-2020 – 2nd Edition
Frequently Asked Questions
The answers you're looking for, no beating around the bush.
📸Do the images match the actual product?
The photos on the website often come from BoardGameGeek and are intended to give you an idea of the game. They may vary slightly from the version you receive. The content declared by the publisher is always binding.
📦Does the content of the box match what is indicated?
We always strive to provide the correct content, but minor variations are possible due to reprints or updates. The information comes directly from the publishers. If you have any questions, please contact us!
⏳How do pre-orders work?
Pre-order the game before release, payment is immediate, and the game is reserved for you. As soon as it arrives, we'll ship it right away! If there are any delays, we'll update you promptly.
🔒Can I trust buying here?
Absolutely! Secure payments, tracked shipments, and a team that loves board games as much as you do. If something goes wrong, we'll do our best to fix it.
🛠There's a problem with my order, what should I do?
Write to us now! Whether it's a missing part, damage, or an error, we'll help you resolve it as soon as possible. Your experience truly matters to us.