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| THE
POLITICS OF GAMES ... |
.
 Politics
has been a part of life for a long time (ever since the first man said,
"Vote for me!) ... and for much of that time, so have political Board games.
In the modern era of Board games (after World War Two), the pace has picked
up for political games. Some of the early games include "Game Of Politics"
(Parker Brothers), "Meet The Presidents" (Selchow & Righter) and "Mr.
President" (3M). Most gamers would probably agree that "Mr. President"
is the most "realistic" of those three but its something up for debate.
.
 The
1970s saw an influx of even more political games, led by "Landslide" (Parker
Brothers) and including "Campaign For Election" (Ronald Morgan Gregory)
and "Politrix" (Bain Brothers Games). Each successive game seemed to more
closely simulate a real political campaign, and offered the players more
sophistication and better choices on how to become President. Parker Brothers'
"Landslide" is still a sought after game.
.
 Wargames
were not immune during this time to making politics an integral part of
war ... since war is, after all, the overt act of political will. "The
Plot To Assassinate Hitler" (SPI) integrates politics into the game so
that it is unwise to think in the usual ways of a wargamer. "Diplomacy"
(originally by Games Research, Inc. from 1961, then Avalon Hill, and finally
by Hasbro) involves understanding of international politics ... "Down With
The King" (Avalon Hill) involves down-and-dirty politics and the power
behind the throne ... and "Nicaragua" (World Wide Wargames) needs you to
be mindful of politics to gain popularity and foreign support, raise forces
and demoralize the enemy.
.
 The
1980s saw political games like "Clout" (Scofield Games), which dealt with
understanding the workings of the political system and building an organization
to get your voice heard ... "Politricks" (Meeler & Rooney), which included
pork barrel, graft, perks and more ... and "Run For President" (World Book)
and "Hail To The Chief" (Aristoplay), probably the tamest of political
of the 1980s since trivia knowledge propelled you into the Presidency.
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 The
1990s had "Road To the White House" (Mayfair Games), "Risky Strategy" (Western
Publishing), "The Politicians Game" (Baron & Scott), "Campaign: Race
For The White House" (J.R. Perri), "Game Of Presidents" (The Presidents
Group), "Politricks: Louisiana" (Kippy Productions), "Parliament" (Brent
Howard Games - Australian), "Opinions" (Stewards Ltd), "Politika" (Red
Storm Entertainment) ... and even a little humor with "Clintonopoly" (Opoly
Games & Things), although this is actually a "Monopoly" -style game
with little to do with politics other than the famous name.
 Undoubtedly,
the stream of Political Board games will continue on unabated ... as long
as there is Politics ... and there is always Politics (both big and small
"P"). The above list is just a sampling of the games available and those
interested should explore for more. eBay is a good place to look for older
games ... although it is tougher to find them since eBay does not breakout
Political games from the rest of the games. The Recommended Sites to the
left sell used, older games and they may be a good source, too. Finding
political games might just mean you may have to dig a little deeper.
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I
am just wrapping up the updated Cadaco
and
the Gabriel sections.
I
am about 3/4ths through the Milton Bradley updated section.
I
have just started back into the Wargames section ... which will include
a Magazine Game section (Strategy & Tactics, Wargamer, Command, etc.),
besides individual publishers like SPI, 3W, GDW, etc.
I suspect this section will take fairly long since I am dealing with over
400
games.
As
part of this, I will (again) expand the Avalon Hill section.
When
all is said and done, the Wargames section will probably be one of the
most comprehensive on the internet.
In
between, I will try to sneak
in
other updated sections (like Mattel, Western Publishing,
Cardinal,
University
and Marx).
Stay
tuned!
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