Landslide (board game)
Encyclopedia
Landslide is the name of two board game
s about the U.S. presidential elections, where players compete to become the president
of the United States
.
in 1971. Up to four players aim to obtain as many electoral votes as they can. The players use their popular votes (used much like money in other games) to bid for states, and whoever has the most electoral votes at the end of the game is the winner. The game follows the 1970 census
, and correctly represents the electoral college apportionment for each state. For example: New York is apportioned 41 electoral votes, representing its 39 congressmen
and two senators
. California at that time had 45 electoral votes with 43 congressmen and two senators, etc.
The board features a circular track in which players moved their tokens to land on spaces that had various rewards or triggered game action. The country and states are divided into 4 regions (East, South, Midwest, West) and the circular track is divided into these four sections as well. The player tokens and regions are color coordinated: East = red, South = yellow, Midwest = white, and West = blue. Each player starts on the space called "Home State" in their respective color/region and starts with five vote cards, which range in value from 250,000 to 5,000,000 votes. Players roll a single die to continuously circumnavigate the board, triggering various actions until all 50 states and the District of Columbia (with its three electoral votes) are in the possession of the players. The game ends when the last state is won. The various spaces on the board are as follows:
The player with the most electoral votes is the winner (a majority is not required).
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
s about the U.S. presidential elections, where players compete to become the president
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
1971 game
The first board game titled Landslide was published by Parker BrothersParker Brothers
Parker Brothers is a toy and game manufacturer and brand. Since 1883, the company has published more than 1,800 games; among their best known products are Monopoly, Cluedo , Sorry, Risk, Trivial Pursuit, Ouija, Aggravation, and Probe...
in 1971. Up to four players aim to obtain as many electoral votes as they can. The players use their popular votes (used much like money in other games) to bid for states, and whoever has the most electoral votes at the end of the game is the winner. The game follows the 1970 census
United States Census
The United States Census is a decennial census mandated by the United States Constitution. The population is enumerated every 10 years and the results are used to allocate Congressional seats , electoral votes, and government program funding. The United States Census Bureau The United States Census...
, and correctly represents the electoral college apportionment for each state. For example: New York is apportioned 41 electoral votes, representing its 39 congressmen
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
and two senators
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. California at that time had 45 electoral votes with 43 congressmen and two senators, etc.
The board features a circular track in which players moved their tokens to land on spaces that had various rewards or triggered game action. The country and states are divided into 4 regions (East, South, Midwest, West) and the circular track is divided into these four sections as well. The player tokens and regions are color coordinated: East = red, South = yellow, Midwest = white, and West = blue. Each player starts on the space called "Home State" in their respective color/region and starts with five vote cards, which range in value from 250,000 to 5,000,000 votes. Players roll a single die to continuously circumnavigate the board, triggering various actions until all 50 states and the District of Columbia (with its three electoral votes) are in the possession of the players. The game ends when the last state is won. The various spaces on the board are as follows:
- Home state — the starting point for each player. In addition, when as players passed his/her home state space, he/she earns a vote card while landing exactly on the space earns two cards (similar to passing "Go" in MonopolyMonopoly (game)Marvin Gardens, the leading yellow property on the board shown, is actually a misspelling of the original location name, Marven Gardens. The misspelling was said to be introduced by Charles Todd and passed on when his home-made Monopoly board was copied by Charles Darrow and thence to Parker...
). If an opposing player lands on another's home state space, he has to allow that player to blindly steal one of his vote cards. - Votes — landing on this space allows the player to collect a vote card.
- State — landing on this space puts the next state in the pile of state cards up for auction, with the state name and number of electoral votes known only to the player who landed on the space. This is where bidding skills and bluffing come into play. The highest bidder wins that state with the amount of his bid (votes) going to the player who landed on the state space as payment.
- Politics — this allows the player to earn a "politics" card. These cards allow a player to do things like steal a state from another player, stop a game action, steal vote cards, or gamble (in which he pits one of his states against an opponent's state of equal or lesser value; both players roll the dice with the highest roll winning both states).
- Secret Ballot — this space puts the next state from each region up for a blind auction with the winner getting all 4 states.
- Open Ballot — this allows a player to put any of another player's states that he already won back up for auction among all players.
- Fly Anywhere — allows the player who landed on this space to move his token to any space on the board.
The player with the most electoral votes is the winner (a majority is not required).
2004 game
- The second was released by Ezakly in 2004. It is a completely different game, with a Monopoly-style track around the outside of the board. The cards contain some humorous citationsFlavor textFlavor text is the name given to text for action figure character backgrounds, playing cards, or within the pages of a role-playing game's rulebook. While appropriate to the product's or game's story concept, it usually has no effect on the mechanics of the game, but instead serves to add realism...
as "I have left orders to be awakened at any time in case of national emergency, even if I'm in a cabinet meeting. - Ronald Reagan"
External links
- Landslide '04 official site
- Landslide '04 article at about.comAbout.comAbout.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....