for me the question is: Had you fun? it seams no, so 10 20 or 2 hours it doesn t matter

It is long but I knew that going in. I love it. Very immersive, definitely not a game for everyone but if you love monster games and ya got the room to leave it set up this is fantastic. Sorry you didnt like it I am sure many people wont. I hate Risk its one of the most popular games in the us market but it requires virtually zero thought and is almost 100 percent luck. Most solitaire games barely allow you to make any decisions. There are decisions all the time in this and they have repercussions.

10 hours?! This game is supposed to take 4-8 years to complete my friend. ;)

I own and played this game. Ruleswise I think it's quite simple and straightforward title. It tells You a great story, making You the main character in it. Of course, You need large table and operating it consumes a lot of time, but all this pays off at the end. Reading these comments makes me happy that in some point in my life I choose to play wargames. I think it allows me to come to such titles with more open head and not be scared of things like 10+ hours gameplay, big rulebook etc. Long gameplay time is a good thing because it gives You a chance to sink deep into the world the game creates. Don't be discouraged, because this kind of games can give You a lot to enjoy and to think of :)

I agree! It is a simulation. I felt like I was just operating the game and not playing.

I loved the game. I felt it flowed well and had a good narrative.

That Facebook page still goin?

The first year in the first game is the hardest. I can now easily play a year in 2 hours more often than not, but boy, that first year took me ages to get through. My advice would be to finish year 1, then go back to step 1 and redo it from start. The second time I went through it everything felt so much more natural to me.

TTS or Vassal is the way to go with this one.

I am eager to play this game, even if it takes 10+ hours. I have put that much time into solitaire games before, like Fire on the Lake, and enjoyed them immensely. But I honestly don't know where I would set up this thing in my house.

Perhaos the game should be called "CAMPAIGN FOR NORTH AMERICA"..... ;)

I think playing with someone else is definitely helpful. It does distribute the workload and it’s just way more fun. Also, there is an excellent player aid you can get on bgg that provides a fantastic summary of each action and what the effect of the action is. That’s all I use for my decisions. Once I’ve decided on a particular action, THEN I use the included booklets to determine results. It’s a LOT faster. But no question that it’s a monster game. But I think it’s easier than other monster war games where there are a thousand exceptions or conditions that affect each action. The actions in this game are a lot more straightforward, but there are those modifiers, LOL! I would also recommend to anyone thinking about getting this game that you punch ALL counters and sort them first. Trying to hunt for the counter you need on the sheets while you play will really slow you down. Another recommendation: after setup, make sure you clearly understand what it takes to win. Don’t worry so much about how you can lose…yet. Do the recommended starting actions as detailed in one of the rulebooks, or use that player aid, as those actions are in BOLD, and just do them. Don’t worry about what their long term impact is. Just do them. And do whatever else might suit your fancy, but try to choose actions that seem reasonable, like gaining intel on Terrorost groups. That can’t be a bad thing, right? Anyway, do that for an hour and then stop. That will get you used to sorting the rulebooks properly, help you understand how to mitigate dice rolls and give you a feel for how the game flows. At least a little. Then take a break from playing. Make sure you understand clearly how you can lose. Then go to p24 of the Turn Sequence flip book and read the section on “End of Turn Clean-up…” Take 15-20 minutes and see how certain game states at the end of each “Turn/Year” will influence your scoring. You will see that things like “War Effects,” “Trade agreements,” and “Rogue States” are important. Now go back to the game and play for a couple of hours and see if you feel like you have more player agency. Or at least that each action resolves quicker and that you make faster decisions on which action to take. Once you clear the “I have no idea how to gain player agency in this game” hurdle, it’s much more fun. I think you should get 70% there toward the end of the first year.

I am getting the game soon I hope, 2nd edition. I have a table permanent for games in our living room, 30"x60" electric elevator desk. Never quit a game early...yet.

Did you contribute material to the 2nd Edition?

Brutal dude.

yeah I really wish these types of games were published in PC format. Its incredibly frustrating, there are games that I'd love to play but for the fact that it is a SLOG to go through all of the logistics surrounding it. Plus, with AI being the way it is, there is no reason that games like this couldn't have the ultimate 'rules lawyer', where if you ahve questions about the rules, etc you can turn to a chat bot for advice. These types of games are afaict incredibly rare. I'd love the experience of a board game but the convenience of a computer. Boardgamearena doesn't cover it, Tabletopia doesn't either, and things like Vassal and Table Top simulator can do the comonents but they can't help with the logistics. I want to be able to delegate to an AI based system the low level moves, and go from there. Again, very rare and I wish more game designers would do something like this.

Thanks for the review. It was on my radar, but now it's a big no. As a comparison, I love Hegemony, which can be 4+ hours, and involves many interconnected parts, and a huge board... but excellent rule book

maybe leave the game set up and play a little at a time, even if takes 6 months?

I just began and sure it s a lot of work and try and make mistakes etc.. Buut if after ten hours you are still during the first year, I think it's not a problem of the game mister

I think the thing that helped me get through this game the most was realizing that it is very intimidating and extremely daunting. There is a lot to unpack with this game. When Gene and company said that the game was going to play in 6 to 10 hours, that was a serious underestimation of how long this is going to take your average player. That being said, the ability to distill the game down to one activation segment at a time really helped my game play. I have a place where I was able to leave this game up and running so I wouldn't have to break it down and set it back again every single time I wanted to play. And I can tell quickly that I was not going to get this team learned and played in 6 hours. There's no way. No stinking way. But I love the way that this game hold your butt to the fire. It makes you work to try to get through. I think the biggest thing that helped me in the long run was that I learned early that I did not need to read or know the rule book. The turn sequence book pretty much sent me to the chart in the book that I needed and then I knew I came right back to it. And knowing that little bit made one activation sequence at a time much more digestible. I am glad you put this video out there. I know there are a lot of people who are, if not disappointed, then discouraged by the immensity of this game. It's not going to play in a day on the table. It's going to take a lot of time. And that is up to each of us as to whether or not we want to invest that in this game. As for me, it is worth it. I do love this game immensely. Thanks again.

Vassal or TTS is the way to go - whichever you prefer - give it a few quick one year run throughs to see what works and what doesnt then give it a proper go - its worth it - much easier on a pc module - dip in a segment at a time as time allows - transforms the game

I have problems with the immense size too. Would love to continue on Vassal, but I don’t think I would like the books combined with screens. Might scan the rulebooks for use on the second monitor

Sorry you’re having such a tough time. I really enjoyed playing it, more than I expected. I found the rules numerous but not very complex. I had a few minor questions quickly resolved, never really got stuck. It did take me long to play but the immersion was fantastic. The experience was really worth it for me.

haha! Fun video! I'm sure we spout a lot of quotes from pop culture. Can't think of anything specific that we say a lot. It's usually situational. Sometimes, we come up with our own quotes. Like one I said, I really need to put on a shirt, but during one game of Dice Miner, Will was complaining that I wasn't giving him any dice and I said, "I'll give you my love, but not my dice." We both cracked up at that and it's been one we've remembered since.

As I've mentioned elsewhere, due to limited space and time, I play the Vassal module so I don't have to set up/tear down all the time and can play a few segments per session. I also scanned all the charts and put them in different tabs in a spreadsheet so they are easy to find and look through and also reduces wear/tear. I understand the points being made as it is obviously not for everyone, but I am enjoying it.

Full video

Most of my catchphrases come from reddit, and no one else in my family speaks that language

Our household runs entirely on movie quotes. So every night is game night??

A good old hearty Rick Flair “Wooooooo!” makes it into each of my game nights by default.

What Catchphrase or Quotes do you say on game night?

Just imagine being 80 years old and trying to play the game.

Being the US President is legit one of the hardest jobs in the world. I'd consider it a mark of quality that it isn't easy to play on the first go around. Like fine wine you have to let the game age while you think about it, learn the rules, and let things process. Keep at it and you shalt be rewarded. I went through the same thing with MBT (2016) and it's expansions from GMT. Had to individually learn the elements from it's 100+ pages of combat rules and even now two years later there are rules I still don't understand.

How many rule books? One per hour and a half? You are braver than I my friend.

I had a similar experience. I've been into hobby board games for a long time, and I enjoy longer games like Twilight Imperium, Through the Ages, Hegemony, etc. But Mr. President is at a whole different level of complexity and length than what I'm used to. I very much appreciate that it's a masterful simulation, and I may give it another go in the future, but I can truly say that it's the first game where I had to send up the white flag of surrender. 😀

It has rulebook issues (errata’s and typos) but we love playing it. (Played sandbox once and the first scenario (post 9/11) once). I do think playing with two helps us, since there is just so much going on dividing tasks lessens the load and let’s us focus on the unfolding “story”. It does take long and I wish it could easily be packed away to take a break halfway. As it is now we just leave it on the table for a week.

Since I am a paradox game nerd (yes I stare on colored map for 12h straight), history buff, lawyer with focus on international law, this game is like a blessing from heaven. :D It is like EU4 and HOI4 mixed together and the only playable nation is the US. :D

When I saw the other reviews and how big the game was I knew it was not for me. This need to be a PC game, or a 4-6 player game with the players each taking one aspect of play. If Twilight Struggle is just far too easy for you, this is your game.

Glad I passed on this one , life to short . Play games for fun ,,, I have a job .

Nice to hear.. The first play, I got through one year in 5.5 hours after an hour set up. Went to WBC and with a GM (who played it full), I agree that it should be a two player game where one is the Prez and VP to speed it up. As for a solo version it’s like a legacy game where the second time playing it, I set it up in about 40 mins and played one turn per session for four nights to get through the first term of your presidency

I hate GMT games because of their rulebooks and their games are more work than fun. I think so many people can agree with this. GMT..when are you actuly going to make FUN games?

I preordered MP at a development stage that looked not very complicated. After "years" I've got my copy some weeks ago and it's now standing on the shelf and I know, I'll never play it. I'm waiting for good times (when out of print) and then sell it. This game is real work as far as I saw in that many YT videos. And I already wrote in a comment: This game shouldn't be a boardgame, it should be a PC game where the AI controls the setup and all the rules issues. That would save time.

It needs an app on the tablet. Looking up stuff in the books is absolutely tedious. Selling this one. PS: The official tabletop simulator mod does not have the books in it, neither are there any official digital pdfs of it. They did that on purpose to ensure you have a physical copy. Completer PITA if you ask me since flipping through these books is the worst part. It would be amazing to have a website where you can simply navigate to the charts...that does not exist either. From a usability perspective Mr President is a nightmare

Play it on Vassal, Joel Toppen did a great job.

I found that focusing primarily on the narrative the game tells made it work for me.

P r o m o s m 🙌

If you're only accustomed to and happy with games that last 90-120 minutes, you shouldn't buy this game. It was designed by the head of a game company known for publishing wargames, and it didn't attempt to mislead anyone about it not being a quickie Euro-style game. Wargamers often play games for much more than 10 hours - we don't mind. We're used to it, because it gives us such an immersive experience.

I watched two playthroughs on KZbin and made sure I understood the rules accordingly before I started playing. I managed to complete turn 1 in about 6 hours and it felt like it progressed quickly. Still not sure I want to play again mind. It is just too long.

Yup, fuck that game. Ain't nobody got time for that.

Nice to see an honest respectful review of the game. Mr. President will only ever appeal to a very small group of hard core solo strategy board gamers. Once a person plays this game and sets it back down almost one one will pick it back up again , because the relearning curve is just going to be way too brutal. This makes relearning Magaeknight look like a cake walk. I have a strong feeling there will be many used copies of this game for sale in a few years.

I was undecided on this game but it just looks too daunting, too long, table space hog. I'll stick to 1960 Making of the President, Watergate etc. for my political board games fix