Presidential Rummy

Presidential Rummy

What is Presidential Rummy?

Presidential Rummy is a parody card game for 1-4 players where you match and swap "Presidents" based on their different attributes.

Attributes:

• Drunk: Had drinking problems
• Less-Educated: Never went to college
• Lawyer: Practiced law
• Military: Had military experience
• Older: Over 55 when elected
• Younger: Under 55 when elected
• Popular: Had high approval ratings
• Unpopular: Had low approval ratings
• 1X: Served a single term of 4 years or less
• 2X: Served more than 4 years or 2+ terms

Coalition Types:

• Partisan: All 3 in the same political party
• Bi-Partisan: 2 in 1 political party, 1 in another
• Tri-Partisan: All 3 in different political parties
• Chronological: All 3 elected in chronological order (based on number)

How do you play?

In the basic game, players draw 5 President cards and place a series of Goal cards in the center of the table, based on the number of players (ex: 4 goals for 4 players). The active player attempts to form a set (or "coalition") of 3 Presidents that fits one of the Goals. If it's not possible, the player draws an additional Goal card. If it's still not possible, the player draws a new President card and passes.

If the player CAN form a set, they pick up the goal card and place it in front of them, putting the 3 President cards below the goal. They then draw up to 3 new President cards and play continues.

The "Rummy" aspect of gameplay comes from being able to meld (swap) cards from your played set on the table with cards in your hand to form a new set.

In addition to the Presidents and Goal Cards, there are two special cards:

Wild Cards are President cards that may be any color, number, or attribute. Use them to complete sets! Once placed, any player on their turn can pick up the Wild card, swap it with a card in their hand (that fits the set), and use the Wild card to make a set of their own!

Drain the Swamp cards are Goal cards that cause the current group of Goal cards on the table to be discarded, and replaced with new Goal cards (based on the number of players).

How do you win?

The first player to reach 100 points by placing sets of Presidents wins! If players go through the President cards and none are left, all players with at least 3 President cards get one more turn. The highest score wins! (In the case of a tie, the Supreme Court may need to decide the outcome! :)

Are there alternate rules?

The Rules of Play also include a "Go Fish" variant of the game to make things more interactive with your opponents. You can add a timer to make players move more quickly, or play a solo-variant if you like.

Why did I make Presidential Rummy?

I've always been a fan of American history, and have been fascinated by how the country's many historical periods have been reflected by their different leaders at the time: the Presidents of the United States.

Every President has an interesting story (especially the lesser known ones), but did you know that despite their differences in time, the Presidents have quite a bit in common? Many were lawyers, some had military backgrounds, and a good number were known for their drinking!

Keeping this in mind, I came up with a card game with a simple melding mechanic that uses political parties and Presidential attributes as "suits" and values. Like Rummy, there are wild cards, and you can swap cards to reach your goals. Since this is a parody game, all "Presidents" are fictional, but they are based on their historical counterparts.

What comes in the game?

Includes 47 President cards, 4 "Wild" cards, 45 Goal cards, 4 "Drain the Swamp cards, and Rules of Play (the box itself!).

For 1-4 players.

(C) 2020-2026 Josh Horowitz

Attributions:

• Presidential images (C) Graphicsfactory.com https://Graphicsfactory.com
• Attribute icons made by Freepik and Gregor Cresnar from https://www.flaticon.com
• White House logo made by Freepik from https://www.flaticon.com