Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
More strategic control
How it plays
How does it play?
Guide American political factions from Washington to Lincoln, command historic statesmen, fight elections, and cooperate just enough to keep the republic alive.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Read the full game description
Founding Fathers is a political simulation of the early United States, spanning the administrations from George Washington through Abraham Lincoln. Players lead competing factions and deploy historic statesmen to shape elections, offices, policy, and national direction. Every four years brings another election, but the table must also confront wars, debt, financial panics, territorial growth, and the widening conflict between North and South. Inspired by the political negotiation of Republic of Rome, the current design emphasizes shared national danger without requiring its original negotiation variant: rivals must preserve the republic while maneuvering to finish with the greatest influence.
