About the Game
CBC.ca has partnered with 80Soft to bring you a free, limited edition version of Prime Minister Forever - Canada 2006. It's a sophisticated strategy game that simulates all aspects of a federal election. Rebuilt from the 2004 edition, the goal is simple for major parties like the Liberals and Conservatives: win enough seats to form the next government. The latest release for 2006 also allows candidates from smaller parties, such as the Bloc Québécois and the Green party, to achieve specific goals without winning the election. As a player, you are responsible for all aspects of your candidate's election strategy, including advertising, fundraising, speeches, spinning the news and recruiting supporters. Players select their party of choice. Each candidate has varying levels of experience and familiarity with the issues. These can impact their performance and how voters perceive them.
Provinces and Ridings
Canada is a big country, and a successful candidate must focus limited resources. Choose the provinces and ridings you will target, and decide how much of your candidate's resources to spend in each one. Players in the 2006 edition can divert campaign resources to target additional ridings. Then choose where to barnstorm, give policy speeches and raise money.
Support and Momentum
Players can recruit new foot soldiers and big-name crusaders. Both can help spread your campaign message and drum up popular support. Foot soldiers work in their own ridings and can help get out the vote, while crusaders travel around the country, according to your strategy.
Special interest groups and news media can provide endorsements that boost the momentum of your campaign. But gaining them may cost scarce political capital. The closer they are to your candidate on an issue, the more likely they are to provide an endorsement.
Your Tools
Theme & Platform
Establish and tweak your candidate's key theme and beliefs on core issues. The issues change in each election year. Your candidate can change the party's platform, which will attract some voters, while alienating others. While moving to the centre can help attract voters, there is also a chance traditional supporters will leave after a dramatic shift in policy.
Polling
Poll numbers are released once a week and allow you to measure public support and opinion on campaign issues. Positive poll numbers can help gain much-needed momentum and sway undecided voters. Public polls can be unreliable while private polls are expensive.
Advertising
Create ads to highlight your candidate's campaign themes and platform. Better ads take more time and cost money. The more they run, the more they cost. Carefully tailored advertising can build a campaign, but ineffective ads may waste valuable resources. Be careful about using attack ads. They can tarnish opponents but can also backfire on your candidate.
Media & Spin
News stories can be spun to improve your candidate's profile, for damage control and to turn the heat up on an opponent. From time to time, candidates are offered the chance to give interviews. These may help or hurt the campaign depending on a candidate's charisma and knowledge.
Dirty Tricks
You can dig up scandals on opponents or hire spies to infiltrate an enemy's headquarters. But be careful! This strategy can backfire if caught.
Outside Events
Throughout the game, as in real life, outside events will occur that impact the election. Your response, as well as your candidate's attributes and position on the issues, will determine whether events help or hurt your campaign.
Your Limited Resources
Money
Almost everything in an election costs money. Run out of funds and your campaign will grind to a halt. Increasing the time spent fundraising will divert your candidate's time from other aspects of the campaign, but will build up the campaign war chest.
Energy
Barnstorming, speeches and fundraisers deplete energy, which can only be restored by giving your candidate a rest, away from the campaign. Getting tired can lead to embarrassing gaffes.
Command Points
Command points are the strategic resources available on a daily basis. They are replenished each turn, but are limited. There are never enough for all the possible courses of action your campaign may wish to pursue. Making a policy speech, holding a fundraiser, spinning news stories and recruiting foot soldiers and crusaders all deplete your candidate's precious command points. You must ensure the maximum political value for each command point you expend.
Political points
Candidates have a fixed number of political points, which are used to tailor a campaign to particular political interests. These help gain endorsements, which in turn build momentum.
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About the Game
