Mr. President News

The stewardship of the U.S. economy is one of the most important political concerns for modern U.S. presidents, and American economic performance has a large and undeniable impact on election outcomes. Yet Mr. President isn’t, and doesn’t want to be, a macroeconomic simulator. The complexity of macroeconomic modeling, the limited effectiveness of most economic tools, time delays, confounding factors… the list goes on and on, and macroeconomics in particular (the study of aggregates, as opposed to microeconomics’ focus on how individual people and firms make decisions) has competing schools of academic thought. Mr. President is about a balancing act at a higher level, and the problems you’ll confront are more practical.



This Crisis card represents a major bank failure. Like many other Cascading Events it has a clear play-around: if you can rescue the economy and get it back to 6 or more, then its stage 2 and 3 events will fizzle. Many of the economy-themed Crisis cards adjust one of the four State of the Economy tracks modeled in the game - U.S., China, Russia, and the Eurozone.

Sometimes one power’s economic problem is another’s opportunity - here we see Crisis Card #79, Oil Prices Spike to Record Highs. This card shows a unique pattern: in addition to immediate political pain in the form of Domestic Crisis and a Public Approval penalty, the public demands specific action in the form of energy independence legislation. Russia, as a major gas exporter, gets an immediate economic bonus; and if China and the U.S. are on good terms, a deal can be struck to help both countries recover.



But why do these economic tracks matter? For you, as U.S. President, a strong economy will offer political advantages. At high levels, you’ll get continuous upward pressure on your approval rating, bonus Action Points, and Congress will warm to you (every elected official wants to be seen as part of the solution to economic problems!). You’ll also get Economic Assistance actions that allow dice-free improvements to relationships with foreign allies or Regional Alignment - and those are precious, because it’s often easy to miss on them with standard actions, and high Regional Alignment will help you counteract the spread of Russian and Chinese influence. But a poor economy will cost you in all of these things, particularly with respect to your relations with Congress.



For Russia and China, your peer rivals in Mr. President, economic success brings bonus actions during their activation segments. This generally leads to more headaches for you: more influence spread, more military growth, or even war.



The Eurozone’s economy mostly drives that region’s Stability - at high levels, there are a couple of phases where the Eurozone can improve its Stability just by having a good economic level. Stability, of course, limits the presence of terror groups and civil wars, so more stability almost always means fewer headaches for you as President.

TRADE AND SANCTIONS

Two economic elements that get some explicit handling in Mr. President are Trade Agreements and Sanctions. Trade agreements, created with the Make a Trade Agreement action, require good relations with Congress to have a reasonable chance at passing, and carry a host of benefits and risks. In high Stability regions, they can lead to a lot of American economic gains on the State of the Economy and Public Approval tracks. They can also directly remove Russian and Chinese influence. But they can also lead to friction in both the trade partner’s Region and at home. Maximizing the impact of Trade Agreements requires a close eye on actions that preserve or improve Stability, and a strong relationship with Congress.

Sanctions, conversely, can only be targeted at four specific nations: Russia, China, the DPRK, and Iran. Sanctions make it harder for the latter two to develop their nuclear programs, and consume critical actions from Russia’s and China’s action budgets (which may mean fewer actions to spare for greater mischief).

WRAPPING UP

That may have seemed like a lot, but the simple track-based approach for modeling economic health, and the relatively small but well-purposed suite of actions that allows the player to interact with them, give economic considerations a scope and complexity budget appropriate to Mr. President’s big-picture design approach. The most complicated economic phenomena are reserved for the Crisis Cards, who can use their individual text to inject economic uncertainty and drama into the game without requiring players to learn a complicated economic model.

China and Russia are major geopolitical competitors for the U.S. in Mr. President and as such, they have their own dedicated segments within the game turn called China Acts or Russia Acts.

Like our Oval Office painting, I gravitated towards the symbology and messaging with Presidential offices. This post is about painting a scene in the office of the President of China. We wanted to evoke that within Mr. President, the President/player could be anyone so we decided to not show the President’s likeness, but only his back.

Little is known about the office of the President of China, compared to the Oval Office, which leads to a lot of analysis and speculation. There are entire articles written about what pictures are displayed in the office. Meanwhile, some have even speculated that the office is actually a stage.



The main details I focused on were the pictures on his shelf, drawings, the beautiful minimalist artwork of the Wall of China prominently seen behind him always, and the People’s Republic of China flag.



His desk is also very minimal, with papers with text barely visible and an odd double-red phone and a white phone as well. It’s existence and functions have puzzled even the most avid of researchers, and its a high topic of discussions on Chinese forums due to it’s allure and different look.



Given the increase in political, economic, and military conflict, I wanted to depict him pulling a classic book, The Art of War. Written in the 5th century B.C., The Art of War is an ancient military treatise by author Sun Tzu. It is one of the most influential military strategy works.

It was first translated into French by Jesuit priest Jean Joseph Marie Amiot in 1772, and then translated into English in 1905 by Everard Ferguson Calthrop. Many political and military leaders like Takeda Shingen, Mao Zedong, and Norman Schwarzkopf have cited the importance of the book.



Great care was taken into drawing the characters into the painting, and I used the traditional Chinese colors of Gold and Red for the book’s cover to make it more visually poignant to the viewer. I also made sure the books are properly shaded to mimic the real look from his office and his desk.

The final composition included 35 layers of digital oil paint and it took around 12 hours to complete. As always, thank you for your time in this art journey of Mr. President.

When working on a port of a tabletop game like Mr. President, a key area to focus on is simulating the tactile experience of board game into the digital world. The transition from physical board games to PC games presents a unique set of challenges that require a deep understanding of user experience design principles. The goal is to ensure the digital version retains the essence of the original while providing an intuitive and engaging experience for players, whether they’re new to the game or longtime fans. Here I’ll walk through some of the primary challenges involved in porting Mr. President to PC and how we're approaching them to create a seamless digital experience.

Replicating the Physicality of the Game

Tabletop games involve tactile experiences: players draw cards, roll dice, and physically move pieces around the board. This tactile feedback is deeply satisfying, and its absence in a digital environment can impact the overall experience. So, we're approaching Mr. President with not only a direct port of the design of the game, but also a strong focus on retaining the "feel" of the tabletop experience. The challenge here is designing a digital system that feels interactive without the direct physical touch of pieces. So we lean on animation, skeuomorphic elements and simple interactions to keep the sensation of moving a token or the thrill of a dice roll. We're relying heavily on sound an animation to reinforce this simulated real-world movement.

We use “docking” cards and tray systems to help simulate the tactile nature of playing around the actual physical board. Audio and animation will support this.

Managing Game Complexity

Strategy-heavy games like Mr. President come with a set of complex rules, mechanics, and game states. In a physical space, players can reference rulebooks, look at a game board, and consult each other for help. However, in a digital version, those same complexities can become overwhelming if not presented clearly. Translating a game's intricate rules and mechanics into an intuitive, digital interface can be a logistical nightmare. How do you present all the game states, player options, and ongoing actions without overwhelming the user? We're dialing in on a set of patterns that we'll use to make the game state and decisions presented to the player simply and as quickly as possible. One handy reference we use is an Information Architecture map of the game screen:

This Information Architecture map helps the developers keep specific types of information grouped, and helps manage cognitive load on the player.

This helps keep the team aligned on what pieces of information go where, and what key variables need to be presented to the player to make decision making easier. This layout also helps us design onboarding systems, tooltips, and other dynamic help systems that can help guide players through complex mechanics. Making sure that the right kinds of information are put in a consistent and logical place will keep the interface from feeling cluttered or confusing.

Visual Design and Aesthetic Choices

Mr. President's artwork, from the board’s design to the artwork on cards, plays a significant role in its identity and appeal. When porting to a PC game, there’s a balance to be struck between staying true to the original aesthetic and adapting it to work on a screen. How do we retain the charm and visual appeal of the original artwork while adapting it for the constraints of a digital interface? Additionally, the medium shift will require us to rework how certain visual elements are represented, and create space for more art, sound, and narrative flavor than a physical game can offer. A UX designer needs to carefully evaluate the game’s visual identity and translate it in a way that still feels familiar to players. This might involve digitizing artwork for clarity on a screen, adjusting elements for better readability, or even designing animations that bring static artwork to life. Keeping the game's visual theme intact ensures that players still feel the same atmosphere as they did in the physical version, even in a new medium.

Balancing Player Autonomy vs. Digital Constraints

The tabletop version of Mr. President relies on a level of player autonomy where decisions are made in the moment, and the flow of the game is open-ended. This flexibility is something digital versions must replicate while adhering to the constraints of the digital medium. In a PC game format, players may feel constrained by the computer’s rigid structure, limited by the controls and the lack of room for organic, unscripted gameplay. So, our solution lies in designing intuitive controls and systems that give players as much freedom as possible within the digital environment. Allowing players to process rulesets and make decisions within an open interface can help maintain a feeling of freedom. While most of the changes in board state are deterministic, we always present the player with a clear choice of actions and all RNG is manually elected by the player. We also don't want the game to invisibly automate state changes, since that hinders player learning and understanding; we’re designing through detailed step-by-step flows for all the various actions across the game, and tuning how to convey the state change information clearly and concisely.

Some types of actions can be surfaced in a single panel to help reduce searching time around the entire board state to find a target decision.

Porting Mr. President to PC is a delicate balancing act between honoring the original, providing an engaging user experience, and adapting to the constraints of digital platforms. My job here is about crafting an experience that makes players feel at home with the game, keeping the vibe of sitting at a game table while they actually sit in front of a screen.

An overview of our Figma design document that helps us architect the interactions and edge cases common in games of this level of complexity. We expect to illustrate well over 300 unique screen states during development.

Ultimately, the most successful digital adaptations capture the essence of the original game while enhancing the experience through thoughtful design. By addressing the unique challenges of game complexity, tactile feedback, and visual design, we can create a digital version of Mr. President that gives the same fun, stress, and power fantasy that players love in the physical version.

Since Exia and GMT announced the digital adaptation of Mr. President, players have often observed that a lot has happened since 2020 (the end of the era Mr. President covers). Mr. President covers a recent time period, well within living memory, and all but the youngest players will vividly remember many of the real-life crises that challenged America at that time.

But players who haven’t gone deep on the tabletop version will rarely be able to appreciate the look-ahead in the design. Gene Billingsley, the designer of Mr. President on the tabletop, anticipated a wide variety of possibilities, making logical inferences about the state of the world, and about variations on events that didn’t occur prior to 2020 but might have. This card also puts Gene’s design philosophy on more subtle display: just as Mr. President emphasizes bipartisan cooperation as the key to lasting positive change, the design also emphasizes crises that Americans of all political persuasions can agree represent meaningful threats and risks to American interests.

One such case is card #45, Russian Hybrid War in Eastern Ukraine:



This is a Cascading Event that has the potential to cascade very steeply and quickly! The first time it occurs, the impact is mild: a single Tensions marker in Russia and one in NATO. But when it recurs the first time, the conflict can get out of hand.

Why? When Russia takes its actions, high Tension levels can increase its Conflict Tracks (it has two: one for Ukraine, and one for NATO). So, if you read the whole card, you’ll see that this is one of the few cards that can cause an auto-loss for the player. And the risk of auto-loss is even higher than it first appears, since a Russian war against NATO also ends the game. The card therefore poses multiple risks, and only the one on the card is obvious.

The situation is even riskier than that, though - high Tensions for NATO can also increase the Russia-NATO Conflict Track. They can also induce NATO to initiate a cyber attack against Russia, which likewise can drive Russian tensions even higher. And the play-around for this Crisis, to prevent Russian invasion of Ukraine, requires the US to keep Relations with Russia at 3 or higher or ensure its Influence in Eastern Europe remains low. That can be a tall order - there are many game events that place Russian Influence in Eastern Europe.

If a war does start, the card indicates Ukraine begins at strength 3; Russia’s base strength is 10, so unless the US intervenes, Russia will have a significant odds advantage whenever War Progress is resolved - and that happens immediately when the war starts as well as during the designated segments during the turn. And Russian victory over Ukraine might not seem that bad - just +1 Influence in Eastern Europe and a bonus Action in Russia’s next activation - but those are worse than they look, especially since there’s nothing to stop a subsequent Russia/Ukraine conflict.

ADDRESSING THE CRISIS

Timing is critical in Mr. President. In the 2nd Edition, allies with sufficiently high Tension levels will see their relations with the US degrade before they take unilateral or joint actions, and this card has the potential to put a lot of Tension on several US allies. So if this crisis materializes after NATO and the UK have already taken their actions, it’s likely to have less impact (at least prior to Stage 3, when an invasion can occur).

If this Crisis is in your pool, obviously a top priority will be to contain Russian influence and limit its ability to make war before the invasion occurs. You can also pursue stronger US relations with Russia to deter invasion, but with the 2nd Edition’s new limits on how frequently Summits can be called, that may be a tall order. You’ll want to prioritize keeping Regional Crises in Eastern Europe low and Alignment high, since those are the prerequisites for eliminating Russian Influence markers.

But don’t worry. No doubt the rest of the world is perfectly calm, and your domestic situation is tranquil and cooperative. Right?

When I had the chance to step-up and become the Art Director on Exia Lab’s first title, Mr. President, I quickly jumped into the opportunity. It seemed like a dream to me when I was approached by our CEO Jonathan Pan about creating Americana portraits and paintings. My love for the country that has opened up so many doors since coming from my native El Salvador. and the opportunity to create American-Style 1960’s art is nothing short of a dream come true.

For this portrait of a non-descript President, I used many references from different presidents of history, and since we are doing Americana, I wanted to take the iconic JFK portrait as a source of inspiration.



It first starts with a painter’s sketch. For key art, I sketch roughly the subject as I always did on my long portfolio graphic pads with charcoal, and I just draw it with Photoshop and custom pen brushes.



At this point nothing much changes, over the years I have amassed quite a bit of brushes in Photoshop, but I also have curated a lot.



I painted this by layering colors on the Canvas a traditional, but prompting nothing on Photoshop’s Generative Fill. This technique allows for the paint to sort of morph around your brush, giving you completely different results simulating a painted canvas texture (most notably seen on the side of the jacket) - where the imperfections become the art style, then you are free to polish as normal using the kind of brushes I have.



Notice how through the magic of Adobe’s Generative Fill for example, it saves me tons of time on having to paint (and repair) many brush strokes at once, and I can always see where and how I would paint it (or refine it if I choose) - for this portrait believe it or not, I went with the rougher version (top) because I did want some of the violent brushes there for the style, as opposed to the more tamed and clean (bottom).



For his face everything was painted by hand, with the brushes using the Generative Fill method, leaving my signature brush strokes on his face to give it that more classic portrait look.



Classic Americana Portrait of the President, which we of course as good artists paint on a separate layer against the background so we can then using the same method, paint his desk and papers behind it to deliver the final cover art. Final Artwork comprised of over 240 layers of digital oil paint.



One of the ways I like to approach my work is through the use of new technologies. I believe, generative AI technologies such as Stable Diffusion, ComfyUI, and the ability to create my own visual models (and LorA’s), trained in my own style and locally run only in my Nvidia 5090 are the way to progress as a creative in this new world of art. Using ComfyUI and my models is also another in-painting technique and I have my own workflow, but - we will save that for a different day.



Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope this has been informative, as I will aim to keep updating regularly with more behind-the-scenes, on how crafted we create our art here at Exia, using all the new technologies that we have available as creatives in this new era.

Until then - go paint and bring color into your life.