By-election!

A vacancy has opened in Parliament and the circus has come to town. You're the candidate. You've got a rosette, a modest war chest, and a field of rivals who all want the same thing you do. Only one of you gets it.

BY-ELECTION! is a British political campaign sim about the unglamorous machinery of politics. Pick your constituency, political party (or none), by-election cause and agent then face the voters. Whether it be knocking on doors, feeding the local paper, keeping your donors quiet, or deciding whether this is the week to go negative, every choice moves votes, awareness or money.

Run a proper campaign Each week you make two decisions: what you do as the candidate, and what your supporters do on the ground. Hold a rally, canvass the estates, call a press conference, throw a fundraising dinner, or go on the attack — each action trades votes, awareness and money against each other. Flog the same tactic week after week and the voters switch off and effects will diminsh. Try and come up with a strategy even as shock events, opinion polls and unhelpful offers get in the way.

Six, wait I mean five seats to play! Fight a jittery provincial town, a sprawling rural giant, a wealthy London borough, a left-behind former mining seat, a Cornish patchwork of coast and countryside or maybe something else... Each has its own electoral story, history, and favourite to topple.  

Three difficulties, Easy, Medium or Difficult — but it's always first past the post. Second place is just first place at losing.

Here is a link to my substack where I discuss the making of the game - https://alexandergriffiths.substack.com/p/creating-by-election

COMPLETELY REAL PRAISE FOR THE GAME

"A quietly accomplished little thing. I sat down to try it for five minutes and lost the entire evening." — Alex1

"The finest work of British political simulation ever committed to a screen. I have no connection whatsoever to the developer and I resent the implication that I do." — @DEFINITELYREALALEXGRIFFITHS

"I have now completed BY-ELECTION! on Difficult four hundred and twelve times and I understand, at last, that this is what I was put on the earth to do. The man who made this should — by any fair and impartial measure — be Prime Minister. Possibly King. I have written to the Palace." — A.R. Griffiths

"NOT THE GREATEST GAME EVER MADE. THE GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT EVER MADE. BIGGER THAN FIRE. BIGGER THAN THE WHEEL. I HAVE NOT SLEPT IN TWO WEEKS AND WHEN I CLOSE MY EYES I SEE ONLY A PARTY ROSETTE, DANCING, BECKONING. THIS GAME'S CREATOR IS A LIVING GOD! TEN OUT OF TEN! FIVE STARS! A HUNDRED STARS! ALL OF THE STARS! THE STARS BELONG TO HIM NOW!" — Doctor Professor His Excellency the Lord Griffiths of Barchester

"Total lie there's five constituencies, I could only play one seat...." — Anthony Trollope