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What is Rule the School?

Rule the School: Election Day is a two player (currently testing four players!), area majority and tableau building board game. It plays in about 30-45 minutes, and is targeted for players ages 12+.

In it, players take the role of high school students attempting to win their school’s presidential election, in the midst of the sudden resignation of former student body president: Cleo Boyer. The race for presidency couldn’t be any tighter – it’s Election Day and players only have a few periods to earn more votes than their competition. Not to mention the added pressure; it’s your one and only chance to win before graduation! 

By recruiting the school’s Upperclassmen and coordinating their skills, taking a lead in the polls will be a breeze. But not everyone at Bakersfield High, the fictional high school the game takes place in, gets along. The students in the school are separated into 4 different cliques, each with their own unique personalities. 

It’s up to you to unite them all and earn the highest number of votes by the end of the game. 

Do you have what it takes to Rule the School?

So How Does It Work?

Rule the School: Senior Year is played over 6-8 rounds (that we call Periods). During which, players will play cards into their tableaus: chaining abilities and manipulating Supporter tokens on the game board. Every third, sixth, and eighth Period, a Scoring Period occurs, where each player’s majorities are tallied. Whoever has the highest number of votes by the final scoring Period is Bakersfield High’s new student body president.

But wait, there’s one crucial part we skipped over! An election isn’t all about what you know, right? At Bakersfield High, it’s also about who you know. The key to turning the tides in the polls is through Upperclassman cards.

These cards represent the Upperclassmen you recruit to help you with your campaign. They are played into your tableau each Period and might give you additional votes, but only if you adhere to their unique quirks.

What Inspired This?

When coming up with an idea for this game, I originally wanted to work within a heist theme. But as the mechanics of Rule the School: Election Day started to come together, a campy, John Hughes-esque setting was a no-brainer. From my (limited) research, it’s not a theme often used in board games either.

The idea for this game also comes from a place of familiarity. I’m the child of two teachers, I taught as a substitute for a brief period, and I met some of my closest friends in a game development club in high school. So, this theme is very close to home for me.

I’m still finding what this game is, but I’m very, very proud of how far it’s come. It also allowed me to work with those same high school friends and revisit that same school. 

Where Can I Play It?

You can actually play Rule the School right now on Screentop.gg! Click on the link below to get started!

For those of you going to PAX East 2026, I can’t wait to meet you there!

See you after class,

Alfred