First Campaign Walkthrough
A concrete, week-by-week example of a new US player running their first campaign — a State Senate race in a medium-population state. The specifics differ for UK / DE / JP and for different offices, but the rhythm is identical: build PI, raise money, declare in the primary, sustain through the general, win.
If you're mid-character-creation, read Create a Character first. If you know the rules and want tactics, skim Campaign Strategy.
The Setup
- Character — Alex Moreno, home state Pennsylvania (medium population, 8M tier for donor-base income).
- Policy positions — Economic −2, Social −1 (centre-left moderate).
- Party — Joined the Democratic Party on Day 1 (close alignment to policy positions).
- Starting resources — 25 actions (starting grant), $250,000 Campaign Funds, 50 Favorability, 0 Political Influence, Donor Level 1.
- Target race — Pennsylvania State Senate, first primary phase in ~6 real days.
Week 1: Foundation
Goal: Build Political Influence to 20+, raise Favorability to 60+, upgrade Donor Base to Level 3.
Day 1 (25 starting actions + 4/turn × 24 turns ≈ 73 actions for the day if you play aggressively):
- Join the Democratic Party. Profile now shows Party Standing with Party Influence 0 (it'll accrue passively).
- Spend 10 actions on Campaign → +10% Political Influence (now at 10).
- Spend 6 actions on Build Donor Network ($75,000 cost) → Donor Level 2.
- Spend 5 actions on Run Advertisements ($100,000 cost) → +1–3 Favorability (now ~52–54).
- Spend 3 actions on Fundraise → earns $50k + $10k × 2 = $70,000.
- Save remaining actions for tomorrow.
End of Day 1: PI 10, Favorability ~53, Campaign Funds ~$145k, Donor Level 2.
Day 2–7:
- 2–3 Campaign actions per log-in → PI climbs to 20, then 30. The decay (0.75%/turn) nibbles at it but Campaign outpaces decay easily at this stage.
- Fundraise once per day → +$70k per action group, steady income.
- By Day 4, you have enough for another Build Donor Network to Level 3 ($50k + $75k = $125k) — do it.
- By Day 5–6, run 1–2 more ads to push Favorability to 60–65.
- Commission a Quick Poll on Day 6 ($25k, 2 actions) → check your standing in Pennsylvania.
End of Week 1: PI ~30, Favorability 62–68, Campaign Funds ~$200–250k, Donor Level 3. Ready to declare.
Week 2: Primary Phase
Goal: Advance to the general election.
The primary window opens. You and any other Democratic candidates declare — including NPPs who will auto-file. The highest primary score advances. Primary score blends:
- Alignment to party platform (Democrat default is around economic −3, social −1; you're at −2, −1 — very close, which is ideal).
- Favorability (you're at 62+; NPPs often sit at 50 unless they've been around for a cycle).
- Political Influence (you're at 30; NPP competitors usually have 10–40 depending on cycle history).
Tactics for the primary:
- Sustain PI. Keep spending 2–4 Campaign actions per day. PI at 40 beats PI at 30 in alignment-weighted score.
- Request NPP endorsements. Visit the NPP profiles of Democrats in PA with views close to yours. 5 actions + base 40% chance. Each success is a demographic appeal boost.
- Don't attack fellow Democrats. You'd raise your own Infamy and push Favorability down. If the field is crowded, just outperform on alignment.
- Run one Full Demographic Poll ($75k, 6 actions) early in the primary to understand your weakest groups. Adjust campaigning accordingly.
End of Primary: You're the Democratic nominee. Republican nominee is determined in their own primary. An Independent may also be on the ballot. The general election phase opens.
Week 3: General Election, Opening
Goal: Establish a lead before the late-turn weighting kicks in.
You now have a fixed number of turns until the general resolves. For a State Senate race, that's typically ~6 days = 144 turns. The final ~4 turns land ~25% of the vote pool weight, so the first ~120 turns determine whether you're in a winning position going into the closing sprint.
Daily routine now tighter:
- Campaign 4–6 actions/day in-state to sustain PI (you need to keep it at 40+).
- Ads every other day to hold Favorability at 65–70. Diminishing returns hit above 70; don't over-spend.
- Support allies and accept support — NPP and player endorsements in the general land harder than in the primary. Get them before the Republican does.
- Watch for attacks. If your Favorability drops 5+ points, the Republican is probably attacking you. You can counter-attack (costs Infamy and doesn't always recoup), counter-message via ads, or request NPP opposition to the attacker.
- If you have a strong lead by Day 4 of the general, stop spending aggressively. Bank actions and money for the final turns.
Week 4: General Election, Closing Sprint
Goal: Land the final 25% of the vote pool in your favor.
The final 4 turns are heavy. Your PI, Favorability, and demographic appeal at the moment each turn's vote accumulates matter disproportionately.
Tactics for the closing 4 turns:
- Peak your Favorability right before the final turn. A well-timed Ad run can lift you 2–4 points in the last 12 hours.
- Peak your Political Influence right before the final turn. Every Campaign action in the final 24 hours compounds into the heaviest turns.
- Log in hourly if you can. Each turn's vote accumulation is based on your stats at that turn's snapshot. A 2% Favorability dip at turn 141 of 144 can cost you the race.
- Don't withdraw. Even if you're down 8 points, a determined sprint with NPP endorsements and a last-minute ad buy can close gaps.
Resolution
The election resolves at the configured turn. Vote totals are published, a winner is declared, and the following happens automatically:
- Winner takes office. You gain +1 action bonus per turn (State Senate), +$3,000 fund generation, and are added to
electedOfficials. Your profile now shows "State Senator, Pennsylvania." - Loser(s) — PI largely preserved (it's in-state and you kept campaigning, so it's at 40+ even after decay). Favorability preserved. Ready to contest next cycle.
A new State Senate cycle spawns immediately. Your term runs for several game years before you're up again.
Week 5+: In Office
You're now a State Senator. New capabilities:
- Vote on state legislation. Each vote shifts your policy position ±0.25 in the bill's direction. Stay aware of drift.
- Write bills if the state supports player-proposed state legislation.
- Office bonuses every turn: +1 action, +$3k funds.
- Re-election campaign starts implicitly — your PI and Favorability feed into your next primary score.
Think one race ahead. State Senate is a launching pad: most players use it to build up PI and Favorability before contesting a US House seat or making a long-term play for Governor.
If You Lose
Losing your first race is common and recoverable:
- PI is preserved. You campaigned hard for weeks; PI is 40+. That carries into the next cycle.
- Favorability is preserved. If you ran clean (no Infamy spikes), you're at 65+.
- Money reset. You've probably spent most of your $250k starting fund plus fundraised earnings. Your donor base is at Level 3+ which will fundraise you back to $200k+ in a few days.
- Name recognition. Other players saw you. NPP relationships built during the campaign persist.
Enter the next primary in 2–3 weeks real-time. You'll start it ahead of where you started the first one.
Common Mistakes
- Declaring without doing a Quick Poll. You walk in blind. Always poll.
- Over-campaigning early and under-campaigning in the final turns. PI decays. The final turns matter most. Save actions for the sprint.
- Buying ads above Favorability 75. Diminishing returns are severe. Above 75 you're lighting money on fire.
- Attacking your own party's primary rivals. Costs Infamy and reduces your general-election appeal.
- Ignoring NPP endorsements. A single NPP endorsement is often 2–3% of the relevant demographic's appeal — cheaper than ads for the same effect.
Related
- Getting Started — Before your first campaign.
- Campaign Strategy — Tactical depth.
- Fundraising & Ads — Money optimisation.
- Demographics & Targeting — Appeal formulas and targeting.
- NPP Opponents — Competing against autonomous candidates.
- Election Mechanics — Primary scores and vote accumulation.