Political Showdown
Fast-Paced Multiplayer Political Strategy Game

Executive Summary
Political Showdown is a fast-paced, multiplayer political strategy game for up to 10 players (5 Democrats vs. 5 Republicans) competing across 50 AI-modeled states. Each 40-minute cycle runs through Primaries β General Campaign β Governance phases, then loops continuously. Players may join or leave between phases, with victory determined state-by-state via a dynamic favor system.
Core Innovation
- β’ AI-generated state profiles with unique issues and quirks
- β’ Real-time favor tracking across all 50 states
- β’ Dynamic role progression from grassroots to governance
- β’ AI-powered speeches and state interactions
- β’ Continuous 40-minute gameplay cycles
Technical Highlights
- β’ Serverless architecture with Vercel and Edge Functions
- β’ Real-time multiplayer via Upstash Redis Pub/Sub
- β’ Groq-powered AI for dynamic content generation
- β’ Supabase for persistent game state and history
- β’ Drop-in/drop-out gameplay with seamless transitions
Key Features
Real-Time Multiplayer
Up to 10 players (5 Democrats vs 5 Republicans) competing simultaneously with live updates
AI-Modeled States
50 virtual states with AI-generated profiles, issues, and quirky interests that evolve each cycle
Dynamic Favor System
State-by-state favor tracking with real-time updates based on campaign actions and policies
40-Minute Cycles
Fast-paced gameplay with Primaries β Campaign β Governance phases that loop continuously
AI-Generated Content
Dynamic speeches, state interactions, and policy responses powered by Groq and Llama 3.1 8B
Drop-In/Drop-Out
Players can join or leave between phases with seamless role transitions and backfill
Gameplay Phases
State-Driven Primaries
Players campaign across AI-generated state profiles to win primary votes within their party
Ticket Formation
Nominees select running mates and appoint judges for the upcoming governance phase
General Campaign
Party tickets compete for state favor through ads, rallies, policies, and AI-generated speeches
Election Resolution
States cast votes based on final favor standings to determine the winning administration
Governance
Elected party manages policies, handles crises, and seeds favor for the next cycle
Technology Stack
Frontend
Backend
AI
Storage
Real-time
System Architecture
Frontend (Next.js)
Real-time Layer
API & Logic
AI Integration
Data & Storage
Favor System & AI Integration
Dynamic State Profiles
- Each cycle, AI generates 3 serious issues + 2 quirky interests per state
- Favor calculated as: ΞFavor = BaseEffect Γ Affinity(state, issue/interest)
- Players can chat with state AI to learn profiles and current standings
- Real-time updates broadcast via Redis Pub/Sub to all connected clients
AI-Generated Content
- Groq + Llama 3.1 8B generates speeches from 5-8 player-selected keywords
- Memeable policies with visual components stored in Blob storage
- Random events every ~3 minutes with state-specific modifiers
- TTS integration for speech audio with shareable highlight clips
Social Engagement & Replayability
Drop-In/Drop-Out
Vacant slots automatically refill between phases. Players can rotate in and out seamlessly, with AI managing transitions and role assignments.
Achievements & Sharing
Unlock achievements like "Two-Term President" and "Meme Master." One-click sharing of map snapshots, policy memes, and speech highlights.
Themed Scenarios
Optional rotating scenarios like "Economic Crisis" or "Alien Inquiry" add variety and keep gameplay fresh across multiple cycles.
Ready to Build the Ultimate Political Strategy Game?
Political Showdown represents a unique blend of real-time multiplayer gaming, AI-powered content generation, and sophisticated political simulation. The complete technical specification includes detailed API designs, database schemas, real-time architecture, and scalability considerations for handling multiple concurrent games.