The bottom line:
Complexity: MEDIUM
Play Time: 1-2 Hours
Players: 3-6
If you like
- Strategy
- Numbers
- Manipulation
you will like this game.
We break it down, after the break.
Concept:
The board is a numbered and lettered grid, with each player taking turns placing tiles from their hand to the corresponding square on the grid. As tiles are placed adjacent, companies are formed, expanded, and merged. On their turn, each player places a tile and then buys stock in any of up to seven companies present on the board.
Strategy:
The strategy involves manipulating the rules surrounding mergers. When a two companies merge, one is removed from play and the surviving company absorbs all the merging company's tiles. The players holding the most stock in the merging company are awarded cash bonuses depending on the number of tiles in the company, and the stockholders of the surviving company are rewarded with more valuable stock in a larger company. The trick is to leverage your influence on the board (the tiles in your hand, which you can play or horde,) in order to ensure that you are getting the most net worth possible. Its easy to become locked down in large companies that are unlikely to be absorbed, leaving you without any liquid assets or maneuverability, so it is crucial to have a strategy.
There are two version of the rules; one where any player may ask any other player how much stock they have in an given company, or a much more difficult style where each player's stock is hidden and the only opportunity to track other player's assets is when they announce their purchases. This style requires a lot more brain work, but has the very interesting effect of making it difficult to know for sure who is winning until the game is over. This leads to some exciting showdowns during the end game when players tally up their net worth.
A Word of Warning:
"Unusually simple rules" is a relative measure. This game is more complicated than Apples to Apples, but less complicated than Risk or Monopoly. There is a cardstock chart available to each player that gives the stock values and bonuses of the three company types relative to their size, which is simple but can look intimidating. Still, if you're here, you will probably be able to enjoy it for what it is.
If you don't like:
We break it down, after the break.
Concept:
Strategy:
The strategy involves manipulating the rules surrounding mergers. When a two companies merge, one is removed from play and the surviving company absorbs all the merging company's tiles. The players holding the most stock in the merging company are awarded cash bonuses depending on the number of tiles in the company, and the stockholders of the surviving company are rewarded with more valuable stock in a larger company. The trick is to leverage your influence on the board (the tiles in your hand, which you can play or horde,) in order to ensure that you are getting the most net worth possible. Its easy to become locked down in large companies that are unlikely to be absorbed, leaving you without any liquid assets or maneuverability, so it is crucial to have a strategy.
There are two version of the rules; one where any player may ask any other player how much stock they have in an given company, or a much more difficult style where each player's stock is hidden and the only opportunity to track other player's assets is when they announce their purchases. This style requires a lot more brain work, but has the very interesting effect of making it difficult to know for sure who is winning until the game is over. This leads to some exciting showdowns during the end game when players tally up their net worth.
A Word of Warning:
"Unusually simple rules" is a relative measure. This game is more complicated than Apples to Apples, but less complicated than Risk or Monopoly. There is a cardstock chart available to each player that gives the stock values and bonuses of the three company types relative to their size, which is simple but can look intimidating. Still, if you're here, you will probably be able to enjoy it for what it is.
If you don't like:
- Number Tracking
- Long Games
- Complexity
I would recommend if you can find an old version of this game with the raised bumps on the board the tiles fit into. Though it's not as pretty as the new one.
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