And no, before you start asking, it's nothing like Pit, though that is a fun game. It's more like Dominion than anything else, and that's where I started drawing my first ideas, but I like to think it's deviated substantially enough from the source material.
This has only been playtested once, and I was actually pleasantly surprised by how well it went - I managed to put in more depth and complexity than I realized at the time.
Given that my cards are currently crudely cut bits of card stock with marker scribbled on them, I'll just post the rules as they stand:
STOCK MARKET GAME
Objective – have most money at end of game.
Contents:
-150 Money cards: 40 $1, 20 $5, 20 $10, 20 $50, 20 $100, 20 $500, 10 $2K
-160 Shares cards: 10 each of MILK, APPLES, WHEAT, COFFEE, TIN, BIKES, COPPER, COLA, RUBBER, FAST FOOD, PORN, SILVER, SAFFRON, GOLD, OIL, TECH
-77 Event cards
-3 Bankrupt cards
Each player starts with 8 $1 and 2 MILK (supports up to 4 players). They shuffle these together – this is their deck. They place it face down to their left. To begin, they draw 5 cards. The player with only money in their hands goes first, if there is one.
During their turn, each player may play any number of Shares cards they have. They then decide whether they want to TRADE, or pass an EVENT, or CONSOLIDATE their money.
If they TRADE, they first SELL any Shares they wish from their hand, gaining money into their hand. They may then BUY any number of Shares, provided they have the money for it. Bought cards go in their discard pile (to their right, face up). Any cards left in their hand, or played in front of them, also go into their discard, and they draw 5 new cards. If their deck does not have 5 or more cards left, they draw as many cards from their deck, then shuffle their discard, replace that as their deck, and draw the difference.
If they pass an EVENT, they draw an Event card from the Event pile, and either put it in the Boom/Bust spot, put it in their discard, or use it immediately, putting in the Event discard. They do not discard their hand.
If they choose to CONSOLIDATE, they search through their deck, discard and hand for all of their money cards, and exchange lower bills for higher bills as much as they like, to try to slim their deck, and draw higher value money more often. They then shuffle their deck and discard, and draw 5 new cards. (This rule was added when we realized that our decks had too many $1 cards in them, and no way to switch them out for $5s and $10s)
Play continues until all the $2K cards have been taken. The player who took it finishes their turn, then each other player, in turn order, takes one final turn. The player with the most money wins.
Bankruptcy: when a Share’s base price goes to $0, it goes bankrupt, and a Bankrupt card goes on top of the pile. Bankrupt Shares cannot be bought or sold, and cannot be played. A Bailout or Corruption card must be used to remove the Bankrupt card. If the Share’s base price is not raised above $0 that turn, the Bankrupt card is returned. If 4 or more Shares go bankrupt, the game ends.
The last card of a shares pile cannot be bought. 10 cards in each pile.
PRICE OF A SHARE = (10-number of cards left)*base cost – get your calculators out! Use counters to tell how many cards have been taken. When shares are bought or sold in bulk, use the price that the first share bought would use. Make change when necessary – only return used money to the pile.
Shares and money are supply piles, face up. The Events are shuffled in an Event deck, face down. When money is spent or shares are sold, the cards go back to their respective piles.
On their turn, players may exchange money at any time – i.e., swap 5 one dollars for 1 five dollar, etc.
EVENTS:
Pension: Gives extra money or extra cards from your deck in hand each turn. (Consider them permanent Merchant Ships or Caravans)
Bonus: Immediately gives money to discard.
Boom/Bust: Raises or lowers share prices – subtract or add using the number given on the share card. For example, in a -2 Bust, use the 2nd number in on the lower row. (Come in three flavors each: +1, +2, +3 and -1, -2, -3 - share piles have two rows of three numbers - use these to add/subtract)
Business As Usual: Cancels a Boom/Bust.
Bailout: Saves a company from Bankruptcy. If the company’s share price is still $0, it will revert back to Bankruptcy at the end of that player’s turn.
ILLEGAL EVENTS: Dirty Business: Inflates or deflates the price of a specific share pile. Use the numbers listed on the share cards, as with Boom/Bust. DB and Boom/Bust inflations and deflations are cumulative. DOWN DB can block a player’s pension. UP DB can create a fake pension, yielding #*5 money each turn.
Corruption: Can instantly bankrupt a company, steal another player’s pension, instantly get $100 to hand (keep Corruption card in front of you), or bailout a company.
When Illegal cards are used, they remain on the applied pile or pension.
LEGAL EVENTS: Corporate Transparency: Cancels a Dirty Business.
Legal Action: Cancels a Corruption. The cancelled player receives a Legal Action token. Any player with 3 Legal Action tokens loses.
When an Illegal card is cancelled, or a Legal card is played, it is put in the Event discard. Legal cards can be played even when it’s not your turn.
The game ends when any four companies are bankrupt, or when the highest value money pile is empty. At this point, players count up their money (shares do not count as money). The player with the most money wins. If there’s a tie, the tied players spitefully congratulate each other.
GOALS:
-players can win through legal or illegal means, and are encouraged to try both.
-encourage players to draw from event deck
SHARES
-basic share – base cost $2 – never goes bankrupt - MILK
-base cost $3 – draw 1 card - APPLES
-base cost $3 – play two: +$1 to discard - WHEAT
-base cost $4 - +$1 this turn - TIN
-base cost $4 – return to stock, pass event - COFFEE
Base cost $5- draw 2 cards - BIKES
-base cost $6 - +$2 this turn - COPPER
-base cost $7 – +3 $1 to discard - RUBBER
-base cost $7 – draw 1 card, pass event - COLA
-base cost $8 – draw 3 cards – FAST FOOD
-base cost $10 – pass 2 events - PORN
-base cost $12 - +$6 this turn. - SILVER
-base cost $15 – draw 2 cards, +$5 to discard -SAFFRON
-base cost $20 - +$10 this turn, pass 2 events - GOLD
-base cost $25 – pass 2 events, draw 3 cards, +$1, +$5 to discard - OIL
-base cost $50 – pass 2 events, draw 4 cards, +$10 this turn, +$10 to discard - TECH
UNTESTED POTENTIAL NEW CARDS:
+Card Pensions: +1, +2, +3
You’re Fired! – lose a pension
Big Brother – cancel all DB and Cn – no LA taken
Speculate – All players pass hands to the left
Swiss Bank Account – Place Money card here. Return it to your hand at any time.
New Stocks:
TOOLS - $9 – return to stock – search event deck for a card, and either put it into play, play it, or put it in your discard. Shuffle Event deck.
SOLAR - $30 – Draw 5 cards
REAL ESTATE - $25 – Reveal top 4 events – for each different event, draw card. Choose one of revealed Events to play – discard rest.
GUNS - $40 – Return to stock – target player’s pensions are ignored their next turn
