MEGAcquire GOLD
MEGAcquire GOLD is my next step in continuing the quest to expand Sid Sackson's magnificent ideas and get them onto as many gaming tables as possible. We have made a few minor changes between the production run of MEGAcquire and this next production run of MEGAcquire GOLD. The money has been changed to prepaid debit cards and the denominations have been raised to 1, 5, 10, & 50 million. Players can now become a billionaire in the game of MEGAcquire GOLD.
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The rule booklet has a new cover. Included in the booklet is a sample game narration to help first time players. There is also a Stock Price Extension Chart that is used to help calculate payouts when companies are taken over and the payouts at the end of the game.
We have also enlarged the tile holders and redesigned the box insert for better storage. The company markers are made in three different shapes to better designate the difference in their starting price value and to give them a 3D effect. The playing tiles are black with gold designations. The playing board is a honeycomb of honey gold hexagons for better visibility. Most importantly, we have demanded a better process for printing the designations on the tiles.
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MEGAcquire GOLD is an exciting journey of strategy and luck, for three to six players, through the corporate world of building empires and wealth. Live in the world of fun and fortune as you maneuver to outwit your opponents. Build and merge companies while shrewdly buying, trading, and selling stocks to become the wealthiest player.
Each player builds companies by adding tiles, and they increase their wealth by purchasing stocks in these companies. Cash flow is obtained by selling majority and minority shares through mergers. It is not always prudent to have the most stock in the biggest company if you can build and sell enough smaller companies to generate a large income. Many different strategies can be used to reach the pinnacle of the corporate world, but you will always need the “luck of the draw”.
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MEGAcquire GOLD will appeal to players of any age who like the feeling of power that is acquired through achievement. It is recommended for ages 13 and up, but cannot be limited in age because of the early possession of business savvy that can be found in younger players. Average playing time is two to three hours, but shorter time limits can easily be set.
MEGAcquire GOLD is a perfect learning tool to teach younger people a sense of how the world of investing works. It illustrates how investing in stocks can be very strategic, but at the same time requires some luck. They learn how their wealth can grow as they build their companies, and how their cash flow can increase by selling companies, while subsequently using the profit to make more investments.
MEGAcquire GOLD is played on a 15" x 13" plastic board that contains 182 hexagon spaces with 182 corresponding hexagon tiles. The hexagon shape allows six different ways to connect. For MEGAcquire GOLD, the board is colored black with a gold "honeycomb" and the tiles are colored black with gold designations.
Each hexagon is labeled with a designation A-1 through N-13 and each tile has a corresponding designation for its place on the board. Each player draws 12 tiles to start the game and then draws a replacement tile after each turn. The tiles are used to create and grow companies. While creating and growing these companies, the players buy, trade, and sell stocks in an attempt to become the wealthiest player.
There are 14 different companies to choose from when building an empire -- seven hotels and seven corporations. Each company has a colored Company Marker that represents that company's designation. The companies have different starting values that include low, medium, & high-priced companies.
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The seven hotels are:
- Luster - Red - $2 million starting price per share
- Teton - Yellow - $2 million starting price per share
- Arcadia - Dark Blue - $3 million starting price per share
- Global - Brown - $3 million starting price per share
- Fanfare - Green - $3 million starting price per share
- Krause - Teal - $4 million starting price per share
- Regal - Pink - $4 million starting price per share
The seven corporations are:
- Unity - Beige - $2 million starting price per share
- Solon - Gray - $2 million starting price per share
- Watts - Purple - $3 million starting price per share
- Helix - Orange - $3 million starting price per share
- Digital - Baby Blue - $3 million starting price per share
- Quasar - Charcoal - $4 million starting price per share
- Physics - Burgundy - $4 million starting price per share
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The markers for the hotels and corporations are "buildings." The "small buildings" (illustrated here by the red "LH" marker for the Luster Hotel) are used to designate the lower priced companies. The "medium buildings" (illustrated by the purple "WC" marker for the Watts Corporation) are used to designate the medium priced companies. The "large buildings" (illustrated by the charcoal "QC" of the Quasar Corporation) are used to designate the high priced companies. Each marker is colored to match the company it represents.
There are 25 stock certificates for each company. When the supply has been purchased, there are no more stocks available unless a player trades some back to the bank when they are out of money or the stocks are returned through mergers.
How To Play MEGAcquire GOLD
Players can play one tile per turn. When two hexagons are placed together, they form a company. The player who places the tile that starts the company gets to chose what company they want from those that are available. The player then receives a free share of stock in that company as a founding bonus.
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Players are allowed to purchase six stock certificates of any company on the board during their turns. By receiving the free share of stock, the player who starts the company always has control of keeping majority shareholder status in that company unless they decide to purchase something else before they hold a "true majority". Since there are 25 stock certificates for each company, a true majority is attained when a player owns 13 shares. No other player can purchase more shares than the player who holds 13 shares.
Stock values increase as tiles are played that grow companies. The Information Cards are used to keep track of stock prices and shareholder bonuses as the companies grow and merge. As the companies grow, smaller companies will be merged into larger companies. This is accomplished when a tile is played that connects two companies together. The larger company always takes out the smaller company. If the companies are of equal size, before the merging tile is played, the player who plays this tile gets to decide which company will survive.
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At the time of the merger, the players who hold first and second majority in the smaller company receive bonuses, and all players who hold stock in the smaller company have the option to sell their stock for the current market value. A player can choose to keep their stock if they expect the company to open again. When a tile is played that merges more than one company, the companies are cashed out starting with the smallest company first.
Companies are considered "safe" when they reach 21 tiles. A "safe" company means that they can't be taken over by a larger company and will remain on the board until the end of the game. Tiles that would connect two safe companies cannot be played. Instead, those tiles are turned over on their designated spaces on the board and new tiles are drawn. Companies can increase in value up to the level of 101 tiles.
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Each player starts with $120 million. Investing this money is based on the tiles in a player's hand and the companies they can grow. When a player runs out of money and it is their turn, they can trade stocks they have purchased for other stocks that are more beneficial to their portfolio. Yet they can only trade the amount of stocks it takes to raise money for the stocks they are purchasing. Players cannot trade stocks for cash.
A large amount of money can be generated by opening and selling small companies, which creates cash flow to reinvest. But conversely, a large wealth can be accumulated by holding majority in the larger companies. The winner needs the ideal mix of investing, and a little bit of luck, that provides the greatest wealth.
It takes approximately two to three hours to fill the entire board of MEGAcquire GOLD, but shorter time limits can be set. If you only want to play for an hour and a half, just be sure to let all players have equal turns and end the game at the designated time. At that time, all companies are cashed out at the current market value, which is based on the number of tiles in the company. All players count their earnings and the player with the most money is the MEGAcquire GOLD Master.
© 2018 Lloyd T. Solon
Condensed Version of MEGAcquire GOLD
Lloyd's Rules for Two-Player MEGAcquire
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