The business board game is a classic that has brought families and friends together for decades. It’s a game of strategy, luck, and smart decision-making where players aim to build a property empire and drive their opponents into bankruptcy. Whether you’re new to the world of property trading games or looking to sharpen your skills, this guide will teach you how to play business game and dominate the board.
We’ll cover everything from the initial setup to advanced strategies that can give you a winning edge. By the end, you will understand the rules, know how to manage your assets, and be ready to make your move toward victory.
Getting Started: Game Setup
Before you can start buying properties and collecting rent, you need to set up the game correctly. A proper setup ensures everyone starts on an equal footing.
- Unfold the Board: Place the game board on a flat surface where all players can easily reach it.
- Choose Your Tokens: Each player selects a token to represent them as they move around the board.
- Appoint a Banker: One player takes on the role of the Banker. This person is in charge of the bank’s money, property deeds (Title Deed cards), and houses/hotels. The Banker can also play but must keep their personal funds separate from the bank’s.
- Distribute Starting Cash: The Banker gives each player their starting money. In most versions, this is $1,500, but you should check your game’s specific rulebook. The cash is usually divided into various denominations.
- Organize Cards: Shuffle the “Chance” and “Community Chest” cards and place them face down on their designated spots on the board.
With the board set and cash in hand, you are ready to begin.
The Objective of the Game
The primary goal is simple: become the wealthiest player and force all your opponents into bankruptcy. You achieve this by buying, renting, and selling property. The last player left in the game after everyone else has gone bankrupt is the winner.
How to Play Business Game: The Core Rules
The gameplay revolves around a few key actions. Understanding these rules is fundamental to knowing how to play business game effectively.
Taking Your Turn
On your turn, you will perform these actions in order:
- Roll the Dice: Roll two six-sided dice. The total of the dice tells you how many spaces to move your token clockwise around the board.
- Take Action: The space your token lands on determines what you do next. This could involve buying property, paying rent, drawing a card, or even going to jail.
- End Your Turn: Once you have completed the action for your space, your turn is over, and play passes to the player on your left.
Rolling Doubles
If you roll doubles (the same number on both dice), you get to take another turn after completing your first one. However, be careful. If you roll doubles three times in a row on the same turn, you are sent directly to jail!
Passing “GO”
Every time your token lands on or passes the “GO” space, you collect $200 from the bank. This bonus provides a steady stream of income that is crucial for building your wealth.
Mastering Property and Buildings
Your path to victory is paved with properties. Managing your real estate portfolio is where the real strategy comes into play.
Buying Property
If you land on an unowned property (a street, railroad, or utility), you have the first option to buy it from the bank for the price listed on the board. If you choose to buy it, you pay the bank and receive the Title Deed card for that property.
If you land on an unowned property and decide not to buy it, the Banker must immediately hold an auction. The property is sold to the highest bidder, including the player who originally declined to buy it. Auctioning can be a great way to acquire properties for less than their listed price.
Collecting Rent
When an opponent lands on a property you own, they must pay you rent. The rent amount is listed on the Title Deed card. Owning all properties in a single color group (a monopoly) is a major advantage.
Once you own a full color set, the rent for all properties in that group is doubled. This is a key step toward increasing your income and putting financial pressure on your opponents.
Building Houses and Hotels
After you acquire a full color set, you can start building houses on those properties. You must build evenly. For example, you cannot build a second house on one property until you have built one house on all other properties in that same color group.
The cost of each house is listed on the property’s Title Deed. Each house you add significantly increases the rent. Once you have four houses on a property, you can upgrade to a hotel by returning the four houses to the bank and paying the hotel price. A hotel provides the maximum possible rent, making it a powerful asset.
Special Spaces on the Board
Beyond properties, several other spaces trigger unique actions.
- Chance and Community Chest: Landing here means you must draw the top card from the corresponding deck and follow its instructions immediately. These cards can be beneficial (e.g., “Bank pays you dividend of $50”) or detrimental (e.g., “Pay poor tax of $15”).
- Income Tax and Luxury Tax: If you land on these spaces, you must pay the specified amount to the bank.
- Jail: You can be sent to jail by landing on the “Go to Jail” space, drawing a card, or rolling three consecutive doubles. While in jail, you do not collect your $200 “GO” salary. To get out, you can pay a $50 fine, use a “Get Out of Jail Free” card, or try to roll doubles on your turn. You can still collect rent from your properties while in jail.
- Free Parking: In the standard rules, this space is just a “rest” spot with no special action. However, many people play with a “house rule” where all tax and fine money is placed in the center of the board, and the player who lands on Free Parking collects it all.
Winning Strategies and Tips
Knowing the rules is one thing, but knowing how to play business game to win requires strategy.
Focus on Acquiring Color Sets
Your top priority should be to create monopolies. A single property might generate a little income, but a full color set with houses or hotels is what bankrupts opponents. Be willing to trade properties with other players to complete your sets. The orange and red property groups are often considered the best because they are landed on frequently and offer a good return on investment for buildings.
Manage Your Cash Wisely
It can be tempting to buy every property you land on, but this can leave you “cash poor.” Always keep enough money on hand to pay rent, taxes, or unexpected fees from cards. A healthy cash reserve also allows you to take advantage of opportunities, like buying properties at auction or developing a newly completed color set.
Mortgage Properties Strategically
If you are short on cash, you can mortgage a property by turning its Title Deed card face down and collecting the mortgage value from the bank. You cannot collect rent on mortgaged properties. You must pay back the mortgage amount plus 10% interest to unmortgage it. Mortgaging is a useful tool for raising emergency funds, but try to unmortgage your properties as soon as you can to restore your income flow.
Negotiate and Trade
Don’t be afraid to make deals. Trading is a huge part of the game. You might trade a property an opponent needs to complete their set for one that completes yours. You can also include cash in trades to sweeten the deal. Good negotiation skills can be the difference between winning and losing.
The Final Showdown: Bankruptcy
If you owe more money than you can pay, you are declared bankrupt and are out of the game. To raise funds, you can sell your buildings back to the bank (for half the purchase price) and mortgage properties. If you still cannot cover your debt, you must turn over all your assets to the player or bank you owe money to.
The game continues until only one player remains. That player is the undisputed winner! Now that you know how to play business game, gather your opponents and get ready to build your empire.