BasketBoss (2022) Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Setup
• Team Boards
• Player Cards
• Overview
  • Fill Market
  • 1. Offer Contracts
  • Adjust Team Strengths
  • 2. Award Trophies
    • Resolving Ties (example)
  • 3. Hire Advisors
  • 4. Earn Income
  • 5. Age Players
    • Aging Players (example)
• End of Game
  • Final Score (example)
• Simultaneous Bidding
• Injuries
  • Injury Bidding (example)
  • Injury Card text

Components

• 35 Player Cards
• 2 Injury Cards
• 6 Advisor Cards
• 11 Season Cards
• 5 Strength Tokens
• 5 Team Boards
• 36 Money Tokens
• 5 one-point Ribbons
• 1 Scoreboard
• 6 each of 4 Trophies (10, 7, 4, and 2 points)

Setup

In Basketboss, basketball players will be called "players", you and your opponents will be referred to as "managers". You manage a "team" of five players.

1. Shuffle the 35 player cards together with the 2 injury cards and place them in a facedown stack.
2. Place the Scoreboard, Advisors Cards, Ribbons, and Money Tokens faceup near the center of the table.
3. Use the Trophies for your player count as indicated on the Scoreboard.
4. Make a row of 6 faceup Season cards with the Inaugural Season card on the left, then 4 random Season cards in the middle, and the Team Legacy card on the right. Return the unused Season cards to the box.
5. Each Manager takes 1 Team Board, places their Scoring Token on the 10 space on the Score Board, and takes $11.
6. Give the Referee Advisor card to the tallest Manager. They return $2m to the supply.

Team Boards

A Team Board has Starting Players, a Team Logo, and Season Phases. Example: 5 stars (Strength) + 5 Positions = 10 Team Strength.

Player Cards

A Player Card shows its Strength (a column of rows of stars; the starting season strength is the top row), Name, Position, and Income.

Players can be placed over starting players or replace other Player Cards. They always start with their top row of stars showing.

Overview

Basketboss is played over 6 seasons. Every season has 5 phases: 1. Offer Contracts, 2. Award Trophies, 3. Hire Advisors, 4. Earn Income, 5. Age Players.

Fill Market

Create a Free Agency Market row of Players by flipping Player Cards faceup in order, until you have reached the income or player limit as shown on the Scoreboard.

During the first season, draw a replacement for any injuries that are drawn and shuffle the injuries back into the deck.

1. Offer Contracts

The Manager with the lowest numbered advisor card begins (in the first season, this is the Manager with the Referee). They state how much they are willing to pay for the first player, or they pass. The next Manager to their left either offers that player more money or passes.

This continues around the table until all managers but one have passed (after passing, Managers may not reenter). That Manager returns the winning amount to the supply, and adds the Player to their team.

If all managers pass on a player, return the player to the box.

Adjust Team Strengths

Calculate each Team's Strength and mark it on the Scoreboard with your team's score marker.

• Total stars on the top most visible row of each of their players
• plus one additional Strength for each unique position on the team (max 5): SF, PF, C, SG, PG.

Take into account the effect of the current season card which may alter that formula.

2. Award Trophies

The team with the highest strength takes one of the highest valued trophies. The second highest strength takes the next lower valued trophy, and so on until one of each trophy has been given out.

Otherwise tied teams make a bid simultaneously. The winning player pays half (rounded up) to the referee and half (rounded down) to the supply. If no team has the referee then the full payment is made to the supply. They win the tie and their score marker is placed on top.

If there is a tie in bidding, the player with the lower advisor number is the winner and pays as normal. In the first season, when players have no advisor, the player clockwise closest to the referee wins ties.

If more than two teams were tied, the remaining teams repeat this process.

Resolving Ties (example)

Blue and Yellow are tied at 14 stars; Purple and Green are tied at 12 stars. The Blue team hired the referee so they win the tie: Blue 1st, Yellow 2nd. Purple and Green reveal their secret bids simultaneously (Purple: $5, Green: $3). Purple wins: Purple 3rd, Green 4th. Purple pays $2 to the bank and $3 to the Blue Team who has the Referee.

3. Hire Advisors

Return all advisors to the center of the table.

In reverse strength order (as shown on the Scoreboard), each Manager takes one Advisor Card. If there is a tie for strength, the Manager on the bottom of the Scoreboard stack selects first.

Each Advisor gives your team a unique advantage for a season. Read the Advisor cards to learn what they do.

4. Earn Income

Each Manager collects $1 for each income symbol on their Player Cards.

5. Age Players

Slide all player cards one space up into their team board.

If a player shows no more rows that have any stars, that player is retired. Return that player card to the box.

Flip the leftmost faceup Season card facedown.

Aging Players (example)

Before aging, the team's Total Strength is 18; after aging it is 19.

End of Game

The game ends after the Tournament on round 6, do not complete phases 3-5. The final Season card is always Team Legacy.

Perform the age players phase a final time and calculate the final strength.

Final Victory Points for each Team:

• Final Strength (stars)
• plus Trophies and Ribbons
• plus 1 point for every $5 remaining

The Manager with the most victory points wins.

Final Score (example)

Final Victory Points = 57, made up of three lines: Final Strength = 21; Trophies and Ribbons = 31; remaining money / 5 = 5 (pictured example).

Simultaneous Bidding

Occasionally Managers will be instructed to simultaneously bid.

All Managers cover their money, and secretly choose how much they want to spend. They place their bid into their closed hand. When everyone is ready, all Managers then reveal their bids simultaneously.

Injuries

When an injury card comes up for auction, teams must pay their medical bills.

All Managers simultaneously bid. All Managers discard their bids to the supply. The Manager with the lowest bid takes the injury card (if tied, higher advisor card takes the injury), and covers up their player with the highest strength in the current season (if players tie, manager chooses).

A player covered by an injury does not count while injured, they provide no strength, income, or position. If the injured player is replaced by a player this season, the injury is discarded with the player. Otherwise discard all injuries at the beginning of the Age Players phase, and that player becomes active again.

Injury Bidding (example)

Green hired the Physical Therapist and does not bid for injuries. Blue lost the bid so their strongest player is injured. Purple and Yellow discard their bids.

Injury Card text

Place this card on your most valuable player. That player is injured for the rest of the season. Adjust your team value. This card may be replaced by a drafted player. If not replaced this card is discarded next season.