Big Boss
Big Boss Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Setup
- Game Overview
- On Your Turn
- Step 1: Found or Expand a Company
- Step 2: Increase Share Price
- Step 3: Earn Money
- Step 4: Buy Shares (Optional)
- Step 5: Discard
- Mergers
- Sell Shares & Pass
- Ending the Game
- History of Big Boss
- To Play Big Boss with the Original Rules, Make the Following Changes
- Frequently Asked Questions
Setup
- Place the game board in the center of the play area.
- Place the Share Price mat next to the board and place the eight company markers nearby.
- Separate the shares by company into eight piles next to the board.
- Place the eight company headquarters and all the building pieces nearby.
- Place the 18 Level cards in one face-up stack next to the board.
- Shuffle the 72 Industry cards and place them in a face-down deck next to the Level cards. Then flip six Industry cards face up and arrange them in a row next to the deck.
- Create a supply of money tokens in the trays. Set the six "500 million" tokens aside.
- Each player chooses a color, takes the matching Player card, and places the two matching Radio Towers on their Player card. Return any remaining Player cards and Radio Towers to the box.
- Each player draws 10 cards from the face-down Industry deck as their starting hand, and takes 40 million money from the supply.
THE PLAYER WHO MOST RECENTLY SPENT MONEY TAKES THE FIRST TURN.
Game Overview
Big Boss is a game of building your fortune. Earn wealth by founding new companies and buying shares that grow in value. Money can also be made by expanding and merging companies together—whether you founded them or not. After the last building piece is placed, the player with the most money wins!
On Your Turn
Choose one of the following two options:
BUY ONE CARD. Then end your turn.
OR
PLAY ONE CARD. Then earn money and buy shares.
Then it's the next player's turn.
IMPORTANT: You must buy a card or play a card if you're able, even if you don't want to. In the rare case that you cannot do either, you may sell shares and pass, as explained on page 9.
Buy One Card
Choose one card to buy, then end your turn. You cannot play a card, earn money, or buy shares. There are two types of cards you can buy:
INDUSTRY CARD (COST 5 MILLION) Pay 5 million to the supply to take an Industry card and add it to your hand. You may take one of the six face-up cards, or take the top card of the deck. If you take a face-up card, flip a card from the deck to replace it. Industry cards are used to found or expand companies on a specific space of the board.
LEVEL CARD (COST 10 MILLION) Pay 10 million to the supply to take a Level card and add it to your hand. Level cards are used to expand any company on the board.
IMPORTANT: All Level cards are the same. Ignore the numbers unless you are playing by the original rules, as explained on page 10.
Play One Card
Choose one card from your hand to play and follow the steps below. If a card can't be used to found or expand a company according to the rules on pages 5-6, you cannot play it this turn.
- FOUND OR EXPAND A COMPANY
- INCREASE SHARE PRICE
- EARN MONEY
- BUY SHARES (OPTIONAL)
- DISCARD
BOSS TIP: The first player to play a card must play an Industry card to found a company, since there are no companies on the board to expand. Level cards can only be played to expand a company.
Step 1: Found or Expand a Company
Found a Company
You may play an Industry card matching an empty space on the board to found a new company. This company must be at least three empty spaces away from any other company's buildings.
When you found a new company, place four building pieces and a company headquarters, as follows:
- Place one building piece onto three consecutive empty spaces. One of these spaces must match the Industry card you're playing, but it doesn't matter which one.
- Choose any one of the three building pieces you just placed and place a fourth building piece on top of it.
- Place the new company's headquarters on top of that building. You can choose any company that hasn't already been founded.
IMPORTANT: After placing building pieces, as explained above, there must be at least three empty spaces between the newly founded company and any other company. If the company's buildings would be too close to another company's, you cannot use that card to found a company.
BOSS TIP: Headquarters do not count as building pieces. They are only used to track which pieces belong to each company. If you expand on that space, place the new building piece on top of the others, but below the headquarters. Ignore headquarters when increasing share prices.
Example: A player plays Industry card 12 to found a company. They then place three building pieces on consecutive empty spaces. One must go on Space 12, and they choose to place the others on Spaces 13 and 14. This is allowed because Spaces 9-11 and 15-17 are all empty. The player places a fourth building piece on Space 13. Lastly, they choose to found Kingdom, placing its company headquarters on top.
Expand a Company
Instead of founding a company, you may play an Industry card or a Level card to add a building piece to an existing company.
INDUSTRY CARD Place one building piece on the matching space. The space must either have a building already on it or adjacent to it. If it has a building on it, place the new building piece on top.
LEVEL CARD Place one building piece on any space, as long as it has between one and four building pieces already on it. You cannot use a Level card to place on an empty space or a space with more than four pieces.
BOSS TIP: You may expand any company, no matter who founded it. Expanding can be a good way to earn money, even if you don't own any shares in that company.
Step 2: Increase Share Price
Increase the company's share price by the level of the building piece(s) placed this turn. Move the company's marker on the Share Price mat to its new share price.
The level of a building piece is the number of pieces on that space. The first building piece on a space is level 1, the second is level 2, and so on. Share price always increases by the level of each piece placed. And remember, company headquarters are not considered building pieces.
When a company is founded, its share price will always increase to 5 million (1+1+1+2 for the four founding building pieces). When a company is expanded, its share price will increase by 1-6 million, depending on the level of the building piece that was placed this turn.
NOTE: A company's share price may never exceed 50 million for any reason.
Example: A player uses a Level card to add the second building piece to Space 12. This increases Kingdom's share price by 2, and Kingdom's marker is moved up by 2 on the Share Price mat.
If a building piece was placed adjacent to two companies (thereby connecting them), choose which one you want to expand. Increase only that company's share price by 1 million. Then, before earning money, proceed to page 8 to complete the merger.
Step 3: Earn Money
Take money from the supply equal to the share price of the company you just founded or expanded. No other players earn money, unless there was a merger.
Example: A player plays Industry card 65, and places the third building piece on Space 65. This increases Castle's share price by 3, from 15 to 18. The player takes 18 million from the supply.
Step 4: Buy Shares (Optional)
You may buy up to two shares in any founded companies. For each share, pay money to the supply equal to that company's current share price. Take a share from the pile and place it in front of you. If you buy two shares, they may be from the same or different companies.
Radio Towers
In addition to buying shares, you may place one of your Radio Towers on the company you founded or expanded this turn. Pay 15 million to the supply for your first Radio Tower, or 30 million for your second, and insert it into the company's headquarters.
A Radio Tower counts as three shares in that company, but don't take any shares from the pile. Each company can have only one Radio Tower. Players cannot replace other players' Radio Towers. If a company is removed from the game through a merger, the Radio Tower counts as three shares for the payout, and then that Radio Tower is removed from the game.
BOSS TIP: Shares never decrease in value. The sooner you buy them, the more time they'll have to increase.
Step 5: Discard
Place the card you played in a face-up discard pile. Discarded cards do not return to the game. Any player may look through the discard pile to see cards that have been played.
Mergers
If a building piece was placed adjacent to two companies, thereby connecting them, the two companies merge. The company with the higher share price acquires the other company, following the three steps below, and the acquired company is removed from the game. If both companies have the same share price, the player who caused the merger chooses which company is acquired.
- Any player who owns shares of the acquired company (lower share price) gets paid out. For each share they own, they take money from the supply equal to the company's current share price. If the company has a Radio Tower, it counts as three shares for that player.
- Add the two companies' share prices together. Then move the marker of the acquiring company (higher share price) to its new, combined share price.
IMPORTANT: A company's share price may never exceed 50 million, even during a merger.
- Remove the acquired company from the game. Return all that company's shares, their Share Price marker, their headquarters, and the Radio Tower (if there is one) to the game box. This company is no longer in the game and may not be founded again.
After a merger, the current player continues their turn. They earn money for the new, combined share price of the merged company, and then may buy shares as normal.
Example: A player plays Industry card 46 to place a building piece. Since Space 46 is adjacent to both Regent and Lunar, this causes a merger. First, the player chooses to increase Lunar's share price by 1, to 12.
Next, because Regent's price is 21, Regent will acquire Lunar. Players receive 12 million from the supply for each share of Lunar they own. Then, Regent's share price is increased to 33 (12 + 21). Lastly, Lunar's shares, marker, and headquarters are removed from the game.
Sell Shares & Pass
If you cannot buy a card or play a card, you may choose to sell any shares you want, then pass. For each share you sell, return the card to its pile and take money from the supply equal to the company's current share price. You may not sell a Radio Tower. If you sell shares, you cannot buy a card, another share, or do anything else this turn.
If you don't want to sell any shares, you must pass your turn. In the rare case that all players consecutively pass, the game ends immediately.
Ending the Game
The game ends when the last building piece is placed. The current player finishes their turn, and then all players add up their money. Each share, Radio Tower, and card remaining in your hand is also worth money. If needed, use the 500 million tokens.
- For each share you own, take money from the supply equal to that company's share price.
- For each of your Radio Towers, take money as if you had three shares in that company.
- For each Industry card remaining in your hand, take 5 million.
- For each Level card remaining in your hand, take 10 million.
The player with the most money wins! In the case of a tie, the player who placed more Radio Towers wins. If still tied, the players share the title of Big Boss.
Example: A player owns two shares of Eagle, and has also placed a Radio Tower on it. Eagle's share price is 40. The player receives 200 million: 80 million for their two shares, plus 120 million for their Radio Tower.
They also receive money for their one share of Kingdom, which has a share price of 32 million, and their one share of Lion, which has a share price of 13 million. For each of the three Industry cards left in their hand, they receive 5 million. Lastly, the player has 360 million in money tokens earned during the game. Their final score is 620 million (200 + 32 + 13 + 5 + 5 + 5 + 360).
History of Big Boss
Funko Games is thrilled to present this new edition of Big Boss. Designed by industry legend Wolfgang Kramer, and inspired by Sid Sackson's classic Acquire, Big Boss showcases decades of gaming history. The game is beloved in our studio and beyond—but until now, it has only been published in German, and has not been printed for many years.
Our team has collaborated with Herr Kramer to make updates to Big Boss, which are reflected in these instructions. But for longtime fans, and new players wishing to learn, we have also included the rules for Big Boss in its original form, as explained below.
To Play Big Boss with the Original Rules, Make the Following Changes
Setup
- Remove five Share cards of each company from the game. (Each company's pile has seven shares.)
- Shuffle the Industry and Level cards together to form one face-down deck. (Do not flip any face up.)
- Each player draws 12 cards from the deck, and takes 30 million money.
Buy One Card
- All cards are bought for 5 million, and are drawn secretly from the top of the deck.
Play One Card
- When a company is founded, do not place the fourth building piece. Place only three building pieces on consecutive empty spaces, and then the headquarters piece on top. When you increase the share price, increase it to 3 million (1+1+1).
- When expanding a company with a Level card, you must place a piece at exactly the level shown on the card. For example, a Level 3 card must be used to place the third building piece on a space that already has two pieces.
Buying Shares
- Shares always cost at least 5 million to buy. Even if the current price is lower than 5, you must pay 5 million per share.
Passing
- Shares may not be sold. If you cannot buy or play a card, you must pass.
Game End
- Instead of receiving money, players pay 5 million for each card remaining in their hand at the end of the game. This cost is the same for both Industry and Level cards.
Frequently Asked Questions
(Apply to both editions)
Can I choose to pass, even though I have a card I can play? No. If at all possible, you must buy or play a card each turn.
If I buy a card, what else can I do on my turn? Nothing.
If I buy the top building card of the deck, do I have to show it to the other players? No. Draw it directly into your hand.
If I found a company, do I own it? No player is considered the "owner" of a company, even if they founded it. Any player can buy shares of any founded company. You are not required to buy shares of a company you found.
When a building piece is placed next to two companies, which one's share price increases? The current player chooses. This choice happens before a merger occurs, which may affect which company acquires the other company.
If I merge two companies, when do I earn money, and how much? During the merger, all players earn money for their shares of the acquired company. After the merger is completed, you earn money equal to the new, combined share price of the company remaining. You earn that share price even if you chose to increase the other company's share price before the merger.
Can I buy shares and place a Radio Tower on the same turn? Yes. Remember that the Radio Tower can only be placed on the company you founded or expanded this turn, and only if there is not already a Radio Tower on that company.
Can I buy shares or Radio Towers without playing a card? No.
Do I need to own a share in a company to place a Radio Tower on it? No.
If there are no more shares in a company's pile, can I still buy one? No. But if the company does not have a Radio Tower, and you expanded the company on that turn, you may still pay to place one of your Radio Towers on it.
Game by Wolfgang Kramer. Contents: Game Board, 92 Building Pieces, 8 Headquarters Pieces, 12 Radio Towers, 6 Player Cards, 72 Industry Cards, 18 Level Cards, 96 Share Cards, Share Price Mat, 8 Share Price Markers, 128 Money Tokens, 2 Money Trays, Instructions.