Careers Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• 1. Object
• 2. Equipment Consists Of
• 3. The Occupation Paths
• 4. Your Success Formula
• 5. Scoring
• 6. Preparation
• 7. The Play
• 8. Entering/Moving Through Occupation Paths
• 9. Completing Occupations
• 10. Opportunity Cards
• 11. Experience Cards
• 12. Bumping
• 13. Salaries
• 14. Bankruptcy
• 15. Retirement
• 16. Special Rules Notes
• 17. Partnership Game

1. Object

The object of this game is to "succeed" by earning Fame (★), Happiness (♥) and Money ($). These are earned by going through College and occupations like Farming and Big Business. What's most fun is this—you get to decide your own secret "success formula." The first player to achieve or exceed his success formula wins the game.

2. Equipment Consists Of

A game board, a deck of Opportunity Cards, a deck of Experience Cards, 6 playing pieces, 1 success pad, two dice and a pad of money.

3. The Occupation Paths

On the gameboard appear eight different Occupation Paths (including College), in which Fame, Happiness and Money can be earned. During the game, a player may enter as many different occupations as he wishes (Farming, Big Business, etc.) in any order, and may go through a particular occupation as often as desired. (Note: An exception to this rule is that a player may go through College only once.) A player earns fame points by landing on the Spaces with the orange stars (★), happiness points by landing on the Spaces with the red hearts (♥), and $ bonuses and salary increases by landing on the Spaces with the dollar signs ($). Some occupations have more opportunities for earning fame, while others may be better for earning happiness or increasing salary or winning bonuses.

4. Your Success Formula

Your secret success formula is the number of fame, happiness and dollar points you must earn in order to win. This total must always equal 60 points, but you can divide these in any way you wish between fame, happiness and money points. ($1,000 equals 1 money point.) Fame, happiness and money points are all roughly equivalent to each other. That is, a happiness point is just about as hard to earn as a fame point, or $1,000 in money, and vice versa.

Each player is given a score sheet on which he must write down his Success Formula before play begins. One formula is as good as any other formula as far as chances of winning are concerned, but each player must be certain that his formula equals 60 points. Once written, a player's formula should be concealed from other players by folding the flap over it.

When only two are playing, a Success Formula of 100 points makes a good game. For a shorter game, players can create a Success Formula totaling 30 or 40 points.

5. Scoring

Fame Points are represented by orange stars on the playing board. When a player lands on a Space which gives a certain number of ★s, he writes this number in the "★" column of his score sheet. Keep a running total. Each time a player earns new stars, he adds them to the ★s already earned, writing down the new total and crossing out the old.

Happiness Points are represented by red hearts which are scored on the score sheet in the same manner as fame points. Happiness points and fame points may not be sold or traded.

Money Points are the number of thousands of dollars in cash that a player has on hand. Therefore, a player's money score at any time is simply the amount of money, in thousands, he has in his possession. For example: Any sum of money from $9,000 to and including $9,950 is equal to 9 money points.

• Salary is not cash. Salary is the amount of money a player will collect from the banker when he passes Payday. Only after collecting his salary, does this money become part of his cash.

If, for example, a player has a Success Formula of $26,000, plus 15 stars, plus 19 hearts and if he has reached 15 stars or 19 hearts, he should continue to add any additional ones which he gets. It makes no difference if he exceeds any part or parts of his Success Formula, for the game is won the moment any player reaches or exceeds his entire formula. As an example: If, using the above formula, a player has 29 stars and 50 hearts, he wins the game as soon as he has $26,000 or more on hand—provided, of course, that no other player attains his Success Formula beforehand.

6. Preparation

Shuffle each deck separately (The yellow "Opportunity Cards" and the orange "Experience Cards"), and put them face down in the spaces printed at the center of the board. Sort out the play money by denominations. Place one token for each player on the Payday Space. Give each player a score sheet and a $1,000 bill. Each player writes down his Success Formula. Appoint one player to act as Banker. The Banker is in charge of the bank's money and pays all Salaries and collects all bills, taxes, etc. If, however, the Banker also wishes to be a player in the game, he must be careful to keep his own money separate from the bank's.

• Throw the dice to determine which player will play first. Play passes to the left throughout the game.

7. The Play

Once each player has written his secret success formula, play begins. The players move their tokens clockwise around the outside track on the board, according to the throw of both dice. However whenever moving through the inner occupation paths only one die is thrown. Doubles do not entitle a player to an extra turn.

• If a player lands on a green Occupation Space he may enter the occupation's inner path on his next turn if he can meet one of the requirements listed.
• If he lands on a Space marked "Opportunity Knocks," he draws a yellow Opportunity Card from the deck. Opportunity Cards should be read immediately for they may be used on the same turn on which they are drawn.
• If a player lands on a purple Space, or a corner Space, he follows the printed directions on the Space.

8. Entering/Moving Through Occupation Paths

To enter an Occupation path, a player must first land on or move to the green entrance Space by exact throw of the dice or by use of an Opportunity Card or an Experience Card. (He does nothing further on that turn.) On his next move he must meet one of the requirements listed on the entrance Space. For example, if a player wishes to enter Exploring, he must give the Banker $4,000, unless he has an Engineering degree, or unless he has Prospecting experience. (He would have the latter if he had completed this occupation at least once, previously.) A player who has completed an occupation never has to pay an entrance fee for that same occupation during the remainder of the game.

On this same turn, he THROWS ONE DIE ONLY AND MOVES THE INDICATED NUMBER OF SPACES ALONG THE OCCUPATION PATH. He continues to throw one die on each turn begun on an occupation's inner path.

• If a player cannot meet at least one requirement for an occupation, he cannot enter and must continue around the outside path. He need not enter any occupation unless he has moved to its Entrance Space by means of an Opportunity Card. Then he must enter.
• Players should score all stars, hearts, and salary increases or decreases on their score pads as they earn them.

9. Completing Occupations

To receive credit for completing an occupation, a player must pass all the way through its path. When completing any occupation (except College) he checks off his Experience in the "Occupation Record" column of his score pad on the line for that occupation. The first time he completes a given occupation; he checks it under "1st" and collects one Experience Card, the second time under "2nd" and collects two Experience Cards, etc. The little arrows on the board remind players of this (the arrows do not count as spaces). A player may go through an Occupation path as many times as he wishes during the course of a game, but if he goes through the same one more than three times, he is permitted to draw only three Experience Cards each time.

When completing College, a player does not draw an Experience Card; instead he scores an automatic salary increase of $2,000, and selects a degree as he leaves. If he is the first player to pass through College, he selects any degree from those offered, and checks it in the "Education" column of his score pad. Each degree may be awarded only once. Thus, if he is the second player to graduate from College, and the first graduate had selected the Science Degree, his choice is limited to the remaining three. If he is the fifth or sixth player to pass through College, he may not score any of the specialized degrees, but does score the regular College Degree and the normal salary increase of $2,000. Any college degree, specialized or regular, may be used for entering Big Business. A player selecting a degree in medicine becomes a Doctor and has special advantages. He receives payments from players who go to the Hospital; he does not have to pay when he lands on the Hospital and may move out of this space on his next move. (Note: If the Doctor is instructed to go to the Hospital he must go even though he does not follow the instructions printed on the Space when he gets there.)

• No player may go to College more than once.

10. Opportunity Cards

These cards are used for moving to the Entrance Space of the occupation specified. Every time a player lands on a space marked "Opportunity Knocks," he draws one card from the top of the pile. Whenever a player uses one of these cards, he moves in a clockwise direction around the board. If he passes Payday, he collects his current salary.

When a player draws an Opportunity Card he may do one of three things with it. (1) He may use it immediately and move to the entrance Space of the occupation specified. (Whenever a player uses an Opportunity Card he MUST return it face down to the bottom of the deck.) (2) He may save it and use it later in place of throwing the die or dice. That is, as a substitute for throwing the die or dice. If he saves it, he must keep it face up so that other players can see what opportunities he has. (3) He may sell it at any time to another player at any price agreed upon or trade it at will.

A player may use an Opportunity Card to move from any Space on an inner path, or from any Space on the outside track except the Hospital or Unemployment. (Exception: A player holding the Doctor's Degree may use an Opportunity Card to leave the Hospital.) However, if he uses one while on an Occupation path, he does not get credit for completing the occupation that he abandons, and he does not collect any Experience Cards.

If a player uses an Opportunity Card, he MUST, on his turn, enter the occupation to which he has moved. Before using an Opportunity Card a player MUST be certain he can meet one of the requirements printed on the entrance Space of this occupation. A player need not pay an entrance fee if he can meet some other requirement. No entrance fee should ever be paid except on the turn on which a player is actually going to enter an occupation. (Note: A player cannot use an Opportunity Card to move completely around the board to the same space from which he started.)

11. Experience Cards

A player earns Experience Cards by completing occupations or by landing on special spaces in the Occupation paths. These cards are saved and may be used in place of throwing the die or dice on any turn. They may be played while on outside or inside Spaces. A player may buy, sell or trade his Experience Cards at any time during the game.

Experience Cards cannot be used on the same play on which they are drawn because they take the place of the throw of the die or dice. A player may not use them to leave either of the two penalty spaces (Hospital or Unemployment) unless he first pays the required Penalties, with the exception of the Doctor, who may use an Experience Card to move from the Hospital.

• A player may not use more than ONE Experience Card on any one turn.

12. Bumping

When a player lands on any space (except the Hospital or Unemployment) already occupied by another player on the outside path or the inside paths, he "bumps" that player to the Unemployment Space or may bargain with him and collect a fee, or some other compensation, for letting him stay where he is.

The player who is bumped or cannot make a bargain must go directly to the Unemployment Space; that is, he does not pass Payday and does not collect his salary. If he is on an Occupation path, he does not get credit for completing that occupation.

13. Salaries

A player's salary is collected from the Bank each time he passes the Payday Space. During the course of a game a player's starting salary of $1,000 will increase. (The new amount is checked off on the score pad.) Salaries change depending on what spaces are landed on in the various occupations. When a player completes College he gets an automatic salary increase of $2,000. When a player is instructed to increase his salary he does not collect any money until he passes Payday. For example, if a player starts with $1,000 and earns a $1,000 increase, he places a checkmark alongside "$2,000," but does not collect this amount until he passes Payday. If he is later told to cut his salary in half, he erases the checkmark beside the $2,000 mark and uses the check beside the $1,000 mark, etc. A player's salary may not always be in even thousands, in which case he writes the exact amount. A player's salary never changes except when he lands on a space on which the word "Salary" appears.

14. Bankruptcy

Any player may declare "Bankruptcy" at any time by turning in all of his cards and cash and starting over again from the Payday Space with a $1,000-bill, a $1,000 starting Salary, and a clear score pad. He may not change his Success Formula, but in all other respects he starts over again.

A player must declare Bankruptcy if he lands on a space requiring a payment he cannot make. However, he may first try to raise the necessary cash by selling any Experience or Opportunity Cards he might have, or by borrowing from other players.

15. Retirement

Retirement is a privilege earned by a player once he completes any one occupation 3 times. When a player earns this privilege, he may on any turn (except when his piece is in the Hospital or Unemployment or already on the Vacation space) go directly to the Vacation space without throwing the dice. That is, he may, in place of doing anything else, move his piece to the corner Space marked Vacation. He may do this as often as he wishes. If he passes Payday, he collects his salary. Note: Once on the Vacation Space, he must follow the instructions printed on that space. The advantage of this move is the opportunity to move quickly around the board and collect salary and to earn happiness points.

16. Special Rules Notes

Sometimes situations arise which are not directly covered by the rules. Here are the most common:

A. If a player is told to lose ½ of his Fame when he has no fame points—he loses nothing.

B. If a player lands on "Shopping Spree" and throws a "1" and has $13,150 in cash, 10% of which is $1,315, he pays only $1,300 as the smallest change the Banker has is a $50. The Banker always takes the loss when exact change cannot be made.

C. Players may make any agreements with each other involving selling, borrowing, trading, etc. However, NO PLAYER MAY SELL, LOAN OR GIVE AWAY, HIS FAME POINTS, HIS HAPPINESS POINTS, OR HIS OCCUPATION EXPERIENCE, which he has accumulated on his score pad. Players may buy, sell and trade Opportunity and Experience Cards.

D. A player landing on the Stock Market may, if he wishes, invest (put money in the bank) his capital (cash on hand) in amounts of $3,000 or multiples thereof. For example, a player who has in his possession $11,000 may invest, at once, $3,000, $6,000, or $9,000. This money is put into the Bank. If he has invested $3,000 (bought one block of stock) he rolls one die once and sells out for $1,000 times the number thrown. Thus, if he rolls a (5) he gets back from the Bank a total of $5,000. If he rolls a (2) he gets back only $2,000, etc. If he has invested $6,000 (bought two blocks of stock) he rolls one die twice, adds together the amount shown on each roll, and multiplies the total by $1,000. Hence, if he rolls a (2) and a (6) he gets back $8,000 on his $6,000 investment. If he invests $9,000 he rolls one die three times and adds together the amount shown on each roll, etc. However, a player must decide upon landing on the Stock Market just how much he wishes to invest and put that money in the Bank before rolling the die. No player is required to do anything on this space if he does not wish to.

E. Any time a player is sent to the Hospital or Unemployment he must go directly there and he does NOT collect his salary. If he is sent to either of these places from an Occupation path he does not get credit for completing that occupation and does not draw any Experience Cards. When a player gets out of the Hospital or Unemployment spaces, he does not return to the occupation from which he was sent. He can re-enter that Occupation path only by roll of the dice or the use of Experience or Opportunity Cards.

F. A player who goes to the Moon does not collect his salary on the way out because he does not pass over the Payday Space. Sorry, but this is the price of adventure.

G. If a player lands on the Unemployment space and has no money (cash on hand), he goes out free immediately on his next turn. One half of nothing is nothing.

H. A player's salary is not raised or lowered by any expenses he has during the game. A player's salary goes up or down only if so instructed when going through the various Occupation paths.

I. If a player lands on the space marked "Art Gallery" and gives the Banker $3,000 he rolls one die and collects as many stars as are shown on the die. If he gives the Banker $6,000, he rolls one die twice and is entitled to as many stars as the total of the two rolls.

J. When a player lands on "Yacht Harbor" or "Statue in the Park," he may buy only one of these selections. He cannot combine any two or three of them. For example: He cannot pay $24,000 and receive 20 hearts at the "Yacht Harbor."

K. The Banker, if he is also playing, must keep his own funds separate from the Bank. He personally does not keep any fines or money, which should go into the Bank.

L. Whenever the word "MAY" appears on the gameboard, players are not required to follow the directions unless they so wish.

17. Partnership Game

This variation of the regular game can be played by two or three couples; each couple is a partnership and plays as a team. In this game the following rules apply:

A. A single Success Formula of 120 points is used.

B. The "Salary Level" and "Experience Record" of each partner is scored separately.

C. All fame, happiness and money points which are earned by either partner are scored on one sheet against the same Success Formula.

D. Money which is earned as well as Experience and Opportunity Cards which are acquired are held by the partnership rather than by the individual. Thus one partner may use the money, Experience and Opportunity Cards earned by the other partner. Penalties are paid from the common fund of the partners.