Discretion
Discretion Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components (Making Your Set)
The board can be made from card, marked out in an 11 x 11 grid of squares, which are further divided as shown. The other components consist of:
- 17 pale yellow List Cards – simply a card with the name of each plot available.
- 17 pale blue Title Deed Cards – each card states plot name, acreage, harvest and appraisal value.
- 26 green Event Cards – details of these are given in the Event Card List below.
- 10 pink Year Cards – these state Land Tax rate, auction cards to be auctioned: 7 before Year One, 5 before Year Two. Colours given are the original game's colours. Size is up to you (e.g. playing cards).
- 30 Bank Loan tokens – each has a value of 500,000.
- 41 Loan Shark tokens – each has a value of 100,000.
- Money comes in values of 10,000, 20,000, 50,000, 100,000, 500,000 and 1,000,000. How many of each is unknown.
- Building tiles: the same size as the squares on the board. There are 15 x 1 acre tiles and 15 x 2 acre tiles of each type. These are also coloured to differentiate them (a total of 150 tiles): Housing – red; Offices – blue; Industry – brown; Services – orange; Retail – yellow.
Preparation
Play is determined by the green Event cards, which indicate when harvests are collectable and rents receivable. Not all of these are in play at the beginning of the game. This is because land gradually becomes developed and some instructions only apply as the 121 acres gradually become built-up. More cards are added at the end of each year.
The game is divided into Years by the END OF YEAR card. In the Event deck, which is shuffled and cut before each year of play, this card will appear at random. It might be the first card drawn, the last or anywhere in between. As a result, the number of cards played each year will vary, so no two games are ever alike.
First, arrange the green Event Cards and 10 pink Year Cards. All Event Cards have a year number at the top-right corner – this is the year that they come into play. Look through them and group together those with the same number. There are 12 Event cards with 1 in the corner, 6 with 2 in the corner, and 2 each in years 3, 4, 5 and 6. Thus, 12 are in play in Year 1, increasing to all 26 Event cards from Year 6 to game end.
Stack the 12 Event cards for Year 1 behind the Year 1 Year Card, then the 6 cards for Year 2 behind the Year 2 Year Card, and so on. Place this interleaved pile on the game board in the area marked Year.
The game is played on a Map with an area of 121 acres, divided into 17 plots varying in size from 1 acre to 9 acres. Title Deed Cards are provided for each plot. These pale blue cards are shuffled and placed face down on the board in the area marked Title. Several of the plays in the game apply to owners of specific titles and are carried out by reference to the List pile of cards, one for each Title. These pale yellow cards are shuffled and placed face-down in the area marked List on the board.
Money
A player is appointed Banker. The Bank consists of money, Bank Loan and Loan Shark receipts, and buildings for sale. Each player, including the Banker, is given money according to the table:
| Players | 10,000 | 50,000 | 100,000 | 200,000 | 500,000 | 1,000,000 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 to 4 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2,500,000 |
| 5 to 8 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | – | 2,000,000 |
Auctioneer
A player acts as Auctioneer, usually the Banker. Auctions occur frequently and can be time-consuming if not done efficiently. It is important that the Auctioneer's duties are performed with flair.
Starting Play
The Auctioneer counts off 7 Title cards, exposes the top card, reads aloud the information on it, then auctions it between the players, including himself, of course. The Appraisal Value on each Title card is a guide to its selling price. A reasonable opening bid, often made by the Auctioneer, is close to the Title card's Harvest Value. The highest bidder pays the bank and gets the Title card to denote ownership. The next card is then auctioned, and this continues until all 7 are sold. If there are no bids for a plot of land in this or subsequent auctions, the Title card is placed under the Title card pile on the board.
Initial Strategy
Don't spend too much on buying land. Mortgages are not available on land, so avoid cash shortages. Try to have at least 1 million to buy buildings after the initial auction. Year One cards mostly generate Income, so have land and money to build on it. Year Two has 5 plots on offer and each year thereafter has 2 auctions in the Event deck, so have money to bid with. Don't forget the End Of Year could appear at any time. Skill lies in planning your game no matter how the cards fall. Important decisions are taken at the beginning of the game.
Players' Turns
Players take turns to draw the top card from the face-down Event deck. BEFORE taking the card, the Active player ONLY may:
- Erect buildings
- Request a Bank Loan, or take a Loan Shark Loan
- Demolish buildings
ONE TIME ONLY, after the Initial auction, ALL players take a turn without drawing Event cards so as to maximize their influential position around the game board (starting with the player who bought the first plot of land and progressing clockwise).
(The source prints "minimize" here; "maximize" appears to be intended. Original wording: "so as to minimize their influential position around the game board".)
When all players have had a chance to build and take loans, at their discretion, the player who bought the first plot draws the top Event card and reads its message aloud. Most cards involve all players, others concern only the Active player, while others apply to the owner of the next List card property.
When all players are involved, actions are performed clockwise around the table from the active player. When done, the card is placed under the Event deck pile and the next player draws a card. Play proceeds until the End of Year card is drawn. Follow its instructions and those on the pink Year Two card, and proceed with regular play beginning with the player who drew the End Of Year card after the Year Two 5 auctions have been held. Further Auctions occur during regular play from the Event deck, rather than as a group.
The Second and subsequent years continue until the End Of Year card is drawn. The Event deck is then shuffled ready for the next year after adding the extra cards for years 3, 4, 5 and 6.
Buildings
Buildings are of two sizes (1 acre and 2 acre) and of five types: Housing, Services, Shops, Offices and Industry. Buildings are 500,000 each regardless of size or type. The benefit from building is the rent payable to you when the appropriate Event card is turned over during play. The rent depends on the number of other types of adjacent buildings, not upon size. Strategy is involved in placing buildings so as to derive maximum income. Buildings cannot be moved – they may be demolished, but only if 100,000 is paid by the bank for each. Buildings can only be placed on land that you own and are deemed fixed in position when their erector draws an Event card following their placement.
Two acre buildings may be placed across boundary lines of adjacent plots owned by the same player. Buildings must be placed so as to conform to the 1 acre markings of the gameboard.
Bank Loans
Bank loans are in units of 500,000. A player must own 3 buildings of any type or size for each loan. An Event card demands interest of 100,000 per loan from all players when it is drawn during play. Loans, limited to 30 units, are subject to availability.
An Active player who meets the collateral requirements may take loan(s) for any purpose prior to drawing an Event card. ANY player who qualifies may take a Bank Loan at any time to pay TAXES ONLY. Bank Loans for any other purpose may ONLY be obtained by the Active player.
The Bank issues a Loan receipt for each unit of debt. Loans must be repaid if the total buildings owned by a player fall below the collateral requirement – as a result of Compulsory Auction, Urban Renewal, Highway Construction, etc. It is the Banker's responsibility to ensure all players meet their obligations in this regard. If collateral deficiencies are not detected immediately, any player may request that the matter be put right.
Loan Shark Loans
Loan Shark loans are in units of 100,000. No collateral is required. Loan Shark loans, limited to 40 units, are subject to availability. The interest rate is 100% per year, due when the End Of Year card is drawn. Further loans, with the accompanying receipts, may be taken to pay the interest, but any player needing more than 20 loan shark loans is eliminated from the game. Loan Shark loans may be obtained by any player at any time for any purpose except establishing a cash reserve – all Loan Shark loans must be used during the turn that they are received. Furthermore, Loan Shark loans may only be granted to players who do not possess the necessary cash to transact the business they have in mind.
Rent
Rents on buildings are the main source of income in the game. They are paid by the Bank to owners of buildings when the appropriate Event cards, one for each type of building, are drawn during play. Rents depend on the quality of your developments, measured by the number of adjacent buildings of other types according to the following schedule:
| Number of other types of adjacent buildings | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rent | 0 | 100,000 | 200,000 | 300,000 | 500,000 |
Note the bonus if buildings touch all four other types, and the absence of rent on isolated buildings.
ALL buildings – your own, other players' and those unowned – count equally in determining rents.
Note that corner touching does not count as touching.
Taxes
Building tax is the same for all types and sizes of buildings, applies from Year Two on and is 100,000 per building throughout the game. There is one Event card for each type and ALL players pay tax when due.
Land Tax is payable on all land you own; it applies from Year Four on and increases sharply to 50,000 in Year 10. The tax rate applies equally to undeveloped land and developed land having one or more buildings.
After the Land Tax card is drawn, any player may avoid paying it on undeveloped property by returning 1 or more Title cards to the Title Card deck. No recompense is received – the land is simply forfeited.
Harvests
Harvest income is paid by the Bank when the appropriate Event card is drawn; only undeveloped land (i.e. with no buildings on or overlapping it) is eligible.
Bankruptcy
You are bankrupt if you cannot pay a debt to another player or to the Bank, with cash in hand or by raising cash from Bank Loans, Loan Shark loans or demolishing buildings. No player may hold more than 20 Loan Shark loans. Loans may not be made from one player to another, nor may settlement of debt be deferred. In the event of bankruptcy, the player is eliminated and:
- All buildings on the player's land prior to bankruptcy being established MUST remain standing (either demolitions are made to avert bankruptcy, or no demolition occurs) – EXCEPT that 2 acre buildings overlapping 2 different plots are removed so that the Title can be subsequently resold without disputed ownership.
- The player's Title cards are shuffled and placed face-down beneath the Title cards for resale.
- All money, and bank loan and loan shark receipts, are returned to the Bank.
Often, more than one player is threatened with bankruptcy during the same turn. Play proceeds as usual, starting with the player who drew the Event card and going clockwise. Any player who becomes bankrupt immediately returns loan shark and bank loan receipts to the bank, and these are then immediately available for the next and subsequent players on this same turn.
If no other player remains solvent, the last player in the clockwise progression wins EVEN IF completion of the turn would result in bankruptcy for this player also, demonstrating that victory, albeit hollow, can result from being positioned fortunately.
Determining the Winner
The game is won outright at any time by the player still solvent if all other players have become bankrupt. In games lasting the full 10 years, the winner is the player with the greatest net assets, defined as:
- Cash in hand, less bank loan debts at 600,000 each and loan shark loans at 200,000 each (comprised in each case of the principal, plus 100,000 final interest repayment).
- The appraised value of the land as listed on the Title deeds.
- The value of all buildings owned, at their full purchase cost of 500,000 each.
Event Card List
There are 26 Event cards. The bracketed number below denotes the first year the card is introduced into the game.
- Housing, Office, Industry, Services and Shops Rent [1] (1 each). All players draw rent if that type of building is owned.
- Interest [1] All players must pay 100,000 to the bank for each Bank Loan held, OR repay Bank Loans for 600,000 each.
- Auction [1] The next plot of land is auctioned from the Title deck.
- Compulsory Auction [1] The next plot of land is auctioned. If none is left, the next List plot is sold by auction. The owner must demolish any buildings on the plot and surrender the Title Deed to the plot of land. In this event, the full value of the buildings and the land's Appraisal Value is received from the Bank. Bank loans may become repayable as a result of not now having sufficient security for such loans.
- Harvest [1] Each player collects the harvest due on all his undeveloped lands. A player with buildings on all his plots of land must pay a 50,000 penalty to the Bank.
- Extra Harvest [1] Active player collects an extra harvest on any ONE undeveloped plot, or pays a 50,000 penalty to the Bank.
- Extra Rent [1] Active player collects rent on any ONE of the buildings he owns.
- End Of Year [1] Active player gets a bonus of ten times the rate of Land Tax per acre for the year just ended. ALL players must pay Loan Shark interest of 100,000 per loan held, or repay it in full for 200,000 per loan.
- Housing, Office, Industry, Services and Shop Tax [2] (1 each). ALL players pay 100,000 for each type they own.
- Inheritance [2] Active player owns the next List plot, then an Inheritance of 200,000 is received from the Bank.