The Game of Life: Rivals Edition Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Life Cards
  • Cash
• Ending the Game
• Winning
• First Time You Play
• Get Ready
• Play!
• Quick View on Your Turn
• The Board Spaces
  • Yellow Space
  • Payday Space
  • Neighborhood Gossip Space
  • Baby Space
  • Stop Space
  • Other Colored Spaces

Contents

• Gameboard
• 65 Life cards
• 10 Career cards
• 2 cars
• 50 $10,000 bills
• 12 blue people pegs
• 12 pink people pegs
• 12 animal pegs
• Spinner and base

Life Cards

You must draw a Life card when you land on a yellow space. There are four types of Life cards:

• Good: Be the best neighbor on the street! Good cards add Life points at no cost. These cards cannot be taken by an opponent.
• Not-So-Good: Everybody's got skeletons in their closet. If you are forced to play one of these cards, it must be counted in your final score.
• It Happens: In life, things break sometimes, and it will cost you! You or your opponent (depending on who the card is played against) must pay the amount shown on the card to the bank. The card is then discarded.
• Stuff: Buy a bigger house, a newer car, or other possessions that show your success. Pay the amount shown on the card to the bank and place the card on the table to gain Life points. Your opponent may steal the Stuff card by paying the resale amount shown on the card to the bank. The Life points in each of these cards are added to your total score at the end of the game.

Cash

You may pick up one, two, or three $10,000 bills every pay day, depending on your salary. Each $10,000 bill that you hold at the end of the game can be exchanged for one Life point when you figure your total score.

Ending the Game

The game ends when one player reaches retirement. There are no additional points given for reaching retirement first. The opponent can take one more turn before both players add up their final scores.

1. Add all Life points and cash together.
2. Add 10 Life points for each person in your car.
3. Add 5 Life points for each pet in your car.
4. Subtract all negative points from the total score.

Note that cards held in your hands at the end of the game may not be counted in the final score. Only cards that were actually played are added together.

Winning

The player with the highest score at the end of the game wins! If the score is tied, the player who reached the end of the road first wins.

Example: If you collect 23 Life points and you have $30K in cash at the end of the game, your final score would be 26 Life points.

First Time You Play

1. Carefully remove the pegs from the plastic frames. If needed, use an emery board or sandpaper to remove the excess plastic from the pegs. Discard the frame after removing all the pegs.
2. Insert the spinner base into its slots on the gameboard.

Get Ready

1. Each player selects a car, places two people pegs inside, and puts it in the start location on the gameboard.
2. Shuffle the Life cards and deal five cards to each player. Then place the remaining cards to the side.
3. Shuffle the Career cards and deal three to each player. Each player chooses one Career card, places it face up on the table, and returns the other two cards to the deck. Shuffle the Career card deck again and place it to the side. You may draw a new Career card at any point in the game. If you do, you may not take any additional starting cash.
4. Each player takes from the bank the amount of cash shown on their Career card.

Play!

The player who is most jealous of their neighbors goes first!

1. Spin the spinner and move your car that number of spaces.
2. When you land on a yellow space, play one Life card from your hand. Follow the instructions on the card. If the card calls for you or your opponent to pay a fee and you don't have as much cash as is required, just pay what you have at that time. You can play either on yourself or on your opponent.
3. At the end of your turn, draw a Life card. You must keep five cards in your hand at all times. Draw one or more cards as necessary.
4. Once you or your opponent reaches the end of the road, the game ends. Add up all of your Life points and cash to determine the winner.

Quick View on Your Turn

Here is a quick recap of the actions you take on your turn:

1. Make purchases (optional). If you want to steal one or more Stuff cards from your opponent, do it now by paying its sale amount to the bank.
2. Spin the spinner and move your car the number of spaces shown.
3. Follow instructions for the space you landed on.
   • If it's a yellow space, play a Life card by placing it face up on the table.
   • If it's any other space, follow instructions for the space.

The Board Spaces

Yellow Space

When you land on a yellow space, play a Life card from your hand and follow its instructions. Then draw another Life card.

Payday Space

When you pass Payday, collect your salary from the bank. If you land on Payday, collect double your salary.

Neighborhood Gossip Space

When you land on a Neighborhood Gossip space, your opponent must reveal their hand. You must then select one of your opponent's cards and play it – either on yourself or on them.

Baby Space

When you pass the Baby space, you add another People peg to your car! If you land on the Baby Space, you get twins -- add two pegs to your car!

Stop Space

When you come to one of the three Stop spaces on the board, you must stop on that space (even if you have moves left) and follow its instructions. (If you are spinning for kids or pets, place the pegs in your car.)

• Spin for kids! 1-4 = 1 kid; 5-6 = twins
• Spin for pets! 1-3 = 1 pet; 4-5 = 2 pets; 6 = 3 pets
• Spin for life insurance! Collect 10,000 times the number on the spinner

Other Colored Spaces

There are four orange spaces and four red spaces on the board. These spaces may bring you good times – or bad times. Just follow the instructions on those spaces if you land on them.