Venture
Venture Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
The Cards
Venture is played with two special decks of cards called the Corporations and the Resources.
Corporation Cards
Corporations are found in the blue-backed deck and represent six different industries: Steel, Oil, Railroads, Real Estate, Automobiles, and Shipping. Each industry has an identifying color. All Corporation cards are marked with one to five letters (from A to F) and a value from 8 million (for one letter) to 24 million (for five letters). These cards are a player's investment properties.
Resources Cards
Resources are in the green-backed deck. They include three different kinds of cards called Capital, Proxy Fight and Profit cards.
Capital Cards are used to purchase Corporations. They range in denomination from 1 to 20 million. Special symbols (triangle, circle or square) on the 1, 3, 5 and 8 million denominations indicate that they can be collected in "sets" for increased value. A "set" consists of two to four cards of unlike denominations with identical symbols. A two-card "set" is worth 16 million regardless of face values. A three-card "set" is worth 32 million and a four-card "set" (one of each of 1, 3, 5 and 8 million denominations with identical symbols) is worth 64 million. Note that these "set" values are indicated for you on the proper cards.
Example: A player has a 1 million and a 5 million card with a triangle. If used as a "set," they are worth 16 million. He also holds two 3 million cards with a circle. Since these are not unlike denominations, they do not make a "set." If played together, they are worth only 6 million (3 million + 3 million).
Proxy Fight Cards are marked with a 1/2x, 1x and 1 1/2x (the "x" representative of multiplication). By playing a 1/2x card, a player can take over an opponent's Corporation for one-half its value. With a 1x card he must pay full value and with a 1 1/2x card he pays one and one-half times the value.
Profit Cards are used for scoring purposes. There are only two in the deck. When a Profit card is turned up, play stops and everyone totals his profits, as described under The Scoring of Profits.
The Setup and the Deal
The Corporations are shuffled and five cards are placed, face up, in the center of the table. Remaining Corporation cards are stacked face down to the left of the five cards to form the stock. (If only two people play, 14 Corporations are first dealt and set aside, not to be used during the game.)
Table layout: the stock and the five face-up Corporations occupy one row; the drawing deck and the discard pile sit above them.
Resources are shuffled and seven cards are dealt, face down, to each player. All players pick up their hands; if any player has a Profit card, he is dealt another card and the Profit card is reshuffled into the deck. The remainder of the deck is stacked face down in the center of the table to form the drawing deck. (Eventually the discard pile is placed face up alongside the drawing deck.) The player to the left of the dealer has first turn; play moves clockwise.
The Play
The play consists of: 1) Taking over Corporations from the center of the table and Forming Conglomerates with two or more Corporations; 2) Playing Proxy Fight cards to win opponents' Corporations; 3) Reorganization of holdings. During each turn, a player can make as many of these transactions as he wishes and in any order. If none are possible or desirable, he discards one card from his hand instead.
When a player completes transactions, costs are totalled and paid for with Capital cards and/or "sets" which equal or exceed the amount owed. These cards are placed on the discard pile. If cards total more than purchases, a player does not receive change.
At the end of each turn, even if a player chooses to skip a round of transactions and discard, he draws two Capital cards from the drawing deck. (When the deck is depleted, the discard pile is shuffled and turned face down for a new drawing deck.) The player also replaces any Corporations taken from the center of the table with cards from the stock.
1) Taking Over Corporations, the basic play
A player takes over a Corporation from the center of the table with one or more Capital cards and/or "sets," the value equal to or greater than the value of the Corporation. This Corporation is placed face up on the table in front of him. Any or all Corporations from the center of the table can be taken over during one turn.
Forming Conglomerates, or moving up in the world. When a player takes over a second Corporation, he can place it on the first one to form a Conglomerate - providing the two Corporations have at least one letter in common and are from different industries. Likewise, Corporations from other industries can be added if there is at least one letter in common to all Corporations within the Conglomerate. Since there are six industries, the maximum size of a Conglomerate is six Corporations.
Example: On his first turn, a player took over the Railroads Corporation having letters CD. On his second turn, he takes over Automobiles with letters DEF and starts a Conglomerate. He also takes over Oil with letters EF; but because this card does not have the letter D common to the other Corporations, it cannot be added to the Conglomerate and is placed by itself.
2) Proxy Fights, the really competitive play
In his turn, a player can take over a Corporation from an opponent by using a Proxy Fight card. He can take only the top uncovered Corporation from a Conglomerate or he can take a Corporation which stands alone. Only one Corporation can be taken over with each Proxy Fight card. The Proxy Fight card along with the required Capital cards are placed on the discard pile.
Example: Player with the 1/2x Proxy Fight card wishes to take over a 24 million Corporation. He places the Proxy Fight card and at least 12 million in Capital cards (1/2 value of the Corporation) in the discard pile and adds the Corporation to his holdings. (If he had played 1 1/2x card, the cost of the Corporation would be 36 million, or 1 1/2 times its value.)
3) Reorganization, the big profit maker
At any time during his turn, a player can reorganize his holdings in any way he chooses - providing all Corporations in each Conglomerate are from different industries and have at least one letter in common. The cost of Reorganization is 1 million for each Corporation the player has at the time he reorganizes, regardless of how many changes he makes. (Thus a player with 13 Corporations pays 13 million to move only one card.)
A word of caution. If it is discovered that a player has two Corporations from one industry in the same Conglomerate, he must reorganize before he makes another move. If he does not have sufficient funds for Reorganization, he must discard all his Capital cards and place the offending Corporation by itself. (As usual at end of his turn, this player draws two Capital cards from the drawing deck.) The "offending" card is used in a regular manner as the game continues.
The Scoring of Profits
When a Profit card is drawn, it is exposed at once and the player draws another card from the drawing deck to replace it. Before play continues, all players calculate their profits and amounts are tabulated on paper. The Profit card is placed on the discard pile. (If two Profit cards are drawn in succession, profits are entered to each player's score twice.)
Each Conglomerate consisting of three or more Corporations with one letter in common earns the following profits:
| Size of Conglomerate | Amount of Profits |
|---|---|
| 3 Corporations | 1 million |
| 4 Corporations | 3 million |
| 5 Corporations | 8 million |
| 6 Corporations | 20 million |
If a Conglomerate contains two letters which are common to all Corporations, the profits double; if it contains three letters common to all Corporations, profits triple, etc.
Example: A player has four Corporations in a Conglomerate with the letters D and E common to all. When a Profit card is turned up, this Conglomerate will earn 6 million (3 million for each letter in common). He also has a five-Corporation Conglomerate with one letter common to all. For this he will receive 8 million, bringing his profits to 14 million.
Strategy Tip: To chalk up high Profit card scoring, go after length first in Forming Conglomerates. As holdings accumulate, rely on Reorganization to form multiple-letter Conglomerates which build gigantic profits for end-of-game scoring.
The End-of-Game Reorganization and Scoring
In the last stages of the game, Reorganization can become as challenging a battle of wits as players choose to make it. Through shrewd planning and maneuvering, even a player with low Profit Card Scoring can make tremendous gains and win the game.
During the final Reorganization plays, it is wise to collect extra Capital and Proxy Fight cards through discarding. This way a player is prepared to reorganize or buy up the one right Corporation should it appear as a top card on any opponent's holdings.
When the stock is depleted, play continues until the last Corporation from the center of the table is purchased. The player who takes over this card makes as many transactions as he wishes and play ends.
Each player calculates his end-of-game profits in the same manner as described under Profit Card Scoring. Amounts are entered on the score sheet and added to previous profits for grand totals. The player with the largest grand total is the winner. The others are simply multi-millionaires.