Dallas: A Game of the Ewing Family Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Rules of Play
  • A Brief Description of the Game
  • Game Equipment
  • Game Equipment Storage
  • Preparation for Play
• Play of the Game
  • Starting the Game
  • Use of the Playing Cards
• Stock Certificates
• Use of the Turn Record Track
• Stockholders Meeting
• Starting a New Round
• The Presidential Limousine (Limo)
• How to Win

Rules of Play

A Brief Description of the Game

The idea of the game is to obtain wealth and power by accumulating money, stock and proxy votes. These assets along with negotiations, coercion and Blackmail are used to manipulate other players at the stockholders meetings in order to be elected President of the Ewing Empire. Starting from the Southfork space, discs are moved in any direction on the board according to the number of spaces stated on the card that is played. As players land on Investment (yellow) spaces they may buy stock in a company which gives players permanent votes at the stockholders meetings. As players land on Influence (pink) spaces they obtain Proxy votes which are good for the next upcoming stockholders meeting. While moving about the board players attempt to land in spaces containing other players to penalize them. When the time of the next stockholders meeting is determined, players race back to Southfork to obtain money and take part in the all important election. A complete game lasts five Rounds, each of which ends in a stockholders meeting. At the end of five stockholders meetings the player who has accumulated the most wealth is the winner.

Game Equipment

The game consists of a board with a representation of the City of Dallas with spaces indicating Highway spaces, Investment spaces, Safe spaces, Influence spaces, the Southfork space, and the Ewing Oil space through which the player's counters are moved. There is a deck of playing cards, sets of stock certificate cards for every Investment space on the board, "money" of various large denominations, and assorted playing pieces. The cards and playing pieces must be punched out of their frames prior to the first playing of the game. To insure a safe separation of the cards and money fold all scored and perforated lines before tearing.

Game Equipment Storage

This is one of Yaquinto's The Album Games™, and uses a gameboard made from a double album record jacket cover. When not in use, the rules, cards, and the plastic bags (containing the playing pieces and money) can be stored in the pockets of the gameboard/game cover jacket. The cards should be placed in one of the sleeves in a manner that does not cause them to severely bulge the album jacket. A couple of rubber bands around the folded jacket will hold the stored components in place for travel.

Preparation for Play

1. GAMEBOARD: Place the opened board on a table. The table used should have enough space available to allow all players to comfortably gather around the board. Players should keep the same seating arrangement around the table for the entire game.

2. PLAYER'S DISCS: Each player selects one Character disc to represent him or her during the game. If there are less than seven players in the game, not all Character discs will be used by the players. Any unused Character discs are called "non-player characters". The following Character discs are used by the players:

   • Two Person Game: J.R., Sue Ellen.
   • Three Person Game: J.R., Bobby, Sue Ellen.
   • Four Person Game: J.R., Bobby, Sue Ellen, Pamela.
   • Five Person Game: J.R., Bobby, Sue Ellen, Pamela, Lucy.
   • Six Person Game: J.R., Bobby, Sue Ellen, Pamela, Lucy, Miss Ellie.
   • Seven Person Game: All Character discs are used.

   While TV's Dallas™ is playable as a two person game it is much more enjoyable when played by three or more players.

   Place all players' Character discs and all non-player Character discs in the Southfork space for the start of the game.

3. PLAYING CARDS: After shuffling the deck, each player is dealt a hand of playing cards:

   • Two To Three Person Game: 8 cards per player.
   • Four To Five Person Game: 7 cards per player.
   • Six To Seven Person Game: 6 cards per player.

   Place the undealt cards face down to form a deck on the CARDS location on the board. As play progresses, discards will be placed next to the deck off the board. Whenever the deck is exhausted, re-shuffle and re-place on the CARDS location.

Play of the Game

Starting the Game

Starting with the player with the J.R. disc, each player in turn reveals a playing card of his or her choice and moves out of the Southfork space. As each player completes play, the turn passes to the left around the table. Each Character disc remains on the space moved to, and proceeds from that point on the player's next turn. Any number of discs may rest in the same space at the same time.

Use of the Playing Cards

Each playing card contains information that can be used by the player using it. Often, the same card can be used for several different things during the same Turn, therefore it is extremely important that players read their cards before playing.

Move: The number printed in Blue with the word "Move" indicates the number of spaces a player may move his disc across the board. When a player plays a card, he may move his disc up to the number of spaces equal to the number printed on the card. For example, if a card reading "9 Move" were played, the player could move his disc nine spaces across the board. A disc may be moved in any direction or combination of directions as long as the disc is not moved through the same space more than once in the same Turn. A disc may be moved any number of spaces up to the number of spaces printed on the card.

Players with a disc in the Southfork space may remain there as long as desired without playing a card, or, alternately, may discard one card a Turn without using it, and replace it with a card drawn from the deck. In all other spaces, unless forced to remain by an Event, a player must play one card a Turn and move his Character disc.

Proxy: If a disc ends movement in a Pink Influence space, the player keeps the card, and may use the number of Proxy votes (printed in Red) listed on the card at the next stockholders meeting. The card is placed face up in front of the person who played it and that person draws another card from the deck. At the end of the next stockholders meeting the card is placed in the discard pile. Cards kept for Proxy votes may be used for no other purpose.

Event: The Event portion of a card may be used after the Character disc is moved. A player does not have to use the Event section of a card, but may do so if desired. The individual Events are explained on the playing cards.

Helicopter Events may be played either with or instead of the printed Move on the card, if they are played at all.

Events containing the name of a specific character may only be used if movement ends in the same space as the named Character disc. For example, in order to use a "Pamela" Event, the moving player would have to end his or her move in the same space as the "Pamela" Character disc. Events that do not list a specific character may be used if the moving player ends movement in the same space as any other Character disc, although it may only be used against one single Character disc, if more than one is present in the space. Events directed against another player's Character disc may not be used if that counter is in a blue Safe space. An event naming a specific Character may not be used if the moving player is that character.

The square counters containing character names are used to record when a player can resume normal movement after losing Turns due to an Event. Simply place the counter in the appropriate space on the Turn Record track, and remove it when the player can resume normal movement.

Money that goes into the Slush Fund should be placed in a stack off the board near the Southfork space.

Blackmail: The Blackmail portion of a card may be used only during stockholders meetings. All Blackmail sections are numbered, and are in sets of three cards each, directed against various named characters. For example, "J.R." can be Blackmailed by sets number "1", "8", and "19". When all three cards of a set are played at a stockholders meeting, the Blackmailed player must use all of his votes as directed by the player who played the set. For example, if the "Sue Ellen" player played all three of the "1" Blackmail cards, the "J.R." player would have to cast all of his votes as directed by the "Sue Ellen" player. If J.R. had already Blackmailed another player then that player would still vote the way J.R. had directed them. If two players Blackmail each other, the Blackmails cancel each other out, and neither counts. Once a player is Blackmailed in a stockholders meeting, that player may NOT be Blackmailed again at the same meeting. The "Private Investigator" cards can be used as either one or two cards to complete a Blackmail set, but never as all three. If more than one Blackmail set is played against the same player, only the first one counts.

Unless a playing card is kept for Proxy votes, it is discarded after it is used. After a card or cards are played, they are replaced from the deck so that a player maintains the same number of cards in his hand throughout the game.

Stock Certificates

Buying Stock: When a player's Character disc ends movement in a yellow Investment space, the player may buy one stock certificate of the listed company from the Bank, if any are still unsold. The stock certificate bought is always the lowest numbered (and cheapest) stock certificate for that company remaining in the Bank. No player may purchase more than one stock certificate from the Bank during any one Turn, nor may one player purchase two stock certificates in the same company from the Bank on two consecutive turns.

Controlling Interest: A player owns Controlling Interest in a company if he owns the majority of the stock certificates available for that company. The number of stars printed on each stock certificate indicates the number of shares required to hold Controlling Interest in that company. The face value of a player's stock certificates doubles at the end of the game if the player holds Controlling Interest in that Company.

Selling Stock: Except in emergencies, players may sell their stock certificates only when their disc ends movement in the Otto B. Lynched Stock & Securities space. Any number of stock certificates may be sold by a player whose counter is in this space. These stock certificates may be sold back to the Bank at their face value, or to any other player, anywhere on the board, for any price that can be set by the players involved.

Anytime a player lacks money to make a required payment, stock certificates must be immediately sold back to the Bank to secure the money to make the payment. These emergency sales may be made from any space on the board, but the Bank pays only one-half the face value of the stock certificates which are sold. The stock certificates are returned to the bank and may be resold at a later time.

Trading Stock: Stock certificates may only be traded among players in the Ewing Oil space. Whenever two or more players have their Character disc in the Ewing Oil space at the same time, they may trade stock certificates with each other only. These trades can be even, uneven, or include money in the deal, as agreed upon by the players involved. When trades are completed, all players must still have the same number of stock certificates as when they started.

Any player whose disc is in the Ewing Oil space may announce a desire to trade to attempt to get other players to also enter the space.

Use of the Turn Record Track

After each player has completed a Turn, the Turn counter is moved one space to the right on the Turn Record track to record the start of a new Turn, and the next inverted counter is flipped right side up on the track. For example, when the Turn counter is placed in the "1" space the inverted counter in the "5" space is flipped upright. When the Turn Counter is advanced to the "2" space, the inverted counter in the "6" space is flipped upright. This continues until the Stockholders Meeting counter is found. Once the Stockholders Meeting counter is found, it determines the Turn during which the next stockholders meeting will occur. For example, if the Stockholders Meeting counter were in the "7" space, the stockholders meeting will occur on Turn "7". No movement is allowed on the board during the stockholders meeting and any Character disc not in Southfork by the end of turn "6" would not be allowed to participate in the stockholders meeting.

Stockholders Meeting

Stockholders meetings are held at the end of each Round of play to elect a president for Ewing Oil and are a key factor in the play of the game. Players whose Character counters have not reached the Southfork space by the end of the Turn prior to the Stockholders Meeting Turn may not participate in the stockholders meeting. A Stockholders Meeting Turn is carried out in the following order:

1. DIRECTOR'S FEE: All players participating in the meeting are paid a Director's Fee of $3,000,000 by the Bank.

2. NEGOTIATIONS: Players may negotiate for five minutes prior to voting. During these negotiations, anything goes. Players may negotiate openly over the table, or leave the table in small groups for private talks. During these negotiations, any or all of the following may be done:

   • Players may trade playing cards for any reasons, but especially to complete Blackmail sets. These trades may be even swaps, or may also involve the payment of money. Players must always keep the same number of playing cards in their hands. The number of cards in a player's hand does not include the cards that player has as Proxy votes. Proxy vote cards may not change hands.

   • Players may lobby for votes, negotiating with other players for their support in the election. Bribes of money or promises of a share in the President's Fee may be offered and accepted, although all agreements are non-binding when the time comes to actually vote (this is, after all, the Ewing family). Wheeling, dealing, doubledealing, threats, bribes, and the showing of selected playing cards to other players are all acceptable parts of this procedure, and, along with lying and finagling, are encouraged for all players.

3. BLACKMAIL: Starting with the player with the smallest number of votes, and working up to the person with the largest number of votes, the players one-by-one reveal any Blackmail card sets they wish to use. Ties for Blackmail rotation are decided by a flip of a coin. A Player with a Blackmailed character must vote as directed by the player Blackmailing them.

4. VOTE: Starting with the player with the largest number of votes, and working around the table to the left, the players one-by-one announce for whom they vote. Votes should be tallied by the Banker. The player with the character receiving the largest number of votes is elected president of Ewing Oil. In case of ties, an additional five minutes of negotiations may take place before another vote is made (Blackmails still apply). If necessary, this continues until one Character disc has been elected president.

Starting a New Round

Starting with the president, each player in turn reveals a playing card and moves out of the Southfork space. As each player completes play, the turn passes to the left around the table.

On the first Turn of a new Round, the president's Character disc may be moved free to any space on the board, regardless of the playing card played. From there, play proceeds normally.

The Presidential Limousine (Limo)

While president, a player, to show his status, is given the Limo counter. The possession of this counter may, if desired, be used to add one or two spaces to the Move shown on a playing card used during a Turn. If the president does not use the Limo counter during a Turn, he may, if desired, give or sell the use of the counter to any other player for their use during that Turn only.

How to Win

After the completion of the fifth and last stockholders meeting, all players count their wealth, totalling their money, and stock certificate face values (doubled if Controlling Interest is held in a company). The player with the largest total wins.