I'm the Boss! Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Setup
  • A Note on the Game Board
  • Preparation for Play
• Turn Summary
• Game Play
  • Making a Deal
  • Negotiating the Deal
  • Interfering with a Deal – Influence Cards
• Concluding a Deal
• Breakdown in Negotiations
• Game Money
• End Game
• Winning the Game

Setup

A Note on the Game Board

The board shows 16 "Big Deals" that are waiting to be struck. Each deal shows the following:

• The top number is the number of investors.
• The number below that is the number of dividends for the deal.
• The names of the investors required to close the deal are shown.
• The names of investors that are optional to close the deal.

Preparation for Play

• Remove the 6 Investor Cards from the deck – these are the cards that are illustrated on BOTH sides.
• With more than three players each player receives one Investor Card – the others are placed next to the board.
• The rest of the deck is shuffled well and each player is dealt 5 cards. These cards are kept secret.
• The remaining deck is placed face down in the center of the board.
• The deal tiles are ordered by number and stacked in the middle of the board. The tile with the first deal should be the top card and the 15th on the bottom. Note that share values listed on the deal tiles increase as the deal number increases.
• Each player receives NO money to start.
• Choose a player to be the banker.
• The player who's investor is first alphabetically goes first.
• The player to the starting player's right places the dollar figure token on the space of their choice.

Turn Summary

On their turn a player may:

• Either declaring their desire to make a deal for the deal space that the dollar token is on, OR
• Roll the die and move the dollar token clockwise to another space. Players must move the full number rolled. Skip over big deal spaces that have been concluded.

If a player elects to move the money token and lands on a "new" space they may either then attempt to make a deal OR draw 3 cards from the face down stack in the middle of the board.

Game Play

Making a Deal

• The player that announces that they want to close the current deal becomes the Boss.
• The current deal that can be made is the one that the dollar token currently sits on.
• In order to close the deal the Boss must bring together all the investors named on the big deal space.
• In order to do this the Boss must collect cards that equal the number of investors required and that match the names of the families of the investors required to close the deal.
• The player's investor card is automatically in play. If the player has multiple investor cards they are all automatically in play.
• Do not mistake INVESTOR CARDS for CLAN CARDS (see below).
• You may bring in other investors by playing CLAN CARDS.
• A Clan Card is a card with the same last name and color as other INVESTOR CARDS. Also Clan Cards are ALWAYS held in a player's hand while investor cards are always on the table.
• Because Clan cards are dealt or drawn a player may have Clan cards of a different family from their investor.
• There are 4 Clan Cards in the same family as any investor.
• When a player wishes to put an investor card in play, simply lay it face up on the table.
• Clan cards may be used in place of investor cards during a deal.
• After the Boss has identified any and all investors or clan cards they have in their own hand that they wish to play, one of two things will happen:
  • If all the required investors are present (because the Boss has all the cards needed) then the deal is complete and the player gets the reward (see below).
  • If there are still investor cards needed to close the deal, the Boss must seek the cards from other players through negotiation.
• As soon as (if) the Boss identifies the latter of the two options above the deal is open for negotiation and/or interference.
• There is no special order that negotiations/interference occurs – players can act in any order they wish.

Negotiating the Deal

• Players having cards that the Boss needs may make offers.
• If they have an investor card that the Boss needs they may offer it verbally.
• If they have a Clan card the Boss needs they may offer it by placing it face up on the table.
• They then negotiate with the Boss over the terms by which the card will be included in the deal.
• Negotiations can only be for cash payments from the current deal. Payments are made in the form of one or more dividends.
• Payouts are made when the deal is complete. No pre-payments are allowed.
• Whether a bargain is struck to include the cards in the deal or not, any clan cards offered are kept on the table throughout the deal.

Interfering with a Deal – Influence Cards

• Each player (including the boss) can play Influence cards to affect the outcome of the deal.
• They can be played at any time during negotiations – there is no turn order to negotiations.
• A breakdown of influence cards is as follows:
  • Travel Cards: These cards can be played against an investor or clan card. There are 3 travel cards for each family and 3 nameless "send anyone" cards. If the card is played against an investor card, cover the investor card with the travel card. After negotiations the travel card is discarded. If it is played on a Clan card both cards are discarded immediately.
  • Recruitment Cards: These cards may only be played in sets of three – alone or in groups of two they are worthless. However, when played in a set of three you may take another Investor card and make it your own. The recruitment cards are then discarded. In a 4 or 5 player game the Investor cards placed near the board at the beginning of the game should be recruited first. Otherwise take any other player's Investor card.
  • Boss Card: Play this card and say "I'm the Boss!". The former Boss is unseated and the player who played the card becomes the Boss. Note that the turn order after the deal is done or breaks down is now measured from the new Boss player. Previous agreements may be kept or broken. Clan cards and travel cards played stay on the table. The previous Boss may still negotiate. Note that more than one Boss card may be played during any individual negotiation.
  • Stop Cards: A stop card can be played immediately after a travel card, Boss card or recruitment card. It immediately cancels the effects of that card. A stop card can not cancel another stop card.
• No player may have more than 12 influence cards at one time.

Concluding a Deal

• When all the required cards (investor and/or clan) are collected during negotiations the deal is closed.
• Once a deal is closed no player may play an influence card.
• Players return Clan cards to their hands that they played THAT WERE NOT used to complete the deal.
• Influence cards are discarded.
• When influence cards are exhausted reshuffle the discarded deck.
• The banker then pays the Boss the dividends shown on the board space of the corresponding deal as follows: multiply the dividend value on the deal tile by the number of dividends offered as part of the deal on the deal space.
• The Boss then must pay out money to each player as agreed to during negotiations. All payments must be honored.
• After all payments are made, turn the deal tile on the board face down.
• The dollar marker is then moved to the next available space (i.e. a space with no deal tile on it) clockwise.
• It is now the turn of the player to the Boss player's left.
• Note that spaces with face down deal cards are always skipped when the dollar token moves.

Breakdown in Negotiations

• If players can not negotiate to close a deal, the deal breaks down.
• DO NOT place the deal card face down on the deal space.
• If negotiations break down all Clan cards still in play are picked back up and influence cards discarded.
• When the deal fails the Boss may not roll again or draw any influence cards from the deck – play changes immediately to the player to the Boss' left.

Game Money

• Money must always be kept on the table in sight of all players.
• Money may be stacked so the total amount is concealed.
• No player may touch or count other player's money – they may only estimate what is in the stack.

End Game

Starting with the 10th deal a roll of the die determines if the game is over. After the 10th deal is concluded (and so on after), the Boss that closed the deal places the deal tile face down on the deal space and rolls a die. If the die roll matches that of the die symbols shown on the back of the deal tile the game ends. Otherwise the game ends after the 15th deal.

Winning the Game

The player with the most money at the end of the last deal in the game wins.