MegaCorps

MegaCorps Rulebook

Table of Contents

What Is MegaCorps?

MegaCorps is a game of economic domination. You control a MegaCorp — one of the six enormous conglomerates that dominate economic and political life in the mid-21st Century. You control industries, manipulate governments like puppets, and even wage war to open new markets. You win by making more money than the other MegaCorps.

Setting Up For Play

Set aside the "Active Player" and "Paid" cards, and shuffle the others.
Each player chooses a MegaCorp to play, and takes its control markers. If two players want the same MegaCorp, settle the dispute by any reasonable method. We recommend pistols at dawn.
Place one control marker for each MegaCorp that's being played in a cup. Draw one to determine who starts the game; give him the "Active Player" card. Put the marker back in the cup, mix them, and draw one again; place that marker in the ownership box for ASEAN, then draw a second and place it in the ownership box for the African Federation.
Look at the board, and determine how many countries each player now controls. If a player controls no countries, he draws 2 cards from the Event Deck. If a player controls one country, he draws 1 card. If he controls two countries, he draws no cards.
After players take their starting cards, count out the number of cards indicated below, face down; this will be the Event deck for the game. Any remaining cards are placed in the game box (face-down and unread) and will not be used in this game.

Number of Players	Cards in Event Deck
6	12
5	15
4	16
3	18

Each player starts with 40 Euros. Give each player this amount in Megacorps Currency.
Give each player one mercenary counter.
Starting with the Active player, and going around the table clockwise, each player takes control of one company by placing their control marker in the company box of their choice. Continue going around the table, until each player has taken control of two companies.
The Active Player now begins the first round.

A Quick Look at the Components

The Board and Markers

Each industry has a column on the board (Aerospace, Biotech, and so on). Each industry's column contains four or five boxes; each box is a company.

During the game, your MegaCorps will buy (or steal) companies; when you own a company, you put one of your control markers in its box.

Each country in the game has a row. A country's row contains all the companies that are located in that country. (Thus Africa, for instance, contains one Metals company and one Solar company.) You can own countries, too; what that really means is that you've bribed the government (or given campaign donations to enough legislators) so that you effectively control its government. When you own a country, you place a control marker in the box next to the country's name.

Note that the logos of some MegaCorps are printed in some countries' control boxes; these MegaCorps control those countries at the beginning of the game. (Specifically, Mokia controls the European Union, Globbo controls Mercosur, Nonintendo controls Japan, and Lenogo controls China.) If one of these MegaCorps is not in play in this game, the country it would otherwise control begins uncontrolled.

Money

Money is represented by bills. Separate the bills by denomination and form a bank. Players can always make change with the bank or with other players. In the unlikely event money runs out, keep track of it still since it is your score and therefore not limited to the bills available in the game.

Money in the game is referred to as "Euros"; you can think of each game Euro as equivalent to a billion real-world Euros, if you like. (The dollar is so over. Sorry.)

Money is always public. Players must always keep their bills on the table in front of them. Players are always allowed to see how much money the other players have.

Winning

At the end of the game, the player with the most money wins. If two or more players are tied for most money, the game is a draw among them.

Rounds

The game is played in "rounds."

At the beginning of a round, the Active player draws an Event card. No other players draw Event cards during the round.
After he has done so, he may take one "Action," as described below.
Then, each player around the table, clockwise from the Active player, may take one Action.
When every player has taken an Action, the Round is over; the Active player passes the "Active Player" card to his left, and a new round begins.
In any single Round, only one "Payout Industry" Action can occur. If any player in a Round chooses this action no other player in the same Round can choose this action.

Actions

During his turn in a round, a player may do any one (and only one) of the following things (Actions):

Buy Company

The player spends 4 Euros, placing the money in the game box and making change as necessary; he places one of his control markers in the box of any one previously unowned company. However, see Antitrust rules below.

Payout Industry

The player announces that any one of the industries in the game is to "pay out" immediately. The player may not do so if he currently possesses the "Paid" card, or if some other player has chosen this Action during this Round (only one payout can occur per Round). After payout occurs, give the player who chose this action the "Paid" card.

Government Intervention

The player can only choose this action if he controls at least one country. See the Government Intervention later in the rules.

Buy Mercenaries

The player buys mercenaries; see the Mercenary rules below.

Launch a War

The player announces a War against any country that he does not control. He may only do so if he controls at least one mercenary. See the War rules below.

Pass

The player can choose to take no action.

Buying Companies

When a player chooses a "Buy Company" action, he spends 4 Euros to buy any one unowned company on the board. That is, he selects a company box that does not currently have a control (or Nationalized or Syndicalized) marker in it, places his own marker in it, and pays 4 Euros.

Antitrust

If you wish to buy a company that is in a country owned by another player, and you already own a different company in the same industry, you need that player's permission. He can prohibit you from buying the company. This is called "antitrust".

Example: Nonintendo owns the Japanese Aerospace company. The Nonintendo player wishes to purchase the Aerospace company in the European Union. The Mokia player currently owns the European Union, and may bar the purchase if he wishes.

When another player prevents you from purchasing a company on antitrust grounds, you still may purchase a different company. However, you cannot select a different action — you are committing to buying a company. (If you decide there's nothing you want to buy, you can always choose to Pass instead, however.)

Payout Industries

The "Payout Industry" action is the main way that players can earn money — and since the winner is the player with the most money at the end of the game, this is very important. Industries can pay out at three times:

During a round, a player can choose the "Payout Industry" action. He can only choose this action if no other player has previously chosen this action during this Round, and only if he does not currently possess the "Paid" card. He selects any industry he wants.
Some Event cards allow a player to trigger a "Payout Industry" event. This interrupts the normal course of play (as all Event cards do), and its effects are resolved immediately.
At the end of the game — that is, when the Event deck is exhausted — every industry pays out a final time (see Game End below).

Competitors

When an industry pays out, each player who owns companies in the industry will get some money. The amount earned by each company depends on the number of competitors in the industry.

Each unowned company counts as one competitor.
Each player who owns any companies in the industry counts as one competitor (no matter how many he owns).
A nationalized company is not a competitor if the country's owner also owns any companies in that industry. It is a competitor if the country is unowned, or if the country's owner owns no companies in the industry.

Example One: The Mouse owns all four Nanotech companies (L-5 is not in play). There is only one competitor.

Example Two: Mokia owns two Aerospace companies. Nonintendo owns one Aerospace company. Windoze owns two Aerospace companies. There are three competitors.

Example Three: Lenogo owns two Finance companies. Globbo owns one Finance company. One Finance company is unowned. The Chinese Finance company is Nationalized, but Lenogo controls China, so the nationalized company does not count as another competitor. There are three competitors.

Determining Payment

Refer to the Payout Table below. (It is also printed on the board for easy reference).

Find the number of competitors along the top of the table. The number underneath it is the number of Euros earned by each company in the industry.
A player who owns more than one company in the industry multiplies the payment by the number of companies he owns.
No one earns money for unowned, Nationalized, or Syndicalized companies.

Competitors	0*	1	2	3	4	5+
Euros per company	€12	€10	€8	€6	€4	€3

*There can only be "zero" competitors if all companies in the industry are owned by the same player, and the Shortages Event card is played.

If there are 5 competitors and the Oversupply Event card is played, pay-out is the same as with 5 competitors.

Example One (see above): The Mouse earns €40.

Example Two: Mokia and Windoze each earn €12; Nonintendo earns €6.

Example Three: Lenogo earns €12. Globbo earns €6.

The Paid Card

Whenever a player selects the "Payout Industry" Action, give him the "Paid" card.

As long as a player possesses the "Paid" card, he may not ever select the "Payout Industry" action on his turn. (He can still trigger industry payouts with Event cards.)

When any other player selects the "Payout Industry" action, the "Paid" card goes to him — freeing the previous player to select that action as his/her next Action, of course.

Government Intervention

Government Intervention is how you take companies away from other players.

During your turn, you may choose the Government Intervention Action only if you control at least one country. You then select one company in a country you control. What happens to that company depends on the type of that country's government.

There are three government types: Democracy, Dictatorship and Kleptocracy. Each country's government type is printed on the board. Note: The play of some Event cards can cause a country's government type to change; this is represented by placing a marker on the board over the old government type. Also, see Wikisyndicalism below.

Democracies: Forced Divestment

The chosen company becomes unowned. The former owner gains 4 Euros.

Kleptocracies: Theft

The country's owner gains control of the company. The old control marker is replaced. No money changes hands.

Dictatorships: Nationalization

The chosen company is nationalized — replace the old control marker with a Nationalized marker. The company can no longer be purchased, and earns money for no one. It does not count as a competitor for the country's owner, however (see Payout Industries above).

Buying Mercenaries

When you choose the "Buy Mercenaries" action, you gain, at no cost, 1 mercenary for each Defense company you own.

Count up the number of unowned, Nationalized, or Syndicalized Defense companies; you may purchase this many additional mercenaries at the cost of 1 Euro each. (This payment goes to the game box.)

You may buy 1 mercenary from each Defense company owned by a player, at a price that you and that player agree upon. The price can be zero, if the owner agrees; if non-zero, you pay the player (not the game box).

Example: Nonintendo chooses the "Buy Mercenaries" option, but owns no Defense companies. One Defense company is unowned, one is Nationalized, one is owned by The Mouse, one is owned by Windoze, and one is owned by Lenogo. Nonintendo buys one mercenary from the unowned company and one from the Nationalized company, for €2. Lenogo refuses to sell at any price. Windoze demands a price of €4, which the Nonintendo player declines as too expensive. The player of The Mouse wants to help Nonintendo, and gives him a mercenary for free. The net result: Nonintendo spends €2, and gains 3 mercenaries.

Clone Soldiers

After the Clone Soldiers event card has been played, any time a player chooses the Buy Mercenaries action, he can buy mercenaries from Defense companies and Biotech companies; the same rules apply (e.g., you get 1 mercenary free per Biotech or Defense company you control, etc.).

Launch a War

War is how you take countries away from other players (or take control of unowned countries).

During your turn, you can choose the "Launch a War" action only if you own at least one mercenary.

When you choose this action, you must announce what country you are launching the war against.

If you control any countries, all of them are assumed to take part in the war. If you own any mercenaries, all take part as well.

If the owner of the target country owns any mercenaries, all of them take part also. However, only the target country defends, even if the defender also owns other countries.

Other players may not participate in the war — except the other players can give (or sell) mercenaries to the involved players. Pause briefly to allow the other players to give mercenaries to the warring players if they like, and then get on with the resolution of the war.

Resolving a War

There are two numbers printed under each country's name on the board. The first is the country's Defense. The second is the country's Force.

To resolve a war, do this:

The attacking player adds up the Force values of all the countries he controls, and adds to this the number of mercenaries he possesses.
The defender adds the number of mercenaries he has to the Defense of the attacked country.
If the attacker's total is bigger, the attacker wins. He takes control of the defending country, placing his own control marker in its box.
If the defender's total is bigger, or if the totals are tied, the defender wins. He retains control of the country.

If Only the Attacker Used Mercenaries: He loses one mercenary (losses in battle).

If Both Sides Used Mercenaries: The smaller force is removed from play, and the larger force loses as many mercenaries as the smaller force.

Example: Player A used 3 mercenaries in a war; Player B used 1. Player B loses his 1 mercenary, and Player A also loses 1 (leaving 2). The Force and Defense values of the countries involved is not relevant to this calculation.

When the War is Over

The winner may immediately perform a Government Intervention against one company owned by his opponent located in this country. This is true whether the Defender or the Attacker wins. If the loser does not own any companies in this country, no Government Intervention takes place.

Example: Lenogo controls Great Russia (Force 2) and owns 2 mercenary units. He announces an attack on Japan (owned by Nonintendo). Japan's Defense is 4, and Nonintendo has no mercenaries. Globbo gives Lenogo 1 additional mercenary unit. The attacker's total is 5 (2 for Great Russia, plus 3 mercenaries, one donated by Globbo). The defender's total is 4; Lenogo gains control of Japan, and may force Nonintendo to divest one company it owns in Japan (if any). Lenogo loses one mercenary (attacker always loses at least one).

Neutral Countries

Switzerland, L-5, Asteroid, and Open Source Software may never be attacked in a war.

Attacks Against Unowned Countries

It is possible to Launch a War against an unowned country. In this case, the defender's strength is just that country's Defense strength, plus any mercenaries that other players choose to provide to the defender. (These are lost at the end of the war, after losses to attacking mercenaries.)

No Government Intervention occurs at the end of a war against an unowned country.

Event Cards

A player may keep his event cards as long as he likes; players are never required to play or discard event cards.

When an event card is played, its effects are determined immediately. The normal play sequence halts until the event card's effects are resolved. No other event card can be played until this event card's effects are complete. Exception: If Oversupply has just been played, Shortages can be played, and vice versa; the two cards cancel each other. Also, both Oversupply and Shortages can be played when an Event card that triggers an industry payout is played, to affect that payout.

Each event card says when it can be played.

Once an event card is played, it is discarded.

If, at the beginning of a new round, there are no Event Cards left in the deck, the game is over; see Game End below. Or to put it another way, when the last Event Card is drawn, the final round of the game has begun, with each player performing their final action.

Event Cards may not be played during the Industry Payouts after the end of the game. Use 'em or lose 'em.

Auctions and Elections

Auctions and Elections are triggered by the play of certain Event cards. Auctions are contests for control of Kleptocracies; Elections are contests for control of Democracies.

Auctions

When a "Greedy Kleptocrats" card is played, an Auction occurs for control of a Kleptocracy. The player who uses the card chooses which Kleptocracy is affected.

Each player secretly selects an amount of money to bid in this auction (you can choose zero), takes that amount, and hides it under the table or puts in a shirt pocket, etc.
Once all players have selected a bid, reveal those bids simultaneously.
The highest bidder gains control of the Kleptocracy, placing his control marker in it.
If two or more bidders are tied, the Kleptocracy becomes unowned.
If nobody bids anything, the Kleptocracy remains in its current state (unowned or owned by a particular player).
The winning bidder, only, pays his bid into the game box. The other bidders retain their money. (No one pays in a tie.)

Elections

When an "Elections" or "Vote of No Confidence" card is played, an Election occurs for control of a Democracy. The player who uses the card chooses which Democracy is affected.

In an Election, each Media company has one vote. That is, each player has as many votes as the number of Media companies he controls. Unowned, Nationalized, and Syndicalized Media companies do not vote.

Each player with votes may vote either for himself, or for any other player (including for players who do not own Media companies). The player who receives the most votes places a control marker in the country's control box.

If there is a tie for the most votes, the country becomes unowned; remove any control marker from its box.

(Yes, this is a cynical view of the electoral process. You thought maybe this was a game for idealists?)

Syndicalized Companies

One company begins the game Syndicalized: Open Source Software. Other companies can become Syndicalized through the play of Event cards,

A Syndicalized company can never be owned by any player, and always counts as one competitor in its industry.

Replace the old control marker with a Syndicalized marker; see Syndicalized Companies above. Note that Syndicalized companies, unlike Nationalized ones, do count as competitors, even for the MegaCorp that owns the company's country, during Industry Payouts.

Switzerland, Asteroid, L-5 and Open Source Software

Switzerland, Asteroid, L-5, and Open Source Software are considered independent countries that no one can ever control or invade.

No government intervention can ever occur against their companies, nor can the Antitrust rules ever be used to bar their purchase.

The Nanotech company at L-5 does not exist until the L-5 event card is played. It does not count as a competitor if Nanotech pays out before the card is played, nor may any player purchase the company until the card is played.

Similarly, the Metals company at Asteroid does not exist until the Asteroid card is played.

The Swiss Financial company does exist throughout the game, and can be purchased in the same fashion as any other company.

Open Source Software begins the game as a Syndicalized company, and thus can never be owned.

(What is it? I have no idea, I just like the notion that something better than representative democracy might come along some day.)

Wikisyndicalism

Wikisyndicalism is a new type of government that emerges in the late 21st century.

When the Wikisyndicalism event card is played, one Democracy becomes a Wikisyndicalism. When the Wikisyndicalist country performs a government intervention, follow these rules:

Wikisyndicalisms: Syndicalization

The chosen company is syndicalized, and its former owner is paid 4 Euros.

Trades

You can give anything you've got—control of countries, companies, money, cards, mercenaries—to any other player at any time. You can make any promises you like as part of a deal, but these aren't binding. Only one exception to the rule: if for some reason you need to leave a game in progress, you may not hand stuff over, then vamoose. Instead, all your control markers are removed, your event cards are discarded, and your money disappears.

Game End

The game ends when the Event Card deck is exhausted — that is, when a player needs to draw an Event Card and none are available.

When the game ends, each industry pays out a final time.

No Event cards may be played during final payouts.

After final payouts, the player with the most Euros wins. If two or more players are tied for highest score, the game is considered a draw among them.