When I first saw pictures of Big Deal (Amigo Spiel, 2001 - Gal Zukerman, Tzvika Harpaz, Roy Wagner, and Yoel Rotem) on the internet, it had instant appeal. I must confess that it was simply the components and the bright colors - but a game that looks that exciting must be exciting, right? I was a little tired of dull box covers, like that of Goa or Puerto Rico, so the flashy gaudiness of Big Deal had me interested. It did take a while for me to get a copy of the game, however, as it was never produced in English. After quite a bit of time, I was finally able to procure the game in a trade and was pleased to see that it was as bright as the pictures portrayed.
Then I went to snag a copy of the English translation of the rules from www.boardgamegeek.com and was surprised to see that the game had an overall ranking of 1916, which is fairly low at that site. I read the rules and was curious as to why the ranking was so low, since the whole economic model of the game seemed to portray a fairly fun system. Who doesn’t like to handle billions of dollars? After playing the game, I’m still not sure why people don’t like the game; I found it quite enjoyable. Games that have a lot of money transactions but without the rolling of dice are desirable to me. There is a decent amount of luck in the cards that a player draws, but knowing when to buy and sell and when to attack another player is the crux of the game.
A board is placed in the middle of the table - mostly to hold four resource wheels in place. Each wheel holds resources of one of four types (labor, space, energy, and machinery). The resources have a cost associated with them printed on the board, starting off fairly low and escalating. A deck of cards is prepared, depending on the amount of players with a number (five to seven) of shares of several companies (eight to eleven) mixed with some “Cash cards”. Seven “Game Over” cards are inserted into the deck - randomly, but with some of them in each half of the deck. Each player is dealt five cards, as well as given one billion dollars. Each player after the first gets an additional $150 for each player who goes before them. The remainder of the money goes in the bank on the board - next to an area known as the “Shares Pool”. The first player takes their turn with play proceeding clockwise around the board.
On a turn, a player first draws the top card from the deck, adding it to their hands. If a player draws a “Game Over” card, they place it in the middle of the board and draw another card to take its place. The player then receives any income from any companies that it has started on previous turns, earning the number shown in green on the share cards. The player then may take the following actions, in any number or order they desire:
- They may buy and sell shares to the “Shares Pool”, utilizing the white number on each card for the price.
- They may buy up to three resources and/or sell up to three resources. Each resource commands the price of the lowest open slot on the resource wheel.
- They may start a new company, playing at least two shares of that company down on the table, and the required resource for that company (shown on the shares card.) The shares and attached resources are placed in front of the player.
- They may add or take away shares from a company they own, as long as they have at least two shares on the table.
- They may split a company they own, in order to double income. Each part of the company must have at least two shares and a full set of resources with it.
- They may sell a company to the bank - discarding the shares, receiving the white number + $50 million for each share. The player keeps the resources.
- They may attempt to take over another player’s company. They must play at least one share of the company they are taking over from their hand, and then make an offer (per share) to the “defender”. The defender then may make a counter-offer, and this continues until one player drops out. The winner buys the shares of the loser (although not the resources.) A cash card can be substituted for a share in the company by the attacker. If the attacker wins, they get a special income from the company if they can open it immediately.
- They may use a cash card to target two other players, taking $50 million from each per each share and each unassigned resource.
After a player’s turn, they must discard down to five share cards randomly chosen by the player next to them. (I’ve never seen this happen). Play continues until the last Game Over card is revealed. At this point players may sell all their shares and resources back to the bank for a flat fee of $150 million each. The player with the most money is then declared the winner!
Some comments on the game...
1.) Components: The game, as I said before, is a garish treat for the eyes - in bright red, blue, green, and yellow. Each resource cardboard token has a different symbol and color, and they fit very nicely into the plastic resource wheels that are held down by the board. The colors on the resources match the colors on the cards, and you can place the resources on the side of the cards - everything is very intuitive. The money is a little under-impressive, as my copy is cut poorly, and money just doesn’t hold up very well to massive handling. Of course, you can just do what I do with many games, and that is to substitute poker chips. Everything does fit well into the brightly colored box, which is a typical medium size.
2.) Rules: The rulebook is indeed beautiful, although I was stuck with the six-page translation by D P Long, which was done rather well. I found the rules pretty simplistic, as the only thing that is slightly complicated are the takeovers. I was able to teach the games to teenagers very easily; everyone picked up on how to play.
3.) Money: Determining the monetary value of shares is not intuitive, however. It’s difficult to know exactly how much company shares are worth and when you should sell them. A player has to start selling off their stuff before the immediate end of the game, or they’ll be forced to sell many shares and resources for a loss. Selling and buying resources is a little easier to grasp, because they are so necessary. How long should a player sit on a company, and how much cash should they keep on hand? Because of these questions, I found that the game was a fairly educational tool for showing cash flow. Yes, I doubt that any of us will be handling billions of dollars any time soon. But the principles are the same, and the massive amounts are just fun to throw around! Over $50,000,000,000 is included in the game - more than almost any other I own.
4.) Shares: Each company is different - needing a different amount of resources, and having different payoffs. Usually players will attempt to just work with the shares they initially draw in their hands; but since players are usually strapped for cash, there are usually a lot of shares available in the shares pool. Watching what other players buy and sell is also helpful. Throwing down a profitable company may seem like a no-brainer, but it makes your company a huge target, and hostile takeovers WILL happen in this game.
5.) Takeovers: Thin-skinned people shouldn’t play this game, as hostile takeovers happen many times throughout the game - I saw the same company get exchanged over five times in one game. It’s annoying to put a lot of money in a company only to have it taken over, and players must be careful to keep some cash on hand to fight off intruders. There are a limited amount of companies, so takeovers are necessary; and as long as every takes them in good spirits, it’s a lot of fun.
6.) Cash Cards: The cash cards are fairly powerful, but an inexperienced player will just quickly use them. Saving them to use so that a player gets a maximum benefit is a sign of a canny player. The cash cards are the most “lucky” part of the game for me. It doesn’t seem to matter what shares a player gets; they can work with what they have. But cash cards are ALWAYS good, so a player who gets several of them can easily absorb another player’s company. I like the cash cards but may look for a variant to tone them down in power a bit.
7.) Fun Factor: If you don’t mind the fact that money and companies are changing hands every turn, then this might be an excellent game for you. We had a lot of fun opening and closing companies, and taking over someone else’s company gives one sadistic pleasure. Some people may not like the confrontation in this game - it’s GOING to happen; so if you don’t like it, I would recommend you to stay far away.
I realize that part of my enamored enthusiasm with the game is probably the cool components. But I’m also a sucker for economic games that allow me to handle billions of dollars. Combining these two elements with a “take that” kind of game that’s actually pretty fun makes me happy. Games aren’t too long, as players only have a few options per turn, and players must be alert at all times, hoping their companies aren’t the target of a takeover; so downtime is minimal. I don’t know if I would recommend people go out of their way to find Big Deal - it’s not a great game, but it’s fun enough to pick up if you have the opportunity.
Tom Vasel
“Real men play board games.”
