Panic on Wall Street! Game Rules

Hey there! I’m here to guide you through the exhilarating world of Panic on Wall Street! So buckle up and get ready for a wild financial adventure!

Let’s dive right into the rules of the game. The objective is simple: be the player with the most money at the end of the game. But beware, it’s not as easy as it sounds.

To start off, you’ll need a group of fellow players – at least three, but up to eleven. Each player takes on the role of a stockbroker and is given an equal amount of money to begin with.

Now, imagine you’re standing on Wall Street, surrounded by chaos. That’s exactly what you’ll experience in this game. Every round is divided into two phases – the Upstairs Phase and the Downstairs Phase.

During the Upstairs Phase, you’ll have the chance to buy stocks and negotiate deals with other players. It’s a frenzy of shouting and bargaining. The goal is to buy low and sell high, just like real stockbrokers do.

But watch out, because the market can be unpredictable. Prices can soar one moment and crash the next. It’s all about taking risks and making quick decisions. You never know when the market will turn against you.

Once the Upstairs Phase is complete, it’s time for the Downstairs Phase. This is where things get really interesting. You’ll have to manage your assets and work with your team to maximize profits.

During this phase, each player takes control of a different company and makes decisions that will impact their stock value. You’ll have to balance your resources and take calculated risks to stay ahead.

The game continues with alternating Upstairs and Downstairs Phases until a predetermined number of rounds have been completed. At the end, the player with the most money wins the game and is crowned the ultimate stock market guru.

So, are you ready to dive headfirst into the high-stakes world of Panic on Wall Street? Gather your friends, sharpen your negotiation skills, and let the frenzy begin! Remember, the market waits for no one, so make your moves wisely and may fortune favor you on Wall Street!

In the game Panic on Wall Street!, we have two groups of players: the managers and the investors.

As a manager, my goal is to sell shares of the companies I oversee for the highest price possible. On the other hand, if you’re an investor, you want to acquire these shares for the lowest price possible, so you can get the best return on your investment.

Negotiation is a crucial part of the game. We have two minutes to try and strike a deal. Once the time is up, a roll of the dice will bring some unexpected changes to the economy. These changes can have a significant impact on our balance sheets and the game’s outcome.

The game consists of five rounds, each representing a month. At the end of these five rounds, the manager and the investor with the most money will be declared the winners. They will become the undisputed Masters of Commerce.

Now, let’s talk about the components of the game.

• 1 “market” Board
• 4 Indicator Tokens
• 4 Dice
• 60 Bank Investment Tokens
• 39 Erasable Company Tiles
• 7 Erasable “2x Income” Company Tiles
• Roughly 200 Bills
• 1 Timer;
• 5 Erasable markers
• Rules Booklet

Let’s Play!

If You’re a Manager

The goal of the game is simple: be the manager with the most money at the end of the fifth round. I’ll tell you how you make money: by collecting the cash from the shares your investors buy. But remember, being a manager also means you have expenses. You have to deal with management costs and the money you spend on expanding your acquisitions.

If You’re an Investor

Alright, listen up! The goal of this game is to make more money than anyone else by the end of the fifth round. Now, how do you make money, you ask? Well, it’s simple. You earn money by collecting income from the companies you’ve invested in. The only thing you gotta pay for is the shares you buy from the managers.

Getting Started

First things first, we gotta set up the game. Take the market board and place it face-up in the middle of the table. Now, grab those four colored indicators and put ’em on the numbers labeled “start” – make sure they match, alright? Next, grab the money and place it next to the market board. That’s gonna be our bank. Got it? Good!

Getting Your Place in the Game

So here’s the deal: we all roll the red die. And guess what? Those lucky ducks who get the highest rolls become the esteemed managers. The rest of us, well, we’re the investors. Easy-peasy, right? Check out the chart below to see how many managers and investors we need based on how many players are in the game.

Hey there! So, here’s what you do when you start the game: each of us gets $120,000 from the bank. Cool, right? You can choose how you want your money. And then, the fun part – you get a bag of tokens from the investment bank to represent your stocks.

But wait, there’s more! We gotta shuffle the companies and each of us gets 3. But if you’re lucky and get a “2X income” company, just toss it back and grab another one. No worries, we want things to be fair!

Alright, now grab those companies and arrange them however you like. Show off your style! Put them right in front of you where you can see them. Now, get ready for the excitement – it’s time for the speculating and trading to begin!

Let’s Play the Game

So, we’re going to dive into this really cool game! But before we get started, let me explain how it all works. Each month, we go through five different phases. Right off the bat, we have phase one, which is called Negotiation.

A Little Chat

First, we flip the timer. During this time, managers and investors get busy negotiating the purchase of shares in various companies. There’s no set order or rules – anyone can talk to anyone!

The goal of these negotiations is to determine how much an investor is willing to pay for a company’s shares. It’s all about finding the right price.

Now, once a manager has evaluated the offers they’ve received and decided which one to accept for a particular company, they jot down the agreed-upon amount on the company tile. To show that a new investor is on board, they also place one of those nifty investment bank tokens on the company.

Hey there! Just a quick heads up: there are a couple of important things I want to chat about. During the time the timer is running, managers, like me, can make changes to the sales agreement for shares as many times as we want. And you, as an investor, have the freedom to withdraw from a company whenever you please.

Here’s an example to give you a clearer picture: let’s say you find a better offer for a company that already has an investor. In that case, I can simply replace the investment bank token and create a new purchase agreement for that company. Pretty neat, right?

There’s just one little exception to keep in mind: companies that have an investment bank token placed on the “closed” side (you’ll see the word “CLOSED”) cannot be renegotiated in that month. It’s like a temporary pause button.

Now, once those two minutes are up, all negotiations have to come to a halt immediately. No more changes or deals can be made after that point. It’s a strict rule!

Oh, and by the way, just so you know, a deal will only be considered valid once an investment bank token is placed and the agreed purchase amount is written on the company. That’s the moment when everything becomes official.

I want to talk to you about a crucial aspect of business deals – making sure the terms are met within the given time frame. If the requirements are not fulfilled within two minutes, the deal is considered void, even if there had been an agreement made verbally between a manager and an investor.

There are different types of companies to consider when making deals. It’s important to note that red companies offer the highest returns, but they are also the riskiest. Their values can change rapidly, making them quite unpredictable. Yellows are less risky than reds, and greens have even less risk than yellows. Lastly, blues are the least ambitious and therefore pose the lowest risk.

Companies with a “closed” investment bank token

During negotiations, an investor and a manager might decide to place an investment bank token with its “CLOSED” side facing up on a specific company. If this occurs:

• The investor is not allowed to back out of that particular company for the remaining two minutes of the negotiation period.

Hey there! Let’s talk about a fascinating game called “The Negotiation.” Have you heard of it? It’s a game where players take on the role of managers, trying to make the best deals possible. The game revolves around a negotiation phase, where players have only two minutes to reach an agreement.

Now, here’s an interesting twist: once the negotiation phase is over, the deal is done! The manager cannot revisit or change the sale agreement during this time. It’s like a rule that adds some excitement and challenge to the game.

During the negotiation phase, companies are closed for just one turn. This means that all investment bank tokens are flipped back over after each negotiation phase. It’s a way to keep things fair and balanced.

So, in a nutshell, “The Negotiation” is all about making the best deals under pressure. It’s a game that requires quick thinking, sharp decision-making, and a bit of luck. If you enjoy strategic games that keep you on your toes, then you’ll definitely love “The Negotiation.” Give it a try and see how skilled you are at sealing those deals!

Step 2: Make Money as an Investor

Let’s play a game! Grab your dice and get ready to dive into the world of investing. The first thing you need to do is roll the dice. Once you’ve rolled, take a look at the numbers on each die.

Now, let’s take those numbers and match them up with the colors on the market shares fluctuation board. Place each die on the matching color. This will help us keep track of our investments.

Next, it’s time to move the indicator for each color according to the value shown on the corresponding die. This will show us how our investments are performing.

Remember, investing is a bit like rolling the dice. Sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose. But by following these steps and keeping a close eye on the market, you’ll be well on your way to making some serious dough!

After I rolled the dice, I saw that the blue die showed a “-1”. That meant I had to move the blue indicator down by one space, from “30” to “20”. The green die landed on “0”, so there was no need to move the green indicator.

Then I saw that the yellow die showed “+3”. This meant I had to move the yellow indicator three spaces to the right, going from “30” to “60”. But things didn’t go as well with the red die, which showed a “-7”.

Unfortunately, this meant I had to move the red indicator three spaces down to the “-20” on the left side of the board. It’s important to note that an indicator can’t go beyond the values shown on the board, and it doesn’t loop around to the other end of the scale.

Once I had moved the indicators for each color, it was time to collect income from the bank. I received income for each company I had invested in, based on the position of the indicator for that company color on the market board.

Did you know that companies tagged with a “2x” label have the power to generate double the revenue for you, as compared to other companies? It’s true! When you invest in such a company, you stand a chance to receive double the income or loss, which is fantastic. But hold on, there’s a twist. I want you to understand that the purchase value and management costs do not get doubled. This means that the impacts of doubling are limited to the revenue generated and the profit or loss you may encounter.

It’s important to note that the income you receive is determined based on the amounts shown on the market board, and not the actual number written on each company. This is an interesting concept to grasp. It means the market board plays a significant role in determining the income, and you need to pay attention to it.

For example: I’m an investor from Cape Fear Bank and I’ve invested in 5 different companies – 2 blue, 1 red, 1 green, and 1 yellow.

The indicator for the blue company is at 30, the indicator for the red company is at -20, the indicator for the green company is at 10, and the indicator for the yellow company is at 60. So let’s calculate how much money I’ll make: (30 x 2 = 60) + [(-20) x 1 = -20] + (10 x 1 = 10) + [2 x (60 x 1) = 120] = $170,000.

Phase 3: Manager Income

As a manager, I earn income from selling shares to investors who have invested in the companies in my portfolio, based on how many shares each company has.

My responsibility as a manager is to make sure that I collect all the revenue from the sale of shares and not leave any investor behind in all the chaos.

Here’s an example: this month, the manager who owns the companies mentioned above will receive $140,000. The investor from Colonial Bank will contribute $60,000 to the yellow company. (Please note that the “2X” does not double the amount of the share purchase).

The investor from Cape Fear Bank will give $65,000 for the red, green, and yellow companies. Additionally, the investor from Waterfield Bank will give $15,000 for the green company.

What Happens if You Can’t Pay?

If you find yourself unable to pay the full amount of your investment to a manager, they have the power to force you into bankruptcy, effectively eliminating you from the game.

But you can also try to negotiate with the investor who owes you money and earn money from selling your shares later on. This way, the investor can pay off their debt at a later time and stay in the game. However, keep in mind that these agreements are not legally binding. It’s all about trust!

During this phase, the bank investment tokens are not taken off the company tiles. Instead, they stay in place until the negotiation phase of the next turn. At that point, you can decide whether to remove the bank investment tokens or keep them there.

Phase 4: Managing Costs

As a manager, I have to pay the bank a fee of $10,000 for each company I own. If I can’t afford to pay the full amount, I have to sell some of my properties to the bank. This will help me cover the costs for the companies I had at the beginning of the month. In case I don’t have enough money, my companies will be sold to the bank for $5,000 each.

The companies that are sold are returned to the reserve. If one of the companies I sold had an investor, the bank token goes back to that investor.

Step 5: Company Auction

Now, let me tell you about the exciting company auction! We randomly select one investor to be the auctioneer. This lucky person gets to draw properties from the reserve. The number of properties drawn is equal to double the number of managers minus one. So, for example, if there are two managers, we draw three properties. If there are three managers, we draw five properties, and so on.

• If there are 2 managers, we draw 3 companies.
• If there are 3 managers, we draw 5 companies.
• If there are 4 managers, we draw 7 companies, and so on.

If there aren’t enough companies left in reserve, we simply put all remaining companies up for auction.

The auctioneer takes those companies and piles them up, face down, in front of him or her. Then, they start the first auction for the first company tile, without showing the others.

Each tile is offered to the managers through an auction. If you win the auction, you pay the bank and add the company to your collection.

If no one bids on a company, it’s taken out of the game. We keep repeating this process until there are no more tiles left for that turn.

2x Revenue Companies

Companies with a “2X” produce double revenue for shareholders. This only applies to the revenue of the investor, not when buying shares or determining management costs.

The auction for managers doesn’t happen in the fifth and final month. Once the auctions are done, a new month begins with a fresh round of negotiations. To keep track of the current month, just mark the space on the upper left of the game board after the company auctions end.

Now, let’s talk about the end of the game. It wraps up after the Management Cost Payment phase of the fifth month. You’ll find two winners: the manager with the most money and the investor with the most money. Yes, that’s right – there are two winners!

By the way, if you’re playing with three or four players, there’s a variant you can try out.