The Estates Game Rules

Hey there! Let’s dive into the exciting world of the Estates Game! In this one-of-a-kind gaming experience, you’ll get to explore the ups and downs of investing in real estate. With a mix of strategy and luck, you’ll have a blast trying to come out on top.

Now, let’s talk about the rules. The basic idea is that you and your friends will take turns buying and selling properties. There are three types of properties: shops, houses, and skyscrapers. Each property has a different value and potential for profit, so it’s important to choose wisely.

To start, you’ll need some money. At the beginning of the game, each player receives a certain amount of cash. This will be your starting capital, and you’ll use it to make your first property purchases.

During your turn, you have a few options. You can buy a property that’s up for sale, choose not to buy anything and pass, or sell one of the properties you already own. The goal is to make smart decisions that will maximize your profits and minimize your losses.

But here’s the twist: not every property is worth the same amount! Some properties will increase in value over time, while others may decrease. This adds an extra layer of challenge and strategy to the game. You’ll need to study the market trends and anticipate how property values will change.

To make things even more interesting, there are also event cards that can affect the game. These cards can be either positive or negative and can completely change the course of the game. So, always be prepared for unexpected surprises!

At the end of the game, the player with the highest net worth wins. Your net worth is calculated by adding up the value of all the properties you own and subtracting any debts you owe.

In conclusion, the Estates Game is a thrilling and unpredictable adventure in real estate. Will you make wise investments and become a property tycoon, or will you end up bankrupt? The choice is yours! Enjoy the game and may the best investor win!

When you open the box, you’ll find all the components you need to play the game:

• 1 Game Board
• 36 Floor Cubes
• 12 Rooftops
• 6 Company Certificates
• 3 Building Permits
• 1 Cancel Cube
• 1 Mayor
• 2 Linen Bags
• 60 Checks
• Rulebook

Now that you have everything, it’s time to set up the game and get started!

Here’s how you set up and play the game:

First, put the Game board in the middle of the table.

Next, place the 6 Company Certificates near Main Street.

Then, take all 36 Floor cubes and put them into a linen bag. Draw out 24 of the cubes randomly and place them with the numbered side up in 3 rows of 8 next to the board. The other 12 cubes are not used and can be put back in the box.

Don’t forget to shuffle the 12 Rooftops with their numbers face down and put them near the Game board. If you want, you can use the other bag to store the Rooftops.

Now, put the 3 Building Permits, Cancel cube, and Mayor near the Game board.

Each player will start with $12 million in Checks. The starting player can be determined randomly.

Let the Game Begin!

When I play the game Estates, it’s always exciting because each turn is full of choices and surprises. Here’s how a typical turn goes:

First, it’s my turn as the active player, and I have a decision to make right away. I can either keep any illegal earnings I have for scoring at the end of the game or stash them away for safekeeping. It’s always a tough call because I want to maximize my score, but I also don’t want to get caught!

Once I’ve made my choice about the illegal earnings, it’s time to choose one of the wooden pieces available: the Floor cube, Rooftop, Building Permit, Mayor, or Cancel cube. Each of these pieces has its own special abilities and advantages, so I have to think carefully about which one will help me the most.

Now comes the exciting part – the auction! I hold an auction to determine who gets the piece I’ve chosen. It’s a competition among all the players to see who values the piece the most and is willing to pay the highest price for it. The tension is always high during the bidding, and there’s no telling who will come out on top!

Once the auction is over, the player who won the piece must make a decision. They have to place the piece on the board immediately, except for certain pieces that they may have to remove from the game permanently. This strategic placement or removal can have a big impact on the gameplay, so it’s an important choice to make.

After placing or discarding the piece, my turn is over, and it’s the next player’s turn to be the auctioneer. We continue taking turns in clockwise order, each of us making our own choices and bidding in the auctions. The game keeps moving along, and the excitement never stops.

Throughout the game, one thing to keep in mind is that we don’t have to reveal how much money we have. It adds an extra layer of strategy and mystery to the game. You never know how much your opponents are willing to spend or how much they might be holding back.

The Estates is a game that keeps you on your toes, always thinking and strategizing. It’s a game of choices, auctions, and surprises. So, the next time you’re looking for a game that will challenge you and keep you engaged, give The Estates a try!

Illegal Earnings

When it’s my turn, I can secretly hide $1 million in my cash box. I’ll take one of my Checks and tuck it under the edge of the game board in front of me.

These Illegal Earnings can’t be used for the rest of the game and nobody else can look at them.

Selecting a Piece for Auction

I can choose from the following wooden pieces for auction: Floor cube, Rooftop, Building Permit, Mayor, or Cancel cube. I just have to make sure they’re not already on the board or discarded.

Floor cubes: I can choose them from either end of the 3 rows. During the game, all players have the ability to auction, bid, buy, or place Floor cubes of any color.

Hey there! Let’s talk rooftops. You can only pick rooftops if there’s at least one building without one on the board and there are rooftops available. We’ll start by flipping over the rooftop to see its number before we have an auction for it.

If you’re looking at building permits, the mayor, or the cancel cube, you can only choose them if they’re not on the board and haven’t been discarded.

The Auction

Now let’s get into the auction! The active player chooses one of the wooden pieces that are available and we start an auction. Starting with the player on their left, each player can either bid for the chosen piece or pass. We go in clockwise order, so everyone gets a chance to make their move.

When it’s time to start the bidding, the first player can choose any amount to begin. But here’s the catch: each subsequent bid has to be higher than the previous one. And remember, you can only bid once. So make sure you pick a number you’re comfortable with, because you can’t go over your budget. Oh, and one more thing – you can’t use any illegal earnings to bid. If you decide to pass, that means you’re out of the auction.

Once each player, except for the auctioneer, has either bid or passed, the auctioneer has two choices:

1. Give the chosen piece to the highest bidder, who must then pay their bid to the auctioneer.

2. Keep the chosen piece and pay the highest bid to the highest bidder.

Now, what happens if everyone decides to pass? Well, in that case, the auctioneer gets the piece for free. They can either place it somewhere or simply discard it, if they want to.

Alright, that’s the bidding process explained. Now, let’s move on to placing a floor cube.

When you’re playing the game, you need to make sure you place the floor cubes right after the auction. At the beginning of the game, each of the three development rows can only have four buildings, starting from the street and going towards the river. The floor cubes are placed with the number side facing up on the empty development lots.

The first floor cube in each row has to be placed next to the street. You can choose to build in any of the three rows. If you want to add more floor cubes to a row, they have to be placed on top of or next to another floor cube in the same row. You can’t have any empty development lots between buildings in the same row. Also, keep in mind that you can’t build on or past a building permit.

If you want to stack a Floor cube on top of another one, you have to make sure that the cube you’re placing has a lower number than the cube underneath it. This rule applies to all the squares in a building complex, where a maximum of 6 Floor cubes can be stacked. You’re allowed to check the value of any of the Floor cubes in any building.

However, the 5 squares with white dirt can only have a single Floor cube on top.

Example:

So, here’s how it works. When we’re starting out, we have these floor cubes, right? And we’re gonna place them on the empty development lots. But wait, there’s a rule – the number side of the cube has to be facing up. Oh, and by the way, you can’t leave any empty lots between the buildings in the same row. Gotta keep things tight.

Now, pay attention because there’s more. Those development lots with the white dirt, they can only have one floor cube. Yeah, just one. But for all the other lots, you can pile on as many floor cubes as you want. Well, hold up, there’s a catch. The cube you’re adding needs to have a lower number than the one below it. We don’t want things getting out of order, do we?

And here comes the fun part. If you’re the one who places the very first cube of any color on the board, you get a company certificate. Yeah, it’s kind of like a trophy, and you show it off for everyone to see. And hey, you can even collect more than one certificate if you’re lucky!

But wait, there’s more. At the end of the game, you earn points, either positive or negative. How? Well, it depends if your building has a floor cube of a certain color right underneath the rooftop. So, keep that in mind when you’re strategizing.

Hey there! Let’s talk about some important rules when it comes to playing The Estates.

First off, you can’t place a Floor cube on top of a Rooftop. It’s just not allowed.

Now, let’s talk about Building Permits. They can be pretty handy because they can change the length of each row in the game. If you want to know more about how to place a Building Permit, keep on reading.

Placing a Rooftop

When it comes to placing a Rooftop, there are a couple of things you need to keep in mind. First, you have to place it right after the auction. Take a Rooftop number and put it face up on any Floor cube that doesn’t already have a Rooftop. It’s totally up to you where you want to put that Rooftop, so go nuts!

Just remember, once you’ve placed a Rooftop, your building is complete. No more building pieces can be added to it.

Placing a Building Permit

Now, let’s talk about Building Permits. Just like Rooftops, you have to place a Building Permit right after the auction ends. If you don’t, well, it’s out of the game.

Building Permits are pretty cool because they can change the development requirement for one of the three rows in The Estates. They can make it shorter or longer, depending on what you need.

To start a construction project on an empty plot of land, all you need to do is place a Building Permit in the row where you want your development to take place. This permit acts as a marker for the new requirement. You can place multiple permits in the same row, either extending or shortening the development requirement.

If you place a Building Permit in a row that already has one, the previously-placed permit will be moved to the same space as the new permit. This means that a completed row can become incomplete if you add a new permit to it.

• 1 barrier: Changes the development requirement of a row by 1 building, either shortening or lengthening it.
• 2 barrier: Changes the development requirement of a row by 2 buildings, either shortening or lengthening it.

I’m here to help explain how to use the 3 barrier feature. This useful tool can either speed up or slow down the progress of construction by three buildings. It’s like a magic wand that can make your project go faster or slower with just a tap. Isn’t that fascinating?

Let me explain how it works. When you’re constructing a row, you need a certain number of buildings to complete it. Normally, this requirement remains consistent throughout the process. However, with the 3 barrier, you have the power to change it.

If you want to speed things up, using the 3 barrier will reduce the number of buildings needed to finish the row. This can be a game-changer when you’re trying to complete a project quickly and efficiently.

On the other hand, if you want to slow things down or make the process more challenging, the 3 barrier can increase the number of buildings required. It’s like adding an extra element of difficulty to keep you on your toes.

Using the 3 barrier is a strategic decision that can have a big impact on your construction progress. When deciding whether to shorten or lengthen the development requirement, you should consider your goals and the overall strategy of your project.

So, whether you’re looking to speed things up or add a twist of difficulty, the 3 barrier is a powerful tool to have in your toolkit. With just a few taps, you can transform the construction process and take control of your project. Have fun exploring this feature and enjoy the journey of building something amazing!

For example:

The Barrier 2 in Row A makes the top row 2 lots shorter. The Barrier 1 in Row B makes the middle row 1 lot longer. And the Barrier 2 in Row C previously made the middle row 2 lots shorter. Now, with the addition of the Barrier 3 in Row C, the middle row is lengthened by 3 lots. So, in this scenario where both Barriers are in the middle row, the total amount of buildings needed for development is 5.

If the number of developed lots in a row is already higher than the adjusted requirement, a Building Permit cannot further reduce the development requirement for that row.

Placing the Mayor

You must place the Mayor immediately after its auction, or else it will be removed from the game.

When playing The Estates, I get to be the Mayor and decide where to place myself on Main Street. I have three rows to choose from. What’s really cool is that at the end of the game, I double the scores of all the buildings, whether they’re positive or negative, in the row I’ve chosen.

Now, let’s talk about this neat thing called the Cancel cube. It’s a cube that needs to be used right after I auction it, or else it’s out of the game. What can I do with it? Well, I can use it to get rid of a Building Permit that I’ve placed earlier. Once I use the Cancel cube, the Building Permit goes away too, forever.

Now, here’s something interesting. If there are any other Building Permits in the same development lot as the one I removed, the row’s development requirement changes to match the value of the removed Building Permit. But if there are no Building Permits left in a row after I use the Cancel cube, the development requirement goes back to the original 4 development lots. It’s like starting fresh!

So, as the Mayor, I have the power to double the scores of buildings and use the Cancel cube to make changes. It’s all about strategic choices and making the most out of my opportunities. Let the game begin!

If you want to extend a row with a Building Permit but doing so would make the row shorter than the number of buildings already there, you can’t remove the permit.

How the Game Ends

The game can end in two ways:

1. When two rows of buildings are completed, meaning all the designated spaces are filled, and every building in those two rows has a Rooftop.
2. When it becomes impossible to finish any more buildings because there are no more Rooftops or Floor cubes left.

So here’s how it works:

The upper and middle rows are all filled up. Those buildings in the top row? Their scores get doubled thanks to our Mayor.

Now, let’s talk about the Building Permits. In this example, they’ve been placed in all three rows. But there’s a little twist: the top row has been made two lots shorter, while the middle row and bottom row have been made longer by one and three lots, respectively.

Scoring

Pay attention now! Completed rows of buildings score positive points, while incomplete rows score negative points. And guess what? You can even end up with zero completed rows. Yikes!

Now, each building only scores points for the player who has the Company Certificate that matches the color of the topmost Floor cube. And here’s an important tip: each Floor cube in a building scores points equal to its printed value for the player who owns it. Don’t forget to add up the value of the Rooftop as well!

When the Mayor stands before a row, all the buildings in that row become twice as valuable (either positively or negatively). You earn 1 point for every Check you have in your own cash box.

The person with the highest score is the winner of The Estates! If there’s a tie, the player with the most Checks in hand, including their personal cash box, will be declared the winner.

Let me give you an example of how scoring works in the game of The Estates.

Imagine this building right here. This building scores 9 points for the owner of the blue color.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. If this building were in an incomplete row, the owner of the blue color would lose 9 points. But, if this building were in a row with the Mayor, the score of the building would be doubled.

How Scoring Works in Different Rounds