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I’m the Boss! Card Game Rules
Hey there! It’s time to dive into the exciting world of the I’m the Boss! card game. Get ready to become the master of negotiation and strategy!
First things first, let’s talk about the goal of the game. The main objective is to accumulate the most money by negotiating deals with your fellow players. It’s all about making successful trades and coming out on top!
Now, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of the game. You’ll start by setting up the game board, which consists of various locations such as companies and banks. Each player will be given a hand of action cards. These cards allow you to perform different actions that will help you during the game.
The game is played in rounds, and each round has three phases: deal, favor, and action. During the deal phase, players take turns proposing deals to each other. You can negotiate anything you want, from shares in a company to favors for future rounds.
Once a deal is accepted, it’s time for the favor phase. Here, the player who accepted the deal gets a chance to call in a favor from another player. It could be anything from gaining extra action cards to blocking a deal.
Finally, we have the action phase. In this phase, players take turns playing action cards from their hand. These cards allow you to manipulate the game in your favor, such as gaining extra money or blocking other players’ actions.
Throughout the game, you’ll find yourself in situations where you’ll need to make tough decisions. Do you accept a deal that benefits someone else more than you? Or do you hold out for a better offer? The choice is yours, and it’s all part of the fun!
The game continues in rounds until the bank runs out of money. At that point, the player with the most money is declared the winner and crowned the boss!
So, are you ready to test your negotiation skills and become the ultimate boss? Give I’m the Boss! a try and see if you have what it takes to come out on top. Good luck!
- There are 96 Deal Cards in 3 different colors
- There are 3 “X” Cards
- You’ll find 6 multi-colored “Wild” POTA Cards
- There is one “Boss” and two “Cousin” Tokens
- There are 12 double-sided “I’m In/Pass” Disks
- There is one “2X” Disk
- You’ll also find 90 Money Cards
- Lastly, there is one Rulebook
Setting Up
You will each start with two I’m In/Pass disks and $50 in money. We will determine the starting player randomly. The player who gets the Boss token and the two Cousin tokens will be the Boss and act as the dealer in this round.
In a 3-player game, we will only use one Cousin token and place the other one back in the box. The starting player will shuffle the cards and deal out a number to all players based on the chart below. Then, they will split the remaining cards roughly into two halves and shuffle one of each of the X Cards into each half.
First, let me tell you about a fascinating card trick. I reassemble the deck by simply stacking one half on top of the other, no shuffling needed. Once the deck is ready, I place it nearby. Then, I take the 2X disk and position it next to the deck. Lastly, I take the remaining X Card and place it face down beneath the 2X disk.
| 3 | 10 | 3 | $150 |
| 4 | 8 | 2 | $200 |
| 5-6 | 8 | 1 | $250 |
Now, let’s talk about how to play the game.
When I’m the Boss, I kick off the Deal by playing my first card. And here’s the twist – everyone else has to follow suit. This means that all cards played in each round have to be the same color. The other players take turns playing their cards in clockwise order, and they have to pass twice before the value of the Deal is determined.
If the Deal value is positive, that means the Boss, each Cousin, and each Piece of the Action (POTA) card get paid that amount from the bank. But, if the Deal is negative, well, then we all gotta cough up that value and pay it to the bank.
Now, here’s where it gets interesting. After each round, we pass the Boss token to the player on our left to start a new round. And before we start the next round, all players secretly choose up to two cards to get rid of. We keep these cards face down, like a little secret. Then, we draw new cards and make sure we have the right number of cards in our hands, according to the chart above.
The game keeps going until every player has had a turn at being the Boss for the number of rounds shown in the chart above. So, get ready to make some deals and see who comes out on top!
Playing Cards
When it’s my turn to start a round, I have to play a card with a positive or negative value. The positive cards can give me money, anywhere from $1 to $4, while the negative ones take money away, from -$2 to -$5. If, for some strange reason, I don’t have any of these cards, I can choose one of the three colors, and then the player on my left gets to make the first move.
Whatever card I play first, or the color I choose if I don’t have a regular card, sets the color for the entire round. That’s what we call the Deal. But hey, I have to mention that there are 6 special POTA cards that can be played on any deal, no matter the color.
After I’ve made my move, the other players take turns in a clockwise direction. They have to play a card of the same color or flip one of their “I’m In!” disks to the Pass side. And get this: even if they have a card they could play, they can still pass. Passing doesn’t mean they’re out of the game – they can still play on their next turn if they want.
When it’s my turn to reveal my first Pass disk, I get a little bonus – I draw an extra card. But once I turn over the second Pass disk, I can’t play any more cards or have cards played against me. That doesn’t mean I’m out of the game completely though – I still get a share of the winnings.
If I want, I can choose to “double pass” and end my active participation in the round, even if I still have cards I could play. If everyone else has passed except for me, I can still play as many cards as I want before finally passing.
The Deal
We play positive and negative Deal Cards to the center of the table. To calculate the final value of the deal, we add up all the Deal Cards that have been played, then multiply that total by 5. Finally, we multiply the result by the number of X’s showing. We start with the 2X disk, and if any X cards appear, we add them to the count.
Let me break it down for you. In this game, the value of the deals increases as you progress. It starts at 2 times the initial value, then goes up to 3 times, 4 times, and finally 5 times the original value.
Here’s an example to help you understand. Let’s say we have a deal where the cards in the center are worth $3, $4, $4, and -$2. When we add up these values, we get a total of $9. Now, we multiply this by 5 because we’re at the 5X stage. So $9 times 5 equals $45. Additionally, we have two X cards in play, which further increase the value. So, $45 times 4 equals $180, which is the final value of this deal.
Now, let’s look at another example. In this deal, the cards in the center are worth $2, -$4, and -$5. When we add them up, we get a total of -$7. Since we’re at the 5X stage, we multiply this by 5, resulting in -$35. We also have one X card in play, which further affects the value. So, -$35 times 3 equals -$105, which is the final value of this deal.
It’s important to note that the final values of the deals, whether positive or negative, are limited based on the number of players. You can refer to the Deal Limits chart for more information.
Cousin Tokens
Hey there! I’m The Boss: The Card Game, and I’m all about having a good time negotiating. I start each round with two “Cousin” tokens, although in the three player game, I only have one. These Cousin tokens are pretty special because they give the person holding them a piece of the action once the deal is done.
Now, unlike the POTA Cards, Cousin tokens stay put during the round. Once you’re a cousin, you’re always a cousin! Also, you can’t have both Cousin tokens in the same round. So, if you want a token, you’ll have to negotiate with me, the Boss. No secret side deals allowed between the non-Boss players.
When we play the game, I can choose to either play or not play a card in exchange for the Boss making me their Cousin for this round. For example, I might offer to play a +$4 Deal Card to the center of the table if the Boss chooses me as their Cousin.
Alternatively, I could offer to discard a Reverse Card instead of playing it on the Boss. Discarding a card is not typically allowed unless it’s part of a negotiation with the Boss. We can get creative with our negotiations and even come up with our own “house rules” to govern them.
However, the Boss has the final say in the negotiations. They can choose not to assign any Cousins, but they won’t receive extra shares for keeping the Cousin tokens.
The Cards
Piece of the Action Cards
Hey there! Let me tell you about Piece of the Action cards (POTAs). Instead of being placed in the middle with the Deal cards, POTAs are played face up right in front of any player, including yourself.
When you have a POTA card in front of you, it means that you’re in for either a share of the winnings or having to pay the bank, depending on how the deal turns out.
Here’s the cool part – if you have multiple POTAs in front of you, it’s like having multiple opportunities to get paid or make payments. For example, let’s say the final Deal amount is $100. If you have two POTAs, you’ll receive $200!
But wait, there’s more! If you’re already the Boss or Cousins, you can still play or receive POTAs. This means even more chances for multiple payouts or payments. How awesome is that?
Now, let’s talk about Reverse Cards.
Let me tell you about Reverse Cards. They’re a bit different from regular cards because you play them face up in front of you or any other player, instead of putting them in the middle with the rest of the cards. When the deal is over, the number of Reverse Cards in front of a player can change the value of their deal. It’s like flipping things around!
Here’s how it works. If there are 1 or 3 Reverse Cards in front of a player at the end of the deal, the value of their deal switches from positive to negative, or from negative to positive. It’s a complete turnaround!
But things get interesting when there’s an even number of Reverse Cards. In that case, they cancel each other out, and the deal’s value doesn’t change. Let me give you an example. Say a player has one Reverse Card in front of them, and the final deal value is -$75. Well, with that Reverse Card, the value becomes +$75. But if they have two Reverse Cards, the deal value stays at -$75. So, it’s all about balance!
Now, let’s move on to another type of card called Move Cards. But don’t worry, it’s not as complicated as Reverse Cards.
When I’m playing a “Move 1” Card, I have to choose one of the cards on the table and do one of the following things with it:
– Take a positive or negative Deal Card from the center of the table and put it in the discard pile.
– Move a POTA Card or a Reverse Card between any two players.
– Move a POTA Card or a Reverse Card from any player to the discard pile.
But if I have a “Move 2” or “Move 3” Card, I can move that many cards instead. Once I finish my turn, I put the Move Card in the discard pile.
Closing the Deal
So, it’s finally time to settle the deal and determine the value of everything involved. This is when the money starts changing hands.
Let’s say the final value of the deal is $40. Now, each player will receive or pay the appropriate amount of money for each Boss token, POTA Card, and Cousin token they have.
For example, if the Boss has one POTA card, they will collect $80. And if another player has two POTA cards and a Cousin token, they will collect $120.
Now, keep in mind that the final values cannot go over the “Deal Limits” set in the chart on page 2. So, make sure you stay within those limits.
Here’s the twist – the amount of money you have is a secret. You don’t have to reveal it to anyone. So, keep your cards close to your chest.
If, for some reason, you can’t pay the full amount you owe, don’t worry. Just pay as much as you can. There’s no debt in this game, so you won’t be left owing anyone.
What Happens Next
When it’s time to start a new round, we put all the cards from the previous round into the discard pile. The Boss and Cousin tokens are passed to the player on the left. Now, here’s where it gets interesting – all players, at the same time and without seeing what others are doing, choose to discard zero, one, or two cards from their hand, and put them in the discard pile.
Next, the new Boss player draws enough cards from the deck to bring their hand back to the original number of cards they were dealt at the beginning of the game. This could be either 8 or 10 cards, depending on how many people are playing.
After that, it’s the next player’s turn to refill their hand, and so on, going to the left.
But wait, there’s an important rule: If someone draws an “X” card, they don’t just add it to their hand. Instead, they place it face up underneath the 2X disk. This means that the multiplier for future rounds increases immediately to 3X, 4X, and eventually 5X. The person who drew the X Card then gets to replace it with a new card from the deck.
I flip all the Pass disks to the I’m In side and start a new deal as the new Boss. If, when we’re refilling our hands after a deal, we run out of cards in the draw deck for the FIRST TIME, we add the final X card (which we put face down under the 2X disk at the start of the game) to the discard pile.
Then, we shuffle the discard pile and it becomes our new draw deck.
End of the Game
The game comes to an end when each of us has been the Boss the number of times shown on the chart on page 2. The player with the most money is the winner.
If there’s a tie, those of us who are tied share the victory and we boss everyone else around.