FANTASY BUSINESS

Spanish to English translation by Geoman

COMPONENTS
48 object cards
24 special cards
1 First Buyer card (the one with a yellow 1 on both faces)
2 Player Aids. One indicates the value of cards, and the other summarizes the 4 phases of the game
1 pad to fix prices
112 plastic markers; they represent Coronas (the currency of this kingdom) in several values (White = 1 Corona, Red = 2 Coronas,
Brown = 10 Coronas, Gray = 50 Coronas, Golden = 100 Coronas)
1 set of rules

OBJECTIVE
The objective of the game is to be the merchant with the greatest wealth. The wealth is the combined value of Coronas that you have
won, as well as of your object inventory.

SETUP
The youngest player will be the first buyer. This player takes the First Buyer card and places it in front of him. The special cards and
the object cards are shuffled together and are placed face down at the center of the table. The 2 Player Aids are placed so they are
visible to all players. The first buyer is also the banker during his turn. This means that he will pay Coronas to the players, he will give
change, and he will ask for the prices during the phase to collect income. Each player takes 10 Coronas, in the values that he wants, a
fix price sheet from the pad (writes his name on it) and a pencil (that you will have to provide).

PHASES OF A TURN
The game lasts 10 turns. Each turn consists of 4 phases:

1. Auctions
2. Fix sale prices
3. Collect income
4. Pass the First Buyer card

1. AUCTIONS
The First Buyer draws from the deck as many cards as there are players and puts them in the center of the table. The object cards are
placed face up, but the special cards are placed face down. Then the First Buyer selects one of the cards and announces the price that
he is willing to pay. The price cannot be lower than the indicated price on the card if it is an object card, or less to 1 Corona if it is a
special card. The First Buyer also has the option to pass.
All the bids must be in whole numbers. The player to the left of the First Buyer can raise the bid or pass. The rest of the players can
continue raising bids or pass.
When all players but one pass, the card is sold. The player with the highest bid pays the bank the amount he bid and takes the card. If
the card is an object card he puts it in front of him faceup; if it is a special card he takes it in his hand.

There is no limit to the maximum price that can be bid, but if a player wins the auction and he cannot pay, he is eliminated from the
game. Once a player has gained a card during the round, he cannot participate in the following auctions of that round.

The First Buyer chooses another card from the center of the table. If the First Buyer hasn’t bought a card in this round, then he can
initiate the auction. Else, the player to the left of the first buyer can start with an initial bid (if that player hasn’t bought a card yet). If
nobody wants to bid for a card, the card is discarded.

The last card on the table: If only one card is left, the player who can still bid, can buy the card at its base value, or 1 Corona if it is a
special card. If that player does not want to buy it, the card is discarded.

Each player keeps the cards that he has bought, unless a special card eliminates them of the game.

Example: Miranda gains the card of Curativas Grass (value 2) with a bid of 5 Coronas. She takes the card and places it faceup next
to the other card of Curativas Grass that she bought in the previous turn.

2. FIX SALE PRICES

During this phase, the players fix the sale prices for all types of cards that they have. The prices must be equal or higher to the base
price of the object card and up to double the base price of the object card. Before fixing the sale prices, the players can discuss about it
with the rest of the players. The price fixed for the sale will affect in an important way the income gained during the following phase.
(see below)
Once the discussions have been finished, all the players write the prices they want for each type of object they have to their sheets.

Example: In the fifth turn, all the players with Curativas Grass decide to fix a price of "4 Coronas" for them. Once finished all the
players write the price which they like to fix to their sheets. Miranda has two cards of Curativas Grass (with base value of 2). So she
fixes the price to the possible minimum, 2 Coronas. In her sheet of prices she writes "2" in the fifth column for the Curativas Grass.
Obviously, Miranda was lying during the discussion at the beginning of the turn.

3. COLLECT INCOME
All the players show their sheets of sale prices. The First Buyer reads the first object on the list, Curativas Grass, and listens to the
prices of all the players who have it on sale.

The First Buyer distributes the income according to the following rules:

 The player (or players) who have fixed the lowest price receive the sale price for each card which they have of that type, plus 2
bonus Coronas for each such card. Fixing the lowest price means that no other player is selling the same type of object at a lower
price.

 The player (or players) that have fixed the price highest do not receive anything. Fixing the price highest means that no other
player is selling the same type of object at a more expensive price.

 The rest of the players receive the price which they have fixed for each card of that oblect which they have.

If all the players have fixed the same price, it is considered that that price is lowest. In this case there is no highest price. All the
players who have fixed the price lowest receive that price plus a bonus of 2 Coronas for each card of that object that they have.

After receiving income, the players keep their object cards in front of them. These cards represent an object reserve on sale and not an
individual object. Only some special crads can eliminate object cards of a player.

Next the First Buyer asks for the sale prices of the second object on the list, and so on, until the income for all types of objects
indicated in the notes of sales have been distributed.

Example: Christopher is the first buyer in the fifth turn. Once all the players have shown their sheets of prices, he asks the sale prices
of the first object on the list, the Grass Curativas. Henry has written "3" (hoping to be below the rest of players who had decided a
price of 4. If not outbid by Miranda, he would have the lowest price and he would receive 3 + 2 = 5 Coronas, whereas the rest of the
players who have chosen "4" would have put the price highest and they would not gain anything.)
Miranda has written "2" (she also wanted a lower price compared to the rest of the players.)
Jack has chosen "4" (he has been the only player that has put the price that all the players had decided).
Christopher is selling by "2" (he assumed that Miranda would do the same...).
Courtney and Helen do not have Curativas Grass to sell so they have not written any price.

Once verified the prices of the notes of Henry, Miranda and Jack, Christopher (he is now the banker) distributes the following
income:

8 Coronas for Miranda. Miranda has two Curativas Grass. She has chosen the lowest price (2), so she receives that price (2 Coronas
per object) plus the bonus of 2 Coronas for each such object, so the total is 4x2 = 8 Coronas.

4 Coronas for himself. Christopher also has chosen the lowest price, but he only has one card of Grass Curativas.

Henry with a price of "3" has chosen neither the lowest price (2 players, Miranda and Christopher, are selling cheaper), nor the
highest price (another player, Jack, has a higher sale price), and therefore receives 3 Coronas (he only has one card of Curativas
Grass).

Jack, who is selling at the highest price (no other player is selling at a higher price), does not receive anything.

Christopher now asks for the prices of the second object on the list (Arcs and Arrows).

4. PASS THE CARD OF FIRST BUYER

The first present buyer passes the card of first buyer to the player at his left. This player is now the First Buyer in the next turn.

END OF THE GAME

A game with 6 players ends after 10 rounds. A game with 7 or 8 players ends after 8 rounds. If the players want a shorter game they
can decide on fewer rounds at the beginning of the game. At the end of the agreeded upon rounds, each player counts his total value of
Coronas, and adds to that total the base value of the object cards that he has. The winner is the player with the greater total. In case of
a tie, the youngest player between the tied ones is the winner.
SPECIAL CARDS
The special cards have been designed to disrupt the normal development of the businesses. The text on the cards indicates when they
can be played as well as the effect that they have. Some of the effects are very powerful and others will make the lives of the players
very "interesting". The possible threat of the effect of some special cards can have an important weight during the negotiations.

SOME NOTES ON THE GAME

Allow all forms of negotiation between the players before fixing the prices. There is no rule that prohibits the players to sell or to
interchange cards among them if therefore they want to do it. The players are not forced to display the amount of Coronas they have.
The only thing they must display is the object cards that they have and how many special cards have in their hand.

VARIANTS
1. Allow the players to sell objects below their base price (but never less than 1 Corona). A player can this way indicate a price of 1
Corona for an object with a higher base value. That player will then receive the bonus of 2 Coronas (because it is impossible to fix a
price lower). Using this variant, the players who write the lowest price will always receive (1+2) 3 Coronas for each object.

2. When distributing the income, the bonus of 2 Coronas can only be given when only one player offers the lowest price.