A Lifer's Diary, Part 5: A Brief History of Retirement Strategies

A Lifer's Diary, Part 5: A Brief History of Retirement Strategies

Ever since its debut in 1960, Hasbro's Game Of Life has had many format changes, but the one constant throughout them is the retirement mechanic that occurs when a player reaches the Retirement space at the very end of the Path of Life. However, each generation so far has handled retirement differently. Thus, a retirement strategy for one particular generation is seldom valid in another. Without further ado, here's a look at how retirement has evolved through the generations, as stated in the manuals for each one.

Retirement in Generation I

In Generation I, the Retirement space was not referred to as such, and was called the Day of Reckoning space. Any player who reached it would receive $20,000 per child and repay their debt at 25% interest ($25,000 for every $20,000 Promissory Note), before choosing to either go to Millionaire Acres or attempt to become a Millionaire Tycoon (but not both). A player who attempted to become a Millionaire Tycoon must place their mover (or their cash if they have any) on one of the ten numbers on the board, before spinning the wheel again. If the number spun does not match the number chosen, that player becomes bankrupt and moves to the Poor Farm. However, if the number spun matches the number chosen, that player instead becomes a Millionaire Tycoon, thereby winning the game immediately.

On the other hand, a player who chose to go to Millionaire Acres would have to spin again and move that many spaces towards that space. The first player to reach it would collect a $100,000 bonus and opponents' Lucky Number fees. The latter was determined as follows: Spin the wheel once, and the number on which it lands becomes their Lucky Number. For the rest of the game, a player with a Lucky Number can collect $10,000 from any opponent who spins it every time they do so, and that number can still be used for Side Bets. To distinguish them, each Millionaire Acres retiree must place their mover on their respective Lucky Number.

Finally, if none of the players become a Millionaire Tycoon, the game ends when the last player reaches the Poor Farm or Millionaire Acres. Every player then counts their money, and will receive a $50,000 bonus for owning a Stock Certificate, as well as $3,000 for a Life Insurance Policy. Once these bonuses have been added, the wealthiest player wins.

Retirement Strategies for Generation I

Attempting to become a Millionaire Tycoon is tempting, but since it carries a high risk of becoming bankrupt, it is only advisable to do so if you have very little money compared to your opponents. Otherwise, it is better to head to Millionaire Acres instead, preferably as the first player to do so, thereby earning a $100,000 bonus.

Retirement in Generation II

Generation II brought the single most significant change to how retirement would be handled in The Game of Life to date. The two options for retirement were now called Countryside Acres and Millionaire Estates; there was no longer any chance for a player to become a Millionaire Tycoon or go bankrupt. In addition, the space immediately before Retirement was now called the Pension space; any player who landed on it must spin the spinner once and collect $20,000 multiplied by the number spun. As in Generation I, all players must repay any and all of their outstanding loans upon retirement. Also, in Generation 2.5, sell their house (if they have one) by spinning the wheel to determine its resale value, as shown on the reverse side of their House Deed, with the money obtained being added to their net worth. Finally, upon retirement, each player must also place their Career and Salary Cards out of play, along with any Insurance Policies they own, although they will still retain any and all Stock Cards in their possession.

As for the actual retirement options, Countryside Acres was the safer of the two choices available. Anyone who retired there would receive a Life Tile (taking from another player if the draw pile was emptied, if possible) and their own Life Tiles could not be taken by other players. Retiring at Millionaire Estates was a riskier alternative. Although a player who retired there could have their Life Tiles taken from them if the draw pile was depleted; the wealthiest player to retire at Millionaire Estates would receive 4 Life Tiles after all players have retired. Moreover, if two Millionaire Estates retirees have a tie for the highest net worth, both of them will receive 2 Life Tiles each.

Once all players have retired, each player must reveal the combined value of any and all Life Tiles in their possession and add it to their net worth; as before, the wealthiest player wins.

Retirement Strategies for Generation II

I would recommend retiring at Millionaire Estates only if you are certain that you will be the wealthiest (or in some cases only) player to retire there. Otherwise, Countryside Acres would be a more viable option. Even then, collecting the 4 extra Life Tiles for being the richest player to retire at Millionaire Estates won't guarantee victory, but at least it makes you more likely to win the game. Not so much in Generation 2.5, where Life Tile values have been reduced fivefold compared to earlier prints of Generation II, but it's still a significant bonus nonetheless.

Retirement in Generation III

Generation III made it even riskier than before to retire at Millionaire Estates, since only the first three players to retire there would receive a Life Tile, and other players could still take Life Tiles from anyone who chose this option if the draw pile was depleted. On the other hand, although players retiring at Countryside Acres could not have their Life Tiles taken after the draw pile was emptied, they would not receive any additional Life Tiles either. Speaking of Life Tiles, their value remained unchanged from Generation 2.5.

Pension was nerfed for this revision. Previously, landing on this space would require you to spin the wheel and collect $20,000 multiplied by the number spun. Now, however, you could only collect $10,000 multiplied by the number spun if you landed there - a 50% reduction compared to Generation II. Nevertheless, pension bonuses can still yield a sizable amount of money at times. However, after retirement, players must still spin on their turn for Long-Term Investments.

As before, all players must sell their houses and repay their loans upon retirement, as well as placing their (College) Career Card out of play, but this time house values are fixed amounts. In addition, upon reaching the Retirement space, players will now receive $10,000 for every child they have. And just like in Generation II, once all players have retired, they must reveal the value of their Life Tiles and add them to their net worth. The player with the highest net worth (including Life Tile bonuses) still wins the game as before.

Retirement Strategies for Generation III

Retiring at Millionaire Estates is less viable than it once was, unless you have less cash on hand than some (or most, if not all) of your opponents. In such a scenario, however, opponents are more likely to overlook your stockpile of Life Tiles, and you have a better chance of holding on to them by the end of the game, thus improving your final net worth even further. Otherwise, stick to Countryside Acres, since it will guarantee that you will retain every Life Tile you had at the time of retirement.

Retirement in Generation IV

In Generation IV, choosing where you retire makes no difference at all to your net worth. However, the retirement system received a huge shake-up. The first, second, third and fourth players to retire will receive $400,000, $300,000, $200,000, and $100,000 respectively. In addition, each player will receive $50,000 for every child they have upon retirement, as well as having to pay $60,000 for every $50,000 loan they have not yet paid by then. However, unlike in Generation III, players no longer spin on their turn after retiring.

On top of that, they will not only receive $100,000 for every Action Card they have, but they must also sell any and all of their houses with a simple spin of the wheel for each one. If the wheel lands on an odd number (which has a red background), the house will be sold for its minimum resale value (which is always less than or equal to its purchase price); if it lands on an even number (which has a black background), the house will instead be sold for its maximum resale value (which is always greater than its purchase price), with both resale values for a given house being printed on the reverse side of each House card. And as always, when all is said and done, the wealthiest player wins.

Retirement Strategies in Generation IV

In general, the sooner you retire, the better, but it is also beneficial to retire with more children and/or Action Cards, and with as little debt as possible. Moreover, you should always try to purchase at least one House before retirement, if only because for each house you buy, you have a 50% chance of selling it for a profit.

Retirement in Generation V

For the first time ever, there is only one option for retirement instead of two or more. Another new feature is the option to take a shortcut to retirement near the end by following a shorter path instead of the longer main route. This makes it more likely for you to earn the bigger retirement bonuses, but you will miss out on the benefits of staying on the main route. However, you will receive less money for retiring than before: the first, second, third and fourth players to retire will receive $200,000, $100,000, $50,000 and $10,000 respectively. Also, players can still collect investments and be affected by Action Cards drawn by other players after retirement.

As before, you will need to sell your houses and pay your debts upon retirement, but now you will receive only $10,000 for every peg you have (not counting the one you started with). Nor can you receive bonuses for Action Cards, since they must now be returned to the deck immediately after you have read their instructions. And unlike in previous versions of the Game of Life, there is now a tie-breaker system: if two or more players have the same net worth, then the first of those players to retire will place highest among those.

Retirement Strategies for Generation V

Mostly use the same strategy as before, but there is now less benefit to retiring earlier and/or with more pegs, although you can now choose whether or not to do so. However, if you feel that you can actually earn more money without an early retirement, you may be better off staying on the Path of Life, so make sure to consider the circumstances as you approach the Retirement space.

Conclusion

No matter what version of The Game of Life you are playing, retirement plays a key role in your tactics and strategy. It only happens at the end of a game, but entire games have been decided by players choosing the (in)correct retirement strategy. Retiring at the right place and/or time could save you the embarrassment of a humiliating loss - or at least make it less likely for you to finish last.