A Lifer's Diary, Part 18: Applying Hotshot Racing Customization Logic to Game of Life Movers

A Lifer's Diary, Part 18: Applying Hotshot Racing Customization Logic to Game of Life Movers

Having played Hotshot Racing for countless hours so far, I decided to extrapolate one of its best aspects - its customization system - to The Game of Life (or specifically, its various video game adaptations) and applying it to its movers (which represent players' locations on the board) to give players more options to express their personalities and individualities further than they otherwise would. So here's a breakdown of what would be in store if such a feature were to be implemented.

Above, from top: Every car in Hotshot Racing can have up to 16 customization slots (not counting palettes, which simply change the foreground, background, and accent colors of the currently applied skin) - having such a wide range of options for these categories would make any video game adaptation of The Game of Life even more attractive to prospective players.

I would suggest carrying over the customization from Hotshot Racing wholesale into a Game of Life adaptation (in video game format) - the only things I would change are replacing the Steering Wheel and Dashboard slots with Interior Color and Interior Pattern slots (if the movers were to also have fully detailed interiors), along with allowing players to specify custom colors for their chosen exterior color palette should none of the presets be to their liking, and adding the option to save specific setups to their profiles for later use if they feel like using it again.

Obviously, for anyone playing a Game of Life video game to even be able to use these items in the first place, they could (and in my opinion, should) be forced to unlock them by buying them with points accumulated from completed games and/or completing specific tasks, as is the case in Hotshot Racing. This would incentivize completionism even further, and would help mitigate the problem of new players getting too carried away with their chosen mover's aesthetics. Players' avatars should also be given customization options as well (something that hasn't happened since Generation III was included in Family Game Night 3), with similar criteria for acquisition. With these features, you could make any future video game adaptation of the Hasbro Game of Life much more compelling by adding some much-needed replay value. For good measure, it could be possible to extend this feature to every version that is simulated in a future video game release, which will definitely come in handy in a compilation featuring at least one previous iteration of The Game of Life alongside the one currently in print.

In short, bringing back more options for avatar customization to any video game adaptation(s) of the Game of Life, in addition to expanding the list of mover customization options, would significantly broaden its appeal, not just to younger players, but also to older ones as well.

A Lifer's Diary, Part 17: Revenge over Lawsuits - Which One's Better?

A Lifer's Diary, Part 17: Revenge over Lawsuits - Which One's Better?

Within The Game of Life, the concept of collecting money directly from an opponent by landing on a certain space (as opposed to having an opponent land on a space of a specific type) is not new, having first debuted with the Revenge mechanic in Generation I. It worked by collecting your salary from an opponent when you landed on a Pay Day space, but was strangely absent from Generation II (except in its video game adaptation, and even then, only in Enhanced Mode, where it could not be used against anyone who retired at Countryside Acres), only to be reintroduced in Generation III via the Lawsuit mechanic. This time, you had to land on a blue Lawsuit space to sue an opponent; however, whoever you sued won't have to pay you anything at all if they give you an Exemption Card. 

In Generation IV, Lawsuits returned, but only as part of two specific Action Cards; instead, they linked the Long-Term Investment numbers to the various Career Cards, and reworked them so that the player  holding that particular card would collect cash whenever anyone (including themselves) spun its number. Finally, in Generation V, there are once again Lawsuit spaces, but there are fewer of them, although investments must once again be bought manually, and are therefore no longer tied to careers (except in the spin-off video game adaptation, The Game of Life 2, which uses a different rule set).

While I liked the Revenge mechanic from Generations I and II, the logic behind it was flawed; it was most effective if your salary was high enough (although this raised the problem of players with such high salaries getting too far ahead if they got really lucky). On the other hand, if your salary was too low, you wouldn't be able to hinder your opponents as much as you hoped you would (even if you landed on Pay Day spaces often enough). It was for this reason that the standard ruleset for Generation II lacked this feature; unsurprisingly, later generations also forewent Revenge in favor of other means of disrupting opponents' progress as stated above.

On the other hand, I found the Lawsuit system in Generation III to be far more balanced. With only 8 Lawsuit spaces on the entire board, you can now only earn up to $800,000 from Lawsuits (assuming all of them are successful, and you also take the Risky Path where the penultimate Lawsuit space is found), but you are guaranteed to collect $100,000 for every successful lawsuit. In later generations, they are less lucrative, and the fact that you can now actually gain more money from your opponents through you investment number complicates matters even further.

So while the idea of reintroducing Revenge (by collecting your salary directly from any opponent who has not yet retired at Countryside Acres) through landing exactly on a Pay Day space is tempting, it's not as good an idea as you'd think. However, the Lawsuit system was never better implemented than in its debut for Generation III, and I'd like to see Generation VI revert to those original Lawsuit rules, even though they were still quite good in Generations IV and V. In short, Lawsuits are more useful in the Game of Life compared to revenge because although you get fewer chances to use them, you'll get the same amount of money from them every time you do so.

A Lifer's Diary: Part 16: Reimagining Generation II for Car Nuts

A Lifer's Diary: Part 16: Reimagining Generation II for Car Nuts

After imagining what Generation III of the Game of Life would look like with a car-themed reskin, I've decided to do the same thing with Generation II, its immediate predecessor. Keep in mind that this particular generation debuted in 1991 and remained in print until 2006 - the longest print run since the 1960 original. However, this was the last generation to not only have separate decks for Career and Salary Cards, but also to have a unified Career Card deck, and it was also the only generation with a unified House card deck. An automotive-themed retheming would therefore only require one each of Segment and Garage Card decks (resulting from a renaming of the Career Card and House decks, respectively), instead of two.

Although taxes would still be called Service in this retheming, Salary Cards would have most likely had to be renamed to Engine Cards, as follows:

• 3-Cylinder (salary $20,000/service $5,000)
• 4-Cylinder (salary $30,000/service $10,000)
• Turbo 4-Cylinder (salary $40,000/service $15,000)
• 6-Cylinder/Rotary (salary $50,000/service $20,000)
• Turbo 6-Cylinder (salary $60,000/service $25,000)
• Small-Block V8 (salary $70,000/service $30,000)
• Big-Block V8 (salary $80,000/service $35,000)
• V10 (salary $90,000/service $40,000)
• V12 (salary $100,000/service $45,000)

Furthermore, the new names of the Segment Cards in Generation II would've been as follows, with the names of those requiring an Engineering School degree being italicized:

• Hatchback (replaces Salesperson)
• Sedan/Wagon (replaces Travel Agent/Computer Consultant)
• Van/Minivan (replaces Teacher)
• SUV/Truck (replaces Police Officer)
• Muscle/Pony (replaces Artist)
• Luxury Car (replaces Accountant)
• Sports Car (replaces Superstar/Entertainer)
• Supercar (replaces Athlete)
• Hypercar (replaces Doctor)

In addition, House Cards would now have had to be called Garage Cards, as follows:

• Small Garage (replaces Split-Level; cost $40,000/insurance $10,000/resale $60,000)
• Medium Garage (replaces Mobile Home; cost $60,000/insurance $15,000/resale $90,000)
• Small Dealer (replaces Log Cabin; cost $80,000/insurance $20,000/resale $120,000)
• Large Garage (replaces Cozy Condo; cost $100,000/insurance $25,000/resale $150,000)
• Main Dealer (replaces Dutch Colonial; cost $120,000/insurance $30,000/resale $180,000)
• Super Garage (replaces Beach House; cost $140,000/insurance $35,000/resale $210,000)
• Road Course (replaces Farmhouse; cost $160,000/insurance $40,000/resale $240,000) 
• Luxury Showroom (replaces Tudor; cost $180,000/insurance $45,000/resale $270,000)
• Superspeedway (replaces Victorian; cost $200,000/insurance $50,000/resale $300,000)

Moreover, Stock Cards would have been renamed to Part Cards, as follows:

• 1: Engine/Exhaust
• 2: Gearbox/Drivetrain
• 3: Suspension
• 4: Wheels/Tires
• 5: Forced Induction
• 6: Body/Chassis
• 7: Aerodynamics
• 8: Interior/Audio/Safety
• 9: Lights/Accessories

Other changes include renaming the Get Married, Lose Your Job/Mid-Life Crisis, Stock Market Boom, Stock Market Crash, and Baby/Twins spaces to "Hire Test Driver", "Change Manufacturers", "New Part Contract", "Part Supplier Closes", and "Get A Fan/Get 2 Fans", respectively. Furthermore, all other spaces would have to be renamed in accordance with the automotive-themed reskin.

As in Generation III, Life Tiles would retain their default values and names, but with different descriptions to match the new theme. The two retirement options, Countryside Acres and Millionaire Estates, would now be called Private Garage and Motor Museum, respectively, but they would still have the same effect as before. Pay Raises (which were introduced in Generation III) would've been called Tune-Ups here, had they been featured - but they weren't in Generation II, which makes that issue moot. Finally, the movers would have had a different, sleeker, more sports car-like shape instead of the more angular minivan/SUV-like forms found in the original game.

In short, had a Car Crazy Edition (my suggestion for the new theme's name) of Generation II of The Game of Life been made, it could have convinced Hasbro to do the same for Generation III - which is something I've already discussed. And had that one also been greenlit and gone on to become a commercial success, they could have done the same thing for at least the next Generation or two. Those, however, should be stories for another time.

A Lifer's Diary, Part 15: A Car-Themed Reskin of Generation III?

A Lifer's Diary, Part 15: A Car-Themed Reskin of Generation III?

After discovering that Generations II and III of The Game of Life were also available in at least one reskinned version each (including a Rock Star Edition), I immediately started thinking about what a car-themed special edition of Generation III could (and would) have looked like. Since the other reskinned versions replaced the text on all spaces to match the theme, this hypothetical version would've received the same treatment. For example, the Lose Your Job spaces could be renamed to "Join New Manufacturer", while the Get Married space would be renamed "Hire Test Driver". Moreover, as with the Rock Star Edition, the Baby spaces (including the Twins spaces) should be renamed to "Gain a Fan (or Gain 2 Fans)" spaces. On top of that, the Taxes Due spaces should now be referred to as "Service Due" spaces, even though their purpose would remain unchanged; Pay Raises, meanwhile, would now be called "Tune-Ups" instead. Finally, the salaries for each career could be renamed Engines, with each Segment having a specific engine configuration corresponding to a real-life car from the era.

The biggest change would be to the Career and College Career Cards; whereas the Rock Star Edition, for example, had all cards from both decks renamed after band positions (and even referred to the latter deck as "Institute of Music Career" cards), this time, the Career Cards would have to be called Segment Cards (in reference to various automotive market segments), and separated into two decks (normal Segment Cards and Premium Segment Cards). It is highly likely that the normal Segment Cards would've been as follows:

• Subcompact (1.6L 16v DOHC I4 Turbo Engine - salary range equivalent $20,000 to $50,000; service cost $5,000; replaces Salesperson)
• Compact (2.0L 16v DOHC I4 Turbo Engine - salary range equivalent $30,000 to $60,000; service cost $10,000; replaces Mechanic)
• Midsize Sedan/Wagon (3.0L 24v DOHC V6 Engine - salary range equivalent $30,000 to $60,000; service cost $10,000; replaces Hair Stylist)
• SUV/Truck/Van (3.8L 12v OHV V6 Engine - salary range equivalent $40,000 to $70,000; service cost $15,000; replaces Police Officer)
• Muscle/Pony (7.0L 16v OHV V8 Engine - salary range equivalent $50,000 and up; service cost $20,000; replaces Entertainer)
• Sports Car (3.6L 24v DOHC F6 Engine - salary range equivalent $60,000 and up; service cost $25,000; replaces Athlete)

In addition, the Premium Segment Cards (which you could also start off with, but only if you began the game by choosing the Racing School option, which is equivalent to Start College in the vanilla game) would also have been renamed as follows:

• Premium SUV/Truck/Van (6.0L 16v OHV V8 Engine - salary range equivalent $40,000 to $70,000; service cost $15,000; replaces Teacher)
• Premium Sedan/Wagon (3.0L 24v DOHC I6 Turbo Engine - salary range equivalent $50,000 to $80,000; service cost $20,000; replaces Computer Designer)
• Sports/Luxury Sedan (6.8L 16v OHV V8 Turbo Engine - salary range equivalent $70,000 to $110,000; service cost $30,000; replaces Accountant)
• Luxury Coupe/Convertible (6.0L 48v DOHC V12 Engine -  salary range equivalent $80,000 to $120,000; service cost $35,000; replaces Veterinarian)
• Supercar (4.3L 32v DOHC V8 Engine - salary range equivalent $90,000 and up; service cost $40,000; replaces Lawyer)
• Hypercar (6.5L 48v DOHC V12 Engine - salary range equivalent $100,000 and up; service cost $45,000; replaces Doctor)

As in the vanilla version of Generation III of the Game of Life, the SUV/Truck/Van would still retain the ability to collect $5,000 from any opponent that spins a 10, although I have proposed a house rule that removes this specific ability altogether.

Also, unlike in the vanilla edition of Generation III, the movers for each player would most likely have had a sleeker and more diverse look, with some of them being more akin to a sports car or supercar (or even a hypercar) than a sedan, SUV or minivan (as has been the case with all the vanilla sets to date). More to the point, instead of being visually identical apart from their exterior colors, they could even have different designs each: one or two with American design influences, another with an Asian-inspired design, and the rest having European-style aesthetics, for example.

To reinforce the retheming even further, the Starter Home and House Cards would've also been renamed as Starter Garage and Super Garage Cards, respectively. One suggestion for the Starter Garage Cards would therefore be as follows:

• Small 1-Car Garage (buy for $80,000; sell for $80,000; replaces Mobile Home)
• Medium Detached Garage (buy for $100,000; sell for $105,000; replaces Condo)
• 2-Car Detached Garage (buy for $120,000; sell for $140,000; replaces Log Cabin)
• 3-Car Garage (buy for $140,000; sell for $160,000; replaces Ranch Style)
• Small Independent Dealer (buy for $160,000; sell for $180,000; replaces Small Cape)
• 5-Car Deluxe Garage (buy for $180,000; sell for $200,000; replaces Tudor Style)

The Super Garage Cards, meanwhile, would most likely be named as follows:

• 6-Car Workshop (buy/sell for $300,000; replaces Double Wide + RV)
• 10-Car Deluxe Workshop (buy/sell for $400,000; replaces Executive Cape)
• Main Dealer Outlet (buy/sell for $500,000; replaces Modern Victorian)
• Private Club Circuit (buy/sell for $600,000; replaces Luxury Mountain Retreat)
• Luxury Super Dealer (buy/sell for $700,000; replaces Penthouse Suite)
• Grand Prix Circuit (buy/sell for $800,000; replaces Mansion)

As with the Rock Star Edition, the Long-Term Investment Cards would be renamed - this time to Part Cards, with each one being car-themed (with names reflecting a specific set of car parts), and one suggestion for these new names would be as follows:

• 1: Engine & Exhaust
• 2: Gearbox & Drivetrain
• 3: Forced Induction & Nitrous
• 4: Suspension, Wheels & Tires
• 5: Aerodynamics
• 6: Brakes
• 7: Body, Chassis & Paint
• 8: Interior, Safety, & Audio
• 9: Lights & Accessories

Finally, the Countryside Acres and Millionaire Estates retirement options in the vanilla game would have had to be renamed to "Private Collector's Garage" and "Mega Motor Museum", respectively, although they would have retained the same sets of pros and cons as before.

These are just some of the changes that would have been made to a car-themed Generation III Game of Life set - there are many others besides the ones listed here (including having gray normal spaces with yellow text resembling roads, instead of yellow ones with black text, in a manner similar to the Rock Star Edition, and with text on all spaces changed accordingly to reflect the automotive retheming) that could also be suggested - but the resulting reskin, had it been made, would have made the Game of Life even more attractive to car enthusiasts everywhere, by making it evoke the drive of a lifetime, and the memories it brings. 

Who knows, it may have aged even better than the vanilla, 50th Anniversary, or Rock Star editions of Generation III sets, and if I had been able to choose between either this or an Automania board game set (which is a different kind of game entirely), I'd choose the former every time - unless I could afford both. It may have been possible for Generations II, IV, and V to receive similar treatment via retheming - but discussion of those will have to wait for another post, mainly because of how different their rulesets are compared to Generation III.

Update (September 13 2025, 1:50am, UTC+7): Added appropriate Engines (size, configuration, and valvetrain) for all Segment Cards (in Regular and Premium decks) as salary range equivalents.

A Lifer's Diary, Part 14: Another Semi-Enhanced Game?

A Lifer's Diary, Part 14: Another Semi-Enhanced Game?

Having come up with a suggestion for a "semi-enhanced" rule set for my Spinner Wheel set based on Generation II of the Game of Life, I  now feel confident enough to do the same for Generation III. Here's how I'd do it.

General

The rule set will be based on the original "Classic" version, but it will also incorporate some aspects from the Enhanced Play option available in the 2008 video game adaptation. Further details are provided below.

Share the Wealth and Special Effect Cards

These will be retained as-is; however, in addition to receiving a Share The Wealth Card when landing on a Share the Wealth space, players must also draw a Special Effect Card that takes effect immediately. They will be simulated by a single spin of the movement wheel (1-10) as follows:

• 1: Lose the Debt - Decrease your debt by $25,000.
• 2: Give the Debt - Increase any opponent's debt (including interest) by $25,000.
• 3: Shared Memories - Take a Life Tile from any opponent, if possible.
• 4: Job Exchange - You may trade your current Career Card (regardless of its type) with any opponent, if possible; however, if you choose to trade Careers with another player, both players must lose all of their previously accumulated Pay Raises and return them to the bank.
• 5: House Exchange - You may trade your Starter Home/House with an opponent, if possible.
• 6: Free Pay Raise - Take a Pay Raise from an opponent, if possible.
• 7: Lucky Spin x2 - Starts a Spin to Win in which you may select two numbers, but all other players may only choose one each, regardless of whether or not they currently have any Spin to Win Share the Wealth Cards of any types.
• 8: Lucky Spin x4 - As above, but you may choose from four numbers instead of two.
• 9: Half Salary Bonus - Receive 50% of your current salary from the bank.
• 10: Spin Again - Self explanatory. Spin again until a number less than 10 is spun.

Some of these options were not present in the video game adaptation, but I added them anyway to spice things up further.

Wedding Gifts

I could use either leave it unchanged from the Classic Mode ruleset, or use the Generation II Enhanced Game rules regarding wedding gift amounts, which are as follows depending on the number spun:

• 1-2: $0
• 3-4: $5,000
• 5-6: $10,000
• 7-8: $15,000
• 9-10: $20,000

Baby Gifts

These would remain unchanged from the Classic Mode ruleset for Generation III, with one exception: any player who adds twins to their family would receive $10,000 from every other player, instead of the usual $5,000.

College Career Choice

Unlike in the video game, this aspect will not be randomized; instead, I will use the Classic Mode rules for College Career Choice, both for the start of a game (for players who chose to go to college at the start) and when changing careers after returning to school.

Special Abilities

Although I have already mentioned these in an earlier post in this series, I'll explain them again, just to remind ourselves of how they would work:

• Salesperson: Receive 25% of the price of any Starter Home or House purchased by another player.
• Mechanic: Receive $10,000 whenever you overtake (or are overtaken by) another player. If one of your opponents overtakes another, collect $10,000 each from both of them.
• Hair Stylist: Whenever an opponent adds a child, spin to determine the baby gift you receive from them. The amount earned is the same as for wedding gifts in the Classic Mode rule set ($0 for 4 or below, $5,000 for 5 through 7, and $10,000 for 8 and above).
• Police Officer: Collect $5,000 from any opponent who spins a 10.
• Entertainer: Receive a Pay Raise when two identical numbers greater than 7 (i.e., 8, 9, or 10) are spun on consecutive turns.
• Athlete: Receive two Pay Raises (instead of one) when passing over or landing on a Pay Raise space. In addition, retaining this Career after returning to school will earn three Pay Raises instead of two.
• Teacher: Does not have to pay for children's tuition fees (i.e., any Pay space in which the payment's size is solely dependent on the number of children belonging to the player who landed on it), or for returning to school.
• Computer Designer: Allows the player to select one additional number during Spin to Win (except during the Lucky Spin special effect).
• Accountant: Cannot pay taxes or receive a tax refund, but will collect $10,000 from the bank when any opponent pays taxes.
• Veterinarian: Receive a Life Tile when landing or passing a Pay Raise space, taking from an opponent if necessary (unless, for whatever reason, there are no other players to take Life Tiles from).
• Lawyer: Gains $50,000 more and loses $50,000 less from Lawsuits. In addition, if one opponent successfully sues another, that player must also pay the Lawyer $10,000.
• Doctor: Exempt from any and all medical expenses. Note that this only takes effect if a Doctor lands on any one of several spaces on the board, and any opponent who lands on any of these spaces must pay the Doctor instead of the bank (unless no player has that Career Card).

Starter Home and House Values

All Starter Homes and Houses must now have a resale value 25% greater than their original purchase price; however, they will no longer be chosen at random when someone purchases them.

Lawsuits

With the exception of the Lawyer's special ability mentioned above, Lawsuits will remain unchanged from the Classic Mode ruleset.

Career Choices

These will remain completely unchanged from the Classic Mode ruleset, right down to the ability to retain your current Career Card if none are available, at the expense of having to return all of your Pay Raises (if you still have any) to the bank.

Spin to Win

This will generally follow the rules used in Classic Mode, with the only changes being those that I have mentioned above.

Pay Raises

Again, this mechanic will be almost identical to what it was in Classic Mode (except for the Athlete's special ability), for simplicity's sake. However, there will now be provision for an additional rule in which any player who lands exactly on a Pay Day space (as opposed to simply passing over it) will receive an additional Pay Raise. This bonus may also stack with the Athlete's special ability, if it is implemented.

Conclusion

Among the changes I would make to the Generation III Game of Life ruleset, the ones listed above are the most significant. I could implement additional rules if I wanted to, but for now, this is as much meddling that I could get away with before it starts to become too unwieldy for my Generation III Spinner Wheel set.

A Lifer's Diary, Part 13: A Semi-Enhanced Game?

 A Lifer's Diary, Part 13: A Semi-Enhanced Game?

Having played the 1998 Game of Life video game adaptation (based on Generation II) countless times in both Classic and Enhanced formats, I have been thinking of ways to adapt the latter to accommodate the limitations of the Spinner Wheel set I have used for simulating a Generation II Game of Life. Here's how I could do it.

Revenge

This would remain unchanged from the video game. If you land exactly on (as opposed to passing over) a Pay Day space, you must take your salary from any player who has not retired at Countryside Acres. However, if all other players have retired there, you must instead take your salary from the bank.

Wedding and Baby Gifts

Whereas in the video game, you will receive $1,000 multiplied by the number spun from every other player, I'd propose this system instead:

• 1 or 2: $0
• 3 or 4: $5,000
• 5 or 6: $10,000
• 7 or 8: $15,000
• 9 or 10: $20,000

This will further incentivize spinning higher numbers when attempting to earn wedding and baby gifts. Of course, if you added twins to your family, you'd have to spin twice (once per child) instead of just once.

House Purchase and Resale Prices

These would remain mostly unchanged, but a player who spins a 1 when purchasing a house (i.e. an Inheritance) would receive the same amount of money as they would pay for it under the Classic rule set once the game has ended. The cost of insurance would remain unchanged, however. Therefore, a House Inheritance is more profitable in the long run than buying the house at 50$, 100%, or 150% of its default value, depending on the number spun immediately after a house has been chosen for purchase.

Life's Little Games

It would be impossible to implement these with the Spinner Wheel's current configuration; instead, I will revert to using the Classic rule set's Life Tile system. This would make it impossible to get Revenge on another player by any means other than landing on a Pay Day space (see above), but I can accept that.

Retirement Gifts

As with the Revenge system, this would also remain unchanged from the video game.

Extra Players

This could apply to both the Classic and Enhanced rule sets, but I may increase the player limit to 8 if I feel like it. It would, however, lengthen the game (in addition to potentially causing a Career Card shortage), so I don't have to implement this rule.

Conclusion

These are some of the changes I'd have to make to ensure that a (semi-)Enhanced Game could be workable with my Generation II Game of Life Spinner Wheel set. In the next post, I'll discuss what it would take to do the same with the Generation III set.

A Lifer's Diary, Part 12: Setting Up the Next Simulated Game?

A Lifer's Diary, Part 12: Setting Up the Next Simulated Game?

After revisiting Spinner Wheels following several months of inactivity, I have realized that all my Spinner Wheel sets are in the exact same state as when I last visited them, i. e. no options or wheels have been added or removed. However, with the last simulated game being based on the standard Generation III rule set, I am thinking of using a different rule set instead of retaining it for the next game. Obviously, I can't switch to Generations, I, IV, or V, since I haven't made any spinner wheels to simulate them yet. That leaves Generation II as the only option if I want to change rule sets for my next simulated game, although I don't have to do so if I don't want to.

With that in mind, I have another choice to make as well. It could be that this simulated game could be the one in which I implement an Enhanced rule set. This would mean introducing special abilities for all Careers, regardless of type (in Generation III), or adopting some of the rules in the 1998 video game adaptation (in Generation II). In the latter case, I could even increase the player count to 8 instead of, or in addition to, using the "semi-enhanced" ruleset. Whatever rule set I end up choosing, however, I am sure the resulting game will be a one to remember - I will need some time to come up with a suitable choice, but I promise you it will be worth my while if I go through with it.

New Year's Resolutions for 2024: The Road Ahead

New Year's Resolutions for 2024: The Road Ahead

Happy New Year everyone! It's only the second day (or third day, depending on where you live) of 366 in 2024, this being a leap year and all, but already I am coming up with a list of New Year's resolutions as a Steam gamer (among others). The most important ones are as follows:

• Be more creative as an Automationeer  - whether it's by finding new, imaginative ways to manipulate exterior fixtures in-game, or by unlocking new secrets of engine design and/or trim configurations, I am finally ready to explore all the possibilities brought on by the public release version of the Ellisbury update for Automation (4.3), in which cars made in sandbox and campaign can now be more realistic and diverse than ever before.
• Dive deeper into the Infinite Space Trilogy - Even though it's been almost a decade since I started playing Sea of Stars (the third game in the series), and nearly two decades since I started playing the first game, there's still much to discover in this underrated yet entertaining series of sci-fi roguelikes. In particular, I will be exploring the similarities and differences between it and BattleTech, since both of them have a sci-fi setting (although BattleTech is about combined arms, in contrast to Infinite Space being focused solely on space combat between fleets of starships and the occasional space station).
• Uncover more secrets about the Game of Life - Even though Hasbro has been making the Game of Life for over six decades, there are still some aspects of it that I have not yet covered here. Among them are a detailed guide to Generation V (the current version) - it's at or near the top of my to-do list for 2024.
• Do something crazy (and potentially difficult) in a game I acquired last year as part of a free giveaway - Last year, I downloaded a game for free legitimately as part of a free offer. In the months since, I have enjoyed playing it every single time - so what is it exactly? The answer will be revealed soon.

Do you have any New Year's resolutions of your own? Whatever they are, I hope you manage to keep them by New Year's Day 2025. See you soon!

A Lifer's Diary, Part 11: An Eight-Player Game?!

A Lifer's Diary, Part 11: An Eight-Player Game?!

Although most versions of The Game of Life support either four or six players per game (the former applying only to Generations IV and V, and the latter applying to all prior versions), some Generation I sets have enough movers for an eight-player game. This led me to ask: Could any other Generations of the Game of Life support that many players at a time? For Generation III, the answer would most definitely be no - it has simply too few Career Cards of either type, nor are there enough Starter Home, House, and Share the Wealth Cards either.. This is not the case from Generation IV onwards, although you'd need two sets (and one board for either of them) to do this. That leaves Generation II, but there are some caveats, which I'll explain below.

For an eight-player game to be possible in Generation II, some concessions would be required; given that only six (or seven in Generation 2.5) Career Cards in this version are selectable without a degree. Thus, at least two players would have to go to college at the start of the game to accommodate this limitation. Even then, if no compatible Career Cards were available, a player who landed on a Lose Your Job space would have to retain their current career out of necessity, although they would still have to choose a new salary as usual.

Moving to an eight-player format would also have other ramifications as well. For one, with that many players present, the draw pile of 21 Life Tiles would be emptied much sooner. Moreover, the combined amount of money earned by all players would be much higher than it would be in a six-player game, making it far more likely that the bank would run out of money, forcing the banker to write down additional notes in various denominations as necessary. In addition to this, every House would eventually be bought except for one, whereas in a six-player game, . Finally, the chance of all nine Stock Cards being taken would be increased even further, thus increasing the possibility of a player unable to earn a Stock Card without taking one from another player (and even then, only through a house rule allowing it).

Last but not least, having eight (or even seven) players instead of six or fewer would greatly prolong the game - I would expect such a game to take at least three hours on average to finish, what with each round of turns being much longer as a result. Given that in Generation II, a game with six players could take that much time to successfully complete, this would be the biggest obstacle (apart from a lack of supplies) to expanding the Game of Life to eight players. In fact, with Generation II sets only having six movers each, you'd need to borrow two movers from a second set to make an eight-player game possible.

So it's probably for the best that no version of the Game of Life has ever supported more than six players. Increasing the player count would not only add expense and complexity for its manufacturer,  but would also run counter to the current trend for shorter, more intimate games involving fewer players. Instead, the current four-player format should be improved even further - which is especially important given that Generation V feels like a step up from Generation IV, according to most players and fans (including myself). These changes have made reversion to a six- or eight- player format unnecessary. So if you're still struggling to accept the fact that the Game Of Life now only has room for four players per set, stop complaining and enjoy the game!

That concludes my last post of 2023 - I'll see you in 2024. Until then, I'll wish all of you a Happy New Year!

A Lifer's Diary, Part 10: Six into Four Won't Go... Or Does It?

A Lifer's Diary, Part 10: Six into Four Won't Go... Or Does It?

When the Game of Life went from being a six-player game to a four-player one for Generation IV, not everyone approved of the change. While this made sets cheaper, simpler, and quicker to produce, it also removed the possibility of playing the game as a larger group (5 people or more). To this day, I am still conflicted about Hasbro's decision to make it this way. So let's take a look at how this situation came to be.

As originally designed, Milton Bradley's Checkered Game of Life (the predecessor to the modern Game of Life) originally supported four players. This seems perfectly adequate given that the rule set was drastically different from those used in its successors. However, when Generation I of the Game of Life debuted, it became a six-player game for the first time ever, to emphasize the fact that this was now a true family game. In particular, large families and groups of friends found this change to be especially popular.

When Generation II debuted in the early 1990s, six-player support was retained, because the new rule set was equally conducive to large-scale games (i.e. those with at least four players), if not more so. This was still true after Generation 2.5 rolled around a decade or so later. However, Generation III was the last version of the Game of Life ever to honor this tradition, and in retrospect, it's easy to see why. 

Under the new rule set, Spin to Win was effectively treated as an extension of a turn, wherein players could choose whether or not to wager any of their cash (and if so, decide exactly how much they would bet) on the number to be spun, and this process took some time. In particular, when four or more players participated, this could potentially make Spin to Win take longer than anticipated. Moreover, players who retired still had to spin for Long-Term Investments until every player had retired. All this meant that the six-player setup present since Generation I had to be abandoned after Generation III.

Generations IV and V reverted to a four-player setup, as the original 1860 Checkered Game Of Life had used. Despite a mixed reaction from fans and players alike, the game still sold well, mainly because games now tended to be shorter than before. One of the reasons for this is that players are no longer required to spin at all after retiring. In addition, the College Path at the start of the game is even shorter than it had been in previous versions, thus allowing players to graduate sooner.

In short, turning the Game of Life from a six-player game to a four-player one from Generation IV onward may have been one of the most controversial changes in its history, but one that players have generally embraced. Even I am no longer as skeptical of this decision, and have accepted that this reduced limit is here to stay for at least the current version, and possibly beyond.

A Lifer's Diary, Part 9: Blue Space Blues

A Lifer's Diary, Part 9: Blue Space Blues

Blue Spaces were introduced in Generation I and have been present through much of the history of the Game of Life. Their function has always been to provide any player to perform an optional action upon landing on them, with their exact purpose(s) differing between versions. Originally, in Generation 1, you could purchase stocks or insurance when passing or landing on blue spaces, or choose not to do so. However, it was generally advisable to buy a stock, since they were essential for Playing the Market (highly recommended due to there being a 40% chance of winning, and the $50,000 payout for doing so much higher than the price of a Stock Card) or collecting payouts (including some of large ones) from certain spaces. Finally, insurance policies purchased from Blue Spaces can be lost upon landing on certain spaces; the exact type depends on the space landed on.

Blue Spaces were reworked for Generation II, and there were now two different types. The first of these was the Salary Trade space (of which there were six, and two of those were on optional paths), which allowed players to trade their Salary Cards with one currently in another player's possession, and the last of these was the Night School space, which gave players the ability to voluntarily replace their current Career and Salary Cards with one each of any unused type of card for a small, fixed fee. However, unlike in Generation I, players could only perform these operations upon landing exactly on the corresponding type of Blue Space, and never when passing over them.

In Generation II, any (and every) Blue Space that wasn't a Night School Space had text that read "Trade Salary Card with any player" on it. Any player who landed on a Blue Space of this particular type could give their Salary Card to another player of their choice, and that player would give that player their current Salary Card in return. Such a trade could potentially change the outcome of a game, especially if the two players' salaries differed by $50,000 or more. However, given that the player with the highest-paying salary was the one most likely to have their salary traded away, it was often better to have the second most lucrative salary among all players, so that opponents will cannibalize each other's chances of winning just to have the largest salary.

Night School spaces (of which there were only two in Generation II) have a similar function to Lose Your Job spaces, but with a few key differences. Upon landing on them, a player may pay the bank (or, if there is one, the opponent with the Teacher Career Card) $20,000 to change careers and/or salaries. They must then draw two random Career Cards (either or both of which may require a degree), and then take either or neither of those cards (but not both), before doing the same with the Salary Cards, and returning any unwanted cards to their respective decks. Changing salaries via Night School is generally recommended if your current salary is too low and at least one higher-paying salary is available. It's also a great way to replace your current Career Card with a more lucrative one, if possible. In fact, most players use the Night School space to do both at once whenever they can.

For Generation III, Night School would be discarded, although the Return to School space serves a similar function; however, upon reaching this space, you needed to pay $50,000 to even be able to change careers (which also puts you on an alternate path), although if you made the payment, you had two options upon reaching the Change Career/Get $20,000 Pay Raise space: choose two College Career Cards (except when only one such card is available, in which case you will automatically receive that card in place of your current Career Card), or retain your current Career Card and receive two $10,000 Pay Raises (this option will be chosen automatically if no other College Career Cards are available). In either case, after reaching the Change Career space, you must spin again.

In fact, there was only one type of Blue Space in Generation III: the Lawsuit Space. Anyone who landed on it could take $100,000 from any opponent of their choice. However, if the player being sued has at least one Exemption Card, that player pays nothing, and must instead return the Exemption Card they just used to the Share the Wealth Card deck. There are seven Lawsuit Spaces on the board, so in theory, a player could gain (or lose) up to $700,000 from these spaces. Even so, a single successful Lawsuit may be enough to significantly affect the outcome of a game.

Generation IV was the first version not to have any Blue Spaces at all, but this is justifiable given that two of the Action Cards that could be randomly drawn served the same purpose as the Lawsuit did in Generation III. However, these Lawsuit Cards (as players often called them) were considered less effective, since there were only a few of these cards in the Action Card deck, and the maximum amount of money that could be gained from drawing a Lawsuit Card was not only reduced, but also variable (from as little as $20,000 to as much $80,000). On the other hand, if a player drew a Lawsuit Card, there was no defense against it, due to Share the Wealth Cards also being removed from this version.

Generation V has many different types of Option Spaces, but they no longer have exclusively blue backgrounds, although their purpose is still to provide anyone who lands on them an opportunity to make a choice that could change the course of their Life. Nevertheless, throughout the history of the Game of Life, Option Spaces have provided players with countless memorable moments, and continue to do so to this day.

A Lifer's Diary, Part 8: The Agony of Lost Jobs and Skipped Turns

A Lifer's Diary, Part 8: The Agony of Lost Jobs and Skipped Turns

Of all the types of spaces that have been featured in The Game of Life, few are more feared than the Lose Your Job space. Introduced in Generation II, there were originally only two of these spaces on the board, but their effect was the same: anyone who landed on them had to swap their current Career and Salary cards for unused ones. If their new salary paid less than their previous one, that player would find it harder to amass a sizable fortune by the end of the game, especially if they also ended up with a less lucrative Career Card. However, if they received a higher-paying salary compared to the one they once had, their chance of winning would increase, especially if their new career was also more lucrative than the one they lost. In fact, if the difference in value between the old and new salaries was greater than $50,000, it could significantly alter the result of a game. Moreover, the first of these two Lose Your Job spaces (located two spaces after the Buy a House space) had a greater effect on players' net worth if landed on due to being closer to the starting space.

The only problem with this was that in a six-player game, if everyone chose the Start Career option at the beginning, and one of them landed on a Lose Your Job space, the game would lock up due to there only being six Career Cards (out of nine) that did not require a degree. To get around this, a house rule was created in which the Teacher Career Card no longer required a degree at all - this became an official rule change for Generation 2.5.

Less detrimental, but no less annoying, were the "Skip Next Turn" spaces located before the Get Married space. Anyone who landed on these spaces would be forced to skip their next turn. Generation II originally had four such spaces (including two on the Start College path, located before the Career Choice space, and one immediately before the Get Married space), but two of these spaces were changed to Pay Spaces in Generation 2.5 (although you could only lose money by landing on these revised spaces if you did not have Car Insurance). Apart from forcing you to skip your next turn, however, there are no penalties that can result from landing on these spaces.

Lose Your Job and Skip Next Turn spaces were carried over for Generation III, but this time, there would be only one of the latter type of space. More significantly, however, there were now four Lose Your Job spaces instead of two, and the penalty for landing on one of those was far more severe: regardless of the type of Career Card they currently had, any player who landed on such a space must take a random regular Career Card (not a College Career Card) from the deck, and return all of their Pay Raises to the bank. As with Generation II, this was especially devastating if their previous career (with Pay Raises) paid out $50,000 more than their new one. Worse still, if they lost a College Career after passing the Return to School space (or lost it before reaching said space, only to not pay $50,000 to return to school), they would never be able to obtain one again.

However, as in Generation II, there was another problem with the implementation of Lose Your Job spaces: If a player reaches such a space during a six-player game, and all six players have regular Career Cards, the game will lock up due to there only being six regular Career Cards in total. Once again, a workaround was devised: under such circumstances, they would retain their current Career Card, but they would still have to return their Pay Raises.

These types of spaces would be removed altogether from Generation IV onwards, and for good reason: few people liked them (or even the idea of landing on them, for that matter). However, Generation IV did have two Action Cards which, if drawn, would force the player who drew them to replace their current Career Card with an unused one from the same deck (i.e. they could not swap a regular Career Card for a College Career Card, and vice versa). At least these two cards are worth the same $100,000 each as any other Action Card by the end of the game. Finally, Generation V no longer forces the player to change careers; instead, all career changes are done voluntarily, but only when a player lands on a Career Space.

In short, adding spaces that could force players to skip their next turn or swap their careers and salaries for new ones added unpredictability to Generations II and III, which seemed like a good idea on paper, but was generally disliked among players (especially on the very rare occasions where they could break the game), and few people were sad to see them go when these types of spaces were dropped in Generation IV.

A Lifer's Diary, Part 7: Simulated Game #2

A Lifer's Diary, Part 7: Simulated Game #2

I am once again about to simulate another Game of Life with my custom set of spinner, this time using the Generation III rule set. For this game, there will once again be six players: Bob, Eddie, John, Mary, Rachel, and Sarah. Also, the tie-breaker rule I introduced earlier in this series is in effect for the first time, and I will also take snips for every significant action in this simulated game. As usual, all players will start with $10,000 and 3 randomly selected Share the Wealth Cards.

The inventories of each player at the start of each round will be displayed in a table using the following format:
 

Name	Cash On Hand ($)	Career/Salary ($)	Life Tiles	STW Cards	Property (value in $)	Children	Debt ($)	LTI Number
Bob	10k	None	0	3	None	0	0	None
John	10k	None	0	3	None	0	0	None
Rachel	10k	None	0	3	None	0	0	None
Sarah	10k	None	0	3	None	0	0	None
Mary	10k	None	0	3	None	0	0	None
Eddie	10k	None	0	3	None	0	0	None

Table 1. The inventories of each player at the start of this simulated Game of Life using the Generation III rule set.

As usual, the formula for a player's net worth at any given moment during the game is as follows: (Cash on Hand + ($10,000 x # of children) + Property Resale Value) - (($20,000 loan value x # of unpaid loans) + ($5,000 interest x # of unpaid loans)

The players will now spin to see who goes first. Below is a summary of the results:

Name	Number Spun
Bob	6
John	7
Rachel	3
Sarah	2
Mary	10
Eddie	3

Table 2. The numbers spun by each player at the start of this simulated game. Mary goes first, and play will then continue from top to bottom; therefore, after Mary's turn, Eddie's turn comes next, followed by those of Bob, John, Rachel, and finally Sarah to complete a full round of turns.

First up is Bob, who spins a 6.

Next is John. He spins a 7, and is currently going to spin first - for now.

Rachel then spins a 3, which means she is currently last in the starting order.

Sarah now spins a 2, so she will be the last one to take her turn each round.

Mary then spins a 10, making her the first player to take a turn during each round...

… because Eddie spun a 3. However, since play continues from the top down (to simulate the tabletop's clockwise order) from the player who spun the highest number, he will be the second player to spin during each turn. Next is Bob, then John, followed by Rachel, and finally Sarah, before looping back to Mary at the start of the next turn.

In this game, Mary chose the green mover to represent herself, while John picked the yellow mover. Bob went for the red mover, Rachel opted for the purple one, and Sarah took the blue one, leaving Eddie with the orange mover. Each player will now be given 3 Share the Wealth (STW) cards, and in addition to this, they have the option of buying exactly one Long-Term Investment (LTI) on any one number from 1 through 9 for $10,000 before they retire.

Mary will start with a Collect Card, a Pay Card, and a Spin to Win x2 card.

Eddie's initial inventory includes 2 Pay Cards and a Collect Card.

Bob starts off with an Exemption Card, a Collect Card, and a Spin to Win x4 card.

John begins the game with 2 Spin to Win x4 cards and a Spin to Win x2 card.

Rachel starts out with 2 Spin to Win x2 cards and a Spin to Win x4 card.

Last but not least, Sarah chooses a Collect Card, a Pay Card, and an Exemption Card.

Now that every player has confirmed their starting order and drawn three Share the Wealth Cards each, the game can finally begin.

A key for the various types of Share the Wealth Cards is provided below.

Type	Abbreviation
Pay	P
Collect	C
Spin to Win x2	S2
Spin to Win x4	S4
Exemption	E

Round 1

The players' inventories at the start of this round of turns are as follows:

Name	Cash On Hand ($)	Career/Salary ($)	Life Tiles	STW Cards	Property (value in $)	Children	Debt ($)	LTI Number
Bob	10k	None	0	3 (1E, 1C, 1S4)	None	0	0	None
John	10k	None	0	3 (1S2, 2S4)	None	0	0	None
Rachel	10k	None	0	3 (2S2, 1S4)	None	0	0	None
Sarah	10k	None	0	3 (1C, 1P, 1E)	None	0	0	None
Mary	10k	None	0	3 (1C, 1S2, 1P)	None	0	0	None
Eddie	10k	None	0	3 (2P, 1C)	None	0	0	None

Turn 1 (Mary)

Mary goes first. At the start of her turn, she chooses a career. She then draws a regular Career Card, and receives the Athlete, which has a starting salary of $60k. 

Above and below: Mary's choices at the start of this simulated game.

She immediately purchases a Long-Term Investment on number 7 for $10,000; this leaves her with $0.

Mary spun a 2 on her first turn.

She spins a 2, passing the first Pay Day space in the process, and lands on the space immediately after it, which reads: "Rent apartment. Pay $5,000." She immediately chooses to use her Pay Card on Bob, who immediately counters by using his Exemption Card. Both players are left with 2 STW Cards each; Mary ends her turn with $55,000.

Turn 2 (Eddie)

Eddie goes to college and immediately incurs $125,000 in debt, due to having to borrow $100,000 for payment of tuition fees. 

Eddie chose to go to college at the start of the game.

He buys a Long-Term Investment on number 1, thus leaving him with $0. He then spins a 1, receiving $5,000 from his Long-Term Investment, and lands on the space that reads: "Scholarship! Collect $20,000." Mary immediately uses a Collect Card on him; both players receive $10,000 each. Mary and Eddie end this turn with $65,000 and $15,000, respectively, with the former now having only one STW card left.

Eddie spun a 1 on his first turn.

Turn 3 (Bob)

Bob (who had used an Exemption card on Mary's first turn) is next. He chooses a career. Much to his relief, he draws the Entertainer, which starts off with a $50,000 salary. Right before his first spin, he buys a Long-Term Investment on number 9.

Above and below: Bob's choices at the start of the game.

By spinning a 10 on his very first turn, he passes two Pay Day spaces, receiving $50,000 from each one. He then lands on the space that reads "Volunteer at Soup Kitchen. LIFE", and earns a Life Tile for his troubles.

Bob spun a 10 on his first turn - the first player in this game to do so.

Bob ends his turn with $100,000, which puts him in the lead for now.

Turn 4 (John)

John goes to college, borrowing $100,000 for tuition fees as he does so. This leaves him $125,000 in debt.

John has gone to college.

At the start of his first turn, he purchases a Long-Term Investment on number 2. He then spins a 2, earning $5,000 from his newly purchased investment, only to land on a space that reads "Buy books and supplies. Pay $5,000."

John spins a 2 on his first turn.

John ends his turn with $0, but at least he is ahead of Eddie on the board.

Turn 5 (Rachel)

Rachel chooses a career. She picks the Salesperson, which is the least lucrative career of all, but she plans to trade it in for a higher-paying one later on.

Rachel starts out as a Salesperson - the worst possible start, but can she overcome it?

Rachel buys a Long-Term investment on number 8. She then spins a 3.

Rachel spins a 3 at the start of the game.

She passes a Pay Day space, receiving her $20,000 salary, and lands on the space that reads "Inheritance! Collect $20,000." She receives an additional $20,000, but has to give half of that to Eddie, who used a Collect card on her during this turn. She ends her turn with $30,000; Eddie now has two Share the Wealth cards left to go with his $25,000.

Turn 6 (Sarah)

Sarah goes to college, taking on $125,000 in debt (as a result of having to borrow $100,000 for paying tuition fees). She buys a Long-Term investment on number 4.

Sarah also spins a 2 on her first turn.

She spins a 2, causing John to receive $5,000 from his Long-Term investment. This takes her past the space he is currently occupying and onto the next one. It reads "Make new friends for life. LIFE". She receives a Life Tile, but currently has $0 in the bank.

Round Summary

Sarah has followed John and Eddie into going to college; the other three players have each chosen a normal career. Rachel got the short end of the stick by starting out as a Salesperson, but she wants to swap it for a more lucrative career when she gets the chance. Mary and Bob have the highest-paying careers of anyone who did not go to college, and a few players even managed to use at least one of their Share the Wealth Cards. All in all, this game is off to an entertaining start - there are now 20 Life Tiles left in the draw pile.

Round 2

The players' inventories at the start of this round of turns are as follows:

Name	Cash On Hand ($)	Career/Salary ($)	Life Tiles	STW Cards	Property (value in $)	Children	Debt ($)	LTI Number
Bob	100k	Entertainer (50k)	1	2 (1C, 1S4)	None	0	0	9
John	5k	None	0	3 (1S2, 2S4)	None	0	125k	2
Rachel	35k	Salesperson (20k)	0	3 (2S2, 1S4)	None	0	0	8
Sarah	0k	None	1	3 (1C, 1P, 1E)	None	0	125k	4
Mary	65k	Athlete (60k)	0	1 (1S2)	None	0	0	7
Eddie	25k	None	0	2 (2P)	None	0	125k	1

Turn 7 (Mary)

It is now Mary's turn to spin. She spins a 7, taking her past a Pay Day space and earning her $5,000 from her Long-Term investment. The space she lands on reads "Elope! Move to Get Married." She advances to the Get Married space, passing another Pay Day space in the process, and receives a Life Tile.

Mary then spins for wedding gifts. She spins a 3, which means she does not receive any wedding gifts, but at least she's happily married.

Mary then spins a 2 (this is John's Long-Term Investment number, so he receives $5,000 from the bank, and so $10,000 is now currently all he has) and lands on the space that reads "Happy honeymoon! LIFE". She receives another Life Tile.

Mary ends her turn with $185,000 and 2 Life Tiles.

Turn 8 (Eddie)

Eddie spins a 7. He advances to the space that reads: "Final tests and term paper. Skip next turn." 

He does not gain or lose any money, but must skip his next turn. Mary, on the other hand, receives another $5,000 from her Long-term Investment return, taking her cash on hand to $190,000.

Turn 9 (Bob)

Bob spins a 3. He passes a Pay Day space and lands on the space immediately after it, which reads: "Win a race! Collect $10,000."

Sarah decides to use a Collect Card on Bob; this leaves them with $5,000 and $155,000, respectively, by the end of this turn.

Turn 10 (John)

John spins a 5. He advances to the space immediately before the one Eddie currently occupies. 

The space John landed on reads "Honor Roll! LIFE", which means that John receives a Life Tile. He, like Eddie, did not gain or lose any money during his turn.

Turn 11 (Rachel)

Rachel spins a 2, causing John to receive $5,000 from his Long-Term Investment, leaving him with $15,000.

She passes a Pay Day space before landing on the very next space. It reads: "Adopt a pet from Animal Shelter. LIFE", and so she receives a Life Tile. For her troubles, she ends her turn with $50,000.

Turn 12 (Sarah)

Sarah also spins a 5 on her turn during this round. She passes John, but with Eddie occupying the space Sarah would otherwise have landed on, she advances to the next unoccupied space, which reads "Graduation day. LIFE". 

She receives another Life Tile, taking her total to two so far, but her cash on hand remains constant after this turn.

Round Summary

Mary is the first to get married, and Bob may be next. Eddie must skip his next turn, and will be the last player to graduate. With Mary receiving two Life Tiles, and Rachel, John and Sarah collecting one Life Tile each, there are now only 15 Life Tiles left in the draw pile.

Round 3

The players' inventories at the start of this round of turns are as follows:

Name	Cash On Hand ($)	Career/Salary ($)	Life Tiles	STW Cards	Property (value in $)	Children	Debt ($)	LTI Number
Bob	155k	Entertainer (50k)	1	2 (1C, 1S4)	None	0	0	9
John	15k	None	1	3 (1S2, 2S4)	None	0	125k	2
Rachel	50k	Salesperson (20k)	1	3 (2S2, 1S4)	None	0	0	8
Sarah	5k	None	2	2 (1P, 1E)	None	0	125k	4
Mary	190k	Athlete (60k)	2	1 (1S2)	None	0	0	7
Eddie	25k	None	0	2 (2P)	None	0	125k	1

Turn 13 (Mary)

It is now Mary's turn to spin. She spins a 2 on this turn.

The space she lands on reads "Car accident. Pay $10,000." She ends her turn with $180,000; meanwhile, John receives $5,000 from his Long-Term Investment, and now has $20,000.

Turn 14 (Eddie)

Eddie does nothing this turn, since he has to skip it due to landing on the only space on the board that required him to do so during his previous turn. He is almost guaranteed to receive a College Career Card on his next turn, though.

Turn 15 (Bob)

Bob spins a 5, taking him to the Get Married space.

He receives a Life Tile before spinning for wedding gifts. However, he doesn't receive any wedding gifts either, since he spun a 1.

While Eddie receives a $5,000 Long-Term Investment return (which puts his account at $30,000), Bob wonders what went wrong - but he has little time to dwell on his past mistakes. So he spins again, and this time it's a 4, which means that Sarah receives $5,000 from her Long-Term Investment. 

Unfortunately, Bob has to pass over the space he would usually land on (since Mary currently occupies it), and lands on the next empty space. This one reads "Job relocation. Pay $20,000." Feeling somewhat crestfallen, Bob ends his turn with $135,000 and 2 Life Tiles.

Turn 16 (John)

John spins an 8, taking him to the College Career Choice space. Rachel receives a $5,000 Long-Term Investment return as a result, bringing her account to $55,000.

He then draws two College Career Cards. The first of these is the Lawyer, with an initial salary of $90,000. The other is the Computer Designer, with a far lower starting salary of $50,000. For the sake of his future earnings, John chooses the former.

John's choices for a College Career were the Lawyer (above) and Computer Designer (below).

John then spins a 7. This yields another Long-Term Investment, this time for Mary, who now has $185,000. 

As for John, he passes a Pay Day space and lands on the space that reads: "Volunteer at soup kitchen. LIFE", which earns him a Life Tile. He now has $105,000 and 2 Life Tiles.

Turn 17 (Rachel)

It is now Rachel's turn. She spins a 9, passing a Pay Day space in the process, and reaches the Get Married space, whereupon she receives a Life Tile. Bob also received $5,000 from his Long-Term Investment and now has $140,000.

Rachel then spins for wedding gifts. To her dismay, she spins a 3 - too low for her to receive any wedding gifts.

Rachel then spins a 1 (Eddie's long-term investment number - he now has $35,000). The space she lands on reads "Wedding reception! Pay $20,000". She pays the bank $20,000, but has no choice other than to do so, since she has no Pay Cards in her inventory.

She ends her turn with $50,000 - which isn't a lot, but should be sufficient for her at the moment - and 2 Life Tiles.

Turn 18 (Sarah)

Given that Sarah ended her turn on the space immediately before College Career Choice, she is guaranteed to receive a College Career on this turn. Her turn begins with a spin of 1 (Eddie's Long-Term Investment Number) - enough to take her to the College Career Choice space. 

She then draws two of the five remaining College Career Cards. The first of these is the Computer Designer; the second of these is the Doctor, much to her relief. She immediately selects the latter option and spins again.

Sarah's college career options upon graduation. She picks the Doctor after realizing that its starting salary is twice as lucrative as that of the Computer Designer

She spins a 7 (Mary's Long-Term Investment number - that player now has $190,000), taking her past a Pay Day space, to the same space John is sitting on. However, with that space already occupied, she has to advance to the next free space, which reads: "Engagement party! LIFE", and she therefore receives a Life Tile in addition to her salary. She now has $110,000 (enough to pay off most, though not all, of her debt) and 3 Life Tiles, making her the first person in this game to have that many. In addition, Eddie now has $40,000, having received another Long-Term Investment return during this turn.

Round Summary

Mary, Bob and Rachel have gotten married, although of those three, only the former two have managed to establish a sizable bank account so far. John and Sarah have finally graduated - with the most lucrative careers, to boot. Ernie had to skip his turn, but could graduate on the next one. Speaking of which, it is highly likely (though not actually certain) that at least one player will buy a Starter Home during their next turn. There are now 11 Life Tiles left in the Draw Pile; Sarah currently leads the field in Life Tiles with three, whereas everyone else currently has one or two each. Looking ahead, there is also a chance that at least one player will add at least one child to their family during the next round, which will begin shortly. Also, it is very likely that at least one player will receive a Pay Raise for the first time during the next round. Finally, this is the first round in this game during which no Share the Wealth Cards were used.

Round 4

The players' inventories at the start of this round of turns are as follows:

Name	Cash On Hand ($)	Career/Salary ($)	Life Tiles	STW Cards	Property (value in $)	Children	Debt ($)	LTI Number
Bob	145k	Entertainer (50k)	2	2 (1C, 1S4)	None	0	0	9
John	105k	Lawyer (90k)	2	3 (1S2, 2S4)	None	0	125k	2
Rachel	50k	Salesperson (20k)	2	3 (2S2, 1S4)	None	0	0	8
Sarah	110k	Doctor (100k)	3	2 (1P, 1E)	None	0	125k	4
Mary	190k	Athlete (60k)	2	1 (1S2)	None	0	0	7
Eddie	35k	None	0	2 (2P)	None	0	125k	1

Turn 19 (Mary)

Again, it is now Mary's turn. She spins a 9 (Bob's Long-Term Investment number - he now has $145,000), taking her past a Pay Day space (specifically, the first Pay Raise space); she collects her $60k salary (since Pay Raises do not take effect until the next time the player who acquired them reaches a Pay Day space, unless that player changes careers before then) and reaches the Buy a Starter Home space with $250,000 in her pocket.

Mary's next action is to buy a Starter Home. Nobody has done so yet, so all six options remain available. She chooses the Tudor Style - the most expensive option at $180,000. This leaves her with $70,000.

She spins again, as usual. This time, it's a 3. The space she lands on reads "Buy flat-screen plasma TV. Pay $5,000." It's a small payment, which leaves her with $65,000.

Turn 20 (Eddie)

It is once again Eddie's turn. Having skipped his previous one, he is raring to go. He starts by spinning a 7 (Mary's Long-Term Investment number - she now has $70,000) and reaches the College Career Choice space.

Eddie then draws two of the four remaining College Career Cards that have not yet been taken. The first of these is the Computer Designer, whose salary range is between $50,000 to $80,000. The second of these is the Accountant, with a salary range of $70,000 to $110,000.

Ernie's College Career choices upon graduation are decent, but the two best possible ones have long since been taken.

Ernie chooses the Accountant without further ado, and pays off $25,000 of his debt, reducing it to $100,000, leaving him with $10,000 on hand. 

He then spins a 1; in doing so, he receives his salary and a Long-Term Investment return simultaneously, and now has $85,000.

Turn 21 (Bob)

Bob spins a 10, taking him past a Pay Raise space; he receives his $50,000 salary (which leaves him with $195,000), followed by a Pay Raise, and reaches the Buy a Starter Home space.

His next action is to buy one of the five Starter Homes still available. He chooses the Small Cape (which costs $160,000) and spins again with $35,000 in his pocket.

His second spin is an 8. This takes him past a Pay Day space (causing him to receive $60,000 now that his recently acquired Pay Raise is in effect) and to a space that reads "Vote! LIFE". Rachel, meanwhile, receives a Long-Term Investment return and now has $55,000.

He receives a Life Tile; he now has three in total, which ties him for first place with Sarah in terms of Life Tiles. And did we mention that Bob has $95,000 in the bank as well?

Turn 22 (John)

It is now John's turn to spin. He spins a 4 (Sarah's Long-Term Investment number - she now has $115,000), passes a Pay Day space, and reaches the Get Married space, earning a Life Tile in the process. 

Before he spins for wedding gifts, he ponders his current situation: he has 3 Life Tiles (matching Bob and Mary) and $205,000. To his relief, he spins an 8; although Rachel receives $5,000 from her Long-Term Investment, John is able to collect $10,000 in wedding gifts per opponent. He now has $255,000; Bob, Mary, Rachel, Ernie and Sarah are left with $85,000, $60,000, $50,000, $75,000, and $105,000 respectively.

John spins again. Yet again, it's an 8, which means that Rachel receives yet another Long-Term Investment return, leaving her with $55,000. 

He passes a Pay Raise space, collects his salary, and reaches the Buy a Starter Home space with $355,000. He picks the Log Cabin, and immediately after buying it for $120,000, he pays off all of his debt. This leaves him with $110,000.

He spins another 8. Rachel received an $5,000 Long-Term Investment return and now has $60,000. As for John, he collects his salary (now $100,000) and reaches the same space Bob is currently occupying, so he advances to the next empty space. This one reads "Win the Ultimate Idol TV Show! Collect $100,000." John now has $310,000.

Turn 23 (Rachel)

Rachel spins a 9, passing a Pay Raise space in the process en route to the Buy a Starter Home space. Bob now has $90,000, having received a $5,000 Long-Term Investment return.

Rachel then buys a Starter home. She goes for the cheapest option available, the Mobile Home, which costs $80,000. This uses up all of her budget; she now has $0.

Rachel spins again; this time it's a 10. She passes a Pay Day space and collects her $30,000 salary. The space she lands on reads "Twins! LIFE". 

She receives a Life Tile (her third so far) and adds two children to her family. In addition, she receives $5,000 in baby gifts from her opponents. At the end of this turn, Rachel now has $55,000; Sarah has $150,000, John has $255,000, Bob has $85,000, Ernie has $70,000, and Mary has $55,000.

Turn 24 (Sarah)

This time, it is now Sarah's turn. She pays off four-fifths of her debt, leaving her with $5,000. She then spins a 7 (Mary's Long-Term Investment number, which takes her back to $60,000). This takes her past a Pay Day space and to the Get Married space. She now has $105,000 and 4 Life Tiles.

Sarah then spins for wedding gifts. She does not receive any, however, since she spun a 3. She pays off the rest of her debt and now has $80,000.

Sarah spins again. This time it's a 9, which is Bob's Long-Term Investment number, thus taking him to $90,000. 

Meanwhile, Sarah passes a Pay Raise space, collects a Pay Raise, and reaches the Buy a Starter Home space. She buys the Ranch Style for $140,000. 

She now has $40,000 and spins again. This time, it's a 1. 

The space she lands on reads "Win lottery! Collect $50,000", and she ends her turn with $190,000. Ernie receives $5,000 from his Long-Term Investment and now has $80,000. Bob uses a Collect Card on Sarah, who replies by using an Exemption Card; both players now have only one Share the Wealth Card each.

Round Summary

The competition is finally heating up - everyone except Ernie has bought a Starter Home, and Rachel is the first player in this game to have children. There is still a long way to go before the finish, though, and right now, it's anyone's game - even Rachel could sneak back into contention if things go her way. So far, 14 of the 22 Life Tiles in the draw pile have been taken; therefore, there are now just 8 Life Tiles left in the draw pile.

Round 5

The players' inventories at the start of this round of turns are as follows:

Name	Cash On Hand ($)	Career/Salary ($)	Life Tiles	STW Cards	Property (value in $)	Children	Debt ($)	LTI Number
Bob	90k	Entertainer (60k)	3	1 (1S4)	Small Cape (180k)	0	0	9
John	255k	Lawyer (100k)	2	3 (1S2, 2S4)	Log Cabin (140k)	0	0	2
Rachel	55k	Salesperson (30k)	3	3 (2S2, 1S4)	Mobile Home (80k)	2	0	8
Sarah	80k	Doctor (110k)	4	1 (1P)	Ranch Style (160k)	0	0	4
Mary	60k	Athlete (70k)	2	1 (1S2)	Tudor Style (200k)	0	0	7
Eddie	80k	Accountant (70k)	0	2 (2P)	None	0	125k	1

Turn 25 (Mary)

It is Mary's turn to spin this time around. She knows that there are three other players occupying a set of directly adjacent spaces, and keeps this in mind during her turn.

She spins a 7 and receives $5,000 from her Long-Term Investment. After passing a Pay Day space and collecting her $70,000 salary, she reaches the space Rachel currently occupies, and must advance to the nearest empty space. That space reads "Get best seats at the big game. Pay $20,000." After making this payment, Mary ends her turn with $115,000.

Turn 26 (Ernie)

Now it is Ernie's turn. He spins a 5 and lands on the space that reads "Elope! Move to Get Married."

He passes another Pay Day space (bringing his cash on hand to $150,000) en route to landing on the Get Married space, whereupon he earns a Life Tile for the first time. He then spins for wedding gifts.

To his dismay, he spins a 2, and therefore does not receive any wedding gifts. However, John received a $5,000 Long-Term Investment return, and that player now has $260,000.

Ernie spins again, and this time it's a 10. He passes a Pay Raise space (taking his total to $220,000) before landing on the Buy a Starter Home space. He buys the Condo, since it's the only Starter Home available to him after all the other players bought one each of the remaining Starter Homes. He now has $120,000.

Ernie then spins a 1, receiving a $5,000 Long-Term Investment return in the process. Unfortunately, with Sarah still occupying the space immediately after the Buy a Starter Home space, he must advance to the next empty space. That space reads "Lose your job. Take new Career Card." Oh dear! Not only has he lost his high-paying College Career, he must also return every Pay Raise he currently has.

After a brief hesitation, Ernie draws the Hair Stylist Career Card. At best, it won't be even half as lucrative as the Accountant is (or was) initially, but it should be enough to keep him afloat financially. He now has $125,000.

Turn 27 (Bob)

Bob, feeling somewhat relieved now that Ernie has lost his job and gained a less lucrative one in its place, takes his turn. He spins a 2, causing John to once again receive a Long-Term Investment (that player now has $265,000). 

He advances to the same space Rachel is currently occupying, but with Mary occupying the very next space, Bob lands on the space after that one. It reads "Attend Hollywood movie premiere. LIFE". He now has 4 Life Tiles (moving into a tie for first place with Sarah for now), but has not gained or lost any money during his turn.

Turn 28 (John)

John spins a 5 on this turn. The space he lands on reads "Take a Share the Wealth Card". 

John received an Exemption Card during this turn.

He draws a random Share the Wealth Card, and to his amazement, it turns out to be an Exemption Card. He, like Bob on the previous turn, did not gain or lose any money on this specific turn.

Turn 29 (Rachel)

Rachel spins a 6. She passes a Pay Day space, then lands on the space immediately after it. It reads "Learn sign language. LIFE", so she collects a Life Tile in addition to her salary.

She ends her turn with $85,000 and 4 Life Tiles, matching Bob and Sarah in that regard.

Turn 30 (Sarah)

Now it is Sarah's turn. She spins a 7 and passes a Pay Day space, before landing on the space that reads "Vote! LIFE".

After collecting her salary (which now includes a Pay Raise for the first time ever), Sarah ends her turn with $190,000 and 5 Life Tiles.

Round Summary

There has been quite a lot of activity lately - Ernie finally has gotten married and bought a Starter Home like everyone else did during the previous round, only to lose his job and Pay Raise (although he could try to reclaim it later), while everyone else is enjoying their Pay Raises (if they haven't already), and John has even acquired an Exemption Card for good measure. And there is a good chance that at least one player could return to school during the next round - we just hope that anyone who does so makes the best possible decision when given the chance to either upgrade or replace their career. Also, with 18 of the 22 Life Tiles in the draw pile having been taken, there are now just 4 Life Tiles still in the pile - but who will claim them? One thing's for sure: once the draw pile is empty, players will only be able to take Life Tiles from each other.

Round 6

The players' inventories at the start of this round of turns are as follows:

Name	Cash On Hand ($)	Career (Salary in $)	Life Tiles	STW Cards	Property (value in $)	Children	Debt ($)	LTI Number
Bob	90k	Entertainer (60k)	4	1 (1S4)	Small Cape (180k)	0	0	9
John	265k	Lawyer (100k)	2	4 (1E, 1S2, 2S4)	Log Cabin (140k)	0	0	2
Rachel	85k	Salesperson (30k)	4	3 (2S2, 1S4)	Mobile Home (80k)	2	0	8
Sarah	190k	Doctor (110k)	5	1 (1P)	Ranch Style (160k)	0	0	4
Mary	115k	Athlete (70k)	2	1 (1S2)	Tudor Style (200k)	0	0	7
Eddie	125k	Hair Stylist (30k)	1	2 (2P)	Condo (105k)	0	125k	1

Turn 31 (Mary)

Mary goes first, as usual. She spins a 5 on this turn.

Mary passes a Pay Day space, but instead of landing on the space immediately after it (which Rachel currently occupies), she advances to the next empty space. It reads "Lawsuit. Sue another player for $100,000." She sues John, who responds by using the Exemption Card he just acquired. By the end of this turn, Mary has $185,000.

Turn 32 (Eddie)

Eddie, desperate to recover from his latest setback, pays off all of his debt right away, leaving him with $0. He then spins an 8. This is Rachel's Long-Term Investment number, so she receives $5,000, taking her total cash on hand to $90,000 - but not for very long.

After passing a Pay Day space and receiving his new $30,000 salary, he lands on the space that reads "Twins! LIFE". He receives $5,000 in baby gifts from each of his opponents and ends his turn with $55,000. Mary, Bob, John, Rachel and Sarah now have $180,000, $85,000, $260,000, $85,000 and $185,000, respectively.

Turn 33 (Bob)

Bob starts his turn by spinning a 4. This is Sarah's Long-Term Investment number, so she receives $5,000 at the start of Bob's sixth turn.

Bob passes a Pay Day space and receives his $60,000 salary, taking his cash on hand to $145,000. But the space he would normally land on is already occupied, as is the one immediately after it, so he advances to the nearest empty space. That space is a Spin to Win space, and it's the first time in this game that anyone has landed on such a space. The standard procedure for landing on a Spin to Win space is that everyone chooses whether or not to attempt to Spin to Win (starting from the player who landed on that space), and those who do so must choose one, two or four numbers on the spinner depending on whether or not they used a Spin to Win Card of either type, before choosing the amount they want to wager in $5,000 increments from $5,000 to $50,000. For each player, if the number spun does not match the ones they chose, they must pay the bank the exact amount they wagered, but if the number spun matches any of their chosen numbers, they will receive 10 times their wager from the bank.

For this first Spin to Win, Bob decides to use his Spin to Win x4 card (his last remaining Share the Wealth Card, in fact), and chooses the numbers 1, 2, 6, and 10. John also uses a Spin to Win x4 card, and picks the numbers 2, 5, 6, and 7. Rachel follows suit by using a Spin to Win x4 card, and she selects 1, 6, 7, and 8. Sarah picks the number 4, but her lack of Spin to Win cards prevents her from choosing any other numbers. Mary uses a Spin to Win x2 card, and takes the numbers 2 and 9. Finally, Eddie selects the number 3, but like Mary, he cannot choose any other numbers due to not having any Spin to Win cards. All six players bet $50,000, which is fully justified considering that each of them has at least that much in their bank account.

Now comes the moment of truth as Bob attempts to Spin to Win. After all wagers have been placed, he spins the wheel, as per the Spin to Win procedure, but to his shock and disbelief, it lands on 9 - and Mary is the only player to select that number on this particular Spin to Win.

This was the number spun during the first Spin to Win - but Mary (who wagered $50,000) was the only player to select it.

The upshot is that Mary receives $500,000, whereas everyone else has to pay $50,000 each (although Bob received $5,000 from his Long-Term Investment, which softens the blow slightly). Mary therefore now has $685,000. Meanwhile, Bob, John, Rachel, Sarah and Eddie are left with $100,000, $210,000, $35,000, $135,000, and $5,000, respectively.

Turn 34 (John)

John, taken aback at the result of the latest Spin to Win (especially after having had to use his newly acquired Exemption Card), immediately regains his composure and spins a 6. He passes a Pay Day space (which takes his total to $310,000, now that his salary has increased to $100,000) and lands on an orange space that reads: "Return to school. Pay $50,000 OR Continue on the Path of Life". He then chooses the former and pays $50,000, leaving him with $260,000.

John has chosen to return to college.

John spins again. This time, it's a 1, so Eddie receives $5,000 from his Long-Term Investment, and that player therefore has $10,000. Meanwhile, John lands on a space that reads "Take a double course load for extra credit. Spin again.", and so he spins yet again, this time yielding a 2 - his Long-Term Investment number, and thereby giving him a $5,000 return. 

He advances to the space that reads "Employer provides scholarship! Collect $20,000". After collecting $20,000 from the bank, John now has $285,000 by the end of his turn.

Turn 35 (Rachel)

Rachel spins a 2. This would have taken her to a Spin to Win space, but with Bob currently occupying that space, she advances to the nearest empty space. Meanwhile, John receives yet another $5,000 Long-Term Investment return, and now has $290,000.

The space Rachel lands on reads "Lose your job. Take new Career Card." 

After losing her original job as a Salesperson, Rachel gained a new job as a Mechanic.

She draws the Mechanic Career Card, then returns her original Career Card (the Salesperson) and her one and only Pay Raise to the bank. She still has $35,000 by the end of this turn.

Turn 36 (Sarah)

Sarah spins a 10 at the start of her turn.

She passes a Pay Day space and collects her $110,000 salary, thus leaving her with $245,000, but with the space she would normally have landed on already occupied by someone else (as is the one immediately after it), she advances to the orange Return to School space. She decides to follow John by returning to school and paying $50,000; she now has $195,000. 

Sarah then spins again, and this time it's a 7. Since this is Mary's Long-Term Investment Number, that player receives $5,000 and now has $690,000.

As for Sarah, she lands on another orange space. This one reads "Change Career or Get $20,000 Pay Raise." She decides to play it safe and take the $20,000 Pay Raise.

Sarah spins once again. Her third and final spin during this turn is a 6. This takes her past a Pay Day space (from which she collects her $130,000 salary) and to a Take a Share the Wealth Card space. She draws an Exemption Card and ends her turn with $325,000.

Sarah managed to snag an Exemption Card during her sixth turn.

Round Summary

Mary has, against all odds, taken the lead by winning the maximum possible amount from a Spin to Win, whereas all of her opponents lost $50,000 each - Bob in particular feels hard done by, given that he was the first player in this game to land on a Spin to Win space. John has chosen to return to school, as did Sarah, with the latter also taking a $20,000 Pay Raise during this round, and acquiring an Exemption Card for good measure. Eddie had twins, just like Rachel did earlier. Speaking of Rachel, she also lost her job, but at least in her case, it's not a downgrade considering how low her original career's initial salary was. There are now only 3 Life Tiles left in the draw pile, since Eddie collected one of them during this round - it won't be long before the players are forced to take Life Tiles from each other.

In the meantime, Mary must now be more vigilant than ever before; she may be in the lead right now, but other players, especially John and Sarah, also have eyes on the coveted top spot. Even Bob could catch up if things improve for him over the next few turns. As for Eddie and Rachel, catching up to the top four will be more challenging for them, to say the least, but we can't rule it out just yet. Finally, whereas Bob and Mary no longer have any Share the Wealth Cards in their possession, every other player has two each.

Round 7

The players' inventories at the start of this round of turns are as follows:

Name	Cash On Hand ($)	Career (Salary in $)	Life Tiles	STW Cards	Property (value in $)	Children	Debt ($)	LTI Number
Bob	100k	Entertainer (60k)	4	0	Small Cape (180k)	0	0	9
John	290k	Lawyer (100k)	2	2 (1S2, 1S4)	Log Cabin (140k)	0	0	2
Rachel	35k	Mechanic (30k)	4	2 (2S2)	Mobile Home (80k)	2	0	8
Sarah	325k	Doctor (130k)	5	2 (1P, 1E)	Ranch Style (160k)	0	0	4
Mary	685k	Athlete (70k)	2	0	Tudor Style (200k)	0	0	7
Eddie	5k	Hair Stylist (30k)	2	2 (2P)	Condo (105k)	2	0	1

Turn 37 (Mary)

As usual, Mary goes first. She spins a 9; this is Bob's Long-Term Investment number, so he receives $5,000 and now has $105,000.

Mary chooses to return to school, paying $50,000 in the process; this leaves her with $635,000.

Mary then spins an 8. Since this is Rachel's Long-Term Investment number, that player receives $5,000, for a total of $40,000 as of this spin.

Meanwhile, Mary advances to the Change Career or Get $20,000 Pay Raise space. She chooses not to change careers, and takes a $20,000 Pay Raise instead.

Mary spins yet again; this time it's a 2, which yields a $5,000 Long-Term Investment return for John, who now has $295,000. 

The space Mary landed on reads "Run for Congress! LIFE", and so she receives a Life Tile (taking her total to 3 so far) to go with her $635,000. After this turn, there are now only 2 Life Tiles left in the draw pile.

Turn 38 (Eddie)

Eddie spins an 8. Rachel receives another $5,000 Long-Term Investment return, and now has $45,000.

Given that the space Eddie would normally land on is already occupied (as is the one after it), he reaches the Return to School space, having passed a Pay Day space on the same spin; after collecting his salary, he now has $35,000. However, Eddie continues on the Path of Life - he does not want to go into debt again just to get a better career.

Eddie spins another 8. Rachel now has $50,000 thanks to receiving another Long-Term Investment return during this turn. After passing a Pay Raise space (from which he collects his $30,000 salary), he lands on a Lawsuit space. He sues Sarah for $100,000, only for her to use the Exemption Card she'd collected on her previous turn, much to his dismay. He now has $65,000.

Turn 39 (Bob)

Shaken after the events of the previous round, Bob spins a 6.

Bob chooses to return to school and pay $50,000; he now has $55,000.

Bob spins again; this time it's a 1 (Eddie's Long-Term Investment number, from which he collects $5,000). The space Bob lands on reads "Take a double course load for extra credit. Spin again."

Bob makes another spin, and the spinner lands on 6. He therefore advances to the Change Career space.

However, Bob chooses not to change careers, and instead takes the $20,000 Pay Raise.

Bob's fourth and final spin for this turn is a 5. He passes a Pay Day space, collecting a $80,000 salary as he does so, only to land on the space that reads "Take family cruise vacation. Pay $25,000 + $5,000 per child." Fortunately, he only has to pay $25,000, since he currently has no children. By the end of this turn, Bob has $110,000, whereas Eddie now has $70,000.

Turn 40 (John)

John spins a 2 and receives another $5,000 Long-Term Investment return.

He lands on the space that reads "Join Honor Society. LIFE", and receives a Life Tile. He now has 3 Life Tiles and $300,000, but there is now only one Life Tile left in the draw pile.

Turn 41 (Rachel)

Rachel spins a 9 (Bob's Long-Term Investment number - he now has $115,000).

She reaches the Return to School space, but chooses to continue on the Path of Life. She then spins a 9 (again, Bob's Long-Term Investment Number) for the second time this turn.

Rachel passes a Pay Raise space and collects her $30,000 salary, before landing on another Pay Day space due to Mary already occupying the space immediately before it (which Rachel would normally have landed on). She receives her salary again (this time $40,000) and ends her turn with $120,000; Bob, meanwhile, has $120,000 by the end of this turn.

Turn 42 (Sarah)

Sarah spins a 2. 

She lands on a Lawsuit space and decides to sue John for $100,000. It works this time around - Sarah now has $425,000, while John is left with only $205,000, given that he also received a $5,000 Long-Term Investment Return on this turn, but this is hardly adequate compensation for being sued.

Round Summary

Mary and Bob have returned to school, and both of them have taken the $20,000 Pay Raise. Eddie and Rachel, on the other hand, have continued on the Path of Life, mainly out of a need to avoid unnecessary debt (either from the initial payment or by landing on any of the Pay Spaces between the Return to School and Change Career spaces). There is now only one Life Tile left in the draw pile. And with Sarah having sued John, this game could turn into a two-horse race between her and Mary, unless any of the other four characters are able to stage a comeback.

Round 8

The players' inventories at the start of this round of turns are as follows:

Name	Cash On Hand ($)	Career (Salary in $)	Life Tiles	STW Cards	Property (value in $)	Children	Debt ($)	LTI Number
Bob	120k	Entertainer (80k)	4	0	Small Cape (180k)	0	0	9
John	205k	Lawyer (100k)	3	2 (1S2, 1S4)	Log Cabin (140k)	0	0	2
Rachel	120k	Mechanic (40k)	4	2 (2S2)	Mobile Home (80k)	2	0	8
Sarah	425k	Doctor (130k)	5	1 (1P)	Ranch Style (160k)	0	0	4
Mary	685k	Athlete (90k)	3	0	Tudor Style (200k)	0	0	7
Eddie	70k	Hair Stylist (40k)	2	2 (2P)	Condo (105k)	2	0	1

Turn 43 (Mary)

Mary goes first. She spins a 7 and receives a $5,000 Long-Term Investment return.

She passes a Pay Day space, receiving her $90,000 salary, before landing on the space that reads "Art auction. Pay $20,000." By the end of this turn, she has $760,000.

Turn 44 (Eddie)

Eddie goes next. He spins an 8; this is Rachel's Long-Term Investment number, so she receives $5,000 on this turn, ending it with $125,000.

Eddie passes a Pay Day space on this turn, collecting $40,000 as he does so. He advances to the space Mary currently occupies; however, it is impossible for more than one player to occupy the same space, so he moves to the next empty space. Luckily for him, it's a Pay Raise space, and so his salary increases to $50,000, effective from the next Pay Day space after this one. He collects $40,000 again, and finishes his turn with $150,000.

Turn 45 (Bob)

Bob spins a 3.

He advances to a Lawsuit space, but it and the next two spaces (the last of which is a Pay Raise space) are already occupied, so he collects his $80,000 salary (rising to $90,000 on the next Pay Day space) and advances to the next empty space. It reads "Visit Grand Canyon! LIFE". He receives a Life Tile and ends his turn with $200,000 and 5 Life Tiles. However, from this point onwards until the rest of the game, the draw pile is empty, and any player landing on a Life Tile space must take a Life Tile from an opponent, if possible.

Turn 46 (John)

John spins an 8. Rachel realizes that it's her Long-Term Investment number, so she receives $5,000 from the bank and now has $130,000.

John advances to the Change Career space, but instead of changing careers (which is inadvisable for him right now anyway), he takes a $20,000 Pay Raise and spins again.

John's second spin is a 2. This is his Long-Term Investment number, so he receives $5,000 from the bank, taking his cash on hand to $210,000. He lands on the space that reads "Run for Congress! LIFE". However, with the draw pile empty, he must take a Life Tile from any opponent. After a brief period of deliberation, he chooses to take a Life Tile from Bob, leaving both players with 4 Life Tiles each.

Turn 47

Rachel spins a 6. 

She advances to the space Mary landed on at the start of this round, but with it and the next three spaces also occupied, she moves forward to the nearest empty space, passing a Pay Raise space (from which she collects her $40,000 salary) in the process. However, she then lands on a Taxes Due space. After paying $10,000 in taxes, her bank balance now stands at $160,000, and her salary has increased to $50,000.

Turn 48

Sarah also spins a 6.

She passes a Pay Raise space and collects her $130,000 salary (this will increase to $140,000 for the next Pay Day space, at least). She then lands on the space that reads "Donate to African orphans. Pay $40,000. LIFE". Immediately she looks for a Pay Card, and after finding out that she still has one left, she uses it on Mary. And with the draw pile empty, she takes a Life Tile from Rachel, who now has 3 Life Tiles to Sarah's 6. When all is said and done, Sarah's bank balance stands at $535,000, which compares favorably with Mary's $740,000, although Sarah no longer has any Share the Wealth cards.

Round Summary

Things are really heating up now. Sarah is slowly closing in on Mary, but Bob and John are a surprisingly long way back, while Eddie and Rachel have fallen even further behind. The draw pile is empty, and players can now only acquire Life Tiles from each other. However, there is still quite a long way to go before the end of the game, and who knows what will happen in the later turns? That question will be answered in short order.

Round 9

The players' inventories at the start of this round of turns are as follows:

Name	Cash On Hand ($)	Career (Salary in $)	Life Tiles	STW Cards	Property (value in $)	Children	Debt ($)	LTI Number
Bob	200k	Entertainer (90k)	4	0	Small Cape (180k)	0	0	9
John	210k	Lawyer (120k)	4	2 (1S2, 1S4)	Log Cabin (140k)	0	0	2
Rachel	160k	Mechanic (50k)	3	2 (2S2)	Mobile Home (80k)	2	0	8
Sarah	535k	Doctor (140k)	6	0	Ranch Style (160k)	0	0	4
Mary	740k	Athlete (90k)	3	0	Tudor Style (200k)	0	0	7
Eddie	150k	Hair Stylist (50k)	2	2 (2P)	Condo (105k)	2	0	1

Turn 49 (Mary)

It is now Mary's turn to spin. She spins a 9 - this is Bob's Long-Term Investment Number, so he receives $5,000.

Mary passes a Pay Raise space and collects her $90,000 salary, before landing on another Pay Day space and earning her new $100,000 salary. By the end of this turn, Mary has $930,000, while Bob has $205,000.

Turn 50 (Eddie)

Eddie goes next. He too spins a 9, and passes a Pay Day space (the exact same one Mary just landed on), collecting his $50,000 salary in the process.

However, he lands on a Lose Your Job space, and in addition to having to return all of his Pay Raises, he must also trade in his Career Card for another one. He draws the Salesperson and shrugs.

He ends his turn with $200,000, but any chance of victory for him may well be long gone, barring a miraculous turnaround.

Turn 51 (Bob)

Bob spins a 7.

He passes a Pay Day space, but doesn't land on it (or the next space, for that matter, given that both are still occupied), so he advances to a Take a Share the Wealth Card space - the last such space on the board. He draws an Exemption Card, and after collecting his salary, he now has $295,000. In addition, Mary also receives a $5,000 Long-Term Investment return, taking her total to $935,000.

Turn 52 (John)

John spins a 10.

In doing so, he passes two Pay Day spaces (the latter of which is a Pay Raise space that boosts his salary to $130,000 going forward), collecting his salary from each one, and reaches a Taxes Due space. However, with Rachel currently occupying that space, he advances to the next empty space. It reads "Sports camp for the kids. Pay $5,000 per child." John hasn't had any children yet, so he doesn't have to make a payment to the bank; as such, he has $450,000 by the end of this turn.

Turn 53 (Rachel)

Rachel spins a 5.

She advances to the space that reads "Buy an SUV. Pay $40,000". After making the payment, she now has $120,000.

Turn 54 (Sarah)

Sarah also spins a 5.

After passing a Pay Day space and collecting her salary, she reaches the space Bob recently landed on, and advances to the next free space. It reads "TV dance show winner! Collect $100,000". As a result of landing on that particular space, she now has $775,000.

Round Summary

After the events of this round, Mary and Sarah are closer than ever in terms of net worth (not counting Life Tiles). Speaking of Life Tiles, even though the draw pile is empty, nobody has managed to take a tile from anyone else. Meanwhile, along with John, Bob is once again earning a decent amount of money, but Rachel has encountered yet another setback (in the form of a sizable $40,000 payment to the bank) at a time when she can hardly afford many more. And yet it's nothing compared to what Ernie had to endure - after losing his job yet again, he ended up with the Salesperson, the least lucrative career of all, and is almost certainly out of the running for victory, unless he gets really lucky for the rest of the game.

After 9 rounds, the players are roughly halfway through on the Path of Life. What will happen next? Let's find out!

Round 10

The players' inventories at the start of this round of turns are as follows:

Name	Cash On Hand ($)	Career (Salary in $)	Life Tiles	STW Cards	Property (value in $)	Children	Debt ($)	LTI Number
Bob	295k	Entertainer (90k)	4	1 (1E)	Small Cape (180k)	0	0	9
John	450k	Lawyer (130k)	4	2 (1S2, 1S4)	Log Cabin (140k)	0	0	2
Rachel	120k	Mechanic (50k)	3	2 (2S2)	Mobile Home (80k)	2	0	8
Sarah	775k	Doctor (140k)	6	0	Ranch Style (160k)	0	0	4
Mary	935k	Athlete (100k)	3	0	Tudor Style (200k)	0	0	7
Eddie	200k	Salesperson (20k)	2	2 (2P)	Condo (105k)	2	0	1

Turn 55 (Mary)

Mary spins first. She spins a 2, and advances to the space Bob just landed on. However, given that this space (and the one immediately after it) is still occupied, she advances to the nearest empty space.

That space reads "LAWSUIT. Sue another player for $100,000." She chooses to sue Bob, who immediately negates the lawsuit with the Exemption Card he'd recently acquired, and so she doesn't gain any money from him. Meanwhile, John laughs as he earns a $5,000 Long-Term Investment return, leaving him with $455,000.

Turn 56 (Eddie)

Eddie spins a 7.

While Mary receives a $5,000 Long-Term Investment return and now has $940,000, Eddie advances to another orange space.

 He takes the Family Path and spins again; this time, the spinner lands on 9.

Eddie passes a Pay Day space and collects his salary, before landing on a space that reads "Baby boy! LIFE". He receives a Life Tile (which he takes from Sarah, who now has 5 Life Tiles), and $5,000 from each of his opponents. He ends his turn with $245,000; Mary, Bob, John, Rachel, and Sarah now have $935,000, $290,000, $450,000, $115,000, and $770,000, respectively.

Turn 57 (Bob)

Having used his newly acquired Exemption Card sooner than he'd liked, Bob spins a 7. Mary receives another $5,000 Long-Term Investment return, and now has $940,000.

Bob ignores the Family Path, instead continuing on the Path of Life.

Bob then spins a 6. He passes a Pay Raise space, collects his $90,000 salary (rising to $100,000 from the next Pay Day space he reaches), and eventually lands on the space that reads "Find buried treasure! Collect $500,000." By the end of this turn, he now has $880,000 - enough for him to take the lead, for now.

Turn 58 (John)

John spins a 6.

After passing a Pay Day space and collecting his $130,000 salary, he lands on the same Lose Your Job space that Ernie landed on earlier. He trades in his current job as a Lawyer for something less lucrative; after drawing the Hair Stylist Career Card, he ends his turn with $580,000.

The upshot is that in complete contrast to Bob, who is now back in contention at the very least, John will have a tough time even challenging for a podium spot.

Turn 59 (Rachel)

Rachel spins an 8 and receives a $5,000 Long-Term Investment Return, taking her total so far to $120,000.

After a brief deliberation, Rachel takes the Family Path.

She spins a 1. Eddie receives $5,000 from his Long-Term Investment and now has $250,000.

As for Rachel, she lands on the space that reads "Baby girl! LIFE". She takes a Life Tile from Sarah, leaving both players with 4 Life Tiles each. Meanwhile, Rachel collects $5,000 from each of her opponents, and now has $145,000. By the end of this turn, Mary, Eddie, Bob, John, and Sarah have $935,000, $245,000, $875,000, $575,000, and $765,000, respectively.

Turn 60 (Sarah)

Sarah spins a 7. Mary receives yet another $5,000 Long-Term Investment return and now has $940,000.

Sarah chooses to continue on the Path of Life.

Sarah then spins a 3. She passes a Pay Raise space, earning her $140,000 salary in the process, with the Pay Raise she acquired taking effect from the next Pay Raise she reaches.

The space she lands on reads "Learn CPR. LIFE". She takes back a Life Tile from Rachel, leaving her with 3 Life Tiles while Sarah once again has 5. By the end of this turn, Sarah now has $905,000 and 5 Life Tiles.

Round Summary

Eddie and Rachel have added an extra child to their respective families, but John has gone backwards while Bob has pulled himself out of the doldrums and back into contention. The three-way fight for first is therefore still on - for now at least.

Round 11

The players' inventories at the start of this round of turns are as follows:

Name	Cash On Hand ($)	Career (Salary in $)	Life Tiles	STW Cards	Property (value in $)	Children	Debt ($)	LTI Number
Bob	875k	Entertainer (100k)	4	0	Small Cape (180k)	0	0	9
John	575k	Hair Stylist (30k)	4	2 (1S2, 1S4)	Log Cabin (140k)	0	0	2
Rachel	120k	Mechanic (50k)	3	2 (2S2)	Mobile Home (80k)	3	0	8
Sarah	905k	Doctor (150k)	5	0	Ranch Style (160k)	0	0	4
Mary	935k	Athlete (100k)	3	0	Tudor Style (200k)	0	0	7
Eddie	245k	Salesperson (20k)	3	2 (2P)	Condo (105k)	3	0	1

Turn 61 (Mary)

Mary goes first yet again. She spins a 4 (which is Sarah's Long-Term Investment number, hence her acquisition of $5,000) and reaches an orange space.

She now has to decide whether or not to take the Family Path. After a brief pause, she decides to ignore the Family Path, and instead continues on the Path of Life.

Mary spins again. This time the spinner lands on 3, and she passes a Pay Raise space, from which she collects her $100,000 salary (increasing to $110,000 on her next Pay Day), but with Sarah already occupying the space ahead of it, Mary must advance to the nearest empty space. That space reads "Buy foreign sports car! Pay $30,000." 

After making the required payment, she now has $1,000,500, while Sarah currently has $910,000.

Turn 62 (Eddie)

Eddie goes next. He spins a 2.

This is John's Long-Term Investment number, so he receives $5,000. Meanwhile, Eddie passes a Pay Day space, collects his $20,000 salary, and lands on the space that reads "Buy lakeside cabin. Pay $90,000", before using a Pay Card on John. By the end of this turn, Eddie and John are left with $205,000 and $520,000, respectively.

Turn 63 (Bob)

It is now Bob's turn. He spins a 6.

He passes a Pay Day space and collects his $100,000 salary, before landing on the space that reads "Win Nobel Prize! Collect $100,000". Bob therefore ends his turn with $1,075,000.

Turn 64 (John)

Still reeling from losing his job, John spins the spinner; this time it lands on 9.

He advances to the orange space that reads "Take the Family Path OR Continue on the Path of Life". After a brief pause, he decides to continue on the Path of Life.

John spins again; this time the spinner lands on 5. He passes a Pay Raise space, earning $30,000 from his salary (which will increase to $40,000 from the next Pay Day space he reaches), and lands on a Spin to Win space. 

Unlike the last Spin to Win, John and Rachel are the only players to still have Spin to Win cards in their inventories this time around, with the former the only player still in possession of a 4x Spin to Win card (as well as a 2x Spin to Win card). Rachel has a pair of 2x Spin to Win cards, but every other player can only select one number to bet on for this Spin to Win. John uses his 4x Spin to Win card and picks 2, 3, 7, and 10; Rachel uses one of her 2x Spin to Win cards, and selects 1 and 9. Mary, Sarah, Bob, and Eddie choose 4, 5, 6, and 8, respectively. All six players wager $50,000 each; with the wagers and numbers set, John is ready to Spin to Win.

The spinner lands on 6, which means that Bob wins $500,000 (in addition to a $5,000 Long-Term Investment return), and now has $1,580,000. Everyone else has lost $50,000 each; therefore, Mary, Eddie, John, Rachel, and Sarah now have $955,000, $155,000, $500,000, $70,000, and $850,000, respectively.

Turn 65 (Rachel)

Rachel spins a 5.

She passes a Pay Day space and collects her $50,000 salary. The space she would normally have landed on is already occupied, so she advances to the next free space - which happens to be a Lawsuit space. She sues Bob for $100,000 (who else would you expect to get sued considering the circumstances?) and now has $270,000, but Bob still has $1,480,000 in his possession.

Turn 66 (Sarah)

Sarah spins a 6.

She collects her $150,000 salary and also advances to the same space Eddie landed on during this round, but with it and the very next space also currently occupied, she moves to the next empty space. It reads "Adopt a pet from animal shelter. LIFE", and so she acquires a Life Tile. With the draw pile empty, however, she must take a Life Tile from an opponent, and this time she takes a Life Tile from Eddie, who now has just two Life Tiles to Sarah's 6. By the end of this turn, Sarah has exactly $1,000,000 on hand.

Round Summary

By winning $500,000 from a Spin to Win after having collected $100,000 earlier this round, Bob has finally broken away from the pack after having reeled in the frontrunners. Not even a Lawsuit from Rachel can dampen his spirits, while Mary and Sarah are locked in a close battle for second. John has fallen even farther behind after losing $50,000 in Spin to Win (having already lost $60,000 to a Pay Card from Eddie), but at least he's better off financially than Eddie is right now. And Rachel has somehow managed to haul herself off the bottom and into fifth.

Round 12

The players' inventories at the start of this round of turns are as follows:

Name	Cash On Hand ($)	Career (Salary in $)	Life Tiles	STW Cards	Property (value in $)	Children	Debt ($)	LTI Number
Bob	1.48m	Entertainer (100k)	4	0	Small Cape (180k)	0	0	9
John	500k	Hair Stylist (40k)	4	1 (1S2)	Log Cabin (140k)	0	0	2
Rachel	270k	Mechanic (50k)	3	1 (1S2)	Mobile Home (80k)	3	0	8
Sarah	1m	Doctor (150k)	6	0	Ranch Style (160k)	0	0	4
Mary	955k	Athlete (110k)	3	0	Tudor Style (200k)	0	0	7
Eddie	155k	Salesperson (20k)	2	1 (1P)	Condo (105k)	3	0	1

Turn 67 (Mary)

Once again, Mary goes first, and she spins a 2 on this turn.

As John receives $5,000 from his Long-Term Investment, Mary advances to the space that reads "Find buried treasure! Collect $500,000", and she ends her turn with $1,455,000 to John's $505,000.

Turn 68 (Eddie)

Eddie spins an 8.

As a result, Rachel receives $5,000 from a Long-Term Investment return and now has $275,000. Meanwhile, Eddie advances to the Buy a Better Home space, and ponders over whether or not to trade in his Starter Home for a House. He chooses not to do so and spins again.

This time, the spinner lands on 9. Bob receives a $5,000 Long-Term Investment return and now has $1,485,000. At the same time, Eddie passes two Pay Day spaces (the latter of which is a Pay Raise space) and lands on the Tax Refund space. He receives $5,000 in addition to the $20,000 from each of the two Pay Day spaces he just passed, and now has $200,000.

Turn 69 (Bob)

Bob spins a 7, ensuring that Mary receives a $5,000 Long-Term Investment return (she now has $1,460,000).

He advances to the Buy a Better Home space and must now decide on whether or not to trade in his Starter Home for a House. He immediately accepts the offer.

Bob trades in the Small Cape (with a resale value of $180,000) for the Penthouse Suite (whose purchase price is $700,000), which requires a net payment of $520,000. 

After the trade-in, he now has $965,000, but must spin again. This time, he spins a 9.

Bob passes a Pay Day space and collects his $100,000 salary, before passing a Pay Raise space and collecting his $100,000 salary again in addition to a Pay Raise. However, with Eddie currently occupying the Tax Refund space Bob would normally have landed on, Bob advances to an orange space that reads "The Safe Path of Life or The Risky Path of Life", and must decide which path to take.

Now with $1,165,000 in his bank account, Bob chooses the Safe Path of Life and spins again. This time, he spins a 6.

He passes a Pay Day space, collecting $110,000 from it in the process, before landing on the space that reads "You're a grandparent! LIFE". With the draw pile empty, he takes a Life Tile from Sarah, and both players now have 5 Life Tiles each. Bob ends his turn with $1,275,000.

Turn 70 (John)

John spins a 10.

He passes a Pay Day space, collects his $40,000 salary, and reaches the Buy a Better Home space, but decides against trading in his Starter Home for a new House. He currently has $545,000.

John spins again; this time it lands on 8.

Rachel receives an $5,000 Long-Term Investment return and now has $280,000; meanwhile, John passes a Pay Day space, before landing on a Pay Raise space. After collecting his $40,000 salary twice during his turn, he now has $625,000, in addition to two Pay Raises.

Turn 71 (Rachel)

Rachel spins a 3.

She advances to the Buy a Better Home space, but chooses not to buy a better house. She then spins a 6.

In doing so, Rachel passes a Pay Day space and collects her $50,000 salary, before landing on a Lawsuit space. She chooses to sue John for $100,000 and now has $430,000 to John's $525,000.

Turn 72 (Sarah)

Sarah spins an 8.

As Rachel receives $5,000 from her Long-Term Investment (leaving her with $435,000), Sarah advances to the Buy a Better Home space. She chooses to trade in her Starter Home for a new House.

After receiving $160,000 from the sale of her Ranch Style Starter Home, Sarah buys the Luxury Mountain Retreat for $600,000 - a net payment of $440,000. She now has $560,000.

Sarah spins again. This time it's a 4, and she earns $5,000 from her Long-Term Investment. After passing a Pay Day space and collecting her $150,000 salary, she lands on the space that reads "Write best-selling book. Collect $200,000", and now has $915,000.

Round Summary

Rachel has managed to close the gap to John, but both are now well clear of Eddie. Meanwhile, after upgrading to the Penthouse Suite, Bob is enjoying what he thinks is a healthy lead, but Mary may not be as far behind as he thinks. As for Sarah, she has also bought a better house to replace her current one - this game is not yet over by any means!

Round 13

The players' inventories at the start of this round of turns are as follows:

Name	Cash On Hand ($)	Career (Salary in $)	Life Tiles	STW Cards	Property (value in $)	Children	Debt ($)	LTI Number
Bob	1.275m	Entertainer (110k)	5	0	Penthouse Suite (700k)	0	0	9
John	525k	Hair Stylist (50k)	4	1 (1S2)	Log Cabin (140k)	0	0	2
Rachel	435k	Mechanic (50k)	3	1 (1S2)	Mobile Home (80k)	3	0	8
Sarah	915k	Doctor (150k)	5	0	Lux. Mountain Retreat (600k)	0	0	4
Mary	1.46m	Athlete (110k)	3	0	Tudor Style (200k)	0	0	7
Eddie	200k	Salesperson (30k)	2	1 (1P)	Condo (105k)	3	0	1

Turn 73 (Mary)

Mary goes first yet again. She spins a 4.

While Sarah receives a Long-Term Investment return worth $5,000, and now has $920,000 on hand, Mary passes a Pay Day space and collects her $110,000 salary. She lands on a Lawsuit space and decides to sue Rachel for $100,000. Mary ends her turn with $1,670,000 to Rachel's $335,000.

Turn 74 (Eddie)

Eddie spins a 9.

Bob now has $1,280,000, courtesy of a $5,000 Long-Term Investment return, while Eddie advances to the Safe/Risky Path Of Life space, and chooses the Risky Path of Life. He then spins another 9.

Bob receives another Long-Term Investment return worth $5,000 (and therefore has $1,285,000 on hand), while Eddie advances past a Pay Day space (earning his $30,000 salary) and arrives at the space that reads "Redecorate your home. Pay $80,000." Eddie immediately decides to use his last Pay Card on Mary, and both players pay the bank $40,000 each. He now has $190,000 to Mary's $1,630,000.

Turn 75 (Bob)

Bob spins a 5.

After passing a Pay Day space and collecting his $110,000 salary, he reaches another Life Tile space; it too reads "You're a grandparent!", and so he collects another Life Tile, this time from John, who now only has three Life Tiles to Bob's six. Bob ends his turn with $1,395,000.

Turn 76 (John)

John spins a 9.

Bob now has $1,400,000, thanks to the $5,000 Long-Term Investment return he just received, while John reaches the Safe/Risky Path of Life space. He decides to stay on the Safe Path of Life.

John's second spin is an 8. He passes a Pay Day space, before ending his turn by landing on the very next Pay Day space. After collecting his $50,000 twice during his turn, he now has $625,000.

In addition, Rachel received a $5,000 Long-Term Investment return during this turn, and now has $340,000.

Turn 77 (Rachel)

Rachel spins a 9. Bob receives yet another $5,000 Long-Term Investment return and now has $1,405,000.

Rachel passes a Pay Day space, collects her $50,000 salary (along with a Pay Raise), and reaches the Safe/Risky Path of Life space. She now has $390,000, but must decide which path to take.

After choosing the Safe Path of Life, Rachel spins again. This time, the spinner lands on 4.

Sarah receives a $5,000 Long-Term Investment return and now has $925,000. Meanwhile, Rachel passes a Pay Day space, collects her $60,000 salary, and arrives at the space that reads "Visit old soldier's home. LIFE". She decides to take a Life Tile from Bob (who now has five Life Tiles to Rachel's four) and ends her turn with $450,000.

Turn 78 (Sarah)

Sarah spins a 3.

She lands on the space that reads "Buy sailboat. Pay $30,000." After making the required payment to the bank, she now has $895,000.

Round Summary

Everyone except Mary has passed the Buy a Better Home space, while Bob has taken one of John's Life Tiles, only to lose it to Rachel soon afterwards. Eddie has used his last Share the Wealth card on John, who continues to hold a tenuous lead over Rachel. But can Bob maintain his lead until the end, or will either (or both) of Mary and Sarah overtake him? Time will tell.

Round 14

The players' inventories at the start of this round of turns are as follows:

Name	Cash On Hand ($)	Career (Salary in $)	Life Tiles	STW Cards	Property (value in $)	Children	Debt ($)	LTI Number
Bob	1.405m	Entertainer (110k)	5	0	Penthouse Suite (700k)	0	0	9
John	625k	Hair Stylist (50k)	3	1 (1S2)	Log Cabin (140k)	0	0	2
Rachel	450k	Mechanic (50k)	4	1 (1S2)	Mobile Home (80k)	3	0	8
Sarah	895k	Doctor (150k)	5	0	Lux. Mountain Retreat (600k)	0	0	4
Mary	1.63m	Athlete (110k)	3	0	Tudor Style (200k)	0	0	7
Eddie	190k	Salesperson (30k)	2	0	Condo (105k)	3	0	1

Turn 79 (Mary)

It is once again Mary's turn. She spins a 9.

As Bob receives a $5,000 Long-Term Investment return (he now has $1,410,000), Mary advances to the Buy a Better Home space.

Mary decides to buy a better house. She trades in the Tudor Style (worth $200,000) for the Mansion (which costs $800,000) - a $600,000 net payment. She now has $1,030,000, and spins again.

This time, she spins a 6. She passes a Pay Day space and collects her $110,000 salary, before landing on a Lawsuit space. She sues John for $100,000 and now has $1,240,000 to John's $525,000.

Turn 80 (Eddie)

Eddie spins a 6 on this turn.

He passes a Pay Day space, collects his $30,000 salary,  and advances to the space Bob currently occupies, but since two players cannot occupy the same space at any one time, Eddie advances to the nearest empty space. That space reads "Hire maid and butler service. Pay $65,000." After making the necessary payment, Eddie now has $155,000.

Turn 81 (Bob)

Bob spins a 10.

He passes a Pay Raise space (the last such space on the board) and collects his $110,000 salary, before arriving at the final Pay Day space and collecting his salary again (this time $120,000). He ends his turn with $1,640,000.

Turn 82 (John)

John spins a 4.

Sarah receives a $5,000 Long-Term Investment return and now has $900,000. As for John, he advances to the space Eddie currently occupies, but no player can end their turn on a space that is currently occupied by another player, so John must advance further, to the nearest empty space. In this case, the space in question reads "Go hiking in European Alps. LIFE". With the draw pile still empty, John decides to take a Life Tile from Rachel, who now has three Life Tiles to John's four. John did not gain or lose any money on this turn, though.

Turn 83 (Rachel)

Rachel spins a 1.

As Eddie receives $5,000 from his Long-Term Investment, Rachel arrives at the space that reads "Redecorate your home. Pay $80,000." She ends her turn with $370,000 to Eddie's $195,000.

Turn 84 (Sarah)

Sarah spins a 5.

She passes a Pay Raise space and collects her $150,000 salary, before arriving at the Safe/Risky Path of Life space (as veteran players prefer to call it).

Sarah then chooses the Safe Path of Life. Again, she spins a 5.

She passes a Pay Day space, collects her $160,000 salary, and reaches the same space Rachel just landed on, before advancing to the nearest free space. In her case, it reads "You're a grandparent! LIFE". She takes a Life Tile from John, who now has three Life Tiles to Sarah's six. By the end of this turn, Sarah has $1,310,000.

Round Summary

The end of this game is drawing near, with Bob being closer to retirement than anyone else. However, Mary has traded in her starter home (the Tudor Style) for a Mansion worth $800,000, and has yet to pass the last five Pay Day spaces on the board (two of which are Pay Raise spaces). As such, Mary is in the box seat to win, but Bob and Sarah might have something to say about that. The other three players (John, Rachel, and Eddie), on the other hand, are all out of contention beyond any doubt.

So will it be Bob (the Entertainer), Mary (the Athlete), or Sarah (the Doctor) who stands on the top step of the podium? We'll find out before long.

Round 15

The players' inventories at the start of this round of turns are as follows:

Name	Cash On Hand ($)	Career (Salary in $)	Life Tiles	STW Cards	Property (value in $)	Children	Debt ($)	LTI Number
Bob	1.64m	Entertainer (120k)	5	0	Penthouse Suite (700k)	0	0	9
John	525k	Hair Stylist (50k)	3	1 (1S2)	Log Cabin (140k)	0	0	2
Rachel	370k	Mechanic (50k)	3	1 (1S2)	Mobile Home (80k)	3	0	8
Sarah	1.31m	Doctor (150k)	6	0	Lux. Mountain Retreat (600k)	0	0	4
Mary	1.24m	Athlete (110k)	3	0	Mansion (800k)	0	0	7
Eddie	195k	Salesperson (30k)	2	0	Condo (105k)	3	0	1

Turn 85 (Mary)

Mary spins a 10.

She passes a Pay Raise space (earning $110,000 in the process) and reaches the Safe/Risky path space - the last player to do so. Now with $1,350,000 in hand, she decides to take the Risky Path of Life.

Mary then spins a 7 and receives a $5,000 Long-Term Investment return. She passes a Pay Day space and collects her salary (now $120,000) before arriving at a Lawsuit space. 

After a brief hesitation, she decides to sue Eddie for $100,000 again, and now has $1,575,000 to Eddie's $95,000.

Turn 86 (Eddie)

Eddie spins a 9.

Bob receives $5,000 from his Long-Term Investment and now has $1,645,000, as Eddie passes the last two Pay Day spaces on the board (the former of which is the last Pay Raise space, and the latter of which Bob currently occupies) en route to the space that reads "Host entertainment awards party. Pay $35,000."After collecting his salary ($30,000 from the first Pay Day space passed, and $40,000 from the second) and making the necessary payment, he now has $130,000.

Turn 87 (Bob)

Bob spins a 10.

In doing so, he is the first player to retire. He chooses to retire at Millionaire Estates, believing that none of his opponents are brave enough to take Life Tiles from him.

At the time of his retirement, Bob has 6 Life Tiles and $2,345,000.

Turn 88 (John)

John spins a 7.

He passes a Pay Raise space, collects his $50,000 salary, and arrives at a Life Tile space - the last such space on the board. It reads "You're a grandparent!" He takes a Life Tile from Mary (who received $5,000 from a Long-Term Investment), but although he has four Life Tiles to Mary's two, he has only $575,000 to Mary's $1,580,000.

Turn 89 (Rachel)

Rachel spins a 6.

She passes a Pay Day space and collects her $50,000 salary, before landing on a Life Tile space. This one also reads "You're a grandparent!". Rachel, whose bank account stands at $420,000, takes a Life Tile from John, who now has three Life Tiles to Rachel's four.

Turn 90 (Sarah)

Sarah also spins a 7.

She passes a Pay Day space and collects her $160,000 salary, before landing on a Life Tile space. This one reads "Go hiking in European Alps." With the draw pile having been empty for quite some time however, she must collect a Life Tile from an opponent; this time, she takes a Life Tile from Mary. That player, however, earned a $5,000 Long-Term Investment return on this turn, and now has $1,585,000 and 1 Life Tile to Sarah's $1,470,000 and 7 Life Tiles.

Round Summary

Bob is the first player to retire, but everyone else is on the home stretch. Sarah and Bob have amassed a sizable inventory of Life Tiles, fearing that Mary, despite only having one Life Tile, will have more cash on hand than either of them by the time she retires. They can forget about the other three players, none of whom can keep up any longer. We'll find out who wins in short order - so hold on tight!

Round 16

The players' inventories at the start of this round of turns are as follows:

Name	Cash On Hand ($)	Career (Salary in $)	Life Tiles	STW Cards	Property (value in $)	Children	Debt ($)	LTI Number
Bob	2.345m	Retired	6	0	None	0	0	9
John	575k	Hair Stylist (60k)	3	1 (1S2)	Log Cabin (140k)	0	0	2
Rachel	420k	Mechanic (50k)	4	1 (1S2)	Mobile Home (80k)	3	0	8
Sarah	1.47m	Doctor (160k)	7	0	Lux. Mountain Retreat (600k)	0	0	4
Mary	1.585m	Athlete (120k)	1	0	Mansion (800k)	0	0	7
Eddie	130k	Salesperson (40k)	2	0	Condo (105k)	3	0	1

Turn 91 (Mary)

Mary goes first. She spins a 3 on this turn.

She arrives at the first of three Life Tile spaces that reads "You're a grandparent!", before taking a Life Tile from Rachel, who now has three Life Tiles to Mary's two.

Turn 92 (Eddie)

Eddie spins a 5.

He finally retires, and chooses to do so at Countryside Acres, becoming the first player to retire there. As such, nobody can take Life Tiles from him for the rest of the game.

After selling his house and receiving a $10,000 gift from each of his three children ($30,000 in total), he has $265,000 and two Life Tiles.

Turn 93 (Bob)

Bob is retired, but he still spins for Long-Term Investment returns.

On this turn, the spinner landed on 6, but there are no players with that Long-Term Investment number.

Turn 94 (John)

John spins a 9.

Bob receives $5,000 from his Long-Term Investment and now has $2,350,000. Meanwhile, John passes the last Pay Day space, collecting his $60,000 salary as he does so, and finally retires.

He chooses to retire at Millionaire Estates and receives a Life Tile. After selling his house, he now has $775,000 and 4 Life Tiles.

Turn 95 (Rachel)

Rachel spins an 8.

She receives an $5,000 Long-Term Investment return and passes the last Pay Raise space. She collects her $50,000 salary, but has to pay it right back due to landing on the space that reads "Have family website designed. Pay $50,000." Rachel ends her turn with $425,000.

Turn 96 (Sarah)

Sarah also spins an 8.

She passes the last Pay Raise space and collects her $160,000 salary, before landing on the last Pay Day space and receiving her $170,000 salary. She now has $1,800,000. In addition, Rachel received another $5,000 Long-Term Investment return, and now has $430,000.

Round Summary

With John and Eddie now also on the retired list, that leaves Sarah, Mary, and Rachel as the only players who have not yet retired. Bob is now anxiously waiting for those three players to retire, and will soon find out whether or not he has actually won the Game of Life.

Round 17

The players' inventories at the start of this round of turns are as follows:

Name	Cash On Hand ($)	Career (Salary in $)	Life Tiles	STW Cards	Property (value in $)	Children	Debt ($)	LTI Number
Bob	2.35m	Retired	6	0	None	0	0	9
John	775k	Retired	4	1 (1S2)	None	0	0	2
Rachel	430k	Mechanic (60k)	3	1 (1S2)	Mobile Home (80k)	3	0	8
Sarah	1.8m	Doctor (170k)	7	0	Lux. Mountain Retreat (600k)	0	0	4
Mary	1.585m	Athlete (120k)	2	0	Mansion (800k)	0	0	7
Eddie	265k	Retired	2	0	None	3	0	1

Turn 97 (Mary)

Mary spins a 7.

She receives $5,000 from her Long-Term Investment, before passing a Pay Day space and collecting her $120,000 salary. She arrives at a Life Tile space; this one reads "Go hiking in European Alps." With the draw pile empty, and Eddie already having retired at Countryside Acres, Mary must now choose from Bob, John, Rachel, or Sarah as the source of her next Life Tile. She eventually decides to take a Life Tile from John; both players now have 3 Life Tiles each. Mary ends her turn with $1,710,000.

Turn 98 (Eddie)

Eddie is retired, but must still spin for Long-Term Investments.

He spins a 10 on this turn.

Turn 99 (Bob)

Bob has long since retired, but must still spin for Long-Term Investments.

He also spins a 10 on this turn.

Turn 100 (John)

John is retired, but still spins for Long-Term Investments.

He spins a 7, so Mary receives $5,000 from her Long-Term Investment, and now has $1,715,000.

Turn 101 (Rachel)

Rachel spins a 3.

She passes the last Pay Day space, collects her $60,000 salary, and arrives at the space that reads "Host entertainment awards party. Pay $35,000." She now has $455,000.

Turn 102 (Sarah)

Sarah spins a 4 and receives $5,000 from her Long-Term Investment.

She decides to retire at Millionaire Estates, and receives the last Life Tile stored there.

After selling her house, she has a healthy retirement fund of $2,405,000 and 8 Life Tiles.

Round Summary

Sarah has finally retired, but Rachel and Mary have yet to do so. However, with Bob's final net worth being less than that of Sarah (not counting Life Tiles), it's now much less likely for him to actually win the game.

Round 18

The players' inventories at the start of this round of turns are as follows:

Name	Cash On Hand ($)	Career (Salary in $)	Life Tiles	STW Cards	Property (value in $)	Children	Debt ($)	LTI Number
Bob	2.35m	Retired	6	0	None	0	0	9
John	775k	Retired	4	1 (1S2)	None	0	0	2
Rachel	455k	Mechanic (60k)	3	1 (1S2)	Mobile Home (80k)	3	0	8
Sarah	2.405m	Retired	8	0	None	0	0	4
Mary	1.715m	Athlete (120k)	2	0	Mansion (800k)	0	0	7
Eddie	265k	Retired	2	0	None	3	0	1

Eddie retired at Countryside Acres, so his Life Tile count is italicized.

Turn 103 (Mary)

Mary spins a 10.

She passes the last Pay Raise space, collects her $120,000 salary, then passes the last Pay Day space and collects her salary again (this time $130,000), before arriving at the Pension space. She must now spin for pensions, collecting $10,000 multiplied by the number spun.

She spins a 6 and receives a pension of $60,000, before ending her turn with $2,025,000.

Turn 104 (Eddie)

Eddie continues to spin for Long-Term Investments.

On this turn, he spins a 10.

Turn 105 (Bob)

Bob also continues to spin for Long-Term Investments.

Once again, he spins a 10.

Turn 106 (John)

John has retired, but must spin for Long-Term Investments.

He spins a 3.

Turn 107 (Rachel)

Rachel spins an 8 and receives a $5,000 Long-Term Investment return.

She finally retires, and ends her turn at Millionaire Estates. There are no Life Tiles stored there, but everyone else has either retired or passed the last Life Tile space.

After selling her house and receiving $30,000 of children's gifts ($10,000 per child), she ends her turn with $570,000 and 3 Life Tiles.

Turn 108 (Sarah)

Sarah is retired, but must still spin for Long-Term Investments.

She spins an 8, which means that Rachel receives $5,000 from her Long-Term Investment, and now has $575,000.

Round Summary

Mary is literally one turn away from retirement, and with all other players having retired, her final turn will be the last one of the game before everyone converts their Life Tiles into extra cash.

Round 19

The players' inventories at the start of this round of turns are as follows:

Name	Cash On Hand ($)	Career (Salary in $)	Life Tiles	STW Cards	Property (value in $)	Children	Debt ($)	LTI Number
Bob	2.35m	Retired	6	0	None	0	0	9
John	775k	Retired	4	1 (1S2)	None	0	0	2
Rachel	575k	Retired	3	1 (1S2)	None	3	0	8
Sarah	2.405m	Retired	8	0	None	0	0	4
Mary	2.025m	Athlete (130k)	2	0	Mansion (800k)	0	0	7
Eddie	265k	Retired	2	0	None	3	0	1

Turn 109

Mary spins a 10.

She finally retires and decides to settle down at Millionaire Estates.

After selling her house, she ends up with $2,825,000 - enough to win this game on its own, as we have found out.

Life Tile Bonuses

Now it's time for everyone to cash in every Life Tile they have. 

Turn 110 (Mary)

First up is Mary, who reveals the values of both Life Tiles in her possession. The first of her two Life Tiles is worth $10,000.

Mary reveals the value of her other Life Tile - this one has a value of $50,000.

Mary's final net worth is $2,885,000.

Turn 111 (Eddie)

Eddie is next. His first Life Tile is worth $30,000.

Eddie's other Life Tile has a value of $20,000, so his final net worth is $315,000.

Turn 112 (Bob)

Bob is the next player to convert his Life Tiles to extra cash. His first Life Tile is worth $50,000.

Bob's second Life Tile is worth $40,000.

Bob redeems his third Life Tile for $10,000.

The fourth Life Tile in Bob's collection is worth $10,000.

Bob's fifth Life Tile is worth $30,000.

The sixth and last Life Tile in Bob's possession is worth $50,000 - all three $50,000 Life Tiles are now accounted for.

Bob's final net worth is $2,540,000 - enough to put him into second place for the time being.

Turn 113 (John)

John is the next player to redeem his Life Tiles. His first Life Tile is worth $30,000.

John's second Life Tile is worth slightly less, at $20,000.

John's third Life Tile has a value of $30,000.

The fourth and last of John's Life Tiles is worth $10,000.

John's final net worth is thus $865,000 - good enough for third, for now.

Turn 114 (Rachel)

Rachel is the next player to convert her Life Tiles into cash. Her first Life Tile is worth $30,000.

Rachel's second Life Tile has a value of $10,000.

The third and last Life Tile in Rachel's collection is worth $20,000.

Rachel thus ends this game with a net worth of $635,000, for a fifth-place finish. Every Life Tile that has a net worth of either $30,000 or $50,000 is now accounted for.

Turn 115 (Sarah)

With all other players' Life Tiles having been redeemed and their values revealed, Sarah's Life Tile collection comprises two $10,000 Life Tiles, three $20,000 Life Tiles, and three $40,000 Life Tiles. Sarah's final net worth is therefore $2,605,000, which is a lot, but not enough to overtake Mary for the lead, and so Sarah must settle for second place.

Congratulations to Mary for winning the Game of Life!

Commiserations to Bob and Sarah, who came close, but ultimately fell short.

Final Standings

Name	Net Worth
Mary	$2,885,000
Sarah	$2,605,000
Bob	$2,540,000
John	$865,000
Rachel	$635,000
Eddie	$315,000

A Note on Final Placements

Had Mary only earned $20,000 from her two Life Tiles (2 x $10,000), and Sarah collected $340,000 (3 x $50,000, 4 x $40,000, and 1 x $30,000) from hers, Mary would have ended up with $2,845,000, which would have been $100,000 more than Sarah's $2,745,000. The actual winning margin, however, was $280,000, so it was not quite as close as I had hoped - but second and third were even closer than I expected, being separated by just $65,000. Moreover, the gap from third to fourth was a massive $1,675,000, although there was only $230,000 between fourth and fifth, and the bottom two players were only $320,000 apart at the end.