Box cover and game layout, Winning Moves 30th Anniversary edition |
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| Designer(s) | Paul J. Gruen |
|---|---|
| Publisher(s) | Parker Brothers Winning Moves |
| Players | 2 to 4 |
| Age range | 8 and up |
| Setup time | 5 minutes |
| Playing time | 45-60 minutes |
| Random chance | Low |
| Skill(s) required | Roll-and-Move Money Management |
Pay Day is a board game originally made by Parker Brothers (now a subsidiary of Hasbro) in 1975. It was invented by Paul J. Gruen of West Newbury, Massachusetts, USA, one of the era's top board game designers. It was Gruen's most successful game, outselling Monopoly in its first production year.
This article is based on the 1975-era rules. For rules on the revised 1994-present Pay Day, try the following link.
Contents |
The objective of the game is to have the most money at the end of the game. The length of the game is predetermined by the players. The game board is in the form of a calendar month, with each day (space) having a different event resulting when a player lands on that space. A typical game is three or six months (although any number can be played).
The game is played with game board, one die, six playing pieces, play money (denominations of $5, $10, $20, $50, $100, $500), 16 "Deal" cards, 79 "Mail" cards (some editions have 64), and a "Savings and Loan Calculator" (older versions have a "Savings and Loan" pad plus a table to calculate savings interest at 10% or loan interest at 20%).
Each player starts with $325 (or one $100 bill, two $50's, three $20's, four $10's, and five $5's). One player is selected to go first. Players roll the die and advances their playing piece from 1 to 6 spaces as indicated on the die. The player follows the instructions shown on the calendar space on the game board. There are 31 days in a Pay Day month.
If a player lands on either a "Deal" or "Mail" space, they will then select the appropriate card from the top of the specified deck.
The player has the option of purchasing the "Deal" for the cost indicated immediately or returning the card to the bottom of the deck. (One may take out a loan to pay for the deal.) The "Deal" is held until that player lands on a "Buyer" space at any time during the duration of the game. A "Deal" card has no value if it remains unsold at the end of the game. Whenever a "Deal" is purchased, all players have an opportunity to win the "Commission" indicated on the "Deal" card. Each player in turn rolls the die, with the highest roller collecting the "Commission" from the bank.
Mail cards have varying content, just like real mail. Some mail cards are bills, some are fortuitous collections, and some are just entertaining (postcards and junk mail).
Bills are due at the end of the month (unless cancelled by Insurance, see below), while collections (except for Lottery Tickets) are payable immediately. Postcards and junk mail are immediately discarded.
Three types of mail cards are "special" mail cards which have unique rules:
Each player in turn, starting with the player who landed there, moves their token back one space and follows the instructions as in a regular turn. If a player's game piece is on the "Start" space when another player lands on "Daylight Savings", they simply collect another $325 and leave the game piece on "Start." The "Daylight Savings" process takes place only once on any turn and should not be repeated if a player lands there as a result of another player having landed there first.
All players must contribute to the town election. If a player does not have the cash, they must withdraw from their savings, or take out or increase a loan. The next player to roll a 6 during the course of the game wins the Pot (including any "Swellfare" money that may already be in there).
Each player has the option of placing $100 on the board. All poker game participants roll the die. The highest roller collects all of the money.
A player may have either a savings account or a loan, but never both at the same time.
As the name indicates, Sweet Sunday spaces have neither an award nor a penalty, just a space to "rest".
Stop here, regardless of additional counts on the die. When you reach "Pay Day," go through the following steps in this order:
The player who finishes the game with the most money (cash plus savings or cash minus loans) is the winner. If all players are "in the negative" (all have loans exceeding their cash), then whoever is the least "in the negative" wins.