Screw the Workers

Each player is the Chief Executive Officer of a high-tech company. Each turn, players may trade, pay their salary, play up to two cards, pay old and new workers, and re-draw up to four cards. Then the Economic Index is adjusted, and all companies are payed based upon the overall state of the economy and the ability to control monopolies. Cards include a variety of companies, boom and bust, changes in the labor pool, accounting scams, anti-trust and stocks. Because it is possible for all players to lose, some cooperation is necessary within an overall competitive framework. Although the Economic Index may seem at first to dispense its rewards and penalties equally, clever players will soon find that they can manipulate it to their advantage. Similarly, while supply and demand regulates the availability of labor, there is room for maneuvering as players strive to pay workers as little as possible while avoiding having the workers stolen away by higher-paying rivals. As Chief Executive Officers players can name their own salary, but if they raise it too far too fast they will soon find their company in economic trouble. Game play basically falls into two parts; early, the players control small startup companies and maneuver to build them into large corporate entities. In the game's late stages, great manipulation is possible, and excellent timing necessary, as each player struggles to amass the greatest personal fortune possible without going to jail, and to end the game at the perfect moment. The game takes 2-5 players and usually lasts from one to two hours.