How to Set up and Play the Game of Life by Milton Bradley
Punch out game board pieces and the cardboard slots on the game board., Put stickers on the mountain and bridge pieces., Attach the game parts to the board., Assemble and attach the spinner., Place the Life tiles somewhere near the board., Separate...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Punch out game board pieces and the cardboard slots on the game board.
The Game of Life comes with many cardboard parts that you will need to punch out and attach to the board.
It also comes with some plastic pieces that you will need to attach to the board in the correct places., Your Game of Life set should have stickers for the mountain and bridge pieces.
Put these stickers on the mountain and bridge pieces before you attach them to the game board., Before you start playing, you will need to assemble the board.
Attach the buildings, mountains, and bridges to the correct places on the board.
Each plastic piece has a letter on it that matches up with a letter on the board.Match the letter piece with the correct letter on the board.
For example, the “J” piece should go into the “J” slot. , The Game of Life uses a spinner instead of dice.
You will need to put this spinner together and attach it to the board before you play your first game.
Punch out the cardboard spinner and match the notches up with the notches on the plastic spinner dial.
Then, snap the two pieces together.Next attach the spinner dial to the spinner base.
The spinner base should have a letter on it that corresponds to the letter on the board.
Snap the assembled spinner into place on the board. , Make sure that they are all facing down.
Mix them up and leave them next to the board to act as the draw pile.
Take four tiles without looking at them and place them on the Millionaire Estates space., The four types of cards are Career Cards, Salary Cards, House Deeds, and Stocks.
Make sure that you keep each type of card separate and then shuffle each stack.
Place the stacks face-down somewhere next to the board where everyone can reach them., Place these items somewhere near the board.
Players will purchase and borrow these items throughout the game, so you will want to have them somewhere that is easy to access.
Select a spot right next to the game board to keep these items for when they are needed., The Banker is in charge of all money going into and out of the bank.
Make sure the person who decides to be the Banker is aware that he/she will need to collect and distribute money throughout the game.
The Banker will need to distribute $10,000 in Life money to each player., The Game of Life comes with six car movers in different colors as well as people pegs that go in the cars.
Make sure that every player chooses a car and puts a peg into it before placing that peg on the board., Before your first turn, you will need to decide if you want to start the game with a career card or start the game by going to college.
There are advantages and disadvantages to both options.The advantages of starting your career right away is that you will start earning PAY DAY money sooner and you will not have any debt.
The disadvantages of starting your career right away is that you will not earn as much money and there are some career cards that you may not take.
The advantage of going to college is that you will earn more when you do get a career card.
The disadvantage of going to college is that you will have $40,000 in debt and it will take you longer to get your career card. , If you choose to start a career, then you will need to choose a career card right away.
Discard any career cards that indicate that a college degree is required, such as the doctor career card., If you are going to start college, then you will need to place your car on the start college space.
You may not draw a career card yet.
You may draw a career card when you reach the Job Search space., Each play will need to spin the wheel at the beginning of every turn.
The number that you spin will indicate how many spaces you may move your car on the board.
You may only move your car forward, not backwards on the board., The Game of Life board is very colorful and each space has different instructions that you will need to read and follow.
Take some time to review the basic instructions for the space colors so that you will know what your options are.Orange spaces have instructions written on them that you must follow.
Blue spaces have instructions on them that you may decide to follow or not follow.
Green spaces are PAY DAY spaces.
Collect the amount shown on your PAY DAY card whenever you pass or land on a green space.
Red spaces require you to stop moving, even if you have enough moves left to go past a red space.
You have to stop whenever you encounter a red space.
Follow the instructions on the space, then spin and move again. , The career spaces on the board match the available career cards.
If one of your opponents owns the card, then you need to pay that opponent the amount shown on the card.If you own the career card, then you do not have to pay anything.
If no one owns the career card, then you need to pay the amount indicated on the space to the bank. , This rule is known as the Special Police Officer Rule.
If someone spins a 10, then that person is said to have been “speeding” and must pay whoever has the Police Officer career card $5,000.
If no one has the card, then no one has to pay., The accountant gets an extra space on the board which is called the Taxes space.
If you land on this space, then you need to pay $5,000 to whoever has the accountant career card.If no one has this card, then pay $5,000 to the bank.
If you have the card, then you pay nothing. , You may choose to purchase an insurance policy at the beginning of one of your turns.
These policies will offer some protection for your home or car (depending on which one you buy) in case of an accident.Auto insurance costs $10,000, but the homeowner’s insurance policies depend on the home that you own.
You can find the cost of a homeowner’s insurance policy on your deed card. , You may buy a stock card at the beginning of one of your turns.
A stock card costs $50,000, but if someone spins and lands on the number on your card, then you collect $10,000 from the bank.
This rule applies whether you are spinning or someone else is spinning.You may only buy one stock card, but you may get another stock card if you land on the Stock Market Zooms space. , If you are running low on cash, then you may take out a bank loan of $20,000 at the beginning of one of your turns.
Keep in mind that you will have to repay this amount to the bank when you retire plus an extra $5,000 in interest., When you have reached the Retire space, you may not spin the wheel any more or draw cards, or purchase things.
This space indicates that you are near the end of the game.
However, getting to the Retire space first does not mean you have won the game., The first thing you will need to do when you hit the Retire space is to repay any loans you have taken out plus the interest that you owe.
Put this money back into the bank., Next, get rid of all of your special cards, but you may keep your stocks.
If you are ahead of your opponents, then you can continue to collect money from your stocks when your opponents spin the wheel., Move to Millionaire Estates if you think that you have the most money.
Keep in mind that if you do move to Millionaire Estates, you stand a chance to collect four additional Life tiles that may help you win the game.
But other players may draw from this pile if the draw deck is empty.If you move to Countryside Acres, collect one Life tile.
No one may take this Life tile from you and you may include it in your cash total at the end of the game. , The player with the most money gets the last four life tiles that are on the Millionaire Estates space.
Then, all of the players (including those at Countryside Acres) should add the cash amounts on their Life tiles with the money they have on hand.
The player with the most money is the winner! -
Step 2: Put stickers on the mountain and bridge pieces.
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Step 3: Attach the game parts to the board.
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Step 4: Assemble and attach the spinner.
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Step 5: Place the Life tiles somewhere near the board.
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Step 6: Separate
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Step 7: shuffle
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Step 8: and stack the cards.
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Step 9: Find the Automobile Insurance Policies
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Step 10: Homeowner’s Insurance Policies
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Step 11: Stocks
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Step 12: and Bank Loans.
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Step 13: Select someone to be the Banker.
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Step 14: Have everyone choose a car and people peg.
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Step 15: Decide if you want to start a career or go to college.
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Step 16: Draw a Career Card right away if you decide to start a career.
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Step 17: Place your car on the Start College space if you decided to start college.
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Step 18: Spin the wheel.
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Step 19: Observe the instructions for different space colors.
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Step 20: Pay if you land on a career space that someone or no one owns.
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Step 21: Give $5
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Step 22: 000 to the person with the police officer career card if you spin a 10.
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Step 23: Pay $5
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Step 24: 000 to the accountant if you land on the “Taxes” space.
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Step 25: Decide if you want to take out an automobile insurance policy or homeowner’s insurance policy.
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Step 26: Buy stocks.
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Step 27: Take out a bank loan if you need it.
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Step 28: Stop moving when you reach the Retire space.
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Step 29: Repay your loans plus any interest you owe.
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Step 30: Discard your Career Card
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Step 31: Salary Card
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Step 32: Insurance Policies
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Step 33: and House Deed.
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Step 34: Move your car to Millionaire Estates OR Countryside Acres.
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Step 35: Have all of the players at Millionaire Estates count up their money.
Detailed Guide
The Game of Life comes with many cardboard parts that you will need to punch out and attach to the board.
It also comes with some plastic pieces that you will need to attach to the board in the correct places., Your Game of Life set should have stickers for the mountain and bridge pieces.
Put these stickers on the mountain and bridge pieces before you attach them to the game board., Before you start playing, you will need to assemble the board.
Attach the buildings, mountains, and bridges to the correct places on the board.
Each plastic piece has a letter on it that matches up with a letter on the board.Match the letter piece with the correct letter on the board.
For example, the “J” piece should go into the “J” slot. , The Game of Life uses a spinner instead of dice.
You will need to put this spinner together and attach it to the board before you play your first game.
Punch out the cardboard spinner and match the notches up with the notches on the plastic spinner dial.
Then, snap the two pieces together.Next attach the spinner dial to the spinner base.
The spinner base should have a letter on it that corresponds to the letter on the board.
Snap the assembled spinner into place on the board. , Make sure that they are all facing down.
Mix them up and leave them next to the board to act as the draw pile.
Take four tiles without looking at them and place them on the Millionaire Estates space., The four types of cards are Career Cards, Salary Cards, House Deeds, and Stocks.
Make sure that you keep each type of card separate and then shuffle each stack.
Place the stacks face-down somewhere next to the board where everyone can reach them., Place these items somewhere near the board.
Players will purchase and borrow these items throughout the game, so you will want to have them somewhere that is easy to access.
Select a spot right next to the game board to keep these items for when they are needed., The Banker is in charge of all money going into and out of the bank.
Make sure the person who decides to be the Banker is aware that he/she will need to collect and distribute money throughout the game.
The Banker will need to distribute $10,000 in Life money to each player., The Game of Life comes with six car movers in different colors as well as people pegs that go in the cars.
Make sure that every player chooses a car and puts a peg into it before placing that peg on the board., Before your first turn, you will need to decide if you want to start the game with a career card or start the game by going to college.
There are advantages and disadvantages to both options.The advantages of starting your career right away is that you will start earning PAY DAY money sooner and you will not have any debt.
The disadvantages of starting your career right away is that you will not earn as much money and there are some career cards that you may not take.
The advantage of going to college is that you will earn more when you do get a career card.
The disadvantage of going to college is that you will have $40,000 in debt and it will take you longer to get your career card. , If you choose to start a career, then you will need to choose a career card right away.
Discard any career cards that indicate that a college degree is required, such as the doctor career card., If you are going to start college, then you will need to place your car on the start college space.
You may not draw a career card yet.
You may draw a career card when you reach the Job Search space., Each play will need to spin the wheel at the beginning of every turn.
The number that you spin will indicate how many spaces you may move your car on the board.
You may only move your car forward, not backwards on the board., The Game of Life board is very colorful and each space has different instructions that you will need to read and follow.
Take some time to review the basic instructions for the space colors so that you will know what your options are.Orange spaces have instructions written on them that you must follow.
Blue spaces have instructions on them that you may decide to follow or not follow.
Green spaces are PAY DAY spaces.
Collect the amount shown on your PAY DAY card whenever you pass or land on a green space.
Red spaces require you to stop moving, even if you have enough moves left to go past a red space.
You have to stop whenever you encounter a red space.
Follow the instructions on the space, then spin and move again. , The career spaces on the board match the available career cards.
If one of your opponents owns the card, then you need to pay that opponent the amount shown on the card.If you own the career card, then you do not have to pay anything.
If no one owns the career card, then you need to pay the amount indicated on the space to the bank. , This rule is known as the Special Police Officer Rule.
If someone spins a 10, then that person is said to have been “speeding” and must pay whoever has the Police Officer career card $5,000.
If no one has the card, then no one has to pay., The accountant gets an extra space on the board which is called the Taxes space.
If you land on this space, then you need to pay $5,000 to whoever has the accountant career card.If no one has this card, then pay $5,000 to the bank.
If you have the card, then you pay nothing. , You may choose to purchase an insurance policy at the beginning of one of your turns.
These policies will offer some protection for your home or car (depending on which one you buy) in case of an accident.Auto insurance costs $10,000, but the homeowner’s insurance policies depend on the home that you own.
You can find the cost of a homeowner’s insurance policy on your deed card. , You may buy a stock card at the beginning of one of your turns.
A stock card costs $50,000, but if someone spins and lands on the number on your card, then you collect $10,000 from the bank.
This rule applies whether you are spinning or someone else is spinning.You may only buy one stock card, but you may get another stock card if you land on the Stock Market Zooms space. , If you are running low on cash, then you may take out a bank loan of $20,000 at the beginning of one of your turns.
Keep in mind that you will have to repay this amount to the bank when you retire plus an extra $5,000 in interest., When you have reached the Retire space, you may not spin the wheel any more or draw cards, or purchase things.
This space indicates that you are near the end of the game.
However, getting to the Retire space first does not mean you have won the game., The first thing you will need to do when you hit the Retire space is to repay any loans you have taken out plus the interest that you owe.
Put this money back into the bank., Next, get rid of all of your special cards, but you may keep your stocks.
If you are ahead of your opponents, then you can continue to collect money from your stocks when your opponents spin the wheel., Move to Millionaire Estates if you think that you have the most money.
Keep in mind that if you do move to Millionaire Estates, you stand a chance to collect four additional Life tiles that may help you win the game.
But other players may draw from this pile if the draw deck is empty.If you move to Countryside Acres, collect one Life tile.
No one may take this Life tile from you and you may include it in your cash total at the end of the game. , The player with the most money gets the last four life tiles that are on the Millionaire Estates space.
Then, all of the players (including those at Countryside Acres) should add the cash amounts on their Life tiles with the money they have on hand.
The player with the most money is the winner!
About the Author
Janice Evans
Enthusiastic about teaching cooking techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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