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Mine a Million

Mine a million
TheBusinessGame.JPG
The Business Game Box Cover
Publisher(s) Waddingtons
Players 2–6
Setup time 5–15 minutes
Playing time Approximately 1.5–3 hours
Random chance Medium (dice rolling, card drawing)
Skill(s) required Calculation, Resource management

Mine a Million or The Business Game is a board game for 2-6 players previously published by Waddingtons. The game is named after the economic business of mining tin and gaining profit by transporting this to markets near and far. The 'million' bit of the name relates to the target profit.

The game is set in a developing country where transport economy is vital. In this country therefore the 'Minister for Transport' has decreed that all transport must travel fully loaded. This brings in the concept of subcontracting.

Mine a Million is a board game invented by Jody Newman and Drew Swinerd, and sold to Waddingtons in 1965. It was later rebranded as The Business Game.

The games consist of a playing board, 12 mine derricks (2 of each of 6 colours), 6 lorries, 5 barges, 2 ships, 90 pyramids (15 of each of 6 colours), 94 cubes (24 of each of 6 colours), 26 Production Cards, 6 Canal Company Title Deeds, 2 Production Debit Cards, 1 dice and paper money including sterling and dollars.

Players mine, transport and sell tin in the form of production units. Each player is in control of a pit head with a single mining derrick.

Tin is produced, after an initial allocation, at the mine by the role of a dice. If this tin can be transported to Newport it can be sold for Sterling at Newport warehouse. This money can be used to pay for more transport (lorries, barges and ships) and an additional mine derrick (to increase production).

The game goes through 3 phases. Initially, transport is carried out using lorries. During this phase the aim is to build up your capital and then increase production. After a time players will have enough funds to establish a canal company so then players can start to use barges on the canals. This is more expensive, but can transport more tin more quickly to Newport. Finally the players begin to transport the production units across the sea by either barges, more slowly around the coast or more quickly by ships. Across the sea at Race Bay, Port John or Port Boston units can be sold for dollars. Before exporting by sea, a player needs to have acquired sufficient money (sterling) to pay for the transport rental during the sea journey.

The game is based around the production, transportation and selling of "units" of tin. The objective is to make one million dollars by selling units in the neighbouring landmass containing three ports. The simplest way to achieve this is by getting 10 units to the furthest port (Port Boston), and another five to either of the nearer two (Race Bay or St. John's).


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