When I first got the box for Acquisition (Trojan International Ltd., 2005 - unaccredited), I was concerned about who I would play the game with. On the onset, it looked like a game that would work rather well with kids, but the box clearly recommended that the game was for ages 18 and over. A board game for adults - did I get the wrong game? How would I explain this to my wife? After emailing the company, they assured me that the high rating wasn't because the game contained anything inappropriate; but because there was gambling in the game, and they wanted to simply avoid trouble. Okay, that sounded good to me, so I eagerly played the game with my kids.
Well, there's really not a lot of stuff to recommend here. Acquisition is a roll-and-move game that is masquerading as an auction game. Auctions aren't really that much of a driving force behind the game, and different parts of the game aren't really equal (such as the gambling is for a very minor amount of money compared to actual money flow). There's really nothing new or unique here - just a long, arduous task to collect money to buy items that you simply hope to land on. I don't mind a roll-and-move game as the occasional lark - especially if they have interesting purchasing decisions. Acquisition could have had this interest, but the random auctions ruined any fun in the game.
Each player is given 50,000 credits, with the remainder placed in the bank. Players also receive a "wild card" and four mortgage debt cards - each requiring payment of 10,000 credits each. Piles of Gold status symbols are placed near the board (House - red; Sports Car - green; Launch - yellow; CEO - purple; and Holiday - blue). Stacks of Silver Status cards are also placed near the board - each a set of four that equal one Gold status symbol. (ie. the Marina Berth (10,000 credits), the Jet Ski (1,000 credits), an Outboard Motor (5,000 credits) and Fishing Equipment (500 credits) make up the Launch Gold Status). Piles of lottery tickets, betting tickets, and action cards are placed on the board as well as a sand timer and the players' starting pieces on the first space. One player is chosen to go first and given the two six-sided dice included with the game.
The game is simple; a player simply rolls the dice and moves their pieces around a circular track around the board. Depending on which space a player lands on, they take the following actions:
- Each of the fifteen silver status items have a space on the board. If a player lands on that space, they may purchase the item for the price shown. All of these items, except for the House items, may be bought more than once. There are only three of every type - except for the House items. Players may sell these items back to the bank at any time for half their face value.
- Four spaces order the player to draw the top action card and follow it. Most action cards have the player lose or gain money.
- When a player lands on a Mortgage space, they MUST pay 10,000 and turn in one of their four Mortgage cards. If they can't, they must sell, etc. to do whatever it takes to get the money needed. Players must get rid of all four of their Mortgage cards, or they cannot win the game. Players who cannot pay a Mortgage receive a Bankruptcy card - which could also be titled "YOU LOSE AND CAN NO LONGER PLAY, SUCKER!!"
- When a player lands on an ATM space, they roll the dice and receive 1,000 credits times the number rolled.
- When a player lands on a Train Station, they get to go again!
- When a player lands on a Taxi, they can go to any Silver Status space on the board.
- When a player lands on a Credit Bonus space, they receive 5000.
- When a player lands on a Speeding Ticket, they must pay 1000 to the Jackpot.
- When a player lands on the Lottery Draw space, all players are compelled to buy at least one lottery ticket (to a maximum of three) for 50 credits each (placed in the Jackpot). Each of the thirty-six tickets has a combination of two numbers, one through six on them. The dice are rolled; and if any player's ticket matches the numbers rolled, they win all the money in the Jackpot.
- When a player lands on a Racecourse space, the same thing as the Lottery occurs, except that players use the betting tickets (with the same spread of numbers). The timer is started, and the player who landed on the space rolls the dice and sees if the numbers match his tickets only. If not, he passes them to the next person, etc. If anyone matches one of their tickets before the timer runs out, they win all the money in the Jackpot.
- A round of Blackjack (played with a deck of cards included with the game) is played when one player lands on the Casino square - with the moving player being the dealer. Players can bet up to 200 credits - with the Dealer paying the winner.
- There are four auction spaces, each with a different number of credits on them. When a player lands on one, they must auction off a Silver Status item they have that matches the price on the space. The item must be sold for at least double the face value of the item, or the player isn't required to sell it.
Each player may use their "wildcard" once per game to move to the space of their choice. Once players receive the four Silver Status items of a set, they can trade them in for the Gold Status item. The first player to get three Gold Status items (one of which must be House), AND pay off all four of their Mortgages, wins the game!
Some comments on the game…
1.) Components: The box is very sturdy, although it's totally in black and looks a bit gloomy - not to mention it; and the board can get some ridges in it by pressing onto it - my box looks like it's years old already. The credits, which come in many denominations, are in card form (better than paper), although combined with all the other cards, causes there to be a lot of card sorting at the beginning of the game. I didn't like the fact that everything on the cards and board was in an annoying all capital letter font, and some of the cards even used yellow font on a light gray background! The deck of playing cards included in the game was decent; and the pawns, dice, and timer were your typical plastic fair. Everything fits nicely into the plastic insert in the box, but it just is a bit underwhelming - it looks very "machinish".
2.) Rules: The thirteen page rulebook is detailed and explains everything rather well, although the order is a bit messed up; and I found myself flipping back and forth several times. A few game variations are included, which basically change the number of items required to win. The game is simple enough to teach - I just explain each space as people land on it.
3.) Action cards: My first disappointment was the action cards. Most of them cause a player to lose or gain miniscule amounts of money (100 credits?). A very few of them cause a player to lose slightly more (5,000), but overall most of the cards have little effect on the game. One card, however, causes a player to lose all of their Silver Status cards. This card is so devastating and powerful that players will often quit after drawing it, and I really can't blame them. After playing for an hour, and having gained about eight of the items, it's just moronic to have to lose them all at the whim of a card.
4.) Auctions: I like auctions and believe that they can add excitement to a game, as players put perceived values on the items being auctioned off. But in this game, a player is FORCED to auction off something that they don't want to (usually) to someone else, who almost always buys it. If I need four Silver Status symbols to get a new House, and get three, then am forced to auction off the third one, it can be very frustrating. Auctions usually run fairly high, since there is so much money involved in the game.
5.) Money: If you look at the board, there are plenty of places to gain money (and a lot of it!) than there are places to lose money. This simply means that a player can buy every single Silver Status item they land on. I know that the designer meant for there to be strategy when deciding which items to buy, but the money is so free-flowing - why not buy them all? Besides, you may be forced to auction one of these items off later on! Better to have extras to sell that you don't want.
6.) Gambling: In a game setting, I think gambling and wagering can be fun, and the different gambling activities in this game are pretty enjoyable (although horse racing and lottery tickets are almost identical). The problem is that the payout is so small - it's simply not worth it. And everyone is forced to play, having to purchase a ticket or bid in the BlackJack games. These minigames slow the larger game down and drag it on to a length that makes it boring. And the money payouts have almost no effect on the game - it's like Free Parking in Monopoly (with the standard house rule) - just only with a little money on it.
7.) Bankruptcy: I've only seen a player go bankrupt once, and that was due to stupidity combined with horrifying luck. Still, is it necessary to give a player a special card so that they know they've lost? It seems a bit vicious to me, for no reason.
8.) Luck: Okay, players have one wildcard that they can use to go anywhere they want to on the board. This is nice, and everyone uses it at some point or another. But what if you need a certain House item, and you never land on it, and no one ever auctions it off? THAT IS ANNOYING, and is the biggest turnoff for me from the game. To roll, and roll, and roll, and roll, and have nothing happen, I hate it.
9.) Fun Factor: Frustration does not equal fun. Sheer luck does not equal fun. Acquisition has both frustration and sheer luck, so do the math. Some of my kids commented that the game was fun for a while, but they simply got bored with the repetitiveness of it. I was very unhappy every time I played it and probably won't seek to do so again.
On the internet, there is a certain group who jeer at "roll-and-move" games, despising them for their high luck, low payoffs in strategy, and lack of originality. While sometimes I believe this scoffing to be unfounded, they have found a poster child in the game of Acquisition. With few redeeming values, Acquisition is a game that will be relegated to my back shelves - I simply want a game that has more choices and is more fun.
Tom Vasel
www.tomvasel.com
"Real men play board games"
