POLECONOMY
The Game of Canada

Introduction
In Poleconomy, each player is both Tycoon and Politician.
As a Tycoon, he buys and sells some of Canada's largest companies and
advertising media, invests in insurance, buys bonds and makes takeover
bids. He faces the peril of inflation and commercial disaster. His
profits are taxed by a Government elected from amongst the players.
As a Politician, each player is a member of Parliament. Further he is a
member of the Government or Opposition, depending on the outcome of an
election. He could be appointed Prime Minister. His decisions will then
affect the financial destiny of each player in the game. Elections are
held throughout the game and Government policies such as tax and
spending changes can affect all players chances for accumulating wealth.
There are two ways of playing Poleconomy. Game 1 mainly centres on the
economic and financial aspects of the Canadian economy. This is the fun
game for all the family. Game 1 is complete in itself. However, players
will eventually want the added excitement and challenge of Game 2 - a
game which incorporates the dynamics of the political process. All new
players should start with Game l.

Poleconomy is a game for 2 to 6 players. It is best played with 4 to 6.
Each player will need paper and pencil to record figures. Click here for a list of contents

GAME 1
The board
Before starting players should have a close look at the board. There
are two circuits of squares. The "Outer Circuit" is the series of
squares on the very outside of the board which at each corner has a blue
square marked ''Income". The "Inner Circuit" is the series of squares
which is inside the "Outer Circuit" and parallel to it. It, too, has a
blue square at each corner: three of these are marked ''Income" and the
other is marked " Start"
In the space between the "Outer Circuit" and the "Inner Circuit" there
are four ''Corner Squares" marked respectively:
o The Royal Bank of Canada
(Savings Interest and Government Bonds)
o The Canada Life Assurance Company
(Life Insurance)
o McLeod Young Weir (Takeovers)
o Royal Insurance of Canada (Business Insurance)
At the very centre of the board you will see a series of numbers circled
in gold. This series of numbers is called the "Inflation Index"

Income Squares: These are blue and marked with a number also in blue
There are 8 on the inner circuit and 4 on the outer circuit
Start Square: There is only 1 start square. It is blue and also operates
as an Income Square.
Each square on the inside or outside circuits is a particular type:
Company Squares: These are endorsed with the name or logo of a well
known company. e.g. Molson Breweries of Canada Ltd.
Advertising Squares: These depict a well known company, product, or
service, and are marked "Advertising" at the top of the square. e.g
Imperial Oil Ltd. (Esso)
Inflation Squares: These are red and marked with a gold number. There
are 6 of them on the inner circuit and 13 on the outer circuit

Step 1 Set Up
Place the "Inflation Marker" (cylinder) on the "Inflation Index" on the
number I (blue) that also reads ''Election". The gold arrow should
be pointing clockwise. Each player selects a ''Beaver" and places it on
"Start".

Step 2 Appoint Banker
Appoint any player as Banker. (The most important figure in the game is
not the Banker but the Prime Minister) The Banker takes possession of
all Money, Company and Advertising Cards, Insurance Policies, Savings
Interest Cards and Government Bonds. The Banker must keep his own
assets in the game separate from the
Bank's.

Step 3 Decide Basic Income
Starting with the Banker and moving clockwise, each player throws two
dice. The total shown, multiplied by$10,000, is his Basic Income which
he records. A double does not entitle him to another throw A player's
Basic Income remains the same throughout the game, except if he should
choose to " Rethrow his Basic Income" when landing on an "Opportunity
Square". (See Opportunity Squares .)

Step 4 Pay Start Incomes
The Banker pays each player $300,000 Starting Capital. plus 4 times
his Basic Income.

Step 5 Elect Prime Minister (PM)
All players each throw two dice (at once). The player with the highest
throw is the Prime Minister. If there is a tie, the players who threw
the highest must throw again until a winner appears.

Step 6 Inflation
In the course of playing Poleconomy, players will occasionally land on
the Inflation Squares which are red and marked with a gold number.
Whenever that happens, the PM must move the Inflation Marker around the
Inflation Index which is the series of numbers in the middle of the
board. The number of spaces the Inflation Marker moves is determined by
the number marked on the Inflation Square on which the player has
landed. If the number on the square is 4, the Inflation Marker must be
moved 4 spots along the Inflation Index. If the number is 3, it must be
moved 3 spots, and so on.
The Inflation Marker must be moved in the direction in which the arrow
on top of it is pointing clockwise or anticlockwise.
For instance, at the start of play the Inflation Marker is on 1 (blue)
and pointing clockwise. If, when the Inflation Marker is in that
position, any player lands on an Inflation Square marked 3, the
Inflation Market must be moved clockwise 3 spaces on the Index Circuit.
The number on the Inflation Circuit on which the Marker is positioned
becomes the "Inflation Number". It is the Inflation Number which
regulates prices and profits in Poleconomy. As will be explained in Step
7, players will land on Company and Advertising Squares which they can
buy. They will make profits when other players land on them. Company and
Advertising Squares are the only investments in Poleconomy affected by
Inflation. All other investments have fixed costs and profits
The cost of buying Companies and Advertising Squares and Company profits
are directly linked to the Inflation Number. The cost of buying a
Company Square is always $100,000 multiplied by the Inflation Number,
and the cost of buying an Advertising Square is $20,000 times the
Inflation Number. For example, when the Inflation Number is 3, the cost
of buying any Company is $300,000 and the cost of buying an Advertising
Square is $60,000. Only the Prime Minister (at his turn to move) can
reverse the direction of the arrow on top of the Inflation Marker. His
decision, therefore, cannot be changed for one full round of play. By
altering the direction of the arrow, he can try to ensure that when any
player next lands on an Inflation Square the Inflation Marker will be
moved to a higher number, or a lower one, and thus cause Inflation to
rise or fall. Most players will prosper if, at the start of play, the
Prime Minister keeps inflation down.

Step 7 Play
The Prime Minister moves first, followed by the others in a clockwise
direction. Before he moves, the PM must decide whether or not to change
the direction of the arrow on top of the Inflation Marker.
At his turn, each player must decide whether to throw the dice and move
his Beaver around a circuit, or move his Beaver directly to one of the
four Comer Squares without throwing the dice. He must do one or the
other.

THROWING DICE
A player, at his turn, can throw the dice and move around whatever circuit he is on at the time. He cannot throw the dice and move to or through a Corner Square at the same time, i.e., he cannot change circuits using a dice throw. At the start of play, all players are on the Start Square on the Inner Circuit. If a player chooses to throw the dice as a um (instead of moving directly to one of the four Corner Squares), he throws two dice at once. A double does not entitle him to another throw. He then moves whatever the number of squares is indicated by the dice e.g., if he throws a 7 from the Start square, he will land on I.P. Sharp associates.
If a player decides to throw the dice at his turn, the following are the possible squares on which he could land:
INCOME SQUARES These are coloured blue and marked with a number also in
blue. He must be paid by the Bank his Basic Income multiplied by the number marked on the square. (The Inflation Number has no effect on payment of player's incomes . )

START SQUARE
There is only one Start Square. It is marked with a number and also operates as an Income Square. If a player lands on it, he must be paid by the Bank his Basic Income multiplied by 4.
COMPANY SQUARES
These show the name and logo of a well known Company. If no other player already owns the Company, the landing player may buy it. The price is always $100,000 multiplied by the Inflation Number, which is whatever number on the Inflation Index the Inflation Marker is on at that time. Thus, when the Inflation Number is 2, the cost of buying any Company is $200,000. The landing player pays the price to the Banker and
receives the card for that particular company in exchange.
If another player already owns the Company on which a player lands, the landing player must pay Company Profits to the owner. The profits are the same as the cost of buying the Company at that time, i.e., $100,000 multiplied by the Inflation Number. A player need only pay profits out of Cash or Savings Interest cards which he has immediately available. He need not sell Company Cards, Advertising Cards, Insurance Policies or
Government Bonds to get cash. For example, if a player lands on a Company already owned by another player and the current Inflation Number is 2, then Company Profits would be $200,000, i.e., $100,000 multiplied by the Inflation Number. However, if the landing player only had Cash and Savings Interest Cards to the value of $120,000, then he would pay that to the owner as full payment. There is no remaining liability. If
the landing player had $200,000 cash, he would have to pay that to the owner. (Savings cards must be cashed with the Banker to pay Company Profits.)
If a player lands on a Company which he himself owns, he must be paid by the Bank $100,000 multiplied by the current Inflation Number.
If the landing player cannot buy the Company or chooses not to buy it, and no one else owns it, it must be auctioned to the highest bidder. The landing player may not bid. The auction price is paid to the Bank. The auction price is not affected by the value of the Company as determined by the Inflation Number. The minimum auction price for a Company Square is $10,000.
A player may sell any Company he owns to another player for any amount.

ADVERTISING SQUARES
A player does not make profits directly from owning any Advertising Square. Its value is that when any other player lands on it, the owner can direct the landing player to move immediately to any Company Square. If the owner of the Advertising Square himself directs the landing player to his own Company Square, then he himself must be
paid Company Profits ($100,000 multiplied by the Inflation Number) by the landing player. If the owner of the Advertising Square does not own a Company, then he can arrange to share Company Profits with the owner of any Company to which he will send the landing player. The cost of buying any Advertising Square is $20,000 multiplied by the Inflation Number. If a player lands on his own Advertising Square, he
may then move to any Company or Advertising Square of his choice on either the Inner or Outer Circuits to buy it if it is available for purchase. He may alternatively send himself to a Company that he already owns and receive from the Bank $100,000 multiplied by the current Inflation Number. If a landing player cannot or chooses not to buy the Advertising Square, it must be auctioned in the same way as a Company. The minimum auction price for an Advertising Square is $10,000. A player may sell any Advertising Square he owns to another player for any amount.

OPPORTUNITY SQUARES
There are 3 Income Squares on the Outer Circuit which are marked Opportunity. On each of these squares, the landing player must first be paid by the Bank his Basic Income multiplied by 10. The landing player can then move his Beaver to any other square on the board except another Opportunity Square. For example, a player can move to any particular Company or Advertising Square which he wants to buy, or to the Income Square marked 20 and receive an additional 20 times his Basic Income. Opportunity Squares can also be used to force elections or government salaries or bond interest to be paid . To force these events, the player calculates how many spots on the Inflation Index the Inflation Marker must move to land on a number marked " Election"
(blue), Government Salaries" (orange), etc. He then moves his Beaver to any Inflation Square marked with that number. This will make the Inflation Marker on the Inflation
Circuit move to the event the player wants to force. A player, instead of moving to any other square on the board, may choose to "Rethrow his Basic Income" but only after he has been paid by The Bank his former Basic Income multiplied by 10. (see Step 3). The Rethrown Basic Income replaces a player's former Basic Income and becomes the new Basic Income which remains the same throughout the game except if he should again choose to Rethrow his Basic Income when landing on another Opportunity Square.

THE CORNER SQUARES
Instead of throwing dice and moving around a circuit, a player may move directly to any Corner Square as a turn. A player cannot land or pass through a Corner Square by throwing the dice. Each of the Corner Squares offers a specific opportunity for investment.

THE ROYAL BANK OF CANADA -GOVERNMENT BONDS/ SAVINGS INTEREST
Players can convert their Cash into interest earning Savings Interest Cards by giving up their throw of the dice and moving directly to the Comer Square marked Royal Bank. Here the player may purchase Savings Interest Cards at $100,000 each. He pays that amount for each Savings Interest Card to the Banker and receives the Savings Interest Card(s) in exchange. Whenever a player lands on an Income Square marked "Royal Bank of Canada -Savings Interest" (4 squares in total), that player receives Interest at a rate of 100% from the Bank for each Savings Card he holds, in addition to his Basic Income multiplied by the number on the Income Square. A player can cash his Savings Card(s) with the Banker at face value at any time, so long as it is his turn (without going to The Royal Bank of Canada Square).
Secondly, at the Royal Bank of Canada Comer Square, a player may buy Government Bonds at their face value of $100,000 each. He pays that amount for each Bond to the Banker and receives the Bond(s) in exchange. Whenever the Inflation Marker lands on any number of the Inflation Index which is marked "Bonds" (green), every Bondholder must be paid by the Banker, Interest at a rate of 100%, i.e., on each Bond he will receive $100,000. A player can sell his Bonds back to the Bank at face value at any time, so long as it is his turn. (He does not need to go to the Royal Bank of Canada Comer Square to sell his Bonds back to the Bank. The same applies to Savings Interest Cards.) A player may want to cash in Savings Interest Cards or Government Bonds to purchase a Company, or Advertising Square, or purchase Life Insurance, or Business Insurance. A player must cash his Savings Interest Cards with the Banker if he has insufficient cash to pay either Tax or Company Profits. However, Government Bonds do not have to be cashed to pay taxes or Company Profits. Savings Interest Cards and Govemment Bonds are not negotiable. That is, they may not be sold from player to player. They can both, however, be cashed at the Bank for face value of $100,000 per Savings Interest Card or Govemment Bond.

CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE- LIFE INSURANCE
On this square, the player may take out a Life Insurance Policy by paying the Bank a premium of $100,000 and receiving the Policy in exchange. At the end of the game, the Policy forms part of the player's assets and is worth $1,000,000. He can surrender it to the Bank at any time (so long as it is his turn) for $80,000, but may not sell it to any other player. A player may buy only one policy at any turn but may hold more than one policy. There are only 6 Life Insurance Policies, so it is usually advisable for a player to insure early in the game.

ROYAL INSURANCE OF CANADA-BUSINESS INSURANCE
In Poleconomy, a player throwing a double 6 in the course of moving around the Inner or Outer Circuits, suffers a business disaster (odds I in 36). If this occurs, he forfeits all his assets except Life Insurance to the Bank. However, by going to the Royal Insurance Comer Square, the player can buy a Business Insurance Policy for $100,000 (insurance premium) which insures against this risk. The premium is paid to the Bank and the Bank, in turn, issues the Policy to the player. Then, if the player throws a double 6 while insured, he keeps all his assets, but he must return the policy to the Bank. A player may hold more than one policy at a time, but may only buy one policy at any turn. The policy, if owned prior to throwing a double six is protection against one Business Disaster only,
but a player may take out a fresh policy at his next turn. A player can sell any Business Insurance Policy he owns to another player for any amount. There are only 6 Business Insurance Policies, so it is usually advisable for a player to insure early in the game.

McLEOD YOUNG WEIR- TAKEOVERS
A player may attempt to Takeover any Company or Advertising Square owned by another player by moving to the McLeod Young Weir Corner Square. Once on this square, the player nominates the Company or Advertising Square he wants to Takeover and pays a non-refundable $30,000 Takeover Fee to the Bank. He then throws 2 dice and has 2 throws to throw a double for the Takeover to succeed. If he throws a double on either throw, his Takeover Bid has succeeded and the owner of the nominated Company or Advertising Square must sell it to the Takeover bidder at its current value, (i.e., the Basic Price multiplied by the Inflation Number). If he fails to throw a double on
either throw, his Takeover bid has failed and it is the end of his turn. If on his first throw of dice the player was successful in his Takeover bid, he may nominate a second Company or Advertising Square he wants to Takeover. If he again throws a double, his second Takeover bid succeeds. A throw of a double 6 in a Takeover bid is not a Business Disaster.

CORNER SQUARES-MOVING FROM ONE CIRCUIT TO ANOTHER
In addition to performing the 4 specific functions discussed above, the 4 Corner Squares also play a strictly mechanical role; players can use these squares to shift circuits. To shift circuits, a player must first move at one turn (without throwing dice) directly to any one of the four Comer Squares. Having done so, he may, but need not, make the investment appropriate to that square. He can if he pleases, just ''sit" on that
square for that turn. Then, when his turn to move comes around again, he may throw the dice and move the number thrown on either the Inner or Outer Circuits, whichever he prefers. When he does move, he must first move through the Income Squares in the corner and count that a ' 1 '. A player already on a Corner Square may move to another Corner Square, instead of throwing dice on his next turn. The only other way a player can move from the Inner Circuit to the Outer Circuit and vice versa is by landing on his own Advertising Squares. If a player lands on an Advertising Square that he already owns, he can direct himself to any Company or Advertising Square of his choice on
either circuit.

Step 8 End of Game
The game will end in any of the following circumstances:
- if the Bank runs out of money
- at the end of an agreed period of time
- by mutual agreement.

Step 9 The Winner
The winner is the player who, at the end of the play, has accumulated the most assets. For valuation purposes, the following rules apply:
Money; Face value Company card; Value at current Inflation rate
Advertising card; Value at current Inflation rate Life Insurance Policy;
$1,000,000 Savings Interest; Face value ($100,000 each) Govemment Bond;
Face value ($100,000 each) Business Insurance Policy; No value; Loans
between players; Added to Lender's assets and subtracted from borrower's
assets, ie., netted out.
For a quicker version of Poleconomy, the Banker can shuffle the Advertising and Company cards separately and give 3 Company and 3 Advertising cards to each player.

^back to top of this document^

GAME 2
Having mastered Game 1, players will be ready for the challenge and excitement of Game 2 which introduces the dynamic world of politics.

This is how Game 2 differs from Game 1:
o Players form political parties. One Party (or a coalition of them) becomes the Government party and elects the Prime Minister. In Game l, the PM was chosen by a throw of the dice, and there were no parties.
o There is a separate Treasury for Government monies which the PM controls. In Game 1, payments relating to the Government and the running of the country were made to and from the Bank, i.e., Interest on Bonds, Tax and Government Salaries .
o The PM has far more power. In Game 1, his power is limited to determining the direction of inflation

The steps in playing Game 2 are as follows:
Step l o Set Up
Step 2 o Appoint Banker
Step 3 o Decide Basic Income
Step 4 o Pay Start Income
These steps are all the same as for GAME 1 except that the Treasury tray and all Bonds in it are not handed to the Banker but put aside until after the election.
Step 5 Form Political Parties
Players may form parties with each other by agreeing that when Parliament sits (later in the game) they will tend to vote in the same way. At the start of play, players on low Basic Incomes might form one party and players on high incomes another. Instead of joining a party, a player may remain independent.
Step 6 Elect Government
o Starting with the Banker and moving clockwise, each player throws 2 dice. If he throws a double, he throws again and all his dice are totalled. Numbers thrown are recorded by the player and the Banker
o The number thrown by each player is the number of votes he controls in Parliament. A party controls the number of votes which its members together control. The total number of votes in Parliament is the number thrown by all players combined.
o The Banker calculates whether any party (or player) controls a majority (more than half) of the seats in Parliament. If so, that party (or player) is declared the Government.
o If no party (or player) has a majority then one of the parties (or players) may form a coalition with another so that together they have a majority. That coalition is then declared to be the Government.
o If no majority can be agreed, there must he a re-election
o Play cannot start until a player, party or coalition has a majority.
Step 7 Elect Prime Minister
o If one player only is the Government he is Prime Minister. If a party or coalition is the Government, its members may all agree that one of them shall be Prime Minister. If they cannot all agree, the member of that party or coalition who has the most votes in Parliament is declared Prime Minister. If the Banker is appointed Prime Minister, he must resign as Banker and another player must agree to act as Banker.

As in Game 1, fresh elections must be held whenever the Inflation Marker lands on any number on the Inflation Index which is marked "Election"
Step 8 The Prime Minister Takes Control of The Treasury
o On his election, the Prime Minister takes the Treasury Tray and assumes responsibility for the Treasury. In Game I, players paid Tax to the Banker and Government Salaries and Interest on Government Bonds, were paid by the Bank. In Game 2, these payments are made as they are in the real world-to and from the Treasury.
The Prime Minister, by using his Tax collecting authority and ability to issue bonds, (which will be explained in Step 9), must ensure that the Treasury never runs completely out of the money. If it does, the country is bankrupt and the game finishes immediately without a winner.
The PM must always keep his own funds separate from the Treasury. Neither he nor any other players may ever lend or give money to the Treasury.
Step 9 The Prime Minister Appoints his Cabinet and Uses his Financial Power
o The Prime Minister can use the powers marked ''P" only with the consent of players having a majority of seats in Parliament He may convene Parliament whenever it is his turn to move merely by saying "Parliament is now convened''.
The Prime Minister may use all the powers mentioned below whenever it is his turn to move, not just the first time. With one exception, he can use them at no other time. Political decisions, therefore, once made, cannot be changed for one full round of play. The exception is that the Prime Minister, at any time, and without reference to Parliament, may issue Government Bonds to meet any Treasury liabilities as they fall
due.
The Prime Minister, when it is his turn to play, exercises his political powers first. He then moves as a tycoon in the same way as other players.

The Prime Minister's powers are these:
Cabinet and Government Salaries
o He may appoint any member of the Government to any Cabinet position (e.g., Minister of Finance) and he may dismiss any member of the Cabinet .

Inflation As in Game 1, the PM, at his turn, may change the direction of the Inflation Marker so that the effect of any player landing on an Index Square will cause inflation to rise or fall.
Summary The PM's powers in Game 2 will introduce a new element of political pressure which will come from his own supporters in Parliament. They may want Cabinet posts and Cabinet Salaries, Tax concessions or legislation which will be to their benefit as the price of their support in Parliament of the PM's policies. His dilemma as a player is how to retain that support while keeping the economy buoyant and the Treasury liquid and all the while trying to win the game privately as a tycoon.

Step 10 Play
The play is exactly the same as in Game 1. Again, each player, at his turn, may elect to move directly to a Comer Square or throw dice and move around a circuit. The Inflation Index and Inflation Squares work in the same way. In Game 2, however, the Prime Minister has more power and it is the Treasury, not the Bank, which pays and receives Government monies. Therefore, the words shown on the various numbers of the Inflation Index, will have a slightly different meaning.

' 'Bonds" Interest at 100% is payable to Government Bond holders out of Treasury not from the Bank.
"Government Salary" In Game 1, only the Prime Minister received a Government Salary payable from the Bank and this salary was fixed at $100,000. In Game 2, salaries can also be paid to Government Ministers. These salaries can be changed. They will all be payable out of Treasury. Unless it has been previously agreed by Parliament and recorded in writing, only the Prime Minister receives a salary of $100,000. The total salary bill for the P.M. and all Ministers combined can not exceed $500,000.
Taxation Tax will be payable not to the Bank but to the Treasury. Who pays Tax and at what rate may have been previously determined by the Prime Minister at his last move. If not, only owners of Company and Advertising Squares pay tax at the rate of $50,000 per Company and $10,000 per Advertising Square. A player need only pay tax to the extent he has cash or Savings Interest Cards available and need not sell
Government Bonds, Insurance Policies, Company or Advertising cards to obtain cash.
Savings Interest Cards must be cashed at the Bank to pay tax. Once a player has paid Tax to the extent he has Cash or Savings available, he has no further tax liability.
Election The Prime Minister and all members of Parliament must resign and a new election must be held when the Index marker lands on "Election''. A new election is held in the same way as the first election. Players may form fresh parties. The new Prime Minister will take over the Treasury in the condition left by his predecessor and will inherit its assets and liabilities. A re-election does not affect the current ''Inflation number" or Tax rates which remain as they are until altered. The new Prime Minister moves first after an election . A player may attempt to cause an election by attempting to land on an appropriate Inflation Square.
If at any time the PM loses the support of his party and cannot replace this with a parliamentary majority from amongst the other players, there is deemed to be a "non confidence" vote. In this case, new elections must be called even though the Index Marker is not on "Election". The election would be held as if the ''Inflation Marker'' had landed on "Election", but does not cause the Inflation Marker to move to an ''Election'' space on the Inflation Index .

Step 11 End of Game
The game will finish in the same way as Game 1, with one exception, which is, Game 2, will finish immediately without a winner if the Government bankrupts the Treasury.

Step 12 Winner
The winner is declared in exactly the same way as Game 1.

Contents of Poleconomy
Money
$ 10,000 notes 20
$ 20,000 notes 30
$ 50,000 notes 40
$ 100,000 notes 90
$ 1,000,000 notes 48

20 Company Cards
25 Advertising Cards
30 Government Bonds
20 Savings Interest Cards
2 Dice
I Index Marker
6 Business Insurance Policies
6 Life Insurance Policies
I Treasury Tray
I Banker Tray
6 Beavers

Poleconomy
Made by
Whitman Golden Ltd.
Cambndge, Ontario
NIR 5X2
Canada
Bruce Hatherley,
Whitman Golden Limited, Registered User

Again, MANY thanks to Roger Durand of Ile des Chenes, Manitoba who did all of the OCR work on this.