Overview

For Sale is a fast-playing auction and hand-management card game played in two phases. In Phase 1, players bid coins to buy property cards (houses). In Phase 2, players simultaneously play their acquired properties to win cheque cards. The player with the most money at the end wins.

Components

• 30 House cards (numbered 1-30)
• 30 Cheque cards: 14 numbered 2-15 (two copies of each) plus 2 of value 0 marked “Refuse”

Setup

1. Separate House cards from Cheque cards. Shuffle each into separate decks.
2. For 4 players: remove the top 2 House cards without looking at them.
3. Distribute starting coins based on player count:
   • 3 players: 28 coins each
   • 4 players: 21 coins each
   • 5 players: 16 coins each
   • 6 players: 14 coins each
4. Keep coins hidden. Randomly determine the first player.

Turn Structure

Phase 1: Buying Houses

This phase consists of multiple bidding rounds, ending when all House cards are distributed.

Each Round:

1. Draw as many House cards as there are players and place them face-up in the center.
2. Players bid in clockwise order starting with the first player.

On Your Turn (clockwise):

• Bid: Place coins in front of you, visible to all. The first bidder may bid any amount. Subsequent bids must be higher than the current highest. If the turn returns to you, you may increase your bid or pass.
• Pass: Take the lowest-value House card still available. Recover half your bid (rounded up); the rest is removed from the game. You are out for the rest of this round.

Round End: When only one player remains, they pay ALL their bid coins (removed from game) and take the last available House card.

The player who took the highest-valued card becomes the first player for the next round.

Phase 2: Selling Houses

Multiple rounds continue until all Cheque cards are distributed.

Each Round:

1. Draw as many Cheque cards as there are players and place them face-up.
2. All players simultaneously select 1 House card from their hand and play it face-down.
3. Reveal all played House cards. The player with the highest-valued House takes the highest Cheque; second-highest House takes the second-highest Cheque, and so on.
4. Played House cards are discarded.

Actions

The only decisions are bidding amounts (Phase 1) and which House card to play (Phase 2).

Scoring / Victory Conditions

After all Cheque cards are distributed:

• Sum the values of all your Cheque cards.
• Add any remaining coins (each coin = 1 point).
• The player with the highest total wins.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• 4-Player Adjustment: Remove 2 House cards at the start; this means not all properties are available.
• Passing Recovery: When passing, you recover half your bid rounded UP. If you bid 5, you get 3 back.
• Last Bidder Pays All: The final remaining bidder in a round loses all their bid coins.
• Ties in Phase 2: If two players play the same valued House card (not possible with standard 1-30 cards), the earlier player in turn order takes the higher Cheque.
• 0-Value Cheques: The “Refuse” cheque cards are worth 0 and are always the worst possible outcome.
• Coins Are Points: Unspent coins count toward your final score. Overbidding in Phase 1 is costly.

Player Reference

Starting Coins

| Players | Coins Each | |———|———–| | 3 | 28 | | 4 | 21 | | 5 | 16 | | 6 | 14 |

Phase 1 Quick Reference

• Draw cards = number of players
• Bid or Pass (clockwise)
• Pass: take lowest card, recover half bid (round up)
• Last player: pay all, take remaining card

Phase 2 Quick Reference

• Draw cheques = number of players
• All play 1 House card simultaneously (face-down)
• Highest House = highest Cheque
• Final score = Cheque values + remaining coins