Overview

King Oil is a game of oil prospecting where players buy properties, drill for oil, install pipelines, and collect royalties. Players take turns moving across the board, purchasing properties, and drilling wells to strike oil. The player who amasses the most money — through oil production, pipeline royalties, and smart property deals — wins the game.

Components

• 1 game board (playing area with properties, pipeline routes)
• Moveable discs with knobs (aligned under the board to determine drilling results)
• Rigs, stems, derricks, caps, sheds
• Pipelines
• Play money
• Dice

Setup

1. Place the game board on the table.
2. Align the moveable discs under the board by turning the knobs — this secretly randomizes where oil will be found.
3. Each player receives starting money from the bank.
4. Players place their tokens on the starting space.
5. Choose a banker to manage the bank’s money separately from their own.

Turn Structure

On each turn, a player:

1. Roll dice and move their token clockwise around the board the indicated number of spaces.
2. Take action based on the space landed on:
   • Property spaces: Buy the property if unowned, or pay rent/interact with the owner.
   • Drill: If you own a property, you may drill for oil.
   • Other spaces: Follow any special instructions.

Actions

Buying Properties

• When landing on an unowned property, you may purchase it from the bank at the listed price.
• Properties are essential for drilling and earning income.

Drilling for Oil

• To drill, place the rig on your property and push the stem down through the hole in the board.
• The moveable disc underneath determines the result:
  • Oil strike: The well produces oil. Place a derrick on the property. The bank pays you based on the number of derricks.
  • Dry hole: No oil found. You may try again on a future turn.
• Drilling costs money each time you attempt it.

Installing Pipelines

• Pipelines connect your producing properties to adjacent properties.
• Each pipeline installed into an adjacent opponent’s property earns you $1,000 per derrick in royalties from that property’s owner.
• You may install up to 3 pipelines from one property into up to 3 different adjacent properties.
• If multiple pipelines from different properties connect to the same property, royalties are paid separately.
• If all 3 pipelines go into one adjacent property, royalties are $5,000 per derrick total from that property.

Royalties

• Pipeline royalties are collected according to the pipeline configuration:
  • 1 pipeline into a property: $1,000/derrick
  • 2 pipelines into same property: $3,000/derrick
  • 3 pipelines into same property: $5,000/derrick
• A property can both receive and pay royalties.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

• Winning the Game: The last player able to pay their bills and survive bankruptcy is the winner.
• Alternatively, at an agreed-upon time, the player with the highest total money (cash plus property value plus pipeline value at $25,000 each) becomes “King Oil” and wins.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

Penalties

• If a player drills on another player’s property, they must pay the bank for the drilling and the property owner for trespassing.
• If errors or intentional fouls occur (derricks or caps on property not owned), remove markers and pay a $1,000 fine for each.

Pipeline Royalties Schedule

| Pipelines into one property | Royalty per derrick | |—————————-|——————-| | 1 pipeline | $1,000 | | 2 pipelines | $3,000 | | 3 pipelines | $5,000 |

Running Short of Cash

• A player who cannot meet a $5,000 financial obligation is bankrupt.
• A player who hopes to strike oil may still take a chance on a $5,000 loan from the bank.

Bankruptcy Rules

• A bankrupt player is out of the game and all properties are auctioned off.
• Properties with derricks and pipelines remain as is — the new owner inherits them.
• One property at a time is auctioned, with the highest bidder paying the bank.
• A bankrupt player does not eliminate others from paying.

Forced Property Removal

• When a player is forced to remove wells (per certain rules), they must also remove pipelines, which reduces royalty income.

Wildcatting

• A player forced to drill (via wildcat card or instruction) before their next turn must drill in the center section of their property.

Drilling Penalties

• Penalty for drilling drawing a cost of $6,000 per hole.
• More than 6 holes drilled in one turn is capped; excess penalties apply.
• All holes drilled in a turn are capped (player does not eliminate paying for any).

Player Reference

Turn: Roll dice → Move → Buy property / Drill / Pay rent / Follow space instructions

Drilling: Place rig → Push stem → Check disc result → Oil = derrick + income; Dry = try again later

Pipelines: Connect to adjacent properties → Earn royalties per derrick ($1K / $3K / $5K based on count)

Win: Last player solvent OR highest total wealth at agreed endpoint