Overview
Pay Day is a classic family board game about making and spending money. Players move through a calendar month, dealing with mail, deals, and various financial events. The goal is to have the most cash at the end of an agreed-upon number of months.
Components
- 1 game board (calendar from Monday the 1st to Wednesday the 31st)
- Payday money ($10,000, $5,000, $1,000, $500, and $100 bills)
- 46 Mail cards
- 18 Deal cards
- 4 Tokens
- 1 Die
- 1 Loan Record Pad
Setup
- Decide how many “months” to play (minimum 2; 3-month game is about 1 hour with 4 players, 6-month game about 2 hours).
- Shuffle Mail and Deal cards separately; place each face down in their Draw piles near the board.
- Each player picks a token and places it on the Sunday START space.
- Pick one player as the Banker (handles all money going in/out of the Bank).
- The Banker gives each player $3,500: two $1,000 bills, two $500, and five $100.
- Pick another player as the Loan Record Keeper.
- Pick a player to go first (Banker and Record Keeper both play). Play passes left.
Turn Structure
On your turn:
- Roll the die and move your token that many days forward along the calendar.
- Follow the instructions on the space you land on.
- Your turn ends when you have finished the space’s instructions.
Rolling a 6 (Jackpot): Whenever a player rolls a 6 (only during movement), they win all money currently on the Jackpot space.
Actions
Mail Spaces
Draw the number of Mail cards shown on the mailbox flag. Types of Mail:
- Advertisements (Ads): Junk mail; discard at Pay Day.
- Postcards: Fun to read; discard at Pay Day.
- Bills: Hold all bills until Pay Day, then pay them from your salary.
- Moneygrams: Immediately “send” the required amount by placing it on the Jackpot space. If any player rolls a 6, they win the Jackpot.
Deal Spaces
Draw the top Deal card. You may buy the item by paying the Bank, or decline and discard it. You may hold multiple Deals.
Other Board Spaces
| Space |
Effect |
| Sweepstakes |
Roll die; win $1,000 x the roll |
| Lottery |
Bank antes $1,000; each player may ante $100; each picks a different number 1-6; roller wins all antes |
| Radio Contest |
Each player rolls; highest roll wins $1,000 from the Bank |
| Found a Buyer |
Sell one Deal card to the Bank for its listed value (profit = value minus cost) |
| Happy Birthday |
Collect $100 from each other player |
| Fun Day |
Pay $200 for amusement; place $200 on Jackpot |
| Buy Groceries |
Place $200 on Jackpot to feed a family |
| Yard Sale |
Draw top Deal card; roll die; pay $100 x roll for the Deal |
| Family Casino Night |
Roll die: odd (1,3,5) = collect $500 from Bank; even (2,4,6) = place $500 on Jackpot |
| Charity Walk |
All OTHER players donate $100 x their roll to charity (money goes on Jackpot) |
Loans
- Take a loan at any time; the Banker gives you money and the Record Keeper notes it.
- Loans must be in increments of $1,000.
- You are charged 10% of outstanding loans every time you land on Pay Day.
- You may pay off loans on Pay Day or at any other time; payments must be in $1,000 increments.
Scoring / Victory Conditions
Pay Day (End of Month)
When you reach or pass Pay Day (the 31st):
- Collect your monthly salary of $3,500 from the Bank.
- Pay 10% interest on any outstanding loans.
- Optionally pay off part or all of your loans (in $1,000 increments).
- Pay all bills you received during the month.
- If you cannot cover expenses, take out or increase a loan.
- Move your token back to START for the new month.
- On the last month, discard any unsold Deal cards.
Winning
After all players complete the final Pay Day:
- Each player tallies total cash.
- Subtract any outstanding loans.
- The player with the highest net worth wins.
If all players end in debt, the player with the lowest amount of debt wins.
Special Rules & Edge Cases
- Jackpot: Money accumulates on Jackpot from various sources. A player rolling a 6 during movement wins everything on the Jackpot. Nobody “lands” on Jackpot directly.
- Deal cards: You may only sell one Deal at a time at a Found a Buyer space. Unsold Deals are worthless at game end.
- When the Mail or Deal draw pile is depleted, shuffle the discards to form a new pile.
- While waiting on Pay Day for other players, you may participate in Lottery, Radio Contest, Happy Birthday, and Charity Walk events triggered by other players.
- With 2 players, the game may feel long; 2-3 months is recommended.
Player Reference
| Monthly Cycle |
Action |
| Start |
Begin at Sunday START with salary from previous Pay Day |
| During Month |
Roll, move, resolve spaces |
| Pay Day |
Collect $3,500 salary, pay 10% loan interest, pay bills, optionally repay loans |