Recently, I designed a board game to teach kids how money, career, and investments work. Just like in real life, success is a mix of luck, hard work, and good decisions. For example, it’s possible to climb the career ladder without an education, but it requires more luck. Education can take you far, but reaching the very top is only possible through chance.
We discussed some of these topics in my earlier post, The Art of Trying a Lot of Things. In a way, this game is a gamified version of that.
I used a 3D printer for some of the components and a regular printer for the rest. You can find all the game assets below:
Game Components
- Game Board
- Player and Asset Tokens (Home, Business, Car)
- Six-sided Die
- Money Cards ($1K, $5K, $10K, $25K)
- Career Cards (Education, Skill)
- Event Cards
- Organizer
Game Overview
Players: 2-4
Objective: Accumulate the highest combined cash and asset value by the end of the game!
Time: Flexible. Every time a player passes the finish line, they decide whether to finish the game or keep going.
Game Flow
- Shuffle Event Cards and place them face down
- Start with $25K, select a token, and start at START on the board
- Roll the die and move that many spaces
- Follow the action of the space you land on
- You may purchase Assets or Career Cards at the end of your turn
Board Space Actions
| Space | Action |
|---|---|
| 🏢 Work | Earn income when you pass |
| 🛒 Expenses | Pay $2K when you land |
| ❓ Event | Draw an Event Card when you land |
| 🏠 Rent | Pay $5K when you pass |
Work Tiers and Income
| Tier | Pay per Work Space | How to Unlock |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $5K | Starting tier |
| 2 | $10K | 🛠️ OR Promotion |
| 3 | $15K | (2 🛠️) OR 📚 OR Promotion |
| 4 | $20K | (📚 + 🛠️) OR Promotion |
| 5 | $25K | Promotion Events Only |
Assets and Career Cards
| Asset | Cost | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| 🏠 Home | $40K | Skip rent payments |
| 🏪 Business | $35K | Earn +$5K passing a work space |
| 🚗 Car | $15K | +1 movement per die roll and replaces player token |
| Career | Cost | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| 📚 Education | $20K | Required for Work Tier 4+ |
| 🛠️ Skill | $10K | Progress through Work Tiers |
Event Cards
Draw when landing on an Event Space (❓):
- Promotion – Move to next work space AND level up one Work Tier
- Friend Helps You Move – Move 2 spaces forward
- Overtime Work – Jump to next Work Space and collect pay
- Performance Bonus – Earn one extra salary
- New Job Opportunity – Level up one Work Tier if you have a skill or education
- Car Broke Down – Pay $2K if you own a car
- Rent Increase – Move back to closest rent space and pay rent
- House Repairs – Pay $5K if you own a Home
- Income Tax – Pay one salary
- Side Gig Success – Earn $5K
- Business Growth – If you own a Business, earn $10K extra
- Earn Interest – If you have at least $25K saved, earn $5K extra
- Economic Downturn – Business owners collect no income next round
- Bankrupt! – Lose your Business if you own one
- Found a Startup! – Gain a Business but drop one Work Tier
Financial Shortfalls
If unable to pay for an expense:
- First, sell assets at a $5K loss to the bank or to other players
- If no assets, move back to the nearest Work Space and "work overtime" (earn income without rolling) until debts are paid
Game End Conditions
The game ends when:
- A player passes the finish line 🏁 and chooses to finish (others pay $5K for flights) OR
- The bank runs out of money
Winning the Game
The player with the highest combined cash and asset value wins!