Description

Enterprise is a real estate trading game, with some resemblance to Monopoly, but with elaborations. While it is designed in Australia, and uses a few Australian expressions, the content and theme are not noticeably Australian.

The playing area is a simulation of a planned city, divided into two zones : an inner Residential ring and an outer Industrial ring. The play proceeds on a circular track, with each ring containing a series of “sites”, of which two aggregate to a “subdivision”.

The ultimate objective is to “evenly develop” as many of these sites as possible, without going broke !

The Residential zone can be developed by building Cottages, Mansions, and Flats(apartments), while the Industrial zone is available for a variety of uses, represented by card “shares”( stocks). It is NOT necessary to land on a particular site to purchase it.

Players alternate between each ring according to dice throws, and pay penalties for landing on other Players’ sites. Several spaces mandate change of zone. Movement is subject to considerable randomization.

Each player receives an initial land allocation of two “subdivisions’ (two sites each of Residential and Industrial) ; plus a cash “float”. Players proceed to buy development items, initially from the bank. The pool of available items is limited, to induce competition.

The inventory comprises: Cottages 14, Mansions 10, Flats 6 ( total 30). The space available to place these items totals 24. Prices range from a low of $100 for “Cottages” to $400 for a “share” in the “Electronics” factory. More expensive items eventually provide a disproportionately higher return, but may be too expensive in the beginning of the game.

Players are able to increase the value of their holdings by increasing the capital investment on each site from a single unit up to two units and/or more valuable buildings and upgraded shares. Any site must contain only identical items, but any subdivision may contain a mix ( eg cottages and mansions on adjacent sites; or, say, “railway” shares next to “glass works”).Various bonuses accrue when sites are “double developed” and/or when sites are “evenly developed”.

These development items are available initially from a bank, but soon become tradeable between Players. Players short of cash for Landing fees may even have to trade/sell at “distress” prices.

When all a Player’s sites are “evenly developed”, Players can attempt to buy more
(vacant) land, from the bank only.

The game has several unusual features:
1. “stock’ ( houses, shares etc) can be moved from one site to another, or even “off board” until required again.
2. un-developed sites attract no landing fees (unlike Monopoly)
3. there is some limited scope for trading of rationed items above their “bank price”, as Players seek to establish “double developed” sites
4. The amount of cash available to any Player for buying at any one time is limited by certain arbitrary rules.

Possible faults :
1. The supply of in-coming cash seems too small compared to the amount leaving the Game via random penalties.
2. Arbitrary limits on Players ability to spend seem unnecessary.
3. The Game relies on a “Special Lucky Seven” rule that is easy to overlook !
4. The Rules are numbered, thus easy to reference; they are not however, arranged intuitively, and contain a few cryptic passages!