What’s In That Game Box? – The Game of Life (1977)

Ever searched the Internet looking for what exactly you were missing from the old board game you pulled from your closet, only to find no succor in your time of need?  Well, stop that fruitless searching through endless google results, as this week we look at the 1977 version of Milton Bradley’s classic Game of Life.

Box art for the 1977 Game of Life

A much deeper discussion of the game’s origin, gameplay mechanic and the differences between the various versions throughout the years can be found in a previous blog entry, titled,  The Best Classic Board Games – The Game of Life. What’s In That Game Box? deals specifically with the game’s contents, which are:

The game box (with white background and several pictures of the game being played)

The game board (with a 162 space intertwined track which crosses over several mountains and a bridge)

A curved white bridge that attaches to the game board.

Three green mountain pieces (small, medium, and large) that attach to the game board.

The Wheel of Fortune, a four piece three-dimensional spinner that attaches to the game board.

Seven white plastic buildings which attach to the game board. They are numbered on their bottom, and include:

1. University
2. Church
3. A little house (interchangeable with #7)
4. Office building
5. Industrial Complex (three factories)
6. Mansion
7. A little house (interchangeable with #3)

Eight player car tokens (dark blue, green, light blue, orange, pink, red, white, and yellow)

60 people pegs (30 blue and 30 pink)

A blue plastic Banker’s Tray to hold the play money

A supply of play money in $500 (yellow), $1,000 (pink), $5,000 (mustard yellow), $10,000 (blue), $20,000 (orange), $50,000 (mint green) and $100,000 (white) denominations all with Milton Bradley’s portrait in the center.

A supply of $20,000 Promissory Notes.

32 Certificates, consisting of 8 each for Car Insurance, Fire Insurance, Life Insurance, and Share.

A deck of 24 Share the wealth cards, consisting of 8 each of the following:

• EXEMPTION CARD. The holder of this card DOES NOT PAY when given a ‘Share the Wealth’ card. (Return to bottom of pile.) [x8]
• SHARE THE WEALTH. Give this card to any player landing on a yellow COLLECT SPACE.  That player must pay you half the amount collected there. (Return to bottom of pile.) [x8]
• SHARE THE WEALTH. When you land on a yellow PAY SPACE give this card to any player.  That player must pay you half the amount you pay to the Bank. (Return to bottom of pile.) [x8]

The Number Board (a long strip of cardboard with the numbers 1 through 10 on individual colored squares).

A “MB” stamped inner blue plastic tray to store the game’s components.

A single two-sided sheet labeled “Game of Life Assembly Instructions” for learning how to set up the three-dimensional game board.

A single two-sided sheet with the instructions for playing the game.

That’s it!  The Game of Life has had many incarnations over the years, but this version is one of my favorites. What’s yours?

Game board for the 1977 version of The Game of Life

Share the Wealth Cards for The Game of Life (1977)

Play money for The Game of Life (1977)

Player car tokens and people pegs for The Game of Life (1977)

Plastic storage tray for The Game of Life (1977)

What’s In That Game Box? – The aMAZEing Labyrinth (1988)

Ever searched the Internet looking for what exactly you were missing from the old board game you pulled from your closet, only to find no succor in your time of need?  Well, stop that fruitless searching through endless google results, as this week we look at Ravenburger’s 1988 magical maze game The aMAZEing Labyrinth, a game for ages 8 and up.

The game’s content’s are as follows:

The game box (with a graphic of a 3-D maze populated by various creatures on a yellow/orange background)

The game board (with 16 maze pieces affixed, with space for 34 more pieces.)

Four player tokens (blue, green, red, and yellow)

A deck of 24 Treasure cards, containing:

• Bag of Gold Coins
• Bat
• Book with Clasp
• Dragon
• Ghost (in bottle)
• Ghost (waving)
• Gold Crown
• Gold Menorah
• Gold Ring
• Helmet (armor)
• Jewel
• Lady Pig
• Lizard
• Moth
• Owl
• Rat
• Scarab
• Set of Keys
• Skull
• Sorceress
• Spider on Web
• Sword
• Treasure Chest
• Treasure Map

A set of 34 MAZE cards, which contain:

• Creature Right-Angle Corridor Maze piece [x6], one each of the following:
  • Lizard
  • Moth
  • Owl
  • Scarab
  • Rat
  • Spider with Web
• Creature Straight Corridor Maze piece [x6], one each of the following:
  • Bat
  • Dragon
  • Ghost in Bottle
  • Ghost (waving)
  • Lady Pig
  • Sorceress
• Empty Right-Angle Corridor Maze piece. [x9]
• Empty Straight Corridor Maze piece. [x13]

A Ravensburger product catalog.

The rules booklet (in both French and English)

Aside from the inner plastic tray that holds all the playing pieces, that’s it!  Hopefully your copy of this wonderful game is complete – just don’t forget to set aside a night to play it with your family!

Treasure Cards from The aMAZEing Labyrinth

Maze Cards from The aMAZEing Labyrinth

Game board for The aMAZEing Labyrinth

What’s In That Game Box? – Survive! (1983)

Game box for Parker Brothers’ Survive!

Ever scoured the Internet looking for what exactly you were missing from the old board game you pulled from your closet, only to find no succor in your time of need?  Well, stop that fruitless searching through endless google results, as this week we look at Parker Brothers’ Survive!, the still-popular 1983 game that promised a sea full of danger and oceans of fun.  (Not to be confused with the later – and better – Escape From Atlantis, detailed here: The Best Classic Board Games – Escape From Atlantis (1986).

The contents of Survive! are as follows:

The game box (with images of cartoony characters fleeing an erupting volcano with a sea serpent eagerly awaiting their arrival)

The game board (featuring a large playing surface of hexagons on an ocean background, with a small island land mass on each corner)

Five green plastic Sea Serpent tokens

Five navy blue plastic Whale tokens

Six gray plastic Shark tokens

Forty plastic “People” (villager) playing pieces (10 each of orange, purple, red, and yellow)

Twelve die-cut Boat playing pieces

Forty die-cut terrain playing pieces (16 “Beach”, 16 “Forest”, and 8 “Mountain”)

A special 6-sided die with symbols of the Whale, Shark, and Sea Serpent on the sides

The Game Rules

Aside from the inner cardboard fillers, one which holds the shape of the box and has more game art on it, and one to help hold all the pieces in an orderly fashion, that’s it.  I hope you enjoy attempting to rescue as many villagers as you can from certain death!

A selection of game pieces from Survive!

The game board for Parker Brothers’ Survive!

What’s In That Game Box – Full House (1979)

Ever scoured the Internet looking for what exactly you were missing from the old board game you pulled from your closet, only to find no succor in your time of need?  Well, stop that fruitless searching through endless google results, as this week we look at Parker Brothers’ Full House, the classic 1979 zany Innkeeper game.

Box contents for the 1979 Parker Brothers game, Full House.

A more indepth discussion the various releases of this game through the years, as well as its gameplay, can by found in a previous blog entry, titled, The Best Classic Board Games –Full House (1979) What’s In That Game Box? deals specifically with the game’s contents, which are:

The game box (showing a hotel filled with a variety of interesting – if unlikely – cartoony hotel guests)

The game board (featuring four hotel corners comprised of 2 Floors with 4 rooms each [with a Single, Double, and two Suites per floor] and a 32 square game path)

Four plastic player tokens in the shape of dollar signs  (blue, green, red, and yellow)

A 6-sided die

The People-Popper device

A supply of Play Money (in beige-colored $50; brown-colored $100; blue-colored $500; yellow-colored $1,000; orange-colored $5,000; olive green-colored $10,000; and off white-colored $100,000 denominations)

A set of 12 Hotel Rate Cards in four colors, consisting of:

Blue Set: Medium Price Hotel (Casa Del Oro), High Price Hotel (Riviera Club), and Luxury Hotel (Villa Florentine)

Green Set: Medium Price Hotel (Inn of the Dragon), High Price Hotel (Taiko Manor), and Luxury Hotel (Emperor Palace)

Red Set: Medium Price Hotel (The Pines Resort), High Price Hotel (Savannah Lodge), and Luxury Hotel (Astor Plaza)

Yellow Set: Medium Price Hotel (Bristol Court), High Price Hotel (Windsor Mansion), and Luxury Hotel (Hampton Castle)

48 Guest cards (10 Single, 13 Double, 17 Suite, 8 Floor)

30 Telegram Cards, consisting of:

AWARD: BETTER HOTELS AND GARDEN AWARD $5,000
BACK TAXES (ECONOMY…$2,000; MEDIUM PRICE…$6,000; HIGH PRICE…$15,000; LUXURY…$40,000)  PAY IMMEDIATELY
DOUBLE RATES CHECKOUT ANY GUEST IMMEDIATELY AND RECEIVE DOUBLE THE RATES THEN DISCARD
DOUBLE RATES NEXT OPPONENT WHO LANDS ON YOUR FLOOR, SUITE OR DOUBLE PLAYS DOUBLE RATES. DISCARD WHEN USED
EXTEND STAY: FIRST FLOOR GUESTS PAY BUT STILL STAY ON
EXTEND STAY: SECOND FLOOR GUESTS PAY BUT STILL STAY ON
FIRE: YOU REOPEN AS AN ECONOMY HOTEL
FLOOD: GUESTS LEAVE COLLECT NO MONEY
FREE STAY AT THE NEXT HOTEL SAVE THIS CARD UNTIL NEEDED
FREE TRIP: GO IMMEDIATELY TO ANYWHERE ON THE BOARD [x2]
HOTEL CLOSED TEMPORARILY: ALL GUESTS CHECK OUT LOSE NEXT TURN
INSURANCE POLICY: NULLIFIES: -STRIKES-FIRE-ROBBERIES-FLOOD. SAVE UNTIL NEEDED
NEW GUESTS: DRAW ONE GUEST CARD (FOR YOUR HOTEL ONLY) IF ELIGIBLE THE GUEST CHECKS IN YOUR HOTEL
NEW GUESTS: DRAW THREE GUEST CARDS (FOR YOUR HOTEL ONLY) IF ELIGIBLE THE GUESTS CHECK IN YOUR HOTEL
OUT OF ORDER: ELEVATOR OUT OF ORDER, SECOND FLOOR GUESTS CHECK OUT
RENOVATION: ALL ELIGIBLE GUESTS MOVE TO NEXT QUALIFIED HOTEL AT NO CHARGE. COLLECT NO MONEY
REPAINTING (ECONOMY…$2,000; MEDIUM PRICE…$5,000; HIGH PRICE…$10,000; LUXURY…$25,000)
REPAINTING TURN AWAY THE NEXT TWO ELIGIBLE GUESTS
ROBBERY: ONE FOURTH OF ALL YOUR MONEY STOLEN
SALE: MEDIUM PRICE HOTEL REDUCED TO $7,500 USE IMMEDIATELY OR DISCARD
SALE: HIGH PRICE HOTEL REDUCED TO $20,000 USE IMMEDIATELY OR DISCARD
SALE: LUXURY HOTEL REDUCED TO $40,000 USE IMMEDIATELY OR DISCARD
STRIKE: ALL GUESTS CHECK OUT COLLECT NO MONEY
TAX REFUND RECEIVE $5,000
TAX REFUND: RECEIVE TEN TIMES DAILY SUITE RATE
TRANSFER: TAKE ANY QUALIFIED GUEST FROM ANY HOTEL AND PLACE IN YOUR HOTEL
TRIP: MOVE ANY OPPONENT TO ANY “CHECKOUT” SQUARE ON THE BOARD
VETO CARD: CAN BE USED TO NULLIFY ANY TELEGRAM ONCE SAVE UNTIL NEEDED
WINDFALL: HOTEL USED FOR MOVIE. RECEIVE TEN TIMES DAILY SUITE RATE

The Game Rules

Aside from the inner cardboard filler to help hold all the pieces in an orderly fashion, that’s it.  I hope you enjoy checking in and out those nutty hotel guests!

Hotel Rate Cards (Blue/Green) for Full House (1979)

Hotel Rate Cards (Red/Yellow) for Full House (1979)

Hotel Guest Cards (Single/Double) for Full House (1979)

Hotel Guest Cards (Suite/Floor) for Full House (1979)

Telegram cards for Full House (1979)

More Telegram cards for Full House (1979)

What’s In That Game Box? – Careers (1976)

Box art for the 1976 game, Careers.

Ever searched the Internet looking for what exactly you were missing from the old board game you pulled from your closet, only to find no succour in your time of need?  Well, stop that fruitless searching through endless google results, as this week we look at Parker Brothers’ 1976 game Careers, where fame, fortune, or happiness or yours to choose.

A much deeper discussion of the game’s origin, gameplay mechanic and the differences between the various versions throughout the years can be found in a previous blog entry, titled,  The Best Classic Board Games – Careers (1955-2009) What’s In That Game Box? deals specifically with the game’s contents, which are:

The game box (with a yellow background and a definite 1970s look to the cartoon characters on the front)

The game board (with a 32 space main path, and eight subpaths, three of which contain 11 spaces, three contain 9 spaces, one with 7 spaces, and one with 13 spaces.)

Six player tokens (blue, black, green, red, white, and yellow)

Two small six-sided dice.

A supply of play money in $50 (blue), $100 (purple), $500 (green), $1000 (yellow), $5000 (pink), and $10,000 (orange) denominations.

A deck of 28 Opportunity Knocks cards, containing:

• GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY to go to the Entrance Square of the Occupation of your choice…meet normal requirements.  May save or sell. [x2]
• OPPORTUNITY for holiday in Hawaii.  May save or sell. [x2]
• OPPORTUNITY to enter BIG BUSINESS…meet normal requirements.  May save or sell. [x3]
• OPPORTUNITY to enter COLLEGE…meet normal requirements. (If all players have gone to College, replace card and draw again.) May save or sell. [x3]
• OPPORTUNITY to enter POLITICS…meet normal requirements. May save or sell. [x2]
• OPPORTUNITY to enter SPORTS…meet normal requirements. May save or sell. [x2]
• OPPORTUNITY to enter THE ARTS…meet normal requirements. May save or sell. [x2]
• OPPORTUNITY to enter the field of ECOLOGY…meet normal requirements.  May save or sell. [x3]
• OPPORTUNITY to go into TEACHING…meet normal requirements. May save or sell. [x2]
• OPPORTUNITY to join SPACE PROGRAM…meet normal requirements.  May save or sell. [x3]
• SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY to enter POLITICS…because of your great charisma, all expenses paid.  May save or sell.
• SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY to enter SPORTS…because of your great skill as a mountain climber, all expenses paid.  May save or sell.
• SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY to enter THE ARTS…because of your great talent, all expenses paid.  May save or sell.
• SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY to go into TEACHING…Double all Happiness earned during tenure…meet all normal requirements.  May save or sell.

A deck of 28 EXPERIENCE CARDS, which contain:

• MAY MOVE 1 SQUARE in place of throwing the die or dice on any move. [x8]
• MAY MOVE 2 SQUARES in place of throwing the die or dice on any move. [x8]
• MAY MOVE 3 SQUARES in place of throwing the die or dice on any move. [x6]
• MAY MOVE 4 SQUARES in place of throwing the die or dice on any move. [x6]

A pad of SUCCESS FORMULA score sheets

A blue plastic storage tray to hold the two decks of cards, play money, and player tokens.

The Rule Book (in both English and French, showing the 1971 copyright, not the 1976 publication date)

Aside from the inner cardboard spacers, that’s it!  An interesting tidbit: the 1971 version of Careers has exactly the same components inside the box, and the only difference is the box art, which has a red background featuring four 1970s-style cartoons showcasing some of the occupations available in the game.  The parts are completely interchangeable, which is no surprise since all Parker Brothers did was put the 1971 game pieces into a new box!

Box art for the 1971 game, Careers