- BGG rank
- BGG #23,904
- BGG rating
- 5.6
Eden
- 3–4 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 2.2/5
- 2001
- BGG rank
- BGG #26,323
- BGG rating
- 5.6
Big Deal
2001
Rules assistance for Big Deal
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–6 players
- 120 min
- 12+
- Complexity 3.0/5
Rules assistant for Big Deal
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Big Deal is a board game released in 2001 for 2–6 players, 120 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Tzvika Harpaz, Gal Zuckerman, Roy Wagner, and Yoel Rotem and its main mechanics are Auction / Bidding and Stock Holding.
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About the game
Big Deal is a game of corporate business deals. Players are big investors (and I mean big - the smallest notes are $50 million and billions of dollars change hands) and wheeler-dealers. Players acquire shares in companies, primarily randomly (picked up as cards), but also possibly through purchase of other players' previous sales. To form the companies they must also acquire resources, which are bought from 4 sets. The pricing mechanism for these is like Palmyra and McMulti - each purchase increases the price and each sale decreases it. Once an appropriate set is acquired for a matching set of (at least two) shares in a company, the company can be formed. Companies pay income to their owners each turn. They can also be sold off at a premium, or split up (provided the owner has enough shares and resources) to gain double income. The real heart of the game comes in the option to conduct hostile takeovers. A player lays one or more shares in a company owned by another player and then starts a bidding war to takeover the company. Each player is bidding to buy the shares of the opponent (bids are per share). The "winner" gets the company and all the shares, the "loser" is paid off at the final bid price. Who is actually the winner and loser depends, of course, on the balance of the final price. There is a sudden death variable finish, when assets plummet in value, so there is a tense few final rounds when players can try to realize assets while they are still valuable. During this period the judgment of takeover prices becomes even more tricky (and a gamble).
Categories
Mechanics
Publishers
- AMIGO
Questions and answers
Big Deal supports 2–6 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Big Deal is 120 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Big Deal for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Big Deal has a complexity rating of 3.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Big Deal belongs to these categories: Economic. Its main mechanics are Auction / Bidding and Stock Holding. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Big Deal are: Tzvika Harpaz, Gal Zuckerman, Roy Wagner, and Yoel Rotem. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Big Deal as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.