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Imperial Steam
- 2–4 players
- 120 min
- Complexity 4.2/5
- 2021
- BGG rank
- BGG #12,116
- BGG rating
- 6.5
Envelopes of Cash
2023
Rules assistance for Envelopes of Cash
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–4 players
- 60–150 min
- 14+
- Complexity 3.1/5
For 1 player
Rules assistant for Envelopes of Cash
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Envelopes of Cash is a board game released in 2023 for 1–4 players, 60–150 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Andy Schwarz and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Dice Rolling.
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About the game
Envelopes of Cash is a Euro board game with a very American theme: college football recruiting. Players square off as rival college programs, doing their best to attract the most valuable high schoolers to join their college teams. Game play is driven by a card draft, in which players acquire the potential to hire new personnel, build new facilities, strengthen their program's culture, or boost their fundraising prowess, but to actually put those cards into play, the need to generate income via careful selection of 6 different colored dice, which are rolled at the start of each turn. Those dice generate the most valuable currency in the game -- Envelopes of Cash -- which are used to lure the athletes to your program. To succeed, you need to balance the benefits of your cards, which make recruiting easier, with the nuts and bolts of actually getting out there and recruiting, by sending lots of recruiting mail, traveling to visit the athletes in their home states, and most importantly, slipping them those valuable tokens of your affection in little colored envelopes. You only have 12 months to gather as many different recruits across a variety of football positions (like QB, LB, etc.), so the tension between less income now vs. more income later plays a role in shaping your strategy. Should you jump out to a quick start and get the best recruits before your opponents, or should you build up a big stash of envelopes of cash and have a major blow out month towards the end of the year. Or can you build a strategy more around your personnel and culture, turning their special abilities into a victory point engine and leave the grubby business of bribes to others? Envelopes of Cash lets you be the head coach of a major football program, working closely with your bag men to make sure you come out on top in the race for the most recruiting points. With 120 different cards and a different mix of recruits across regions each time, the game offers high replay value, especially since there are many different ways to build a successful program that churns out points. —description from the designer
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Envelopes of Cash LLC
Questions and answers
Envelopes of Cash supports 1–4 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 Envelopes of Cash is 60–150 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 Envelopes of Cash for ages 14 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.
Envelopes of Cash has a complexity rating of 3.1 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.
Envelopes of Cash belongs to these categories: Card Game, Economic, and Sports. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Dice Rolling. 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 Envelopes of Cash are: Andy Schwarz. 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 Envelopes of Cash 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.