
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,937
- BGG rating
- 6.5
Pick & Pack
- 2 players
- 20 min
- Complexity 1.9/5
- 2007

2006
Rules assistance for Take Stock
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Take Stock is a board game released in 2006 for 2–6 players, 60 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Simon Hunt and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Commodity Speculation, and Stock Holding.
Trying to invest in the future? Read the stock reports, follow the trends, talk to valued advisors. Or chuck the whole thing and play Take Stock ! You are the power players. You can choose to make the prices rise as you purchase stocks in strong companies, or you can choose to crush the dreams of your opponents by freezing their accounts or crashing the market. Remember, the one with the most at the end wins! Each player collects stock certificates in five stocks, (Crispyflake Corn Cereal Co., Glittering Gems Ltd., Zeta-Chip Technology Ltd., Arctic Oil Drilling Co., and Movie Madness Distributors), that they hope will have a high price when the market closes. The goal of the game is to accumulate the highest score after four rounds of play. Contents: 100 Cards 30 Tokens 1 Rulebook There are 60 "share" cards (numbered 1-12 for each stock) representing a stock value if placed in the market, or representing a certificate of 1, 2 or 3 shares if placed in front of the player. There are 40 "market event" cards which affect the stock market in various ways: 3 stock splits, 1 stock crash and 1 insider trading for each stock; 4 stock audits; 3 stock freezes; 2 no market changes; 1 market upturn; 1 market downturn; 1 stock option gained; 1 stock option lost; 1 market crash; and 1 market closed. There are 30 tokens representing stock options allocated to the players at the beginning of the game. The stock starter cards (the 1's) are placed in a column in the middle of the table to represent the stock market. The value of each stock is represented by the highest number in each row. During each round, players may choose to increase the value of a particular stock by playing a card from their hand onto the corresponding row on the table. Players may also choose to place cards from their hand onto the table in front of them, to represent shares acquired for a particular stock. Market events may also be played to affect the market prices. At the end of each round, options may be exercised to buy up extra shares, after the market has closed. Each player's score is calculated by multiplying the closing price of each stock with the number of shares held for that stock. The winner is the player with the highest score at the end of four rounds.
Take Stock 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 Take Stock is 60 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 Take Stock for ages 10 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.
Take Stock has a complexity rating of 1.8 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light 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.
Take Stock belongs to these categories: Card Game and Economic. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Commodity Speculation, 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 Take Stock are: Simon Hunt. 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 Take Stock 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.