The Flea Market Game

About this game

Just like the real Flea Market, you need to buy low and sell high. Is the porcelain vase really from the Ming Dynasty or from Joe Bob's Ceramic Creations? Can you tell? If you think a seller is a black-hearted pirate, you can challenge the scoundrel. If you're right you get the goods for free! But, if you wrongfully accuse an honest merchant, you will pay dearly. What's your selling style? The object of the game is to make money. You do this by renting spaces and selling your Big Deal cards. Once a player has sold all of his Big Deal cards, it's Closing Time --any Big Deal cards leftover in other players' hands are deducted from their score. Big Deal cards are displayed for all to see during play, with the Fair Price hidden on the back. There are duplicates of each item, with sometimes wildly different fair prices. Sets of four Big Deal cards of the same colour can be cashed in when passing the Wholesaler (Start Space). You bargain for Big Deal cards when you land on a seller's space. Only two offers and two counter-offers are allowed, to limit bargaining time. The agreed-upon price is multiplied by the number of cards of that colour the buyer already holds (but never more than four times). If you think the seller was asking for more than the Fair Price, you may call a Challenge. You are secretly shown the Fair Price to resolve the challenge. If you were right, you get the card; otherwise, you must pay the Fair Price multiplied by *twice* the number of cards of that colour you already hold. Of course, role-playing (haggling) is encouraged.

What it feels like