Note: Lloyd's Rules of ACQUIRE are available in a PDF file, or if you prefer, a
series of PowerPoint files. This format allows you to print the rules
using your own printer. Upon payment, please
Contact Us to let us know which file format you prefer. Once payment
has been received and we know which file format you prefer, the file(s)
containing Lloyd's Rules of ACQUIRE will be emailed to you.
ACQUIRE is a fantastic game, and a huge tribute to
the intellect of Sid Sackson. Yet, after my first experience with the game,
I felt that the rules needed some adjustments to increase the ability of the game
to attract new players.
I wanted the game to have a broader appeal to more of my friends. The more
friends I could get to enjoy the game, the more chances I had to play the game.
I accomplished this by creating a way for players to stay involved in the game even
if the didn't have any money. I also created a level playing field for obtaining
stock while at the same time increasing the strategic maneuvering of stock purchasing.
Lloyd's Rules of ACQUIRE allows trading of stock when a player is out of money.
The player can get rid of stocks that do not help the player and trade them for
stocks that are more important within their portfolio. It allows these players
to try and maintain majorities in the companies that are most important. It
also allows the ability for players to invest on every turn, to potentially increase
their portfolio, without the fear of being "stuck" with those purchases when they
are ultimately out of money.
Lloyd's Rules of ACQUIRE eliminates the 2- for-1 trade rule when companies merge.
In the corporate world of hostile takeovers, is is very seldom that the conquering
company offers the shareholders of the vanquished company a cut-rate bargain for
the stocks of the conquering company.
The 2-for-1 trade creates the possibility for a person who holds majority in a conquering
company to lose that majority to numerous shareholders because they decided to sacrifice
their small company. It decreases the strategy level of obtaining majorities
and skews the game into more of a factor of luck. In Lloyd's Rules of ACQUIRE,
the players of the vanquished company are given payouts for their companies, and
their shares, and they can invest wherever they choose when it is their turn.
Lloyd's Rules of ACQUIRE are printed into a convenient 10-page booklet that is printed
on yellow card stock for long lasting durability and fits neatly into the original
versions of this timeless classic. This booklet can be used to replace old,
worn, or lost rules as they conveniently have the original rules of ACQUIRE fully
printed with Lloyd's changes to the rules printed in red.
This 10-page booklet also includes a Stock Price Extension chart. This chart
helps when figuring payouts at times of merger or at the end of the game.
This chart helps eliminate the need for a calculator or a math professor.
Lloyd's Rules of ACQUIRE can be used in all editions of ACQUIRE from 1962-2008.
They can also be used in the International versions of ACQUIRE. They can be
used with the Special Powers Variants that were found in the 1993 Schmidt Spiel
edition and the 1995 Avalon Hill Edition. They can also be used with the Wild
Tile Variant and the 1963 World Map Conversion Kit.
If you are interested in additional information, visit the
Lloyd's Rules of ACQUIRE page on our main website.
