PENNY PRESS

OBJECTIVE OF PENNY PRESS: The objective of Penny Press is to be the player with the most points when the game comes to an end. 

NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2 to 5 Players 

MATERIALS: 1 Game Board, 15 Pennies, 5 Arrow Markers, 5 Bonus Markers, 6 Advertisements, 60 Stories, 1 Newsboy Piece, 5 Scoring Discs, 25 Reporters, 5 Player Mats, 5 Player Aids, 45 Headline Cards, and Instructions 

TYPE OF GAME: Area Control Board Game 

AUDIENCE: Ages 13 and Up 

OVERVIEW OF PENNY PRESS 

Penny Press is set during the “yellow journalism” years. Players will act as newspaper magnates, attempting to make their story the most read in the city of New York. As they publish more newspapers, the players will move further along the circulation track. Each player will begin the game with five reporters, allowing them to cover the biggest and best stories throughout the game! 

SETUP 

To begin setup, place the circulation track in the center of the playing area. Every player will place their scoring disc at the start of the track. Five bonus markers are placed on two. Everyone will receive a player mat in the color of their choice, along with five reporters that match in color.  

The pennies and advertisements are placed beside the board, creating the supplies. The stories are stacked and placed under to the news beats that match them, beginning with the lowest star on top and highest stars on the bottom. Each player will draw one headline card, advancing their bonus markers.  

The arrow markers are placed above the stories, and a starting player is chosen. The last player to read a newspaper can become the first player if the players do not want to choose. The game is then ready to begin. 

GAMEPLAY 

During their turn, the players will complete one of four actions. They must complete at least one, and they cannot pass. Once their action has been completed, they must check the arrows and ensure that they do not need to be moved. When the arrows have to be moved, this is referred to as adjusting the news beats.  

Players may choose to assign reporters, reassign a reporter, recall reporters, or go to the press. When they assign reporters, they will place at least one of their reporters onto a story in the news beats, and they do not have to be unoccupied. Just the opposite, players may choose to recall reporters by pulling them from stories to their mats. They may also reassign a reporter by moving them from one story to another. 

Finally, when a player decides to go to press, they will lay claim to all of the stories that they have sent their reporters to, scoring points on the circulation track. They must begin by claiming the stories that they want, ensuring that those stories have as many of their reporters as any other player. They will then award points to the other players that had reporters on the story. The player will then build their front page on their player mat, collect a penny, and draw a new headline.  

Once they have completed their actions, the players will adjust the news beats. After they have completed their turn, the next player will begin theirs in clockwise order. The game will continue in this manner until the final edition begins.  

END OF GAME 

When a player goes to press for the third time, the final edition is triggered, and the end of the game will quickly follow. The arrow markers are then turned so that their red side points to the same direction, showing that they will not move anymore during the game.  

The player that triggered the final edition will continue with their next steps like normal, ensuring that they do not draw a headline card. Their game is officially complete, but the other players will have a chance to take their final turn. During this turn, the players may only reassign one reporter if they choose to. No headline cards are drawn throughout these final turns.  

On the bonus track, from left to right, the players will add up their stars that are found on their published stories. The player who is located highest on the circulation track will win the game! If there is a tie, then the player who has published the highest number of stories, wins the game. 

Ellie Phillips
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