Draft:Oneupmanship (game)

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  • Comment: No clear indication of notability, with Reception primarily being cited to unreliable and primary sources. More independent, reliable reviews are needed to illustrate why this subject is notable. Magneton Considerer: Pokelego999 (Talk) (Contribs) 19:14, 7 December 2024 (UTC)
  • Comment: Tip that is also useful when writing essays for school: Try to avoid using the word "you" or "your". For the gameplay section instead try using words like "The player", "Player", "a player", "they", or "their". Shadow311 (talk) 00:15, 8 November 2024 (UTC)
Oneupmanship: Mine's Bigger
"Show me a good loser and I'll show you a real loser."
DesignersTimothy Cataldo[1]
PublishersOneupmanship
PublicationOctober 30, 2013
LanguagesEnglish
Players2-4
Playing time90 minutes
Age range12+
SkillsTrading, Auctioning, Negotiation, Strategy[2]
Websiteoneupmanship.com[3]

Oneupmanship, officially titled Oneupmanship: Mine's Bigger, is a board game created in 2013 that was self-published[4][5] and funded on Kickstarter. Marketed as a "satirical game about money, power, ego and nerve",[6] the game was inspired by competition in luxury purchases such as yachts, aiming to transform competitive betting and trading into a board game format.[7]

Gameplay

[edit]

Oneupmanship is an economic board game with similarities to Monopoly. It features a square board with properties, unique corner spaces, and play money.[8] The objective is to accumulate more wealth and assets than other players.[5]

Components

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The game includes:

  • 32 "money" cards
  • 16 building blocks
  • 12 "B" stickers
  • 6 star trophies
  • 6 company stock cards
  • 4 real estate deeds
  • 4 pawns
  • 2 dice
  • 1 20" by 20" game board
  • Instruction manual
  • Stock Market Indicator
  • Play money
  • "Bitter pills"
  • Reference cheat sheet[5][9][10]

Mechanics

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The player with the most US currency starts the game. Players roll two dice to move their pawn clockwise around the board from their starting position. When landing on a property space, the player must adjust the stock market indicator according to the property's instructions. Players may purchase shares in companies represented on properties or draw a "money" card if they decline to buy.

Landing on a "real estate" space allows players to purchase the property at the listed price and construct buildings, generating rent from other players who land there. "Shareholder Meeting" spaces require players to purchase additional shares and roll a die to determine share multiplication. Bonus spaces provide cash rewards when passed.[11]

The Bitter Pills

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The game includes "Bitter Pills" that losing players may take. This action resets all player properties to zero and reduces cash to nothing, forcing a game restart that cannot be declined by the winning player. The pills feature mocking labels and contain no nutritional information.[5][12]

Reception

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The game received predominantly negative reviews from board game critics. Tom Vasel of The Dice Tower criticized the game's design and components, calling the Bitter Pills rule "the dumbest rule in board gaming dumbness, ever."[5]

Designer Timothy Cataldo responded to criticism on the Old's Cool Company website, describing his experience as "raped on the internet, figuratively speaking" and claiming that Vasel's fanbase harassed him and his family following the negative review.[13] Online discussions characterized Cataldo as "recalcitrant, incorrigible, fatuous, and sophomoronic."[14]

Michael Martelli offered a positive assessment on the Old's Cool website, comparing it favorably to Monopoly: "reminds me of Monopoly with a lot more depth, a lot more challenges, and a lot more nuance. If you like a fun, cutthroat game with an economic theme, then this is definitely a game you would enjoy."[15]

One player reportedly burned their copy of the game and posted evidence on BoardGameGeek.[16]

Curtis Silver of GeekDad noted that "Oneupmanship is just like the real stock market — terribly unpredictable and full of shady deals. Just remember, if you go bust — there are no bailouts for you."[17]

References

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  1. ^ "Weston Forum". Advantage Preservation.
  2. ^ "Társasjátékok: Alkudozás - Magyarország társasjáték keresője! A társasjáték érték!". Tarsasjatekok.
  3. ^ "Oneupmanship - Mine's Bigger". BoardGameGeek.
  4. ^ "Oneupmanship : About | LinkedIn". LinkedIn.
  5. ^ a b c d e The Dice Tower (2014-03-15). Oneupmanship Review - with Tom Vasel (Or, how NOT to design a game). Retrieved 2024-11-07 – via YouTube.
  6. ^ "Old's Cool". Old's Cool Company. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
  7. ^ Johnny Mustard (2013-05-29). JP and the inspiration behind ONEUPMANSHIP. Retrieved 2024-11-07 – via YouTube.
  8. ^ "Tabletop Games". TV Tropes. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
  9. ^ "Oneupmanship One358 Money & Assets Board Game - One358 . shop for Oneupmanship products in India". Flipkart.
  10. ^ "ONEUPMANSHIP –". Old's Cool Company. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
  11. ^ Oneupmanship (2014-01-12). How to "play the game.". Retrieved 2024-11-07 – via YouTube.
  12. ^ "Oneupmanship Board Game Executive Package Custom Pawns Bitter Pills Replacement | #4564035442". Worthpoint. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
  13. ^ "Have you ever been". Old's Cool Company. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
  14. ^ "RDX for Reddit - Reddit Viewer". rdx.overdevs.com. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  15. ^ ""Show us a good loser and we'll show you a real loser."". Old's Cool Company. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
  16. ^ The Game So Bad We Burned It. Retrieved 2024-11-07 – via boardgamegeek.com.
  17. ^ Silver, Curtis (October 6, 2014). "There Are No Bailouts With Oneupmanship". GeekDad.