Budgies
by Allan Stagg 1999
The game is best played by three or four players.
Players will bid for contracts for clutches of eggs from coloured budgies. They may also place bribes to try to influence the colour of future breeding parents. The player making the highest bid for a particular colour is awarded the contract for that colour. The breeding parents are then selected, and a number of eggs are laid. These eggs are awarded to the player holding the relevant contract, all eggs are then hatched successfully, and the budgie chicks sold. The game will last for five rounds.
Breeding budgies come in three colours - Red, Blue and Yellow. Budgies of the same colour will produce eggs of the same colour, while budgies of different colours will produce eggs of a third colour - purple, orange or green. The number of eggs produced will vary with the colour of the parents - Red budgies will produce between 0 and 2 eggs, Blue budgies will produce between 1 and 3 eggs, and Yellow budgies will produce between 2 and 4 eggs. The number of eggs a mixed pair will produce will be the average of what the individual colours would have produced in a same-colour breeding. The GM will decide the number of eggs actually produced by throwing a dice.
Each round, a player may bid for contracts for the eggs from this turn's breeding couple. The highest amount bid for each possible colour (Red, Blue, Yellow, Green, Purple and Orange) secures the contract for that particular colour, tied bids secure an equal share from the sale of the budgie chicks. Only one of the six contracts available each turn will provide a return for the owner; the money paid for unsuccessful contracts is lost. Money bid unsuccessfully for contracts is not lost, but is returned to the player.
A player may also bid for contracts that will occur in future rounds (i.e. in Round 1 he may bid for Round 3 Orange, Round 4 Red etc.). This is regarded as an opening bid, which may be added to in future rounds. The advantage of bidding for future contracts is that if there is a tied bid when the contract is awarded, the player who made the earliest initial bid wins the contract. The disadvantage is that the money spent on the bid is frozen until the contract is awarded, when it is either part of the successful bid or returned to the player.
At the start of the game twelve budgies are available for breeding, six males and six females. There are two males of each colour and two females of each colour. Once a bird has been selected to breed it is allowed to retire, and will not be used again, so for the fifth turn there will only be four budgies left to be chosen. Players may attempt to influence the colour of the breeding budgies in a round by bribing officials to select a male or female budgie of a particular colour. The greatest amount of money spent in bribes on a colour will ensure that colour bird is selected. If no money is spent in bribes for a particular sex of bird, the GM will select a bird at random. All money spent on bribes is lost.
Players start the game with £100. Red, Yellow or Blue budgie chicks can be sold for £100 each, while Purple, Orange or Green chicks will fetch £20 each. Money gained from successful contracts must be banked, it may not be used for future bribes or contracts. The winner is the person who, after the fifth round, has the greatest amount of money in the bank. Any cash in hand that has not been spent is returned to the bank, including money spent on unsuccessful bids in that turn.
The order of play, and the players' actions, are shown below:
Players bid for contracts for the current round. GM adds current bids to bids made in previous rounds, and determines which players have been awarded each of the six contracts available. Unsuccessful bidders have their cash returned.
Players bid for future contracts. GM to note the amounts that players have currently bid for future contracts, as this will form part of the game report.
Players place bribes for a selected colour of male or female bird for the current round. GM identifies which male and female bird carry the greatest amount of bribe money, and selects these birds as the breeding pair.
GM determines how many eggs are produced, and how much money has been raised from the sale of the chicks. This is credited to the contract owner's bank account.
Players are informed of the contract owners for the current round, the amount they have bid for the contracts, the amount that has been bid for future contracts, the colour of the breeding budgies, the amount that was raised from the sale of eggs this turn, the amount of cash in each player's bank account and pocket, and the colour and sex of the remaining budgies.
Sample Game:
Round 1
Ross bids 1 for Red, Yellow, Blue, Green, Orange and Purple
Bids 1 for Yellow, Orange and Green in Round 5
No bribery bids
Total spend 9 - Cash left 91
Geoff bids 5 for Yellow, 2 for Green and Orange
Bribery bids - 5 for Yellow male and 5 for Yellow female
Total spend 19 - Cash left 81
Allan bids 4 for Blue, 3 for Green and 3 for Purple
Bids 1 for Yellow, Green and Orange in Round 2
Bribery bid 7 for Blue male
Total spend 20 - Cash left 80
Results: Ross - Red (1) Geoff - Yellow (5) Orange (2) Allan - Blue (4) Green (3) Purple (3)
Futures:
Round 2 Allan Yellow (1) Green (1) Orange (1)
Round 5 Ross Yellow (1) Orange (1) Green (1)
Breeding budgies:
Blue Male and Yellow Female, giving 2 green eggs, raising £40
End of turn details:
Ross 96 in pocket
Geoff 83 in pocket
Allan 80 in pocket 40 in bank
Birds left Male Red, Red, Blue, Yellow, Yellow
Female Red, Red, Blue, Blue, Yellow
Round 2
Ross bids 2 for Red, Orange and Purple, Bids 1 for Yellow, Orange and Green in Round 4, Bribes 10 for Red Male Spend 19
Geoff bids 8 for Blue, Bribes 10 for Blue Male and 10 for Blue female Spend 28
Allan bids 1 for Red, Yellow, Blue, Green, Purple, Orange. Bids 1 for Yellow, Green and Orange in Round 3 No bribes Spend 9
Results:
Ross Red (2) Purple (2) Geoff Blue (8) Allan Yellow (2) Orange (2) Green (2)
Futures:
Round 3 Allan yellow (1) Orange (1) green (1)
Round 4 Ross Yellow (1) Orange (1) Green (1)
Round 5 Ross Yellow (1) Orange (1) Green (1)
Breeding budgies:
Blue Male and Blue Female, giving 2 Eggs raising £200
End of turn details:
Ross 80 in pocket
Geoff 55 in pocket, 200 in bank
Allan 74 in pocket 40 in bank
Birds left Male Red, Red, Yellow, Yellow
Female Red, Red, Blue, Yellow
Round 3
Ross bids 5 for Purple, 5 for Green, 4 for Round 4 Red, 4 for Round 4 Yellow and 4 for Round 4 Orange Bribe 15 for Blue female Spend 37
Geoff bids 2 for Red, 2 for Yellow, 2 for Orange, 2 for Green and 2 for Purple Spend 10
Allan bids 3 for Purple, 3 for Yellow, 3 for Green, 3 for Orange Bid 5 for Round 5 Red, 5 for Round 5 Orange Bribe 8 for Yellow male Spend 30
Result of bids:
Ross Purple (5) Green (5), Geoff Red (2) Allan Yellow (4) Orange (4)
Futures:
Round 4 Ross Red (4) Yellow (5) Orange (5) Green (1)
Round 5Allan Red (5) Orange (5)
Ross Yellow (1) Orange (1) Green (1)
Breeding budgies:
Yellow Male and Blue Female giving 3 eggs raising £60
End of turn details:
Ross 43 in pocket 60 in bank
Geoff 51 in pocket 200 in bank
Allan 51 in pocket 40 in bank
Birds left:
Male Red, Red, Yellow
Female Red, Red, Yellow