For Sale
3-6
8+
20
Bid and bluff your way to purchase the most valuable real estate for the lowest amount of money, then turn around and sell those houses (and shacks) for cold hard cash. Be the richest mogul at the end of the game to win this Stefan Dorra classic.
During phase one, players must decide how much of their spending capital to invest in available properties, knowing that their own actions in the second phase could turn those properties into extremely lucrative bargains or crushing losses.
images©Eagle Games
User Reviews (7)
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Not every day does a spaceship go up for sale in your neighborhood, well unless you live on the international Space Station. In which case not every day does a cardboard box come up for sale in your neighborhood (see something for everyone even astronauts). For Sale is an exciting new game about property management. Wait that makes it sound boring let me try that again. It is a game about buying and selling properties. Nailed it.
It consist of two phases. In the first phase you are giving around 18k dollars which you will use in an auction process in order to buy different properties that range from an outhouse, to a boathouse, to an apartment building…. house. The second phase you will then sell your properties trying to maximize your profits between these two phases. Simple as that.
Loved
* Simplicity – This may be the simplest game to learn/teach I have ever played. I have played it with children, parents, pretty much anyone can learn this game in a matter of minutes and be laughing and having fun.
Liked
*Fast Pace and Fun – There is almost no setup with this game and you can finish it in 15 – 20 minutes easy.
*Art work – The game looks great, and all the houses and caves, and teepees look great.
* The tears of the orphans as I evict them, there is no room for squatters rights in my neighborhood
Disliked
*Lack of depth – This does not bother me per se but it is something that I felt I should mention. Also if you memorize everyone’s money you will have an advantage but frankly it is not worth the effort this game is about having a good time.
*The lawyers that disagree with my previous opinions on the orphan’s squatting rights
Overall Opinion I absolutely LOVE this game. It is so simple that I can break out even with non-gamers and have yet to play with a group who is not laughing and having a great time by the end of it. I truly believe this is a game that every gamer should own.
Can you earn $15,000 with a cardboard box and 0$ with a space station? You can in For Sale!
Overview
For Sale is a great fast-pace, auction/bidding card game with a twist of strategic planning for entry level player as well as filler between game session that can be played in about 15-20 minutes.
Aim of the game is simple: buy low, sell high.
The game divide into 2 phases, 1) Bid for property on sale and 2) Sell your property for CA$H and who is the most profitable is the winner.
Game Play
Phase 1
Each round the property cards are dealt equal to numbers of players and player proceed to bid for the property. Each player is not forced to bid if they wish, pass that round and take the least price property or outbid your opponent for better property. However, if you decide to pass after making a bid half of your bid (round down) must be pay to the bank. This phase carry on until all properties are sold.
Word of advice: bid wisely and know when to back down otherwise other players will take advantage of it when you have no cash left to bid in the next round.
Phase 2
Each round follow the same pattern as the phase 1, Check card containing value from $0 to $15,000 is dealt at random equal to the number of players. Players then try to sell your property for the most cash. Highest number property sells for the highest value available and second highest earn the second highest value etc. Here is where your strategic planning comes into play.
Determine winner by totaling up the check value and the person with the most cash win.
Conclusion
Despite its simplicity the game does offer a unique yet light strategy that appeal even to a non-gamer (like my girlfriend). So do you go all out and try to bid the space station, which will surely net you the most in phase 2 but suffer from lack of cash to buy other property in auction of the subsequent round? Or spend little and obtain moderately price property but sell medium to high when check cards that were dealt carry not so great difference (15,000 14,000 and 13,000 etc) The possibilities are endless how you plan your strategy.
With it fail safe mechanic (that is what I like to call) each player still earn a property and half of the cash refunded if you unsuccessfully bid or pass, this does make a non-gamer (my girlfriend again) and beginner less frustrated.
Component wise the box is well design with colorful art, very sturdy. In side there are 3 storage compartments 2 for your cards and 1 for coin. Card compartment also design with consumer ease of use in mind because each card compartment has a hole so you can easily use your finger to take out the card with out resorting to flipping the box over.
Cards itself is high quality and made from thick high quality card stock.
Final Thought
Game that appeal to anyone in most situation. Whether it is non-gamer, entry level, experience player, starter, filler, party. You name it and it will probably fit in somewhere. Great game to have in you collection and for $25 I would say that it is a good investment.
For those that don’t know, a “filler” game is generally a relatively short game that can be played in between other games, filling in the time.
What Makes A Good Filler?
For me, a filler should be a few things.
– Fast playing (15-20 minutes or less)
– Easy to teach/learn
– Allow a good number of players
– Fun
What about For Sale?
I point out the finer points of fillers because For Sale is one of the gold standards of fillers that I have played. It manages to embody everything I feel a filler should be, while also being a very engaging game with depth and strategy on repeated plays.
Game Play
For Sale has two parts to the game. First, you’re buying up properties in an auction. Then, you’re selling those properties using a blind bid to gain points. The person with the most points wins (surprise!)
In part one; each player will start with an equal amount of money tokens. A deck numbered 1-30 with whimsical representations of properties that increase in desirability with value is shuffled (some cards may be removed based on player count). One card per player is played out face up. The players will bid on these cards in an auction. Each player will end up with one card. The first person to drop out will pay half of their bid (either rounded up or down depending on your version of the game – see the Tip section for more info.) and take the lowest valued card. As more players drop out, they continue to pay half of their bid and take the lowest remaining card. The final player gets the remaining card (the highest value of the round) but pays their full bid.
Rounds continue in this way until the property deck is exhausted.
In part two; the purchased cards will be sold for checks. The checks are numbered 0-15, there are two of each integer, except there is no one. One check per player is randomly turned up. Each player selects one of their properties from part one, and simultaneously reveal them. The checks are given out based on the value of the property played (the highest value property gets the highest valued check).
Rounds continue in this way until the check deck is exhausted.
The sum of the checks and any remaining money from part one gives you your score and determines the winner.
Why is For Sale a Great Filler?
It’s fast paced. An entire game of For Sale will generally take 15 minutes or less. The players are fully engaged throughout the entire game.
Players can learn the game in a minute or two. For Sale can readily be taught by showing a sample round. There is no need to explain the game; you can just show the players what will happen.
For Sale plays up to six players, and in my opinion plays just as well from four to six players, making it quite versatile.
The biggest point in For Sale‘s favor is that is it fun to play. With two distinct parts to the game, you almost feel like you’re playing two different games. If a player likes auctions, For Sale has that, if they don’t like auctions, the second part of the game with blind bid keeps the game from being solely a one-trick-pony.
The auction is where the game really shines. Everyone is going to get a card each round, but the spread of values changes each time. Some rounds, a mid-range card could go for seven, while in others the highest value card in the game may go for four. Each round plays differently, allowing for repeated playing to reveal to interested players a great deal of strategy in bidding.
Final Thoughts
For Sale is one of the go-to-games in my collection for non-gamers, and still works great for avid gamers who are looking for a quick game while another table is wrapping up. Even players that don’t want to get caught up in the strategy of bidding have a good time due to the easy rules set, and great detail put into each of the property illustrations.
If you’re looking for a filler to add to your collection, I strongly recommend For Sale for all gamer types, you won’t regret it!
Overview
For Sale has become one of those “classic” filler games that everyone should add to their collection. The game is about bidding on real estate properties, selling those properties, and collecting the most money to win the game. Plays in about 15 to 20 minutes.
Pros
Fast play
Easy rules
Scales well based on number of players.
Cons
Card quality not the greatest
Gameplay
For sale is a very simple game played in two rounds. Players start with two decks: property deck and money deck. These decks are setup at the beginning game with certain random cards removed based on the number of players. This setup makes the game more replayable and less predictable. Also, each player gets a certain amount of money tokens based on the number of players at setup as well. This money will be used to make the initial bids on the properties.
During the first round, someone turns up a property card for each player playing for everyone to see. This will be the cards that players bid to obtain. Each property card will have a number associated with it with higher numbers being more valuable. Each player takes a turn bidding an amount of money to win the highest property card. If anyone passes, they automatically get the lowest point property card available and potentially lose half of their already bid money rounded up, and they can longer bid that round. Once the highest bid is established, the winning bidder gets the high card. After that a new set of cards are drawn, and the next player in turn order starts the next bidding round. This is repeated until the property card deck is empty. This ends the first round and players proceed to round two. Any money tokens left over from this round are kept by the players for final scoring.
In the second and last round, players will begin bidding on the money decks by again drawing and revealing money cards based on the number of players. Players again bid, but they don’t use money. Each player will select a one of their property cards at the same time. Once everyone has selected a card, everyone will reveal their cards at the same time. Players will then distribute the money cards based on their property card rankings. So, the highest property played gets the highest money card and so on and so forth. This is repeated every round until the money card deck runs out. Once all the cards are played, the players will total up all their money cards and any left over money tokens to come up with a total. Whoever has the most money is the winner.
Conclusion
For Sale is just a real easy going real estate auction card game. It is very accessible and plays great with the family. The artwork is very playful and not offensive. Some of the lower property value cards are quite humorous looking. This game makes for a great change of pace between heaving gaming sessions. Also it is so easy teach that it is a great way to start getting people interested in the hobby. I find that the game scales well based on the number of players, and it still plays fairly quickly at the maximum player count.
For Sale is really solid game worthy of your collection.
Gamer Recommendations
Family Gamer – YES – easy rules, easy math
Social Gamer – YES – easy rules, easy to chat while playing
Casual Gamer – YES – easy rules, nothing heavy at all in it
Strategy Gamer – NO – no deep strategy
Avid Gamer – MAYBE – good to add to collection for filling in between bigger and meatier games
Power Gamer – NO – no complexity, not deep, no expansions.
This is a great little card game to play with the family. Very easy to learn, very easy to play and lots of fun. A great game to add to your collection for those times where you do not want to invest a lot of time but want to play a few rounds of something fun.
The game consists of two rounds, in the first round you purchase property, and in the second you sell it. The object of the game is to be the one who can buy property low, and sell it high. The one with the most money at the end of the round wins. It is pretty simple.
It is obviously not great if you are looking for depth or lots of strategy but everyone in my family enjoys this one.
Pros:
-Easy to play, fast to teach
-Game ends quickly, serves as good opener/filler game
-Pretty card and box art, with a few amusing cards
Cons:
-Cards seem to always be bent the wrong way and feel cheap.
-Initial currency is cardboard coins
-A little too simple, not particularly compelling
Summary:
Good filler/opener game with pretty components that feel a little cheap. Fun but not particularly compelling.
I have played this game several times with different strategies for different reasons. It’s a good little filler game when you are looking for something not so taxing after a ‘heavier’ game or if you are looking for a game to get the juices flowing before a night of gaming. If you are looking for a game to knock your socks off then look elsewhere but if you are looking for a light game then this is the game for you. I got my nephew interested in board games with this game. It’s easy to play and learn but you will always find a person who this game is beyond (looking at you Mom).