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BGG GuildIn the cutthroat world of investment real estate, there’s only one rule: buy low. And two: sell high. Welcome back to Pair Of Dice Paradise’s “Thrift Sift” series, where I discuss games that I find at second-hand stores. In this installment I’ll be looking at the 1988 game with a millionaire mogul namesake. It’s Trump: The Game.
No matter your opinion of Trump, the man, everyone agrees that Trump: The Game is a thing that exists.
The first edition, released in 1989, was showered with responses, including:
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“(there was) A Winner!” (Board Game Jerk website)
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“Trump: The Game is a game, by Trump”, (Redundant New Corp)
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“the first edition was released in 1989” (Thinkipedia), and
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“404: File Not Found”. (everywhere else)
With such numerous statements about Trump: The Game, I started to become suspicious that I had not simply imagined it. My suspicions were confirmed when I located copies of the game at a local second-hand shop. I grabbed one off the shelf, handed the cashier my dollar, and, after receiving my change, I was ready to give it a try.
So, what did I think of this game based on a man who is most assuredly not just a cautionary urban legend invented by the media in order to provide fodder for late night comedians? Well, before I get to my opinion of the game, let me give you a brief overview of what it’s all about.
In Trump: The Game, players roll the Trump dice to move their Trump piece around the Trump board. You’ll land on a space, and either invest Trump money in a property, auction a property, or draw additional Trump cards. The game ends when all of the properties have been sold. As in life, the player with the most Trump money at the end considers themselves a winner.
Playing Trump: The Game was certainly an activity. Even so, I discovered that there is, in fact, a problem with this game. The problem is: there’s simply not enough Trump. Sure, Trump adornes the title, the box, the rules, the cards, the player pieces, the dice, every denomination of the money, and the board - not once, but twice. This game has more trump than a Euchre marathon.
Even with all the Trump that is wedged into this box, I was still left with a hollow space inside of me that was craving just a little more Trump. Fortunately, in 2004, following the success of Trump’s The Apprentice television show, a revised second edition of the game was released. The best part? Science managed to cram Trump’s signature catch phrase from the television show, “you’re fired”, into the game. Yes, it may have taken five years and two editions, but mankind did finally find a way to infuse Trump: The Game with even more Trump.
Are you ready to invite Trump into your home and experience it with your remaining friends? If the answer to that question isn’t a loudly screamed “NO!”, then you’re in luck. You can almost certainly find a copy of Trump: The Game at any of your local thrift stores. In my experience, there’s always three or four copies on the shelves. Trump: The Game must still be very popular, if even second hand stores are continuing to stock multiple copies of it.
If you do invest in your own copy of Trump: The Game, then one thing I know for certain is that you’ll have it in your possession. And that’s not fanboy hyperbole, that’s how commerce works. And if Mr. Trump were actually a real person here today, I think he would say some words.
I’ve been Chaz Marler. On behalf of Pair Of Dice Paradise, thanks for embarking with me on this Thrift Sift. I’ll see you next time.
