You can use any or all of the following variants to customize I'm the Boss to your tastes. The first two variants are the ones most commonly adopted:

• The turn order does not change following the playing of a Boss card.

• A player who starts his turn with 10 or more Influence cards must try to make a deal on his turn, whether before or after the die roll.

• A player must be the Boss or have played a card in order to receive money from a deal.

• Drawing Cards: A player with no Investor placard draws 4 cards, a player with one Investor placard draws 3 cards, a player with two Investor placards draws 2 cards, and a player with three or more Investor placards draws 1 card.

• A player holding fewer than 4 cards may not attempt to make a deal.

• Starting with the tenth deal, a player may not hold more than 10 cards in his hand.

• Short Game: When stacking the deal cards at the start of the game, remove tiles #3, 6, and 9 and place them in the box. Use the normal rules for ending the game, rolling the die after placing deal card #10 and each subsequent deal card.

• Less Cutthroat game: Use the special rules below for "The Game for two" no matter how many players you have.

The Game for Two

The rules are the same, except for the following:

The Boss may use any of the opponent's Investors, paying a "fair share" for each.

Either player may play a Travel card on his own Investors to try to keep a deal from being completed. The Boss must complete the deal if possible, using the available Investor placards and any Clan cards the opponent plays.

Continue Reading