Components

• 5 Question & Answer Card Consoles
• 1,000 cards (980 question / answer cards, 20 Ask the Audience / Phone a Friend cards)
• Money
• 15 Lifeline tokens
• Instructions

Object of the Game

To be the first player to win a million dollars or be the richest player in the game after an agreed number of rounds. The number of rounds is decided at the beginning of play.

Setup

Separate the four blocks of question cards into their fifteen different values. Shuffle each of the fifteen packs and place them in their respective sections in the two end compartments of the box.

The smallest section holds the $1 million question cards, the others are placed in the order shown on the Money Tree.

Place the $1 million bill face-up on the central platform. Sort the rest of the money into piles of the same denomination and place them, two denominations per section, into the seven money sections as shown on the Money Tree.

Each player then takes a Card Console and three Lifeline tokens (1 x 50:50, 1 x Ask the Audience, 1 x Phone a Friend) and four Ask the Audience / Phone a Friend cards (one each of A, B, C and D). The consoles are stored in the tray area opposite where the money is stored. You can place one console in each of the six pockets.

Game Play

Each player will act as host an equal number of times, asking questions for the other players to answer.

The host begins the game by placing the first $100 question card in his or her own Card Console. The correct answer appears in the window facing the host. In other words, the correct answer for a card is printed on the other side of the card.

The host asks the question on the card and gives the four possible answers. The other players secretly answer the question by covering up what they think are the three wrong answers on their own Card Consoles, using the sliders.

Starting with the player on their left, the host first asks each player in turn if they wish to use a Lifeline. A player may use up to three Lifelines on any one question but they won't get those Lifelines back until a new game begins.

Once a player makes their final choice of answer, they cannot change their mind. Players do not yet reveal their chosen answer.

Play continues clockwise until the last player has made his or her final choice. All players now show their Consoles to the host at the same time. The host reads out the correct answer (A, B, C or D), which is displayed on the back of the Console, and players with the correct answer move on to the next level.

The players displaying the incorrect answer are out of the round and win nothing, or $1,000 or $32,000.

The host places the $100 card at the back of the $100 section and picks the first card from the next section ($200) and places it in the Card Console as before.

Players now have the choice of trying to answer the $200 question or receive from the host $100 from the bank to keep towards their final total. The players who choose to take the money are then out of the round. Play continues on as before.

Players who correctly answer the $200 question go on to the next level. The players displaying the incorrect answer are out of the round and win nothing.

Play continues on through the different levels until all the players are out of the round or if a player has reached the required amount of money to win the game.

Players receive their winnings from the bank when individually finishing their round.

• When a player incorrectly answers a question with a value between $100 and $1,000, no money is won, and player is out of the round.

• When a player incorrectly answers a question with a value between $2,000 and $32,000, only $1,000 is won, and player is out of the round.

• When a player incorrectly answers a question with a value between $64,000 and $1 million, only $32,000 is won, and player is out of the round.

Once all players are out of the round the player to the left of the host becomes the new host. The new host takes the box containing the question cards and money and checks that all players begin the round with three Lifeline tokens and four Ask the Audience / Phone a Friend cards.

The new host starts by placing a $100 card in their Card Console. Play continues in a clockwise direction as before until all players have been the host the agreed number of times or a million dollars has been won.

Lifelines

The host asks the players in a clockwise direction if they wish to use any Lifelines.

A player may use any or all of their Lifelines after hearing a question. Players hand the host a Lifeline token when requesting to play a Lifeline.

50:50 Life Line

When using the 50:50 Lifeline, a player hands their token and Card Console to the host who then uses the sliders to cover two of the incorrect answers. Without showing it to the other players the host passes the Console back to the player.

The player then chooses one of the two remaining answers and uses the sliders accordingly. If the player is still unsure, they can opt to use another Lifeline or can decide not to answer the question and receive the money they 've already won instead.

Ask The Audience

When using the Ask the Audience Lifeline, a player hands their token to the host. All other players (or the one other player in a three player game) choose their answers (A, B, C or D) from their Ask the Audience / Phone a Friend cards and pass them to the host, face down.

The host must always give the correct answer from his or her own cards before shuffling and handing all cards face down to the player using the Lifeline. The player chooses an answer from the cards (knowing that at least one of the answers is correct) and uses the sliders accordingly.

If the player is still unsure, they can choose to use another Lifeline or they can decide not to answer the question and can receive the money they've already won. The cards are then passed back to the host who returns them to each player.

Phone A Friend

When using the Phone a Friend Lifeline, a player hands their token to the host. This player selects one of the other players (or, in a three player game, the non-host player) to be their Friend and help with the answer.

The Friend chooses one of their Ask the Audience / Phone a Friend cards and passes it to the host, face down (this card does not have to match what the Friend may have answered on his/her own Console).

The host must always give the correct answer from his or her own cards before shuffling and handing the two cards face down to the player using the Lifeline.

The player chooses an answer (knowing that at least one of the answers is correct - they may both be correct) and uses the sliders accordingly. If the player is still unsure they can choose to use another Lifeline or they can decide not to answer the question and can receive the money they've already won. The cards are then passed back to the host who returns the card to the selected player.

An alternative to the Phone a Friend Lifeline can be played where a player hands their Lifeline token to the host and phones any friend giving them the question and the possible answers.

Once a player has contacted a friend, they have 30 seconds to be given an answer. If the friend is not at home or the player gets a busy signal, the Lifeline is forfeited and no other person can be called. The player then chooses an answer and uses the sliders accordingly.

If the player is still unsure, they can choose to use another Lifeline or they can decide not to answer the question and receive the money they've already won instead.

Players who are out of a round can still participate as the Audience and can be selected as friends.

Continue Reading