Filthy Rich

Filthy Rich is a new card game from Wizards of the Coast. They claim it's 3D, but it's really "2-and-half-D;" that is, there are four layers of 2D stuff. Anyway, it's a good game, but, as is typical of card games with cards that "break" the rules, interpretations of the rules are needed.

What follows below are my tinkers and interpretations. They are not official.

2-Player Variant

In the 2-player game, I suggest requiring four luxuries to win.

Other Variants/Optional Rules

Roll Four Dice: I think the game works better if we roll four dice on every page, rather than the number of the page.
Long Game: A much longer game is obtained by removing the two cheapest luxuries. It's different, much more intense, as the lead swings back and forth.
Freer Selling: Allow selling of businesses anytime a player has to pay some money. For example, the Mayor's Birthday Party should not cause a player to be knocked out of the game if he has signs to sell.
Income and Taxes: If you blow up a business so as not to pay taxes on the same roll, you don't get income for it that turn. The rules say that you can collect income, then blow up the business before taxes, but that seems wrong to me.
This means that the dice phase has a little more structure. Here's the new sequence of play:
1. Roll Dice
2. Remove Businesses that choose not to pay taxes
  (Skip if no 10 is rolled.)
3. Pay Businesses and resolve consequent effects
4. Pay Taxes and Protection Racket
Bankruptcy: As the sole action in a turn, allow any player to declare bankruptcy, getting a new hand, $10, and discarding everything they already have. Luxuries are auctioned. The card Declare Bankruptcy isn't useless; it allows you to take an action (e.g. Mayor's Birthday Party) before declaring.

Rules Interpretations

Selling Businesses: The rules say that one can sell businesses at any time during one's turn before the dice are rolled. It's not clear if this ought to be allowed before luxuries are purchased. The rules pretty much say that it can, however, so we are playing that way.
Post-Holiday Sale: Other cards can be used to affect this roll, for example, Unfortunate Fire. Moreover, those cards also affect the other rolls during the turn.
Shorty's and Swan Song: The larger production number only occurs if both hits occur during the same roll of the dice. For example, if a Post-Holiday Sale occurs and Shorty's gets hit, then it gets hit again later in the regular roll, each hit is worth $0.
Blue-Chip Stock: This produces $1 at the beginning of the action phase, after luxuries, but before anything else. That is, the dollar can't be used for luxuries.
Tic-Toc: If Tic-Toc is hit two or more times during a single roll, it pays off for all of them, then boomerangs back to the owner's hand. [The card expressly states this rule, but I'm thinking of changing it. Tic-Toc is probably the best company out there, so limiting it is good for balance.]
Bubba's: If Bubba's is hit multiple times during a turn, the owner can choose what to do with each hit successively. He may add a marker then take the new, increased, production.
Squat 'N Gobble: If the Squat 'N Gobble is hit for the fourth time, one may not sell its sign, even if one has to pay taxes; it provides its income and is removed before taxes.
Luxury Tax: A player owning No Rabbits Here does not have to pay taxes on his luxuries even if cards instruct him to.

Jeff Goldsmith, jeff@tintin.jpl.nasa.gov, Updated Nov. 3, 1998