Instruction manual
How to play Money Mayhem.
Welcome to the chaos. This guide walks you through setup, gameplay, and how to come out on top — everything you need to start playing tonight.
Why it works
Practice money before it's real.
Most people learn about money the hard way — with real money on the line. Money Mayhem lets you make those calls first, just for fun. You earn a salary, cover your bills, weigh up a risky bet, borrow on credit, and live with the payoff — or the pain — of every choice.
By the final round you've budgeted, saved, and borrowed a dozen times over. You walk away genuinely more confident with money — and you spent the whole time laughing around a table with mates.
Board game photo placeholder(board + card decks)
Step 1
How to set up
Shuffle the decks
Shuffle each deck of cards and place them face-down onto their matching spots on the board.
Set out the Challenge Cards
Place the Challenge Cards face-down beside the board, within reach of all players.
Pick an occupation
Each player randomly draws an occupation card and places a piece on the START tile.
Reveal your details
Once everyone has an occupation, flip your card over and check your salary, credit limit, and any benefits.
Choose a Banker
One player runs the bank for the whole game: they pay out salaries, credit limits, and benefits, and handle every transaction fairly. Anyone can double-check the maths.
Step 2
How to play a turn
Start the game
Every player rolls the dice — highest roll goes first (tied players re-roll until there’s a winner). Play continues clockwise from there.
Take your turn
Roll the dice and move your piece the number of spaces shown.
Land on a tile
If you land on an Expense, Spend or Save, or Challenge tile, draw the matching card.
Keep going
Play continues until every player has completed 3–6 full rounds (agreed at the start). Collect your salary every time you pass START or land on Pay Check.
The four card types
What you'll draw.
Expense
Pay the bank.
Hand the amount shown on the card to the bank. Bills, surprises, real life.
Spend or Save
Choose your move.
Save the money for later, or spend it now. Hold onto these cards — they come back in the endgame roll.
Challenge
Answer correctly.
Hand the card to another player. They read the question aloud — answer right to pass.
Loan
Borrow to stay in.
Out of money before the final round? Draw a Loan Card to keep playing — but it must be repaid before the game ends, or you’re bankrupt.
Endgame
The Spend or Save roll-off.
For every Spend or Save card you're holding at the end, roll a die. Fate decides whether your saved cash pays off, costs you, or breaks even.
Roll 1–2 — Pay it again
Hand the card's amount back to the bank. Ouch.
Roll 3–4 — Nothing happens
Keep the card and your cash. No change.
Roll 5–6 — Get it back
The bank pays you the card's amount. Smart save.
How to win
Count it up.
Resolve every Spend or Save card with the dice roll-off above.
Count your total cash, then pay your credit limit from the back of your occupation card to the bank.
The player with the highest remaining balance is the Money Mayhem champion.
Ready to play?
$49.99 NZD
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