Big Deal (1977)

A game of quickly changing fortunes, where you try to climb the ladder of success by buying into wacky business opportunities (Rent-A-Monster, Kangaroo Airlines, Paint-On Socks, etc.) and hopefully selling them for a fortune. (How little things have changed since...)

Your net worth is kept track of using a slide rule of sorts, dubbed the "ladder of success". The first player to move into the Ritz by buying or winning steps on his ladder wins. You can buy into up to four opportunities at once; when you land on another player's opportunity, you can attempt to "bail him out" of it by paying the bail out price and beating him on the dice.

The "Chance of a Lifetime" circle is entered on doubles or by landing on an entry space; if you enter it, you may roll as often as you wish, hoping to land on the Big Deal space (which gives you 3 ladder steps) or another good space (where you sell your opportunities for varying profit). Of course, the circle also includes bad spaces, so there is considerable risk...

A few other spaces round out the board, giving you the opportunity to challenge other players (swapping a ladder step) and other things like that.

The game is sort of a cross between Can't Stop and Monopoly.