In comparison to games like chess and go, Acquire is a relatively modern game, being designed by Sid Sackson in the 1970s. Since then, it has become a classic economic game and a new edition has recently been published following the take-over of Avalon Hill by Hasbro.
The game revolves around hotel chains. As the game progresses, tiles are placed on the board, slowly forming hotel chains, of which you can buy shares. As the game progresses, the chains get bigger, and larger companies take over smaller ones, giving payouts to the shareholders of the companies taken over, whilst increasing the capital value of the now larger conglomerate.
The trick of the game is combining the two. You need to manage cashflow, getting payouts from companies taken over, whilst at the same time increasing the capital value of the shares you own. Everything you do is a trade off between capital growth and revenue income, and you need to successfully combine the two to win the game.
As well as being played face to face, Acquire can also be run by both post and email. For further information on that aspect of the game, contact Keith Thomasson at 14, Stepnells, Marsworth, nr Tring, Hertfordshire, HP23 4NQ, visit his web site, or send him e-mail.
Most games of Acquire will take around an hour, and there will be four games in the Mind Sports Olympiad tournament: two before lunch and two after lunch. New players to the game are very welcome; this year there will also be a beginners event specifically for newcomers to the game. It is an easy game to learn and we will be happy to teach the rules to any new players prior to starting the tournament.
If you have any queries about the event, then please feel free to contact the tournament organiser, Mark Stretch, postally at 34, Dart Drive, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 7XX, by phone at +44 1235 519 720, by e-mail, or visit the MSO website at http://www.msoworld.com/.
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