A life-inspired board game full of life lessons, disappointment, and your dumb friend Jacob getting hired as Marketing Manager in his uncle's coal processing factory.
Players: 2 - Your whole graduating class
Duration: 60 minutes – Longer than you think
Game Objective
You are a fresh bachelor's grad starting off their life adventure. You are unemployed, inexperienced, and have only two clean underwear left. Can you beat your opponents into becoming an adult?
The goal of the game is to move around the board from square 1, “Graduation,” to square 100, “Stable Adulthood.” You automatically win when you find a job that can pay off your debts in less than 20 years 40 years.
Set-Up
- Set the board on the table and place all the player miniatures on Square 1.
- Deal a fresh diploma, a $60k student debt and a half-empty pack of tissues to each player.
- Have fun or at least try not to cry.
Gameplay
- Roll the dice and move the equivalent amount of squares on the board.
- When you cross a milestone, you move to a new Post-Grad life stage. After completing the last stage you officially become an adult.
Post-Grad Stages
- Squares 01–15: “You have overdue bills” zone
- Squares 16–35: “Another failed interview” canyon
- Squares 36–50: “Master's degree” deadlock
- Squares 51–60: “Fetal position crying” dead-end
- Squares 61–70: “How long should I wait tables?” desert
- Squares 71–80: “Make it stop, please” round-about
- Squares 81–90: “How much does a stripper earn?” crossroad
- Squares 91–99: “Almost adulthood” endless tunnel
Special Post-Grad Life Rules
The Special Rules of Post-Grad Life reward you with extra steps on the board when you things right or penalize you with a hefty backpedal if you screw up. See the SPECIAL RULES below:
Employment
- You failed an interview. Move back a square.
- You found an unpaid internship. Move forward 3 squares.
- But you did not get permanently hired. Move back 3 squares.
- But at least you stole 1 carton of snacks from the break room. Move forward 2 squares.
- Well, it looks like they found out. Move back 3 squares.
Family
- You have no apartment and income after your graduation. Move back to your parents' house.
- Your dad finances your broccoli-based dog food start-up. Move forward 2 squares.
- Your childhood dog dies from food poisoning while testing your prototype. Move back 10 squares.
- Your dad stops financing your stupid-ass idea. Go back to square 1.
- Your mother tells you that “She is not mad, just disappointed.” Move back 3 squares.
- They kick you out of their basement. Game over.
Achievements
Move forward 5 squares for every achievement you complete.
- 1,000 photocopies in a day.
- 100 waited tables in a day.
- 10 days straight without consuming ramen.
- 5 consecutive days without drinking yourself to sleep.
- 1 day without crying in your shower.
Lifestyle
- You tested negative for scurvy. Move forward a square.
- Your landlord threatened to break your legs for owing him 4 months of rent. Move back 5 squares.
- You sleep on your best friend's couch for 12 months. Move back 3 squares.
- You find a partner that can financially sustain you. Move forward 2 squares.
- You get trapped in this relationship because you cannot afford an apartment. Definitely don't move any squares.
- Your partner kicks you out 6 months later because you are a broke loser. Move back 10 squares.
- They also take full custody of your goldfish. Move back another 3 squares.
If the Game Lasts Too Long
- If you are too inexperienced for a regular job and too old for a graduate program. Fake your ID so it says that you are 23 years old.
- If there is no winner after 5 years of game-play. Use the “CEO of Family Business” wild card and instantly win.
- If you are in your 30s and you still do not have an apartment. The box of Post-Grad Life is a foldable 3-person tent. Use it wisely.