Take those out and begin to look them over now.

 

Determine one player to be the Banker. The Banker organizes the Scrip that comes with the game into a Bank. Out of this Bank, the Banker pays every player a starting stipend: their Income (which is listed on their Group Information Sheet) plus $360.

 

You may spend any or all of your stipend on Catalog items before the game begins during a special period we call the Outfitting Phase.

 

Any portion of your starting stipend not spent during this phase may be kept as “walk-around cash,” to be used later. Even though you get your Income almost every turn, we still recommend beginning your first turn with around $100 of walk-around cash on hand, so as to avoid the danger of being driven into Bankruptcy. (See page 21.)

 

During this phase, you can buy something from the Catalog by simply declaring what you’re buying, and paying the Banker from your starting stipend. Copy whatever you bought into the Possessions column of the Personal Data Form. You don’t need to declare everything all at once, but when you’ve made up your mind that you’re not going to buy anything else, you should say so.

 

If you’re a new player who is eager to get started, we recommend purchasing the Outfitting Phase Special, printed right on the front of the Catalog. It gives you three popular Catalog items at a low introductory price, and purchasing it helps to get the game moving quickly.

 

The Outfitting Phase lasts until all players have spent their entire stipend or until each player has decided not to buy anything else.

 

Don’t fret: you’ll have opportunities to purchase more items from the Catalog later. Your ability to do so will be a little bit limited, however. Typically, you’re only permitted to purchase Catalog items from specific spots on the board (the Mailbox or the Convenience Stores). Certain Possessions also allow you to place Catalog orders and certain Groups can order items as part of their Special Ability.