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Tulipmania 1637 box art
2009 Ranked #6,142

Tulipmania 1637

An economic speculation game where investors buy tulips, manipulate prices, and try to exit a growing market bubble with the most money. Profiting depends on selling as prices turn sour, leaving late holders exposed to collapse.

Strategy Games Economic Auction/Bidding Commodity Speculation Theme: Flowers

Players

3-5

Play time

Not listed

Age

10+

Complexity

2.46/5

Rating

6.15

Harder to teach Highly interactive Deep strategy

Overview

At a glance

Is this game right for my group?

ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.

Teachability 2.3/5

Harder to teach

Replay value 3.8/5

High replayability

Interaction 3.7/5

Highly interactive

Player scaling 3.5/5

Scales well

Strategic depth 4.5/5

Deep strategy

See all 5 specifications

How it plays

How does it play?

The tulip, a flower native to central Asia, created quite a ruckus upon reaching the shores of Europe in the mid-1500s. When a virus attacks a tulip, the resulting colour patterns can be stunning, but the same virus weakens the tulip and makes reproduction a challenge.

Core mechanisms

Key systems that shape the decisions players make.

Read the full game description

The tulip, a flower native to central Asia, created quite a ruckus upon reaching the shores of Europe in the mid-1500s. When a virus attacks a tulip, the resulting colour patterns can be stunning, but the same virus weakens the tulip and makes reproduction a challenge. These rare tulips have always been quite expensive, even to this day. Many associate Tulipmania with these rare, high-priced tulips, but scholars report that this first bubble market, where buyers pay far more than something is physically worth because of the resale value, actually stemmed from the common tulip market over December 1636 and January 1637. The Dutch, well-known for their trading prowess, were the centre of the tulip trade. During this time, the bubonic plague was killing off 1 out of every 7 people per year, so the common man saw little reason not to invest foolishly with a chance of making a substantial profit. These conditions created a situation where the prices of tulips skyrocketed by the day, until the prices hit a point that could not be sustained. The wily investors knew when to sell off, so those who profited most are those who sold just as the market started to turn sour. You are playing one of those wily investors. You have a network of buyers and colleagues, all of whom are also trying to become wealthy. Your goal is to make smart investments, artificially raise prices, fleece your network at the best time, and then make your escape from Tulipmania with the most money. Online Play JKLM Online (Real-Time and Turn-Based)

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Editions

Language and publisher variants currently recorded in the catalog.

Edition Year Language Publisher / Region
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Player resources

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Game and edition data

All specifications (5)

Play and group

Players
3–5
Best with
4–5
Play time
60 min
Age
10+
Complexity
2.5/5
Credits and catalog connections

Credits

Designers

1
Scott Nicholson

Artists

1
Charlie Paull

Publishers

2
JKLM Games El Viejo Tercio

Linked items

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