EQUIPMENT
Passport to Australia contains a playing board with squares representing various locations in each of the States and Territories of Australia, over which the players’ (or teams’) tokens are moved. Players (or teams) receive $1,400 in traveller cheques to commence the game.
There are various player rewards and penalties (Fate and Destiny cards; Departure Lounge, Quarantine, Travel Fund and Travel Insurance squares; and Questions) to add excitement to the game by allowing players (or teams) to acquire wealth or pay travel-related bills.
There are two dice; four coloured travelling tokens; four coloured passport bases each with a set of State and Territory plaques in the same colour; a separate box of 50 questions for each State and Territory; 30 Fate cards; 30 Destiny cards; 12 Travel Insurance Certificates; a plastic traveller cheques holder and a wad of traveller cheques in $100, $50, $20 and $10 denominations.
OBJECT OF THE GAME
The winner is the player (or team) first to fill their passport base with all 8 State and Territory plaques to form a complete map of Australia.
Wealth (as in the accumulation of traveller cheques) is not the object of the game but rather a means of having the ability to purchase a question when the player (or team) lands on a State or Territory square that they do not already have a plaque for, or on an Australia square which gives the player/team the option to nominate a State or Territory which they do not already have a plaque for. If the question is correctly answered, the player (or team) acquires that State or Territory plaque and adds it to their passport base.
If a player (or team) is short on funds at any stage during the game, they can elect to SELL one of their existing State or Territory plaques to the Custodian for $400 in order to “cash-up” and continue to play in the game. However, if a player (or team) runs out of traveller cheques (or has an insufficient stock of traveller cheques to purchase a question or pay a bill) and has no State or Territory plaque to surrender to the Custodian in order to acquire more funds, then that person (or team) is out of the game and must handover all equipment in their possession to the Custodian.
PREPARING TO PLAY
* The game can be played by 2, 3 or 4 players or by 2, 3 or 4 teams.
* One person is chosen to be the Custodian of the bank of traveller cheques and the Travel Insurance Certificates.
* The board is opened up and placed on a flat surface.
* The Fate and the Destiny cards are shuffled well, separately, and placed face down on their respective squares on the board. These cards are shuffled again before the commencement of each new game.
* Each player (or team) chooses a travelling token and a passport base the same colour as their travelling token.
* Each player (or team) is given $1,400 in traveller cheques by the Custodian to start the game:
o 10 x $100
o 5 x $50
o 5 x $20
o 5 x $10
* The rest of the traveller cheques are left in the traveller cheque holder in the box under the control of the Custodian.
* A decision must be made by the players before commencement of play as to which players (or teams) will be offered two multiple choice answers to State and Territory questions and which players (or teams) will be offered four multiple choice answers (see the section on State and Territory Location Squares & Questions).
* A decision must also be made by the players before commencement of play as to whether questions are to be asked by the Custodian or the player (or a member of the team) immediately to the left of the player/team receiving the State/Territory question.
START OF PLAY
* Travelling tokens are placed on the Departure Lounge, which is the “GO” square.
* Starting with the Custodian, each player (or team) in turn in a clockwise direction (i.e. passing to the left) rolls the dice, with the player (or team) rolling the highest number then starting play. If two or more players (or teams) tie for the highest score they each roll again until a result is obtained.
* Once the starting player (or team) has been ascertained, that player (or team) commences play by rolling the dice and travelling forward the number of spaces indicated by the dice in a clockwise direction to land on a particular square. The player (or team) then undertakes an action of some sort, as per the Rules of the Game. Completion of the prescribed action completes that player’s (or team’s) turn. Other players (or teams) then take turns in a clockwise direction.
* The player tokens remain on the occupied squares and proceed from that point on the player’s (or team’s) next turn. Two or more tokens may rest on the same square at the same time.
RULES OF THE GAME
A player’s (or team’s) token may land on:
* A particular Location in a State or Territory of Australia
* An Australia square
* A Fate square
* A Destiny square
* The Travel Fund square
* The Quarantine square
* The Travel Insurance square, or
* The Departure Lounge square.
State and Territory Location Squares
Landing on a State or Territory Location enables a player (or team), if they do not already have that particular State or Territory plaque, to pay $100 to the Custodian and receive a question on that State or Territory.
If the player (or team) already possesses the plaque for that State or Territory, there is no further action and the dice are passed to the next player (or team) for their turn.
Questions
Questions relate to Australian geography, history, demographics and government. There are 4 multiple choice answers and the correct answer is highlighted in GREEN. Adult players (or teams which include at least one adult member), where adult is defined as “a person being 16 years of age or older”, should be asked the selected question and given the four possible answers. They must select the correct answer in order to earn the State or Territory plaque.
There is a second answer on the Question card which is incorrect and highlighted in RED.
When asking a question of a junior player or a team which does not include an adult member, only two of the four possible answers must be provided to the player (or team) – the correct (GREEN shaded) answer and the incorrect (RED shaded) answer - in order to increase that player’s (or team’s) chance of providing the correct answer. This makes the game more equitable for all players/teams in their attempt to acquire all State and Territory plaques.
The player (or team) must have sufficient funds on hand ($100) to buy the question. If they do not have sufficient funds, they may:
1. elect to SELL one of their existing plaques to the Custodian for $400 and then buy the question (see the section on Cashing-up) or
2. elect to take no further action at this point in time (i.e. not purchase a question) and pass the dice to the next player/team for their turn.
The player (or team) also has the option, if they so choose, to NOT buy a question and thus pass the dice on to the next player/team even if they have sufficient funds and do not already have that particular State or Territory plaque. Their reasoning for this may be, for example, because they are running low on traveller cheques and hope to build up a better bank as they move further around the board on their subsequent turn(s).
Questions should be taken from the front of the stack in the plastic holder within the box and placed at the back of the stack once used. Questions can be shuffled at any time at the discretion of the Custodian but, normally, would be shuffled before the commencement of any new game if, at all, considered warranted.
If the player (or team) correctly answers the question, they receive the appropriate plaque to place in their passport base. If the question is answered incorrectly, there is no further action and the dice are passed to the next player (or team) for their turn.
Questions should be asked either by the Custodian or by the player (or a member of the team) immediately to the left of the player/team receiving the question. This decision should be made prior to commencement of play.
Australia Squares
Landing on an Australia square enables a player (or team) to nominate a State or Territory of their choice, for which they do not already possess a plaque. They then pay $100 to the Custodian and receive a question on that State or Territory out of the appropriate box.
The rules above relating to State and Territory Locations then apply.
Fate Cards
If a player (or team) lands on a Fate square, they take the top card from the Fate deck of cards and follow the instruction printed on it. The card is then returned face down on the bottom of the pack, unless it is a “GET OUT OF QUARANTINE” card, in which case it may be retained by the player/team for use at a later stage in the game.
Fate cards can have either a favourable or unfavourable instruction or outcome. If the instruction requires the player (or team) to move to another square on the board, they then follow the Rules of the Game associated with that square, including the ability to purchase a question if this option is relevant.
Completion of the prescribed action completes that player’s (or team’s) turn.
Destiny Cards
If a player (or team) lands on a Destiny square, they take the top card from the Destiny deck of cards and follow the instruction printed on it. The card is then returned face down on the bottom of the pack.
Destiny cards are generally movement around the board. If the instruction requires the player (or team) to move to another square on the board, they then follow the Rules of the Game associated with that square, including the ability to purchase a question if this option is relevant.
Completion of the prescribed action completes that player’s (or team’s) turn.
Travel Fund
Fate and Destiny cards often require a player (or team) to pay varying traveller cheque amounts into or take varying amounts out of (if any exists at the time) the Travel Fund.
However, if a player (or team) lands directly on the Travel Fund square from the throw of the dice, they collect ALL the traveller cheques, if any, held in the Travel Fund at that time.
Completion of the prescribed action completes that player’s (or team’s) turn.
Travel Insurance
Fate cards often require a player (or team) to pay varying traveller cheque amounts into or take varying amounts out of (if any exists at the time) Travel Insurance.
However, if a player (or team) lands directly on the Travel Insurance square from the throw of the dice, they must pay $90 into Travel Insurance but they also collect a Travel Insurance Certificate from the Custodian. This Certificate can be retained by the player/team for use at a later stage in the game to cover any Fate card instruction to pay an amount into Travel Insurance. It must be handed back to the Custodian when used.
A player (or team) may hold more than one Travel Insurance Certificate at a time during the game.
Completion of the prescribed action completes that player’s (or team’s) turn.
Quarantine
If a player (or team) lands directly on the Quarantine square from the throw of a dice, they have an opportunity to throw a 6, 7 or 8 with the dice to automatically get out of Quarantine on their next turn. Otherwise, the player/team must immediately pay $300 to the Custodian so that they can automatically get out of Quarantine on their next turn.
The deck of Fate cards includes two GET OUT OF QUARANTINE passes, which may be retained by the player/team for use at a later stage in the game and override the need to pay $300 to the Custodian. However, the player/team may opt to try to roll a 6, 7 or 8 before deciding to use the pass.
There are also Destiny cards which require the player (or team) to pay $50 to the Custodian if they pass Quarantine while following an instruction to travel forward to a specific location.
Cashing-up
If the player (or team) is short on funds to complete an action on their turn, they must SELL one of their existing State or Territory plaques to the Custodian for $400 in order to cash-up and be in a position to satisfy the action/requirement. If they do not have any State or Territory plaque to surrender, then that player (or team) is out of the game and must handover all equipment in their possession to the Custodian.
Departure Lounge
Once play commences, players/teams receive $150 from the Custodian each time they complete a circuit of the board and reach, or pass, the Departure Lounge again – unless instructed otherwise in following a specific instruction to the contrary on a Fate or Destiny card.
The Custodian
The Custodian is elected by the players (or teams) prior to commencement of play.
The Custodian is the keeper of the State and Territory plaques, the wad of traveller cheques and the Travel Insurance Certificates.
The Custodian distributes $1400 in traveller cheques to each player (or team) prior to commencement of play.
The Custodian is the first person to roll the dice to determine the player/team that achieves the highest score and commences play.
The Custodian receives payments from or makes payments to players (or teams) throughout the game as per the Rules of Play outlined above.
Happy Travels!
Barker Boys (Australia) Pty Ltd has made every effort to ensure the answers to the State & Territory questions were correctly highlighted at the time this board game went to print but accept no responsibility for any errors that may have occurred. We would be pleased to hear from you should your interpretation of the correct answer to any set question differs from that provided in this game.
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