Welcome

Jeronemy Games is dedicated to preserving and celebrating the legacy of 3M Bookshelf Games, a series of classic strategy board games produced by 3M from 1962 to 1975.

Site Purpose

Educational resource about 3M Bookshelf Games history and collection
Information about classic board games: Acquire, Bazaar, and eventually other titles
Instructions for playing the games
Images of the original games

Games Documented

Acquire
Bazaar

ACQUIRE - Game Instructions

Overview

Acquire is a strategy board game originally published by 3M Company in 1964, designed by Sid Sackson. Players invest in hotel chains, trigger mergers, and compete to become the wealthiest player through shrewd stock acquisition and strategic tile placement.

Players: 2-6 Ages: 12+ Playing Time: 60-90 minutes

Game Objective

Become the wealthiest player by forming hotel chains, purchasing stock, and receiving bonuses during mergers. The player with the most money at the end wins.

Components

Game Board

12 columns × 9 rows (A-I) = 108 squares
Grid coordinates: 1-A through 12-I

Playing Tiles

108 black tiles with white text (one for each board square)
Each tile marked with its board coordinate (e.g., "1-A", "5-C", "12-I")

Hotel Chains (7 total)

Each chain has a colored marker and corresponding stock certificates:

Luxor Hotels (Red/Pink) - with heraldic lions logo
Tower Hotels (Orange/Gold) - with castle tower logo
American Hotels (Blue/Navy) - with eagle logo
Festival Hotels (Green) - with shield/cross logo
Worldwide Hotels (Brown) - with globe logo
Continental Hotels (Cyan/Turquoise) - with column logo
Imperial Hotels (Pink/Magenta) - with crown logo

Stock Certificates

25 stock certificates per hotel chain (175 total)
Each certificate represents one share in that chain

Money

Four denominations in different colors:

$100 bills (green/olive)
$500 bills (salmon/orange)
$1,000 bills (gray/silver)
$5,000 bills (gold/yellow)

Information Card

Price chart showing:

Stock buying/selling price per share (based on chain size)
Majority Holder's Bonus (First and Second place)

Setup

Place the Board: Position board in center of table within reach of all players
Distribute Money: Each player receives starting capital:
- 4× $1,000 bills = $4,000
- 3× $500 bills = $1,500
- 5× $100 bills = $500
- Total: $6,000 per player
Prepare Stock Market: Sort stock certificates by chain and place near board
Prepare Tiles: Place all 108 black tiles face down in a cluster on table
Determine First Player:
- If two or more players draw tiles, whoever has the lowest numbered tile starts
- If tied by number, use alphabetical order (A < B < C, etc.)
- Example: 2-B beats 3-A (lowest number wins)
Initial Tile Draw:
- Each player draws six tiles from the cluster
- Players stand tiles in a row facing them (like a card hand)
- This is their starting hand

How to Play

Play rotates clockwise. Each player's turn consists of:

1. Placing One Tile

The active player selects one tile from their hand and places it on the corresponding square on the board. This placement may:

a) Create No Chain

If the tile is not adjacent to any other tiles, it simply sits alone on the board.

b) Create a Hotel Chain

When a player places a tile adjacent to one already on the board (horizontally or vertically, not diagonally), they create a hotel chain:

The player chooses one of the seven hotel chains from the list
Takes the chain marker of corresponding color and places it on one of the two hotels
Places chain marker and places matching colored tile on the board
Receives Founder's Bonus: One free share of stock in the new chain
The chain is now "active" and can be added to or merged

Note: A player can decline to create a chain during mergers, but must still play a tile except when it would create an 8th chain or merge two safe chains.

c) Add to an Existing Chain

If the tile is adjacent to tiles already forming a hotel chain, it becomes part of that chain. No bonus is awarded.

d) Merge Two or More Chains

When a tile touches tiles from two (or more) different hotel chains, a merger occurs. See "Merging Chains" below.

2. Buying Stock (Optional)

Immediately after playing their tile, the player may buy stock in any active chain (chains currently on the board).

Buying Rules:

May purchase stock in any active chain on the board (not just the one played)
May buy up to 3 shares total in any turn
Can buy from 1, 2, or 3 different chains (e.g., 2 American + 1 Tower, or 3 Festival, etc.)
Price per share varies with chain size (see Information Card)
Exception: A player who runs out of money cannot buy stock but must still play a tile (except during mergers where tile would merge two safe chains or create 8th chain)
Exception: A player cannot buy stock if it would cause a merger of two safe chains or create an 8th chain

Trading and Selling Between Players: Trading and selling stock between players is not permitted. All transactions are with the Stock Market only. When all chains are active, the Stock Market competes for Majority Holder's Bonuses among players wishing to purchase stock to do so in other active chains.

3. Draw a Tile

The player draws one tile from the cluster to replace the one played, bringing their hand back to 6 tiles.

Turn Complete: Play passes to the next player clockwise.

Creating Chains

When a player places a tile next to one or more tiles already on the board (not diagonally), a chain is created:

Player chooses the chain name from the seven available
Takes the chain marker and places it on one of the hotels
Places the colored chain marker tile on the board
Receives Founder's Bonus: One free share (if available in Stock Market)

Chain Limits:

Maximum of seven chains may be on the board at one time
If a tile would create an eighth chain, it cannot be played and is held until another merger occurs

Merging Chains

When a player places a tile that connects tiles from two (or more) different chains, those chains merge.

Merger Resolution Steps:

1. Determine Which Chain Survives

Larger chain takes over smaller chain: If one chain has more hotels, it's the surviving chain
In case of tie: The player causing the merger chooses which chain takes over
Multiple mergers: If tile connects 3+ chains, largest chain survives; player chooses among tied largest chains

The defunct chain:

Chain marker is removed and returned to the Stock Market
All tiles remain on board and are now part of the larger chain

2. Pay Majority Holder's Bonuses

Compensatory bonuses are paid to players holding the most stock in the defunct chain (the one being taken over):

From the Information Card:

First Bonus: Paid to player with most shares of defunct chain
Second Bonus: Paid to player with second-most shares

Tied Shareholders:

Two players tied for first: First and Second bonuses are combined and divided equally
If bonuses don't divide evenly into $100 amounts: Majority holder receives all (no rounding)
Multiple players tied for second: Second bonus is divided equally among them

Example: If American (11 hotels) takes over Festival (5 hotels), the First place holder gets $7,000 and Second place gets $3,500.

3. Dispose of Stock in Defunct Chain

After bonuses are paid, all shareholders owning stock in the defunct chain must dispose of their shares in one of three ways (in any combination):

Option 1 - Hold: Keep the stock in expectation of starting another chain with that name later (if the chain is started again, the stock becomes active)

Option 2 - Sell: Return stock to the Stock Market for the price determined by the number of hotels in the defunct chain (see Information Card)

Option 3 - Trade: Exchange 2 shares of defunct chain stock for 1 share of the controlling (surviving) chain stock. All transactions are with the Stock Market. Certificates are returned to the Stock Market.

Order of Disposal: Starting with the chainmaker (player who triggered merger), proceeding clockwise, each player announces their disposal decisions. When the Stock Market has less than three shares remaining of the controlling chain, players may not trade their defunct chain stock.

4. Continue Play

If the tile merged two chains and there are remaining blocks of the controlling chain's stock, play continues in normal fashion.

Safe Chains

A chain is "safe" when it contains 11 or more hotel tiles. A safe chain:

Cannot be taken over by any other chain in a merger
Can take over smaller chains
A player may not play a tile which would merge two safe chains together
If this is the only playable tile in a player's hand, the tile is placed aside (discarded) and is out of the game

Unplayable Tiles

A tile cannot be played if it would:

Create an eighth chain (max 7 chains allowed)
Merge two safe chains (both 11+ hotels)

If a tile is unplayable:

The player announces the tile is unplayable
Places it aside (discarded from game)
Does not draw a replacement
May still buy stock if desired
Turn ends

Note: If a player has no playable tiles (because they would merge two safe chains or create 8th chain), they draw from the cluster on the table to determine the number of shares. If there are 11 or less tiles, the player receives 1 share of each of the remaining tiles' stock.

Stock Prices and Bonuses

Prices are based on the number of hotels in the chain and the chain tier:

Chain Tiers (by price level):

Lower Tier: Tower, Luxor
Mid Tier: American, Worldwide, Festival
Upper Tier: Imperial, Continental

Price Chart (Stock Buying/Selling Price per Block):

Hotels in Chain	Tower/Luxor	American/Worldwide/Festival	Imperial/Continental
2	$200	—	—
3	$300	$300	—
4	$400	$400	$400
5	$500	$500	$500
6-10	$600	$600	$600
11-20	$700	$700	$700
21-30	$800	$800	$800
31-40	$900	$900	$900
41+	$1,000	$1,000	$1,000
—	—	$1,100	$1,100
—	—	—	$1,200

Majority Holder's Bonus:

Hotels	Tower/Luxor	American/Worldwide/Festival	Imperial/Continental
	First/Second	First/Second	First/Second
2	$2,000/$1,000	—	—
3	$3,000/$1,500	$3,000/$1,500	—
4	$4,000/$2,000	$4,000/$2,000	$4,000/$2,000
5	$5,000/$2,500	$5,000/$2,500	$5,000/$2,500
6-10	$6,000/$3,000	$6,000/$3,000	$6,000/$3,000
11-20	$7,000/$3,500	$7,000/$3,500	$7,000/$3,500
21-30	$8,000/$4,000	$8,000/$4,000	$8,000/$4,000
31-40	$9,000/$4,500	$9,000/$4,500	$9,000/$4,500
41+	$10,000/$5,000	$10,000/$5,000	$10,000/$5,000
—	—	$11,000/$5,500	$11,000/$5,500
—	—	—	$12,000/$6,000

Ending the Game

The game ends when one player, after playing their tile, announces that either:

All chains remaining on the board contain 11+ hotels (all chains are "safe"), OR
At least one chain has 41 or more hotels

Important: A player does not have to announce the game is over if it's to their advantage to continue playing. They may buy stock if they wish.

Final Scoring

When the game ends:

Majority Holder's Bonuses are paid out for all chains remaining on the board
All players sell their stock to the Stock Market
- Stock in a chain not on the board is worthless (if chain never reformed after merger)
- Stock price determined by number of blocks owned by the Stock Market and the two players with the most shares
If the Stock Market's tile would create a hotel chain, it is placed but no chain is formed until a player adds a tile (this player then receives the Founder's Bonus)
If no Stock Market tile creates a hotel chain, tiles are placed aside and the game is over
The player with the most money wins

Special Rules for Two Players

When two players compete:

Stock Market is third player: Considered to own 3 blocks of the chainmaker's chain stock
Merger tie-breaker: If a merger tie occurs, the Stock Market competes for Majority Holder's Bonuses
Bonuses paid based on number of blocks owned by the Stock Market and the two players
- If one player has 11 blocks and the other has 9, and the Stock Market has 3:
  - Player with 11 gets First Bonus
  - Player with 9 gets Second Bonus
  - Stock Market receives nothing
Merger disposal: After payment of Bonuses and disposal of stock in the defunct chain, the Stock Market again competes for Bonuses and, after disposal of stock, if it is placed aside it is out of the game
End game: If the Stock Market tile would create a hotel chain, it is played but no chain is formed until a player adds a tile (this player then receives the Founder's Bonus). If no Stock Market tile creates a hotel chain, tiles are placed aside and the game is over, unless another merger is created, play then continues in normal fashion

Strategy Tips

Early Game: Focus on founding new chains to get free Founder's Bonuses
Stock Diversification: Own stock in multiple chains to benefit from various mergers
Timing: Sometimes holding a tile for strategic placement is better than playing it immediately
Majority Control: Try to maintain majority or second-place positions in growing chains
Merger Planning: Anticipate which chains might merge and position yourself accordingly
Safe Chains: Once a chain reaches 11 hotels, it's protected—invest heavily if you have majority
End Game Control: If you're ahead, you can call the game; if behind, keep it going

Clarifications

Adjacent Definition: Tiles are adjacent only horizontally or vertically, NOT diagonally
Hand Limit: Always maintain 6 tiles in hand (except when unplayable tiles are discarded)
Stock Limit: No individual stock purchase limit beyond 3 per turn (can own unlimited total shares)
Chain Naming: Once a chain is defunct from a merger, its name can be reused if tiles form a new chain later
Founder's Bonus: Only awarded when creating a new chain (not when adding to existing chain)

BAZAAR - Game Instructions

Overview

Bazaar is a trading and bartering game originally published by 3M Company in 1967, designed by Sid Sackson. Players collect colored stones by trading and bartering according to exchange rates, competing to be the first to acquire specific combinations shown on their Wares cards.

Players: 2-6 Ages: 10+ Playing Time: 30-45 minutes

Game Objective

Be the first player to collect the exact combinations of colored stones shown on your Wares cards by trading at the Bazaar and with other players. The player with the highest score wins!

Components

Game Board

The Bazaar board shows:

Token Exchange section with exchange rate cards
Bazaar section with available tokens
Scoring reference

Colored Tokens

Five colors of tokens (wooden pieces):

Red tokens
White tokens
Blue tokens
Yellow tokens
Green tokens

Wares Cards

Cards showing specific combinations of colored tokens that players must collect.

Rate Cards

Cards showing exchange rates between different colored tokens (e.g., 2 red = 3 white, 1 blue = 2 yellow).

Setup

Prepare Components: Sort tokens by color into separate piles
Shuffle Wares Cards: Shuffle the Wares cards and place face down
Deal Cards: Each player receives 4 Wares cards to start
Place Rate Cards: Set up exchange rate cards in the Token Exchange section
Initial Tokens: Each player receives a random starting set of tokens
First Player: Randomly determine who goes first

How to Play

Each turn has two phases: Action Phase and Draw Phase.

Action Phase

On each turn, a player may do ONE of the following:

Option 1: Play at the Bazaar

Exchange tokens according to the posted exchange rates:

Look at the rate cards displayed in the Token Exchange section
Trade tokens based on the rates shown (e.g., give 2 red to receive 3 white)
May make multiple exchanges if desired
Return traded tokens to the supply and take new tokens

Option 2: Trade with Other Players

Propose trades with other players:

Can trade any tokens at any rate you negotiate
Both players must agree to the trade
Trading is not limited by the posted exchange rates
Multiple trades allowed in one turn

Option 3: Purchase Wares

If you have the exact combination of tokens shown on one of your Wares cards:

Announce which Wares card you're purchasing
Return the tokens shown on the card to the supply
Place the completed Wares card face-up in front of you
These cards contribute to your final score

Draw Phase

At the end of your turn:

Draw new tokens from the supply (typically 2-3 tokens)
Your turn ends; play passes clockwise

Exchange Rates

The exchange rates posted at the Token Exchange vary throughout the game. Example rates might include:

2 Red = 3 White
1 Blue = 2 Yellow
3 Green = 1 Red + 1 White
2 Yellow = 1 Blue + 1 Green

Important: These are maximum exchange rates - you can always exchange at better rates if you choose (e.g., if 2 red = 3 white, you could trade 2 red for 2 white or 1 white).

Purchasing Wares

When a player has the exact combination shown on a Wares card:

Announce you're purchasing that card
Return the exact tokens shown to the supply
Place the Wares card face-up (these count for scoring)
Draw a new Wares card to replace it (if the deck isn't empty)

Limit of Tokens: At the end of each turn, a player may not have more than a certain number of tokens in hand (typically 12). Excess tokens must be returned.

Scoring

At the end of the game, players score points based on:

Wares Cards Completed: Each card is worth the points shown on it
The player with the most points wins
Tiebreaker: If tied, the player with the fewest tokens remaining wins

Special Rules

Rate Cards

Rate cards may be rotated or replaced during the game to change available exchanges
Pay attention to rate changes as they can open new trading opportunities

Trading Strategy

You can trade tokens with other players at ANY rate you both agree to
Sometimes trading with players is better than using the posted exchange rates
Watch what Wares cards other players are collecting to avoid helping them

Hand Limit

At the end of your turn, you cannot exceed the maximum token limit (check rules for specific number)
Return excess tokens to the supply if you go over

For One Player

An interesting solitaire variation:

Set a target score to beat
Play progresses the same way but without player trading
Must rely solely on the Token Exchange rates
Try to minimize the number of turns to reach your target score

Strategy Tips

Plan Ahead: Look at multiple Wares cards and plan which tokens you'll need
Watch Exchange Rates: Take advantage of favorable exchange rates when they appear
Trade Wisely: Sometimes trading with players at "bad" rates is worth it to complete a high-value Wares card
Token Management: Don't hoard tokens - keep your hand flexible for exchanges
Observe Opponents: Pay attention to which Wares cards opponents are close to completing
Timing: Complete easier Wares cards early to build your score, save complex ones for later

Clarifications

Exact Combinations: You must have the EXACT tokens shown on a Wares card (no more, no less) to purchase it
Mandatory Draw: You must draw tokens at the end of each turn unless the supply is depleted
Exchange Flexibility: You can always exchange at rates better than posted (fewer tokens given for same return)
Multiple Actions: You may trade at the Bazaar AND with players in the same turn if using the trading option

Ending the Game

The game ends when:

One player completes their target number of Wares cards, OR
The Wares deck is depleted and a player cannot draw a replacement card, OR
Players agree to end (count current points)

Players total their scores from completed Wares cards. Highest score wins!

Contact Us

Feel free to contact us using this form.

Disclaimer: We will not respond to unrequested sales pitches, so if you fall into that category, please expect NO response. For anyone else, we look forward to hearing from you and will try to respond as soon as possible!

Thank you - we will respond as soon as we can