Best and Final

Best and Final Offer (BAFO) – in procurement, the closing round of a tender, in which the client invites the shortlisted bidders to improve their price and terms before choosing the winner. This board is the road to yours.

1. Roll. One die moves your token forward along the board.
2. The card speaks. Whatever position you land on turns face up – upright or reversed, fixed for this game, no re-rolling to get a kinder draw.
3. Translate, then hear the verdict. The card lands showing only what the industry says about it. Tap Translate for what it actually means; then Ask the Mentor (upright) or Read the Post-Mortem (reversed).
4. The Bullshit Index. Every card carries an index from 2 to 10, shown once you translate it: how far the industry’s phrase sits from the thing itself. The higher the index, the smaller the reward and the heavier the penalty.
5. The card moves you. Upright or reversed, every card carries its own verdict – a further step forward or back, applied once the verdict has been read, even if it lands you on another card. Six cards are severe enough that landing on them reversed sends you all the way back to START.
6. The milestones. Two squares carry a diamond: Principles appear there instead of cards. Land on one, by the dice or by a card, and no card is dealt: a Principle turns up instead. It is advice only and does not move you. Pass over a milestone and nothing happens.
7. The win. Reach or pass position 51 by either step and the pursuit is over: the contract is awarded and a Principle turns up.
8. Some cards never turn up good news, upright or reversed. Everything else can go either way.

What the four lines mean

The LinkedIn Version – the deadpan corporate line, plausible enough for a real case study. The joke is never here.

The WhatsApp Version – the acid truth, what people say off the record.

The Mentor Version – what the senior person tells the junior in 30 seconds, if the card lands upright.

The Post-Mortem Version – what gets said after it went wrong, if the card lands reversed.

Reading the board

Each suit has its own color, shown on the board before you land and again on the card once it turns face up (see the key under the board). The color marks the category only – the card itself is still a surprise.