“LAST BUT NOT LEAST”
This pricing game’s staging would be very similar to that of “LUCKY $EVEN”. A car is driven onto the stage. The game board is concealed behind the big doors just like Lucky $even’s game board is.
The contestant is given the first digit for free and then earns cash by correctly guessing what the second, third and fourth digits are in the price of the car. For the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th numbers in the price, two possible digits are given. To keep the game board from becoming too busy, I probably would have the game set up where the host would just read the possible choices to the contestant. “Gary, the second digit in the price of that automobile is either 7 or 9. Tell me correctly and you will win $1,000!”
For guessing the 2nd digit correctly, the contestant wins $1,000. For guessing the 3rd digit correctly, the contestant wins $1,500 more. For guessing the 4th digit correctly the contestant wins $2,500 more, for a possible total of $5,000 cash.
In order to have a chance at the car, the contestant would need to have at least $1,000 in their bank. This means the player would have to have guessed at least one of the middle three digits correctly, otherwise the game is over.
The final digit in the car must be guessed correctly, which is why the game is called “Last But Not Least”. Getting the last digit right is required to win the car. There will always be 3 possible digits for the final number in the price of the car (usually 0, 5 and 9). This would be similar to a player playing “Any Number” and needing only 1 more digit to complete one of the prize’s prices.
At this stage of the game, if the player has any money in their bank, they can try to go for the car. They will be given several options. They can quit and just take any cash they accumulated in their bank and not try to win the car; they can forfeit all the cash in their bank in exchange for having one of the 3 choices for the final digit in the price of the car removed, or they can keep the cash and try to select the last digit without any help at all. If they keep the cash and go for the car, and are right, they win the cash and the car, if they are wrong, they do not win the car and they lose all the cash. This rule makes 4 outcomes possible (1-Win the car and keep the cash, 2-Win the car only, 3-Quit with the cash only, 4-Win nothing). If the player decided to quit, and take the money and run, the host could, just for fun, ask the player what they would have chosen as the last digit for the car, and then reveal it to see whether they made a good decision or a bad one. Audience reaction would be most interesting to me.
This game contains elements of Lucky Seven (stage set up + needing money to try to guess the last digit), Pick A Number (1 in 3 chance with the last digit), Temptation (keep the sure thing or risk it to go for the car), Spelling Bee & Let Em Roll (keep the cash or risk it to try to win the car), and One Away (one of 2 possible digits in the price of the car).
This would prove to be a nice “sister” game for Lucky Seven. I always like the idea of a pricing game being presented, and not being totally certain which game it is. Right now, when a car is driven onto the stage, we automatically know the game is going to be Lucky $even.
Junkaholic, as always, should you have any free time and feel so inclined, I'd be most curious to see what kind of gameboard you might design for this idea. If not, that's fine too.
I look forward as always to any and all feedback, good or bad, regarding this idea.
Kindest regards,
Bill McD.
