Bosses and finals
In FARELINE, a free strategy game about running an airline, the last quarter of every year is a boss quarter. A boss bends one rule for that quarter, and the target is 10% higher on top. The year 5 boss quarter is the final, the last quarter of the run: OPEN SKIES, CORPORATE RAIDER or ATC STRIKE. In a final your cash box cannot cover a miss.
The bosses of a run are drawn when it starts, one for each year, and a boss comes at most once a run. A typed seed brings the same bosses again. The shop names the coming boss one quarter ahead, so you can buy for it.
Tier 1: 8 bosses
Drawn in years 1 and 2.
| Boss | Attacks | The rule for that quarter |
|---|---|---|
| FUEL SPIKE | YIELD | Jet fuel doubles overnight. Every fare earns 15% less. |
| NEW ENTRANT | THE DIAL | A new airline undercuts you. Price above 80% and a quarter of the travellers who want your flights fly with it instead. |
| LONG WEEKEND | DEMAND | Everyone travels short. Markets under 600 km grow 25%. Nothing else does. |
| BOARD FREEZE | NETWORK | The board wants caution. You are still dealt five cards, but may take only two. |
| THE AUDIT | THE BOOKS | The board reviews the year. The target rises 6% more on top of the boss quarter’s 10%. |
| PRICE FREEZE | THE DIAL | The regulator freezes fares where they stand. Your price cannot move this quarter. |
| NO DELIVERIES | NETWORK | The manufacturers deliver nothing. No BIGGER PLANE or MORE FLIGHTS cards this quarter: new lines and bases only. |
| BAD PRESS | LOYALTY | A scandal in the papers. Every city builds half the loyalty this quarter. |
Tier 2: 13 bosses
Drawn in years 2, 3 and 4.
| Boss | Attacks | The rule for that quarter |
|---|---|---|
| PRICE WAR | YIELD | A low-cost rival matches you. Fares 8% lower, and you cannot price above 93%. |
| FARE CAP | YIELD | The regulator caps fares. Your price dial stops at 86%. |
| CURRENCY SLIDE | YIELD | Your currency slides. International fares earn 10% less. Domestic fares are untouched. |
| STRIKE SEASON | DEMAND | Rail and ground strikes. Every market is 15% smaller. |
| DRY SEASON | DEMAND | Nobody new is booking. Markets refill at only two thirds of the usual rate between months. |
| SLOT AUDIT | NETWORK | Slot caps shrink 20% for the quarter. Nothing you fly is taken away, but there is no room to grow. |
| HIRING FREEZE | NETWORK | No new crews. No new-line cards this quarter, upgrades only. |
| THE REGULATOR | NETWORK | Every airport is suspicious of you. All negotiations are 20 points harder. |
| MAINTENANCE ORDER | THE BOOKS | An airworthiness directive. Fleet costs rise 30% this quarter. |
| LANDING FEES | THE BOOKS | Airports double their charges. Station costs double. |
| CREW SHORTAGE | NETWORK | No crews to spare. No hand is dealt this quarter: the network flies as it stands. |
| BOARDROOM COUP | YOUR PERKS | A new board cuts your highest-paying perk to half. It pays half its line this quarter. |
| NIGHT CURFEW | NETWORK | A night curfew at every airport. No line flies more than 21 times a week this quarter. |
Tier 3: 6 bosses
Drawn in year 4.
| Boss | Attacks | The rule for that quarter |
|---|---|---|
| PREMIUM COLLAPSE | DEMAND | Business travel stops. Loyal and Elite travellers fall 30%. Budget and Fast fly as usual. |
| BORDER CONTROLS | DEMAND | Borders tighten. International markets fall 20%. Domestic ones grow 10%. |
| GROUNDED TYPE | NETWORK | Your most-flown aircraft type is grounded for inspection. Its lines fly at three quarters of their frequency. |
| THE COVENANT | THE BOOKS | The bank freezes your cash box. Miss this target and the airline is finished, whatever you have saved. |
| ANTITRUST PROBE | MULT | The competition authority steps in. The biggest part of your network MULT keeps only three quarters of its bonus this quarter. |
| SHAREHOLDER REVOLT | THE BOOKS | The shareholders want a cut of your perks. The target rises 3% for every perk you hold. |
The finals
Quarter 25 is the final, drawn for the run from these three.
| Final | Attacks | The rule for that quarter |
|---|---|---|
| OPEN SKIES | YOUR TOP LINES | Open skies: the big carriers pile into your three highest-paying lines, and their fares fall by half this quarter. Your cash box cannot cover a miss. |
| CORPORATE RAIDER | YOUR PERKS | A corporate raider bids for the airline and marks down your two highest-paying perks by a quarter: each pays three quarters of its line this quarter. Your cash box cannot cover a miss. |
| ATC STRIKE | NETWORK | Air traffic control walks out. Every line you fly loses one flight in four this quarter (rounded down). The costs stay, and your cash box cannot cover a miss. |
Read Surviving a boss quarter for how to plan the year around the boss.