Monte, an engineer, would be living the life of a truck driver.

Barbara, an office manager by day, drew the dreaded airline pilot card. Mitch, a registered nurse in real life, was to be a secretary. Vicki, the club's organizer, would be a police officer, while her 11-year-old niece, Charleen, happily accepted the janitor profile. I drew the elementary teacher card, which meant that I'd initially earn $3,300 on pay day and pay about $2,200 in expenses. We introduced ourselves, then randomly chose our professions for the evening. Having found each other on Kiyosaki's site, six of us met at a local café to play a hybrid version of Cashflow 101 for beginners, and the more advanced 202. Besides, slurping coffee over a board game for a few hours would be a welcome break from the, er, rat race. And recently, that was becoming a pretty regular occurrence. I will admit, though, that my eyes did roll every time someone told me about how the book changed their lives. I was never a critic, because that would have required actually reading the book. While Kiyosaki's unconventional philosophy has struck a chord with fans, it has also been the source of criticism among those who advocate 'poor dad' strategies - such as investing in mutual funds and managing financial risk. 'I think of myself as the guy who didn't do well in school but knew how to make money,' said Kiyosaki, who invented the game before writing his best-selling account of the contrasts between his highly educated 'poor dad' and his best friend's bootstrapping 'rich dad.' 'Attorneys, accountants, corporate leaders, mailmen, police officers and music artists.' 'We have it all in this group,' said Ed Patisso, co-founder of a Cashflow club in New York, which meets every week at the Sony Plaza in Midtown. The Achievers club in Harare, Zimbabwe, wants to make 'massive passive income.' In Toronto, the game's enthusiasts will meet later this month to learn more about the game and attempt to make the Guinness Book of World Records. The 'Lazy Pig Millionaires Club' in Paris describes itself as an ambitious and dynamic group of people who, despite their club name, wish to improve all areas of their lives. To date, about 350,000 copies of the $195 game have sold, and more than 300 Cashflow clubs now meet to play the game and apply its lessons to real life.

The game, which might be described as Monopoly meets Dungeons & Dragons, has become a cult favorite around the world. In 'Rich Dad, Poor Dad' author Robert Kiyosaki's board game, Cashflow, the goal is to make the most of the financial scenario you're given. In real life, we're told to make the most of the cards we're dealt.

Cashflow 202 real life