# Power Grid: BGG Promo Card Set ## General Info - **Year Published**: 2011 - **BGG Rating**: 7.4 - **BGG Rank**: — - **Players**: 2-6 (Best with: 4) - **Duration**: 120 min - **Weight**: 3.10 / 5 - **Designers**: Friedemann Friese - **Artists**: Lars-Arne "Maura" Kalusky - **Publishers**: 2F-Spiele - **Categories**: Economic, Expansion for Base-game, Industry / Manufacturing - **Mechanics**: Auction / Bidding, Network and Route Building ## Verdict If you already love Power Grid, this promo card set will make your games even more electrifying, especially with the Theme Park.Extra card varietyEasy to integrateHigh‑quality artworkDoesn’t change core rulesMay unbalance gamesRECOMMENDED ## Description The Power Grid: BGG Promo Card Set was released in early 2011 as a bundle that gathers every promotional card ever printed for the classic Funkenschlag/Power Grid, plus a brand‑new addition: the Theme Park (Freizeitpark) card. The Theme Park consumes as much electricity as an entire city, so inserting it into a game adds a hefty new demand that can swing the resource race. The set includes seven cards – the Flux Generator (2008), the Transformer Station (2009), three Warehouse cards from 2010, and the exclusive Theme Park (2011) which replaces the standard “Step 3” card. Each card acts as an extra component that can be slipped into a regular Power Grid session, providing fresh bidding opportunities and network‑building choices. Since Power Grid’s core loop already revolves around auctioning power plants, buying fuel, and extending your grid, these promos fit like a glove, expanding the strategic palette without adding complex new rules. Players simply replace or add the cards as instructed in the accompanying sheet and continue with the usual 2‑hour gameplay, though the added demand may raise the tension at the auction table. The set is perfect for veterans who want more variety in the resource market or who love to collect every piece of Power Grid history. ## How to Play Objective of the Game These promo cards are only playable with a copy of Power Grid! You can use all promo cards together or just the cards you like the most, as all cards are compatible. The objective of the game remains to expand your power network and supply cities with electricity, with these promo cards adding new strategic layers and opportunities. Preparation (Setup) After preparing the power plant market and the draw pile of power plant cards as usual, the chosen promo cards are shuffled into the pile of power plant cards. Finally, the power plant 13 is placed as usual on top of the draw pile. Industrial Espionage Setup Do NOT shuffle the card Industrial Espionage into the draw stack of power plants. Instead, place the card face up next to the power plant market. Fluxo do Jogo Consulte o manual para detalhes sobre esta seção. Ações e Como Jogar General Promo Card Auction Rules For certain promo cards (Transformer Station, Theme Park, Supply Contract, Warehouse), when they are drawn, they will be immediately auctioned to the players regardless of the actual phase. After the auction, draw an additional power plant card as replacement and place it into the market. The leading player starts the auction by either passing or bidding at least 10 Elektro. Players continue the auction in clockwise direction until all but one have passed. The highest bidder pays their money and immediately places the card as specified below. Flux-Generator The Flux-Generator is a power plant that can use and store all four types of resources in any combination. When the Flux-Generator is drawn during the game and placed into the power plant market, the smallest power plant in the market is immediately removed from the game and placed back into the game box. Draw an additional power plant card as replacement and place it into the market. If the Flux-Generator is the smallest power plant, it removes itself immediately and is replaced by another power plant. The Flux-Generator costs 33 1/3 Elektro and is bigger than the power plant 33. If both power plants are in the market, the Flux-Generator is placed behind the 33. The lowest bid for the Flux-Generator is 33 Elektro. It needs any 3 resources and supplies 6 cities with electricity. For all expansions with maps using "no nuclear power plants" areas, players can always buy the Flux-Generator, but are not allowed to buy uranium if their network consists of cities only in "no nuclear power plant" areas. Transformer Station The Transformer Station enables any power plant to supply electricity to an additional city. When a player wins the auction for the Transformer Station, they immediately connect it to one of their power plants by placing it below this plant. During phase 5, this power plant supplies one additional city when producing electricity. If the player buys a fourth (fifth) power plant and decides to discard this power plant, they also discard the Transformer Station. The robot never buys the Transformer Station. Taxes The Taxes card forces players to pay taxes for their cash assets once during the game. Step 1: If the card Taxes is drawn during this Step, it is placed face down below the draw deck with power plants. A replacement card is drawn from the draw deck. Step 2 and Step 3: If the card is drawn in one of these Steps, it is placed face up next to the power plant market. A replacement card is drawn from the draw deck. At the start of Phase 5 (Bureaucracy), each player must pay 20% taxes for their cash assets, following a provided chart. Only after paying taxes do players get their income for supplying cities with electricity. If the card Taxes is drawn in phase 5 as a replacement for a removed power plant, it is resolved at the beginning of phase 5 of the following turn and remains face up next to the power plant market. The Robot also pays taxes for its cash assets. Theme Park The Theme Park needs so much electricity that it is considered a city. When a player wins the auction for the Theme Park, they immediately place it next to their power plants. The Theme Park does not count as a power plant and can be used additionally to the three (four) power plants. The player places one of their houses on the city space and moves their house on the scoring track one space ahead. There are no additional building costs (the city space shows 0 Elektro). The robot never buys the Theme Park. Supply Contract The player owning the Supply Contract gets permanent advantages in the player order. When a player wins the auction for the Supply Contract, they immediately place it next to their power plants. The Supply Contract does not count as a power plant and can be used additionally to the three (four) power plants. The player immediately places their house in the player order one space back (e.g., if they are second in the player order, thanks to the Supply Contract they are now third). In all following turns during phase 1, the player order is determined as written in the rules. Afterwards, the player owning the Supply Contract is placed one space back. The robot never gets the Supply Contract. Industrial Espionage Thanks to the Industrial Espionage, a single player gets information about the topmost card in the power plant draw stack. When determining the player order in phase 2 of the second game round, the last player gets the Industrial Espionage without paying for it. This card never leaves the game and only changes ownership between players. The player owning the card is called the Spy. As often as they wish and at any time, the Spy can look at the top card of the draw stack. They know one more power plant and can use this information for themselves during the auctions for power plants. They must not give any direct information to the other players (neither the type of power plant, nor the consumption or number of supplied cities). The other players only get an idea watching the spy during the auctions. Directly after buying a power plant, the spy must give the Industrial Espionage card to the next best player in player order. If the Spy is first player (the "best" player), they give the card to the last player. The robot never gets the Industrial Espionage. Warehouse The player owning the Warehouse can store up to 3 additional resources. When a player wins the auction for the Warehouse, they immediately place it next to their power plants. The Warehouse does not count as a power plant and can be used additionally to the three (four) power plants. In phase 3, the owner of the Warehouse can choose to buy up to three additional resources and store them on the three storage spaces. The owner can buy all resource types, even if they cannot use them with their actual power plants. The resources inside the Warehouse can always be moved to power plants which can store these type of resources. And of course, any resources can be moved from power plants to the Warehouse. The resources in the Warehouse can only be used in power plants to produce electricity and to supply cities; the owner cannot simply dump them to place them back in the main storage. The robot never buys the Warehouse. Shortage of Resources The event card Shortage of Resources removes resources from the market. When the Shortage of Resources is drawn, immediately discard three resources of the cheapest type from the resource market (only one for uranium). If there is a tie for the cheapest resource, resolve the tie in the order coal, oil, garbage, uranium. After the Shortage of Resources is resolved, draw an additional power plant card as replacement and place it into the market. Surplus of Resources The event card Surplus of Resources adds resources to the market. When the Surplus of Resources is drawn, immediately add three resources of the most expensive type in the resource market (only one for uranium). If there is a tie for the most expensive resource, resolve the tie in the order coal, oil, garbage, uranium. If a resource is completely missing in the resource market, its value matches the highest matching market space, where it legally can be placed. The highest market space for coal, oil and garbage is the 8, the highest market space for uranium is the 16. If there are no or not enough tokens for the most expensive resource in the storage (because players are storing them on their power plants), just place the remaining tokens of the most expensive resource on the resource market. Do not add tokens of the second most expensive resource type! After the Surplus of Resources is resolved, draw an additional power plant card as replacement and place it into the market. Fim de Jogo e Pontuação Consulte o manual para detalhes sobre esta seção. Dicas para Vencer Consulte o manual para detalhes sobre esta seção. ## FAQ ### How many players can use Power Grid with the promo cards? The base game supports 2 to 6 players, and the promo cards do not change that range. ### What’s the typical playtime with the promo cards? Average playtime stays around 120 minutes, though auctions may feel a bit more intense. ### Do I need to own the base game to use this set? Yes, the Promo Card Set is an expansion and requires the original Power Grid to play. ### Does the Theme Park card replace any base‑game card? It replaces the standard “Step 3” card, as explained in the included instruction sheet. ### Are the cards printed in Portuguese or English? The cards are printed in English, but they work perfectly fine in Brazilian play groups. ### Does the set add new rules? No new rules are introduced; only a brief guide shows how to insert the cards into the existing system. ### Is it worth buying for owners of the first edition? Absolutely, it adds extra variety and a collectible element that many first‑edition owners miss.