# Power Grid: Russia & Japan ## General Info - **Year Published**: 2010 - **BGG Rating**: 7.9 - **BGG Rank**: — - **Players**: 2-6 (Best with: 4) - **Duration**: 120 min - **Weight**: 3.08 / 5 - **Designers**: Friedemann Friese - **Artists**: Antonio Dessi, Lars-Arne "Maura" Kalusky - **Publishers**: 2F-Spiele, Arclight Games, Edge Entertainment, Filosofia Éditions, Giochi Uniti, Hobby World, Rio Grande Games, Swan Panasia Co., Ltd. - **Categories**: Economic, Expansion for Base-game, Industry / Manufacturing - **Mechanics**: Auction / Bidding, Income, Market, Network and Route Building ## Verdict If you love Power Grid and want an extra challenge, this expansion is for you.Strategic biddingNew mapsUpdated rulesRule changes can be confusingMore pieces, more setupRECOMMENDED ## Description Power Grid: Russia & Japan is the expansion that takes the classic race for electricity to two new maps, one featuring the vast, cold Russia and the other the vibrant Japan. You already know the basics: buying power plants, collecting resources, and expanding your network. Here the game gains two layers of challenge. In Russia, the auction for plants is restricted and the rules for trading outdated plants change, forcing the leading players to rethink everything – it’s not just about having the best network, you have to know when to trade and when to hold. In Japan, the tight geography allows each player to start two separate networks. Initial connections are limited to specific cities, creating a real showdown for who captures the most valuable routes. The pace remains intense, with 120 minutes of pure strategy, and the auction mechanic continues to be the beating heart of the game. If you love Power Grid and want to test new strategies in different territories, this expansion is what you’ve been missing. If your table is already saturated with expansions, it might be heavier, but the fun remains guaranteed. ## How to Play Game Objective The objective in Power Grid: Russia & Japan is to build your own power plant empire in this exciting economic game. Players are strategists and tacticians who seek to make money from electricity, facing geographical differences and varied emphases on resource supply. Setup This is an expansion game and requires a copy of Power Grid to be played. The rules of Power Grid remain the same, except for the modifications and special features of the two maps contained in this expansion. Setup for the Russia Map Remove power plants 6 and 14 from the game and place them back in the box. The power plant market contains only 6 power plants (2 rows of 3). Power plants 3, 4, and 5 are in the current market, and power plants 7, 8, and 9 are in the future market. After setting up the initial market, set aside power plants 10, 11, and 13. Prepare the remaining power plants as usual (removing a certain number of random power plants from the game, depending on the number of players). Then, take the first three power plants from the shuffled draw pile and power plants 10 and 11, shuffle these 5 cards, and place them back on top of the pile. Finally, as usual, place power plant 13 on top of the draw pile. Initially, resource prices start at: coal 3 Elektro, oil 1 Elektro, and uranium 6 Elektro. There is no trash in the resource supply at the start of the game. Setup for the Japan Map Initially, resource prices start at: coal 2 Elektro, oil 4 Elektro, trash 6 Elektro, and uranium 12 Elektro. Game Flow The game flow follows the basic rules of Power Grid, with the following map-specific modifications. Phase 2: Buying Power Plants (Russia) Starting from game turn 2: when the first player in a game turn does not bid on a new power plant for auction and instead passes, remove the smallest power plant from the current market and replace it with a new power plant from the pile. This rule replaces the base game rule, so players do NOT remove the smallest power plant from the market when all players pass and no one buys a new power plant. Phase 4: Building (Russia) DO NOT remove a power plant from the market when a player connects the same or a greater number of cities in their network. Phase 5: Bureaucracy (Russia) In this phase, resources are refilled according to the Russia resource supply table. Phase 4: Building (Japan) Each player can have two separate networks during the game. During the first game turn, each player can start 0, 1, or 2 networks. Each can only place two houses if starting both networks (i.e., not two houses in the same network). The player must place their first houses for the networks in two of the six starting cities: Fukuoka, Kobe, Osaka, Sapporo, Tokyo, or Yokohama (depending on the regions chosen at the start of the game). All these cities have two spaces for first connections (cost of 10 Elektro). Thus, two players can place houses there during the first step of the game. As usual, a single player can only have one house per city. A player can also choose to build in only 1 or 0 cities in the first game turn. From the second game turn, the player can freely connect any other cities from one or both of their starting cities, including using the second first connection space in the starting cities. If they start their first or second network later during the game, they still need to choose one of the starting cities. During Step 3 of the game, the player can also use the third connection spaces of the starting cities (cost 20 Elektro). If all spaces of a starting city have already been chosen by other players, the player is forced to play with a single network for the rest of the game. Important: some cities in Japan are smaller and have only two building points for houses. Players can build houses from the start of the game (building costs of 10 and 15 Elektro) or only at the start of "step 2" (building costs of 15 and 20 Elektro). Phase 5: Bureaucracy (Japan) In this phase, resources are refilled according to the Japan resource supply table. Game Step 3 (Russia) At the start of Step 3, remove the smallest power plant and the "step 3" card from the market (as explained in the base game rules), leaving only 4 power plants in the market. Players can choose from all 4 remaining power plants. Actions and How to Play Refer to the manual for details on this section. End of Game and Scoring Refer to the manual for details on this section. Tips for Winning On the Russia map, the power plant market is restricted, and the standard rules for exchanging outdated power plants are changed. This forces leading players to completely rethink their strategies. On the Japan map, due to the crowded geographical environment, players can start two separate networks. The first connections are restricted to certain cities, ensuring a fierce fight for the best networks. ## FAQ ### How long does a game last with this expansion? A game usually lasts around 120 minutes, similar to the base game, but it can vary depending on player experience. ### How many players can play? The game works for 2 to 6 players, exactly like the original Power Grid. ### Does the expansion add more pieces? Yes, it includes more power plant pieces, resource cards, and map components, increasing the build cost. ### Do I need the base Power Grid to play? Yes, the expansion only works with the base game. ### What is the complexity level? It maintains Power Grid’s complexity; it requires resource planning, bidding, and network management. ### Is it suitable for beginners? It’s not ideal for those who have never played Power Grid, as the bidding mechanic can already be complex. ## Price Comparison ### Best International Offers - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 7.19 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=6061698&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 8.16 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=3438102&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 8.89 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=439042&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 9.99 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=4886981&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 10.01 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=3919422&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 10.45 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=151436&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 10.58 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=1287395&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 10.99 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=5044697&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 11.07 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=2081099&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 11.12 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=7008699&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - See all on BoardGamePrices: https://boardgameprices.com/item/show/226/power-grid-russia-japan?utm_source=boardgamesbot.com