How to Play Power Grid: The New Power Plants – Set 1

Game Objective

The objective of the game is to build a network of power plants and supply energy to cities. The basic rules of Funkenschlag (Power Grid) remain the same, and this guide focuses on the differences and specialties of the new power plants. The victory condition is based on who can power the most cities, according to the original rules of Funkenschlag.

Preparation (Setup)

Game preparation follows the normal rules of Funkenschlag, with some modifications depending on the chosen variant:

Standard Preparation (with New Power Plant Cards - Set 1)

• Initially, power plants 1-8 form the market.
• Power plant 11 and the Level 3 (Stufe 3) card are set aside.
• The remaining power plants are shuffled to form the face-down draw pile.
• Power plant 11 is placed on top of the draw pile.
• The Level 3 (Stufe 3) card is placed at the bottom of the draw pile.
• If using the France map, power plant 11 is simply removed from the game.

Variant 1 - New Power Plant Cards

• From the old deck, cards 17, 18, and the Level 3 (Stufe 3) card are removed.
• For game setup, cards 1-8 from both decks (a total of 14 cards) are separated and shuffled.
• The power plants are revealed one by one.
• The first power plant of each value is eliminated and placed next to the board for everyone to see (it is a “fake”).
• The second power plant revealed of each value will make up the market (these are the “originals”).
• Power plants 1 and 2 are not discarded as “fakes”.

Variant 2 - Both Power Plant Decks

• The Level 3 (Stufe 3) card is separated before the remaining power plants are shuffled to form the face-down draw pile.
• The Level 3 (Stufe 3) card is placed at the bottom of the draw pile.
• Throughout the game, the first power plant of each value is removed from the game as a “fake” and placed next to the board.
• Depending on the number of players, a certain number of power plants need to be removed from the game. To do this, the first “original” (duplicate) power plants, which do not form the initial market, are removed and also placed next to the board.

Variant 3 - Funkenschlag+

• The power plants from the base game and power plants 46, 50, 52, 54, 57, and 60 from this expansion are required.
• The draw pile and the initial market are prepared according to the usual rules.
• Power plants 46 and 50 are duplicated.
• New power plants marked with a "+" are always classified as larger and placed immediately after the others.

Larger Power Plant Deck (Variant 3)

In this variant, no region of the board is removed. The number of cities and power plants is adjusted according to the table:

• 2 Players: 24 Cities (total), 12 Cities (Level 2), 24 Cities (End Game), 10 fewer Power Plants (Start).
• 3 Players: 24 Cities (total), 8 Cities (Level 2), 20 Cities (End Game), 10 fewer Power Plants (Start).
• 4 Players: 32 Cities (total), 8 Cities (Level 2), 20 Cities (End Game), 5 fewer Power Plants (Start).
• 5 Players: 40 Cities (total), 8 Cities (Level 2), 18 Cities (End Game), 0 fewer Power Plants (Start).
• 6 Players: 42 Cities (total), 7 Cities (Level 2), 15 Cities (End Game), 0 fewer Power Plants (Start).

Game Flow

The normal rules of Funkenschlag still apply to the game flow. This guide focuses on the specifics of the new power plants and variants. Refer to the manual for details on this section.

Actions and How to Play

Actions and how to play follow the normal rules of Funkenschlag. The new power plant cards introduce more options and strategies, but the basic actions (buying power plants, buying resources, building cities, powering cities) remain the same. Refer to the manual for details on this section.

Discarding Power Plants

When, during the game, power plants are discarded (because they are too small or because a player bought a fourth power plant), they should also go to the “fake” power plants area (Variant 2).

Variant 4 - Individual Power Plant Deck

Players can build a custom deck by choosing, for example, always one of the two power plants with the same value. It is also possible to decrease or increase the number of power plants. If power plants of the same value are chosen, a rule must be defined as to which is the most valuable.

End of Game and Scoring

The end of the game and scoring follow the normal rules of Funkenschlag. The Cities (End Game) table in the "Larger Power Plant Deck" variant indicates the number of cities that trigger the end of the game for each number of players. The player who powers the most cities at the end of the game is the winner. Refer to the manual for details on this section.

Tips for Winning

• Know the "Fakes": In Variant 2, the first power plant of each value is removed from the game as a “fake”. Pay attention to which “originals” may still appear in the game, as this can influence your purchasing decisions.
• Adapt to the Custom Deck: If playing with Variant 4 (Individual Power Plant Deck), the choice of power plants will make a big difference. Understand how changes in the deck affect resource availability and power plant strength to plan your strategy.