How to Play Power Grid: The Robots

Objective of the Game

The Robots expansion for Power Grid introduces an automated opponent, the robot, allowing 2 human players to experience a "4-player" game, or to add more robots for up to 5 human players. The robot acts as an individual player, following its own set of rules and special abilities. Human players manage the robot's "decisions" and can use it to act against other players. The core objective remains the same as Power Grid: to expand your energy network and supply cities with power, but now with a strong, automated opponent.

Preparation (Setup)

To set up a game of Power Grid with the Robots expansion, follow these steps:

1. Sort the different puzzle tiles of the robot into separate piles: The First City, phases 2-4, and the special abilities.
2. Shuffle each of these piles.
3. Draw one tile from each pile.
4. Construct the robot by placing the head (The First City tile) at the top, down to the feet with the Special Ability tile. The robot will consist of 5 tiles in total: one for The First City, one for each of Phase 2: Auction Power Plants, Phase 3: Buying Resources, and Phase 4: Building, and one Special Ability tile.
5. Prepare the game as for the total number of players (human players + robots) as written in the base Power Grid rules (e.g., Number of regions, Resource Supply).
6. The robot receives its own set of houses and places one each next to the tracks for player order and connected cities.
7. During game preparation, the robot gets 100 Elektro (instead of 50 Elektro) if its Special Ability tile indicates this.

Fluxo do Jogo

The game proceeds in rounds, each consisting of several phases, just like the base Power Grid game. The robot participates in each phase as an individual player. The general rules of Power Grid apply, with specific modifications for the robot's actions as described by its puzzle tiles and special abilities. The "Golden Robot Rule" states that if a puzzle tile contradicts a base game or expansion rule, the puzzle tile takes precedence.

The robot's money is always visible to all players. When the robot needs to make random decisions (e.g., choosing between cities with the same connection costs), players use different colored houses to mark choices, and another player draws one randomly to determine the robot's action.

The phases of a game round are:

• Phase 1: Determine Player Order: Always determine the player order including the robot. The robot plays all actions as a human player would when it's its turn during each phase. One specific Special Ability tile makes the robot always "last in player order" during the whole game.
• Phase 2: Auction Power Plants: The robot never bids on a power plant if it has a lower number than its smallest power plant, or if it's a fourth power plant that supplies fewer cities than its current three. It prioritizes increasing efficiency. The robot ignores power plants it cannot afford. If the robot can supply 2 or more cities more than it has already connected, it passes on bidding. The robot decides which remaining power plants to bid on based on its puzzle tile for Phase 2. If only one possible power plant remains, it bids on that one. When bidding, the robot raises the bid by exactly 1 Elektro up to its puzzle tile's limit, or its available money. If the robot chooses the power plant itself, it starts the auction with the minimal bid. If the robot buys a fourth power plant, it discards its smallest power plant. Resources on a discarded power plant are stored on remaining ones. One Special Ability tile makes the robot pay only half its bid (rounded down) for new power plants.
• Phase 3: Buying Resources: At the start of this phase, the robot redistributes all remaining resources on its power plants, prioritizing normal power plants for single production, then hybrid power plants. If resources remain, they are distributed again on normal power plants. If there aren't enough, they are distributed according to these rules. When it's the robot's turn, it buys resources for a normal energy production for all its power plants. For hybrid power plants, it buys the cheaper available resources. The robot continues buying according to its puzzle tile for Phase 3 until it has all wanted resources or runs out of money. If the robot doesn't have enough money for normal production for all its power plants, it buys resources for the power plants that supply the most cities. For hybrid or equally supplying power plants, it buys the cheaper resource type. If prices are tied, it buys the resource type with the lower refill number in Phase 5, then coal, oil, uranium, and finally garbage.
• Phase 4: Building: The robot must pay for all cities it builds according to normal rules. It chooses cities one after another, completing payment for each before moving to the next. It always chooses the cheapest connection. If multiple cities have the same connection price, the robot decides randomly. One Special Ability tile makes all city building spots cost 10 Elektro for the robot (instead of 10, 15, or 20 Elektro), though connection costs still apply. Another Special Ability tile makes the robot pay 0 Elektro for the first city it builds in Phase 4 (including connection cost). The robot's building strategy is determined by its puzzle tile for Phase 4, with various options such as:
  • LAST PLAYER CHOOSES, CANNOT BUILD THROUGH POSSIBLE CITIES: The "last player" chooses the robot's cities as long as the robot can pay. The robot never voluntarily builds "through" cities. If a chosen city has an empty building space for the robot, it must build there.
  • ALL CITIES, NEVER MORE THAN FIRST PLAYER: The robot builds as many cities as possible, but not more than the "first player".
  • ONLY SUPPLIED CITIES: The robot only builds as many cities as it can supply with energy from its power plants.
  • STEP 1: ALL CITIES BUT LESS THAN 7, OTHERWISE ALL CITIES. NEVER TO FIRST PLAYER: In Step 1, the robot builds as many cities as possible, but never more than 6. In Step 2 & Step 3, it builds as many cities as possible. It never builds in cities with houses of the "first player".
  • STEP 1: 1 CITY, STEP 2: 2 CITIES, STEP 3: 3 CITIES: The robot builds one city during Step 1, two during Step 2, and three during Step 3.
  • ALL CITIES: The robot builds as many cities as possible.
• Phase 5: Bureaucracy: When supplying cities with energy, the robot follows the same rules as when buying resources. It always uses resources to earn the most money with its power plants. If in doubt, it uses the cheapest resources. One Special Ability tile makes the robot receive income for +1 city when supplying cities with its power plants.

Ações e Como Jogar

The robot's actions are determined by its specific puzzle tiles and special abilities. Human players manage these "decisions" for the robot.

General Robot Rules

• The robot acts as an individual player.
• Its money is always visible.
• If random decisions are needed (e.g., choosing between cities with same connection costs), players use colored houses to mark options, and one player randomly draws to decide.
• "First (last) player" or "players" always refers to human players. "Last (first) in player order" refers to the robot's position in the general player order.
• Human players make all necessary decisions, even with multiple robots.
• Robot rules must be followed exactly, even if they seem suboptimal.

Robot Special Abilities

The robot will have one of these Special Abilities throughout the game:

• GAME START: GETS 100 ELEKTRO: During game preparation, the robot gets 100 Elektro (instead of 50 Elektro).
• PHASE 1: ALWAYS LAST IN PLAYER ORDER: During the whole game, the robot is always "last in player order".
• PHASE 2: PAYS HALF BID FOR POWER PLANTS: During the whole game, the robot pays only half of its bid (rounded down) when it gets a new power plant.
• PHASE 4: ALL CITIES COST 10 ELEKTRO: During the whole game, the robot always pays 10 Elektro for all city building spots (instead of 10, 15 or 20 Elektro). It still must pay the connection costs between the cities.
• PHASE 4: ALWAYS BUILDS FIRST CITY FOR 0 ELEKTRO: During the whole game, the robot always pays 0 Elektro for the first city it builds in Phase 4 (including the connection cost!).
• PHASE 5: GETS INCOME FOR +1 CITY: During the whole game, the robot receives an income for +1 city when supplying cities with its power plants.

The First City (Phase 4 of the first round)

The robot's starting city is determined by its The First City puzzle tile:

• LAST CHOICE: The robot builds its first city "last in player order". The "last player" chooses this city.
• RANDOM CHOICE: The robot builds its first city at random. Players randomly choose a region, then a random city within it. If all 7 cities are available, the "last player" chooses one to be unavailable. Then, players use all six colors to randomly choose the robot's first city.
• EARLY CHOICE FOR ALL: In Phase 2 of the first round, after everyone buys their first power plant, each player (including the robot, which chooses randomly) chooses a city in player order. An unused color marks each. The "first player" chooses one more city and marks it. In reverse player order, everyone chooses one of these cities, pays for it, and uses it as their starting city. The robot chooses randomly. This tile is removed if playing with two or more robots.
• PLAYER'S CHOICE: In Phase 4 of the first round, players choose cities in player order, marking them with an unused color. The robot randomly chooses one as its starting city.
• BIDDING CHOICE: In Phase 4 of the first round, players bid for the right to choose the robot's starting city. The winning bidder pays the robot the highest bid immediately.
• DECIDING CHOICE: In Phase 4 of the first round, players alternately choose cities until only one is left. This is the robot's starting city. Unused colored houses mark chosen cities.

Fim de Jogo e Pontuação

Consulte o manual para detalhes sobre esta seção.

Dicas para Vencer

• Understand the Robot's Priorities: The robot's actions are dictated by its puzzle tiles. For example, in Phase 3: Buying Resources, if it doesn't have enough money for normal production, it prioritizes buying resources for power plants that supply the most cities. Knowing these priorities can help you anticipate its moves and plan your own strategy around them.
• Leverage Robot's Special Abilities: The robot's Special Abilities can significantly alter its behavior. For instance, if it always pays 0 Elektro for its first city in Phase 4, or only half its bid for power plants, you can factor this into your resource and bidding strategies. Use these abilities to your advantage, either by avoiding direct competition where the robot has an edge or by exploiting its predictable actions.
• Manage Robot's Random Decisions: When the robot needs to make random decisions, human players are involved in the process. While you must follow the rules exactly, being aware of the potential outcomes of these random choices can help you prepare for different scenarios.