# Power Grid ## General Info - **Year Published**: 2004 - **BGG Rating**: 7.8 - **BGG Rank**: #76 - **Players**: 2-6 (Best with: 4) - **Duration**: 120 min - **Weight**: 3.25 / 5 - **Designers**: Friedemann Friese - **Artists**: Antonio Dessi, Domonkos Bence, Harald Lieske, Jorge Tabanera Redondo, Lars-Arne "Maura" Kalusky, Prapach Lapamnuaysap - **Publishers**: 2F-Spiele, 2Tomatoes Games, 999 Games, Albi, Arclight Games, Brain Games, Edge Entertainment, Galápagos Jogos, Gémklub, Giochi Uniti, Hobby World, Ideal Board Games, Kaissa Chess & Games, Korea Boardgames, Lacerta, Laguna, Lautapelit.fi, Matagot, Rio Grande Games, Rozum, Runadrake, Siam Board Games, Smart Ltd, Stratelibri, Swan Panasia Co., Ltd. - **Categories**: Economic, Industry / Manufacturing - **Mechanics**: Auction / Bidding, Auction: Turn Order Until Pass, Catch the Leader, Income, Market, Network and Route Building, Turn Order: Stat-Based, Variable Set-up ## Verdict If you enjoy economic games that make you think about every penny and how to dominate the market, Power Grid is for you! It's a classic that rewards planning and strategy.Dynamic and addictive marketTense and exciting auctionsStrategic network buildingHigh replayability guaranteedInitial learning curveCan be a bit slowStrong indirect interactionHIGHLY RECOMMENDED ## Description Get ready to power up and expand your energy empire in Power Grid! In this modern classic, you step into the shoes of an energy tycoon, competing to become the nation's largest electricity provider. The game revolves around a dynamic blend of auctions, resource management, and network building. Each round, you'll bid to acquire increasingly efficient power plants, but beware: by purchasing one, you might pave the way for opponents to snag even better models! But a good tycoon needs more than just power plants. You'll also need to secure supplies of raw materials like coal, oil, and garbage (yes, garbage!) to keep your factories running at full capacity. Expanding your network is crucial, connecting cities and ensuring they receive power. The challenge lies in balancing investments in plants and resources with the need to rapidly expand your distribution grid, all while closely watching your opponents' moves. The resource market fluctuates, turn order shifts, and new opportunities arise constantly. Whoever best manages their resources, anticipates opponents' plays, and expands their network most efficiently will emerge victorious. Power Grid demands planning, strategy, and a good dose of daring to dominate the energy market. With rules refined from the original Funkenschlag, Power Grid offers a deep and rewarding experience, perfect for those who enjoy economic games with a touch of fierce competition. It's a game that tests your negotiation skills and your ability to adapt to a constantly changing market. Are you ready to take control and light up the world? ## How to Play Objective of the Game Welcome to Power Grid, future energy magnate! Your goal in this electrifying game is to become the ultimate power provider. You'll be building power plants, buying raw materials, and expanding your network across cities. The winner isn't just the richest, but the player who can power the most cities in their network by the end of the game. If there's a tie, the player with the most money wins, and if it's still a tie, the player with the most connected cities takes the crown! Preparation (Setup) Let's get this power grid up and running! Here’s how to set up your game: Choose Your Map: The number of players determines how many regions of the board you'll use. For 3 players, use 3 regions. For 4 players, use 4 regions. For 5 or 6 players, use 5 regions. Prepare the Plant Deck: Shuffle power plants numbered 03 through 15. Draw 8 plants to form the initial Plant Market. The remaining plants form the Plant Deck. The "Step 3" card should be placed at the bottom of the deck. Initial Plant Market: The Plant Market will start with 8 plants. Players may initially purchase from the lowest-numbered four plants in the market. Raw Material Setup: Place the various raw material tokens (coal, oil, garbage, uranium) on their designated spots on the board according to the game's rules (not detailed in this excerpt, but assume a standard setup). Player Components: Each player receives a starting amount of money (not specified in the excerpt, but typically 50 Elektro) and their colored houses. Each player can have a maximum of 3 plants. Turn Order Token: Randomly determine the first player. Special Rule for 2-Player Games (The Trust): In a 2-player game, an artificial player called "The Trust" is introduced. The Trust is always 2nd in turn order. The Trust gets 17 houses. After the 1st auction, The Trust takes the highest-numbered available plant for free. If The Trust already has 3 plants, it will only take a plant if it can replace a lower-numbered one. For a hybrid plant, The Trust takes coal, oil, coal, oil, etc., always starting with coal. Each time a human player builds a house, The Trust builds on the 15 there. Once The Trust is out of houses, it stops building. The Trust takes precisely what all its plants can burn and burns all of it. The Game Turn A round in Power Grid is divided into five phases, typically flowing from the player in the lead to the player trailing, or vice-versa, depending on the phase. This order is crucial! The game progresses through three "Steps" (Step 1, Step 2, Step 3), which change certain rules as the game advances. We'll start in Step 1. Phase 1: Determine Turn Order The leader is the player with the most cities connected. In case of a tie, the player with the highest plant number is the leader. In Step 1, turn order is determined randomly. In later steps, it's typically determined from leader-to-trailer or trailer-to-leader. Phase 2: Buy Power Plant Players, in current turn order, have the opportunity to bid on and purchase new power plants from the market. The minimum bid and purchase price for a plant is its number. In Step 1, this phase is a Mandatory Buy Power Plant. In later steps, it becomes an Optional Buy Power Plant. After a plant is bought, or if no plants were bought, the lowest-numbered plant in the market is removed from the game, and a replacement is drawn. If the "1 token" is present on a plant (meaning its minimum bid is 1), and a cheaper plant comes out, that cheaper plant is removed from the game and the 1 token is removed. Phase 3: Buy Raw Materials Starting with the player who has the fewest connected cities (the "trailer") and going to the player with the most (the "leader"), players buy raw materials (coal, oil, garbage, uranium) needed to fuel their power plants. Phase 4: Building Again, starting with the "trailer" and going to the "leader," players expand their networks by building houses in cities. In Step 1, you can only build 1 connection per city. In Step 2, you can build 2 connections per city. In Step 3, you can build 3 connections per city. A special rule for 3, 4, 5, and 6-player games: only your 1st house must and can replace a uranium city. After building, perform Market Obsolescence: Remove any plant in the market whose number is lower than the leader's number of connected cities, then draw a replacement. (This step is skipped in Recharged Edition rules). Phase 5: Fire Plants; Get Paid (Bureaucracy) Players choose which of their power plants to activate, spending the necessary raw materials. You get paid based on the number of cities you can power this turn. Then, the Bureaucracy phase occurs: Restock Raw Materials: Replenish the raw material market according to the board's chart. Market Twiddle: Put the market's highest-numbered plant under the plant deck, then draw a replacement. The lowest-numbered plant in the market is removed from the game, and a replacement is drawn. (This happens if Step 3 was revealed). The game continues, moving through these phases, until a specific end-game condition is met. End of Game and Scoring The game doesn't end on a specific round number, but rather when a player reaches a certain milestone: The game ends when a player connects a specific number of cities: For 2 players: 21 cities. For 3 players: 17 cities. For 4 players: 17 cities. For 5 players: 15 cities. For 6 players: 14 cities. Once this condition is met, the current round finishes. Winning: The winner is the player who can power the most cities in their network this turn. Tie-breaker: If tied on powered cities, the player with the most money left wins. If still tied, the player with the most cities connected wins. Tips for Winning Becoming a Power Grid master takes practice, but here are a few pointers to get you started: Watch the Turn Order: Being "trailer" (last in turn order) in the raw material and building phases can be a huge advantage, allowing you to react to what others buy and build. Conversely, being "leader" in the plant buying phase can let you grab essential plants before others. Strategically managing your city count to influence turn order is key! Efficient Plant Management: Don't just buy the biggest plant; consider its efficiency. A plant that uses cheap, abundant resources or a hybrid plant can be incredibly valuable. Also, remember you can only have a maximum of 3 plants (or 4 in some specific setups), so make each purchase count! Resource Scarcity is Real: Pay attention to the raw material market. If everyone is buying coal, its price will skyrocket. Diversifying your plants to use different resources can make you more resilient to price fluctuations and ensure you can always power your cities. ## FAQ ### How many players does Power Grid support and what's the average playtime? Power Grid is for 2 to 6 players and typically takes around 120 minutes to complete, depending on the group's experience. ### What's the complexity of Power Grid? Is it a beginner game? With a BGG weight of 3.24/5, it's considered a medium-heavy game. It might take a few plays to master all the nuances, but it's very rewarding for those seeking a challenge. ### What happens at the start of each round? At the start of each round, available power plants are reordered, resource prices (coal, oil, etc.) are updated based on demand, and turn order may shift depending on the previous round's actions. ### How does the power plant auction work? Power plants are put up for auction in ascending order of their number. Players bid to acquire the plants they want, and the player who offers the highest bid for a specific plant purchases it. The order in which players bid first in each auction is determined by the current turn order. ### Do I need prior knowledge of power generation to play? No! Although the theme is electricity generation, the game is based on economic and auction mechanics. The rules explain everything you need to know about the types of plants and resources. ### What is the main objective of the game? The goal is to be the player who can supply power to the most cities by the end of the game, which is triggered when one player connects a predetermined number of cities. ## Price Comparison ### Best Offers in Brazil - **Amazon**: R$ 347,03 (https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B07HM7WZT9?tag=bgbot26b-20&linkCode=as2) - **Cangaia Jogos**: R$ 325,49 (https://www.cangaiajogos.com.br/power-grid-versao-energizada-outlet?utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **Happy Nerd**: R$ 332,49 (https://www.happynerd.com.br/power-grid-versao-energizada?utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - See all on Compara Jogos: https://www.comparajogos.com.br/item/power-grid-versao-energizada ### Best International Offers - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 36.33 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=1280997&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - See all on BoardGamePrices: https://boardgameprices.com/item/show/222/power-grid?utm_source=boardgamesbot.com