Power Grid Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
  • The two maps – “Germany” and “USA”
• Power grid for 2 players: “Against the Trust”
• Preparation
• The Power Plants
• Playing the game
  • Phase 1: Determine Player Order
  • Phase 2: Auction Power Plants
    • a. Choose a power plant for auction
    • b. Pass the auction
  • Phase 3: Buy Resources
  • Phase 4: Build Houses
  • Phase 5: Bureaucracy
• The 3 Steps of the Game
  • Step 1
  • Step 2
  • Step 3
• End of the Game and Winning the Game
• Power grid for 2 players: “Against the Trust“
  • Introduction
  • Preparation
• Playing the game
  • General Rules
  • Phase 1: Determine Player Order
  • Phase 2: Auction Power Plants
  • Phase 3: Buying Resources
  • Phase 4: Building Houses
  • Phase 5: Bureaucracy
• End of the Game
• Overview: “The Phases of a Round” / “The 3 Steps of the Game”
  • Phase 1: Determine Player Order
  • Phase 2: Auction Power Plants
  • Phase 3: Buying Resources
  • Phase 4: Building Houses
  • Phase 5: Bureaucracy
  • Step 1
  • Step 2
  • Step 3

Contents

• 1 two-sided board: Germany/USA with scoring track, player order and resource market
• 132 wooden houses in 6 colors: 22 per player
• 84 wooden resource tokens: 24 coal (brown), 24 oil (black), 24 garbage (yellow), 12 uranium (red)
• 1 auction hammer, 1 discount token, 1 “Step 2” barrier, 1 “Game End” barrier
• money (in Elektro): 40 “1s”, 15 “5s”, 40 “10s”, 25 “50s”
• 54 playing cards:
  • 42 power plant cards: with numbers “03”–“40”, “42”, “44”, “46” and “50”
  • 1 “Step 3” card
  • 5 resource refill summary cards
  • 6 payment summary cards
• rules sheet

The two maps – “Germany” and “USA”

The rules for both the Germany and USA maps are similar.

When there are differences between the maps or if special rules are used for just one of the maps, the corresponding paragraphs start with the picture and name of the respective map.

Power grid for 2 players: “Against the Trust”

Power grid uses new rules for 2 players. While challenging the opponent, you must incorporate the schemes of a competing Trust in your plans and use these schemes against your opponent.

Below we describe all rules, including all rules for the two maps. At the end of the rules booklet you will find additional rules for 2-player games.

Preparation

1. Place the board in the middle of the table. For the first game we suggest choosing Germany. The map is separated into 6 areas, each with 7 cities. In each game, players choose a contiguous playing zone of connected areas depending on the number of players. This is the whole playing zone for ALL players. The color-coded separation of the areas only matters for choosing the playing zone.
2. Each player takes all 22 houses of one color, 50 Elektro, and a payment summary card.
3. Each player places one of their houses on space 0 of the scoring track for connected cities.
4. Take one house from each player and randomly determine the player order by placing one house after the other on the top row of the player order track.
5. At the beginning of the game, players have access to a number of different resources for varying prices. To determine these prices, use the table at the right and fill the spaces of the resource market (along the bottom edge of the board). The cheapest starting spaces for each resource show star symbol. The numbers at the top right of each space show the matching prices for each resource token.
6. Place the remaining resource tokens as a supply near the resource market. Place the money separated by value next to the game board.
   USA map: There is a storage space for coal next to the resource market. At the beginning of the game, this storage space is empty, as all coal tokens are placed on the spaces of the resource market.
7. Place the appropriate resource refill summary card next to the resource market. Each card shows the resource refill values for both maps matching a certain number of players.
8. Take the power plant cards with a plug on the back (numbered “03” to “15”) and shuffle this pile. Afterwards, place power plants on the power plant market as follows: Draw the top 8 cards and place them face up. Sort them in ascending order by their numbers.
   Place those with the four smallest in the top row of the market (the current market) in ascending order, left to right. Then place the remaining four in the bottom row (the future market) in ascending order, left to right.
   Finally take one more power plant card with a plug on the back face down and set it aside.
   When adding new power plants to the power plant market during the game, always rearrange all power plants in the power plant market in ascending order with the 4 cheapest plants in the current market.
9. Set aside the “Step 3” card, then shuffle the power plant cards with a socket on the back. Depending on the number of players, randomly remove some power plant cards with plugs and sockets on the back as shown in the table below. Set these cards face down in the box, without looking at them.
   Shuffle all remaining power plant cards together and place them as a stack face down next to the power plant market. The plug on the back tells players that the power plant on top of the stack is a weaker one.
   Place the “Step 3” card face down under the supply stack and take the power plant with a plug on the back that had been set aside (from 8) and set it face-down on top of the supply stack.
10. Place the auction hammer and discount token next to the power plant market. Place the two oblong barriers next to the scoring track for connected cities.
11. For experienced Power Grid players: Default Starting Cities - After the players randomly determine the player order and chose the contiguous playing zone, each player chooses a future starting city, in player order, and marks that temporarily with an uranium token.

This completes the game preparation. We hope you enjoy playing the game!

Number of players	Number of areas
2	3
3	3
4	4
5	5
6	5

	Coal	Oil	Garbage	Uranium
Resource market	spaces 1–8	spaces 3–8	spaces 6–8	spaces 14–16

	Power plant with plug on the back	Power plant with socket on the back
2 players	1	5
3 players	2	6
4 players	1	3
5-6 players	None	None

The Power Plants

1. Each power plant has a number. This number is the minimum acceptable bid when the plant is auctioned. Players use that number to sort the power plants by size in the power plant market. Players also use the numbers to determine the player order when several players have the same number of cities in their networks. When the rules mention large or small power plants, the rules refer to the power plants with the low or high numbers in the power plant market.
2. The picture in the middle is an illustration of the power plant and has no role in the game.
3. The colored bar at the bottom of the power plant card and the symbols in the lower left corner show the resource type(s) and the number of resource tokens required to produce electricity (brown: coal, black: oil, yellow: garbage, red: uranium). Players may never use more or fewer resource tokens to produce power with a power plant than the number shown on the card. Each power plant may only store the resource type needed for production and may store at most twice as many resource tokens as it has resource symbols.
   Hybrid power plants have a brown/black color and have two resource symbols. Players may choose to buy and use any combination of coal and/or oil. Usually, players will choose to buy the cheaper resource. Players need the stated number of resources (of either or both in any combination) to produce electricity and may store a total of twice as many resource tokens of both (not each) types.
   Ecological power plants have a green or blue color. They do not require any resources and cannot store them.
4. The number in the house indicates how many cities this power plant can supply with electricity. For example, players cannot choose to use only half of the necessary resource tokens to supply only half of the cities. Although a power plant may store twice as many resources as needed, it cannot produce power for twice as many cities in a round. Ecological power plants always supply up to the indicated number of cities without needing any resources!

Playing the game

The game is played over several rounds. Each round of the game has five phases. In each phase, all players take their actions in the order specified for the phase before the game continues to the next phase. The five phases are:

1. Determine Player Order
2. Auction Power Plants
3. Buy Resources
4. Build Houses
5. Bureaucracy

Additionally, the game is played through three Steps. The steps are explained after the description of the phases of each round.

Phase 1: Determine Player Order

Players determine the player order for the round. The first player is the player with the most cities in their network (the house on the highest numbered space of the scoring track for connected cities). If two or more players are tied for the most cities, the first player is the player among them with the biggest power plant. Place this player‘s house on the first space of the top row of the player order track. Determine the remaining player positions using the same rules.

Remember: At the beginning of the game, players determine the player order randomly.

Phase 2: Auction Power Plants

In this phase, each player may buy at most 1 power plant. This phase is played in player order, beginning with the first player (the house on the first position of the player order track).

First, the players place the discount token on the smallest power plant in the current market. The minimum bid for this power plant is reduced to 1 Elektro regardless of the actual number of the power plant.

Then, the players auction the power plants. The first player chooses between the following two actions:

a. Choose a power plant for auction

The player chooses one of the four power plants in the current market to start the auction and places the auction hammer on that power plant. The player may not choose one of the power plants in the future market!

Then, the player makes a bid to purchase the power plant. The bid must match or be higher than the number of the power plant, or 1 Elektro if the plant has the discount. Continuing in clockwise order, the other players may make higher bids or pass. When a player passes, that player may not reenter this auction. Players keep bidding or passing in clockwise order until one player remains. That player pays their highest bid to the bank and takes the power plant. To show they have bought a power plant, they move their house from the top row to the same number in the bottom row of the player order track.

Immediately, draw a new power plant from the power plant stack to replace the one bought and place it in the power plant market. Rearrange the power plants in ascending order of numbers: the four lowest in the current market, and the higher power plants in the future market.

Important rules to follow:

• During the first round of the game each player must buy 1 power plant.
• As long as the discount token is on the lowest power plant, the minimum bid for that power plant is 1. If a player buys that power plant, they place the discount token next to the market.
• As long as the discount token is on the lowest power plant, the first time the players draw a replacement power plant with a printed number lower than the printed number of the discounted power plant, the players remove that newly drawn power plant from the game and remove the discount token from the smallest power plant. The players immediately draw another power plant to refill the power plant market.
• If nobody buys the discounted power plant, remove it from the game at the end of Phase 2. Replace it by drawing a new power plant from the power plant stack. During all other phases of a round, there are no discounted power plants. Place the discount token next to the power plant market.
• Once a player has purchased a power plant in a round, they cannot bid in another auction in the same round, nor can they offer a plant at auction. (The player’s house is in the bottom row of the player order track.)
• When the auctioning player wins the auction and buys the power plant, the next player in turn order takes their turn, if they have not already purchased a power plant this round (their house is still in the top row of the player order track). Now, this player offers a power plant from the current market for auction. If a player other than the player who started the auction wins the auction, the auctioning player may choose to auction a different power plant from the current market or pass.
• During the game each player may own only 3 power plants at any time. When a player buys a fourth plant, they must scrap one of their other power plants and remove it from the game. They may not choose to scrap the just bought power plant. The player may move resources from the scrapped power plant to their remaining three power plants if one or more of them can store these resources. If there is no capacity left or no matching power plant for the resources from the scrapped power plant, the player returns the resources to the supply, not to the resource market (see “The Power Plants”).
• The last player to start an auction in a round pays the minimum bid to buy the power plant they choose.

b. Pass the auction

If the player does not want to offer a power plant for auction, they must opt out of this phase. When they do so, they cannot bid in later auctions during this phase and, thus, will not get a new power plant this round. To show this, they move their house on the player order track to the same numbered space on the bottom row. The next player in turn order takes their turn, if they have not already purchased a power plant this phase (their house is still in the top row of the player order track).

Exception for the first round: Because the player order was determined randomly at the beginning of the game, FOR ONE TIME ONLY players determine the player order again at the end of this phase. As all players will have bought one power plant, use the tied rule to determine player order for the next phases of this round (see phase 1: Determine player order).

After all players finish this phase, move all houses on the player order track back to the top row.

Phase 3: Buy Resources

In this phase, the players may buy resources for their power plants from the resource market. This phase is played in reverse player order, beginning with the last player (the house on the last position of the player order track), continuing with the second-to-last player and so on until the first player takes their turn, finishing this phase.

As explained in the section “The Power Plants”, each power plant needs the number of resource tokens matching the number of symbols on the card to produce electricity and may only store twice this number of tokens. As long as there is still storage space, players may buy matching resources for their power plants. Players may not buy resources that their current power plants cannot use.

The player purchases the resource tokens from the spaces of the resource market. The printed number on the upper right of each resource space shows the price for one resource token. The player pays this amount to the bank for each token. They move their house on the player order track to the same numbered space on the bottom row and the next player takes their turn.

If one resource type is depleted in the current round, no more resource tokens of this type may be purchased from the resource market until next round when the resource market is refilled.

USA map: The players can always buy coal for 8 Elektro. The supply for coal is stored on the storage space next to the resource market. If the players deplete the coal in the resource market, they can buy the coal from that storage space.

At any time during the game, a player may rearrange the resource tokens among their power plants if the power plants have space for the resources being placed on them.

After all players finish this phase, move all houses on the player order track back to the top row.

Phase 4: Build Houses

In this phase, the players may increase their electricity networks by connecting new cities. Like phase 3, this phase is played in reverse player order beginning with the last player (the house on the last space of the player order). The phase ends after the first player finishes their turn.

At the start of the game, players have no cities and, thus, no network. To build the first house in their network, a player chooses any empty city (not already chosen by another player) anywhere in the contiguous playing zone on the map. They place one of their houses on the number 10 space in this city and pay 10 Elektro to the bank for the starting city.

For experienced Power Grid players: Default Starting Cities - When the players start to build their networks (in the first or later rounds), they must pick any one of the marked starting cities; they do not need to pick the city which they initially chose at game start. They exchange the uranium token with one of their houses and return the uranium token to the supply. Except as starting cities, the players cannot connect to these cities in “Step 1”.

All subsequent cities a player adds to their network must connect to at least one city already in their network (with one of their houses). When connecting to a new city, the player chooses the cheapest connection(s) between one of the cities in their network and the new city and pays the total of connecting costs and cheapest building cost available (each city has spaces for three houses, valued 10, 15, and 20 Elektro) to the bank.

A player may connect to any number of new cities during their turn in this phase, as long as they pay all the building and connecting costs. After connecting all the desired cities, the player moves their house on the player order track to the same numbered space on the bottom row and the next player follows with their turn to connect new cities.

Important rules to follow:

• In Step 1 of the game, each city can only be connected by one player. In Step 2, each city can be connected by two players and finally in Step 3, each city can be connected by three players. The total costs are 10, 15 and 20 Elektro for the first, second, and third house built in a city plus the connection costs between the cities.
• So long as there is an empty space in the city during the current Step of the game, a player may add any city inside the playing zone to their network. They may use any number of connections and may pass through a city without placing a house there.
• Players may never use any cities or connections that lie outside of the selected playing zone during the game.
• A few cities are connected with a connection cost of zero Elektro. A player may have a maximum of 1 house in each of the two cities of a metropolis.
• A player may never connect to the same city twice. This allows up to three players to connect to each city during Step 3.
• After connecting a city, the player places one of their houses in the new city on the lowest empty space (10, 15 or 20 Elektro). For example, if a city is still empty in Step 2 of the game, a player may connect that city for 10 Elektro.
• All connected cities of a player are in their network. The player may only expand their network from their own connected cities. If the player connects to multiple cities this turn, they may use cities added this turn to further connect to other cities. They always pays all connecting and building costs from one of their connected cities to each new city, even if they already paid for a connection earlier the game (e.g. they may have bypassed a city to reach another and now want to connect to the bypassed city).
• The players do not have to choose their starting cities in the first round. They may start their networks in later rounds, possibly to tactically influence their positions on the player order track.
• If a player connects several cities at once, we suggest placing the new houses on their sides for the moment. Thus, they can easily check all costs and connections. Only after paying all costs, they places the houses in the normal position.
• When a player adds a new city to their network, they immediately update their position on the scoring track for connected cities, so every player can see how many cities each player has.

After all players finish this phase, move all houses on the player order track back to the top row.

Phase 5: Bureaucracy

In this phase, the players produce electricity to supply their networks in order to earn cash. Then, they resupply the resource market and finally update the power plant market.

1. Earning cash: Starting with the first player, every player indicates how many cities in their network they wish (and are able) to supply with electricity. They earn cash based on the number of cities they power as shown on the payment summary card. A player who does not supply any city gets 10 Elektro (the guaranteed minimum). The players remove the required resources from the power plants that produced electricity this round and place the used resources in the resource supply next to the resource market (not on the spaces of the resource market!).
   A player may choose (or only be able) to supply fewer cities than they have in their network. The player is paid only for the supplied cities. If a player produces more electricity than they have cities in their network, the surplus is wasted. Each player may choose how many and which of their power plants they use. They do not have to supply all of their cities, even if they have enough power plants.
   USA map: If players supply electricity by using coal, they place these coal markers on the storage space next to the resource market. When resupplying the resource market the players take the coal markers from this storage space.
2. Resupply the resource market: Based on the number of players and the current Step of the game, resupply the resource market with resource tokens from the supply. The resource refill summary card next to the resource market shows the respective values for each resource type. Starting with the highest (most expensive) space, place resource tokens on the empty symbols, until you have placed the stated amount for each resource type.
   The resource tokens in the game are limited. If there are not enough resource tokens of a resource type left in the supply, that resource type is not fully resupplied. This can happen when players store large numbers of tokens on their power plants.
   Germany map: German Nuclear Power Phase-Out - After a player buys the nuclear power plant “39” in Phase 2 (Auction Power Plants), there is no further resupply of uranium until the end of the game. If the nuclear power plant “39” is not bought by a player or has been removed from the game during preparation, then this is not triggered.
3. Update the power plant market: During Step 1 and Step 2, place the highest numbered power plant from the future market face down below the power plant stack and draw a new power plant to replace it. Rearrange the power plant market appropriately. By doing this, the highest numbered power plants are collected below the Step 3 card in the power plant stack and become available during Step 3 of the game.
   During Step 3, remove the smallest numbered power plant in the current market from the game and draw a replacement from the power plant stack instead. During the last rounds of the game, it is possible that the power plant stack becomes exhausted and players cannot replace power plants anymore. The game continues and in each phase 5, remove the smallest numbered power plant from the power plant market.

Phase 5 and the whole round are now complete. A new round starts with phase 1.

The 3 Steps of the Game

The game runs through three Steps and begins with Step 1. Step 2 begins when the first player has connected a certain number of cities in their network. Step 3 begins after the Step 3 card is drawn from the power plant stack. The game usually ends in Step 3, but in some cases may end in Step 2.

This section describes the different rules changes and special situations for the three steps during the game.

Step 1

The game starts with Step 1. Every city can only be part of the network of a single player (only one house may stand in each city). The building cost for the first house is 10 Elektro. The resupply for resources during Step 1 follows the left column on the resource refill summary card.

Step 2

Step 2 starts at the beginning of Phase 5 (Bureaucracy) after at least one player has connected a certain number of cities in their network, as determined by the number of players. Several players may connect the necessary number of cities (or more) in the same round.

As a reminder, we supply an oblong Step 2 barrier which players place on the border in front of the matching space of the scoring track for connected cities.

At the start of Step 2 (and just this once) remove the lowest numbered power plant from the current market from the game and replace it with a new one from the power plant stack.

In Step 2, every city can be part of the networks of two players (two different houses may stand in each city). The building cost for the second house is 15 Elektro. In Step 2, players may still place the first house for 10 Elektro in an empty city. The resupply for resources during Step 2 follows the center column on the resource refill summary card.

Number of players	Connected cities
2–5	7
6	6

Step 3

When you draw the Step 3 card from the power plant stack, Step 3 begins at the beginning of the next phase of the game!

This can happen in one of two ways:

1. When the Step 3 card is drawn in Phase 2 (Auction Power Plants), treat the card as the highest power plant for the remainder of this phase and place it at the end of the future market. Immediately shuffle the power plant stack that has the power plants that were placed under it and place it again face down. Continue the auction of power plants and draw replacements as necessary until all players have their chance to buy a new power plant or opt out.
   After finishing Phase 2, remove the lowest numbered power plant in the current market and the Step 3 card from the game. Do not draw replacements!
   Step 3 starts at the beginning of Phase 3 (Buy Resources).
2. If you draw the Step 3 card in Phase 5 (Bureaucracy), remove this card and the lowest numbered power plant in the current market from the game. Do not draw replacements. Shuffle the power plant stack as described above and place it again face down. The resupply of resources follows the values for Step 2 (center column of the resource refill summary card) a final time. Step 3 starts at the beginning of the next round (Determine Player Order).

During Step 3, there are only 6 power plants in the power plant market. Beginning with the next phase 2 (Auction Power Plants) players can bid on all 6 power plants. There is no future market in Step 3.

In Step 3, every city can be part of the networks of three players (three different houses may stand in each city). The building cost for the third house is 20 Elektro. In Step 3, players may still place the first house for 10 Elektro in an empty city (or the second house when the space is available for 15 Elektro). The resupply for resources during Step 3 follows the right column on the resource refill summary card.

Extremely rarely, Step 3 may begin before Step 2. In this case, first perform all changes for Step 2 before directly continuing with the changes for Step 3.

End of the Game and Winning the Game

The game ends immediately after Phase 4 (Build Houses) when at least one player has connected the indicated number of cities (or more) in their network, depending on the number of players.

Players may use the oblong Game End barrier to place on the border in front of the matching space of the scoring track for connected cities. Players may connect additional cities beyond the number needed to end the game, if they need them to win.

In the following Phase 5 (Bureaucracy) players do not earn money for powering cities. Instead, they check to see which player supplies electricity to the most cities in their network using the resources and power plants they have. This is the number of cities they normally earn cash from during this phase. The player who can power the most cities wins the game! If there is a tie, the player with the most remaining money wins.

Important: Sometimes a player other than the one ending the game (by connecting the appropriate number of cities) will win because the latter cannot supply electricity to all their cities, either because their power plants are not large enough to run all their cities or because they do not have sufficient resources to run the power plants they have.

Number of players	Connected cities
2	18
3–4	17
5	15
6	14

Power grid for 2 players: “Against the Trust“

Introduction

While challenging the single opponent, players are confronted with the schemes of an old-established Trust. This Trust blocks cities and snags the most attractive power plants, while consuming the matching resources.

All rules of the base game are in effect. Below you find all ADDITIONAL rules that let the Trust interfere in your games.

Preparation

1. The Trust needs its own space next to the game board, where it places its own power plants. The Trust gets 16 houses of its own color, plus one additional house for player order (The trust does not place a house on the scoring track for connected cities). The Trust does not get any money.
2. Randomly determine the first player (one of the two players) and place one of their houses on space 1 of the player order. During the whole game, the Trust is ALWAYS second in player order. Place the house of the other player on space 3.
3. After choosing the contiguous playing zone of 3 adjacent areas, place 6 houses of the Trust on the number 10 spaces of 6 adjacent cities. To place these houses, the starting player places one Trust house on any one city of their choice. The other player places 2 houses, one at a time, adjacent to an already placed Trust house. Then the starting player places the next 2 Trust houses, using the same rules. The other player places the last house, using the same rules. The players place the remaining 10 houses of the Trust as a supply next to the game board.

For experienced Power Grid players: Default Starting Cities - First, the players determine the 6 starting cities of the Trust before they choose their 2 future starting cities. When they mark these two cities with uranium tokens, they also place a house of the Trust on the space numbered 15 of these cities. Thus, the Trust starts the game with only 8 houses in its supply.

Playing the game

General Rules

The Trust does not use money; it takes power plants and resources for free. Its houses are placed in cities without any costs. The Trust does not trigger Step 2. Its houses only block the first or second spaces of the cities.

Phase 1: Determine Player Order

The Trust is always second in player order!

Phase 2: Auction Power Plants

The first player chooses a power plant in the current market to start the auction or they opt out. Only the two players bid for the power plants, the Trust never participates in the auctions.

After one of the two players has bought a power plant, or after the first player opted out, the Trust takes the biggest (fourth) power plant in the current market and places it next to its supply of houses. There is no auction for this power plant!

If the Trust owns 3 power plants, it takes a new power plant from the market only if the power plant in the market has a bigger number than the smallest power plant owned by the Trust. The Trust always takes a higher numbered power plant when it is available. In this case the Trust scraps its smallest power plant and removes it from play.

Phase 3: Buying Resources

The Trust always takes all the necessary resource tokens for all of its power plants for a normal production, so it supplies electricity with all of its power plants during phase 5 (Bureaucracy). It never stores resources in its power plants.

If there are not enough resource tokens in the market, the Trust takes as many as possible. If the Trust owns a hybrid power plant, it alternately takes 1 coal and 1 oil, as long as both resource types are available (it always starts with coal).

Phase 4: Building Houses

During Step 1 of the game, players cannot connect to the six cities, where the players placed the Trust’s houses on the spaces numbered 10 during the preparation. These cities are only available when Step 2 of the game starts.

As long as the Trust has houses in its supply, each time a player connects a new (empty) city, they always place a house of the Trust on the space numbered 15 of that city. Thus, the first 10 cities connected by the players are blocked during Step 2 and can only be connected by the other player during Step 3 of the game.

Phase 5: Bureaucracy

The Trust places all resource tokens from its power plants back into the supply next to the resource market.

End of the Game

The game ends immediately after phase 4 (Build Houses) when at least one player has connected 18 or more cities in their network. The Trust cannot win – it only offers many possibilities to place obstacles in the way of the players.

Overview: “The Phases of a Round” / “The 3 Steps of the Game”

Phase 1: Determine Player Order

Rearrange the order of the houses in the top row of the player order.

• First player: the player with the most cities in their network.
• In case of a tie: the player with the bigger power plant.

Phase 2: Auction Power Plants

This phase is played in player order beginning with the first player.

a) Choose a power plant for auction

• The player chooses one of the four power plants in the current market.
• The players bid in clockwise order. The minimum bid matches the number of the power plant.
• Per round, each player may buy at most one power plant. Each player can own only 3 power plants at any time.
• The smallest power plant in the current market gets the discount token. The minimum bid on this power plant is reduced to 1 Elektro.

b) Pass the auction

• If a player opts out of this phase, they cannot bid on any auction and do not get any power plant in this round.
• During the first round each player must buy a power plant and may not opt out of this phase!

After the first round auction as a once off determine player order again.

Phase 3: Buying Resources

This phase is played in reverse player order beginning with the last player.

• The player buys the resource tokens they want, as long as they can pay for them and store them on their power plants.
• Each power plant may only store up to twice as many resources as needed for production.

Phase 4: Building Houses

This phase is played in reverse player order beginning with the last player.

• Each player may choose their starting city anywhere in the contiguous playing zone!
• The player connects to any desired number of new cities during their turn, as long as they can pay for them.
• Costs: building costs in the city plus connecting costs between the cities.

Phase 5: Bureaucracy

1. Earning cash
   Each player earns cash from the bank based on the number of cities they power as shown on the payment summary card.
2. Resupply the resource market Based on the number of players and the current Step of the game, resupply the resource market with resource tokens from the supply, using the resource refill summary card.
3. Update the power plant market
   a) During Step 1 and Step 2: place the biggest power plant in the future market below the power plant stack.
   b) During Step 3: remove the smallest power plant in the current market from the game.

Step 1

• The game starts with Step 1.
• Every city can only be part of the network of a single player. The building cost for the first house is 10 Elektro.
• The resupply for resources follows the left column on the resource refill summary card.

Step 2

• Step 2 starts at the beginning of Phase 5 (Bureaucracy) after at least one player connected a certain number of cities to their network in phase 4.
• At the start of Step 2 (and just this once) remove the lowest numbered power plant from the current market from the game, and replace it with a new one from the power plant stack.
• Every city can be part of the networks of two players. The building cost for the second house is 15 Elektro.
• The resupply for resources follows the center column on the resource refill summary card.

Step 3

• When the Step 3 card is drawn from the power plant stack, Step 3 begins at the beginning of the next phase of the game.
• At the start of Step 3, remove the card Step 3 and the smallest power plant in the current market from the game. During Step 3, there are only 6 power plants in the power plant market. Players can bid on all 6 of these power plants.
• Every city can be part of the networks of three players. The building cost for the third house is 20 Elektro.
• The resupply for resources follows the right column on the resource refill summary card.
• In rare occasions Step 3 may start before Step 2, in this case first perform all the changes for Step 2.