Power Grid (2004)

Power Grid is the updated release of the Friedemann Friese crayon game Funkenschlag. It removes the crayon aspect from network building in the original edition, while retaining the fluctuating commodities market like McMulti and an auction round intensity reminiscent of The Princes of Florence.

The object of Power Grid is to supply the most cities with power when someone's network gains a predetermined size. In this new edition, players mark pre-existing routes between cities for connection, and then bid against each other to purchase the power plants that they use to power their cities.

However, as plants are purchased, newer, more efficient plants become available, so by merely purchasing, you're potentially allowing others access to superior equipment.

Additionally, players must acquire the raw materials (coal, oil, garbage, and uranium) needed to power said plants (except for the 'renewable' windfarm/ solar plants, which require no fuel), making it a constant struggle to upgrade your plants for maximum efficiency while still retaining enough wealth to quickly expand your network to get the cheapest routes.

This entry is for the original Power Grid; for the new French printing by Filosofia, go to Mégawatts.

Re-implements:

• Funkenschlag

Re-implemented by:

• Funkenschlag: EnBW Edition
• Mégawatts

Expanded by:

• Power Grid: France/Italy
• Power Grid: Benelux/Central Europe
• Atolla Modulis (Fan Expansion for Funkenschlag) (unofficial)
• Power Grid: The New Power Plants Cards
• Power Grid: China/Korea
• Power Grid: Brazil/Spain & Portugal
• Hoogspanning - Uitbreding Benelux (This Dutch expansion box includes Power Grid: Benelux/Central Europe and Power Grid: The New Power Plants Cards)
• Power Grid: Russia & Japan

Promotional cards:

• Funkenschlag: Flux-Generator
• Funkenschlag: Umspannwerk

The expansions Power Grid: France/Italy, Power Grid: Benelux/Central Europe, Power Grid: China/Korea, Power Grid: Brazil/Spain & Portugal and Power Grid: Russia & Japan include new double-sided game boards. These change the game by not only changing the characteristics of the geography, but also by changing the rules for power plant availability, resource availability, tying plant ownership and/or resource availability and/or price to geographic regions on the map, etc.

The EnBW and Mégawatts editions are the same base game bundled with different boards (Baden-Württemberg/Germany and Québec/France respectively.) The Baden-Württemberg and Québec maps are not available separately, nor is the USA/Germany map (provided as part of the base game) available separately to owners of those editions.

Awards

• 2010 BoardGameGeek Geek Madness Tournament Champion and Aldie Award Winner
• 2009 Juego del ano (Spain), Nomination
• 2008 BoardGameGeek Geek Madness Tournament Champion and Aldie Award Winner
• 2008 Lucca Games Best of Show (Italy), Winner, Best Board Game
• 2008 Lucca Games Best of Show (Italy), Side Award Best Game Mechanic
• 2007 BoardGameGeek Geek Madness Tournament Champion and Aldie Award Winner
• 2007 Gra Roku (Poland) Winner.
• 2006 BoardGameGeek Geek Madness Tournament Champion and Aldie Award Winner
• 2005 Spiel des Jahres Recommendation.
• 2004 Meeples' Choice Award Winner.
• 2004 Tric Trac d'Argent Winner.

Microbadges

Online Play

• BrettspielWelt (real-time)
• http://boardgames.famdepaus.nl/FS/ (turn-based)

Solitaire Play:

• http://sourceforge.net/projects/powergrid/

Contents:

• 1 Gameboard
• 132 Wooden Houses (22 Each in 6 Different Colors)
• 84 Wooden Resource Tokens:
  • 24 Coal (Brown)
  • 24 Oil (Black)
  • 24 Garbage (Yellow)
  • 12 Uranium (Red)
• Money (Elektros)
• 5 Summary Cards
• 43 Power Plant Cards
• Rulebook