Dan Q

One of my favourite games, with a slick, fast-paced mechanic that leaves everybody wishing they had “just one more turn” in order to complete their master plan.

Players use their resources (space, money, and workers) to upgrade their factory, run machines, and produce more money. Improving the energy-efficiency of the factory saves money, especially in the long run, but improving the labour-efficiency pays off quickly by freeing up your workforce to bid for turn-order (and get first pick of the best of the newly-produced machines). The cost of electricity keeps creeping up, but the rate at which it does so isn’t certain, so it takes a shrewd financial mind to play with the deepest possible strategies.

With experienced players, the game flies by and comes to a quick conclusion, but it’s often uncertain exactly who’s won until the very last second, leading to a gripping finish.

As party games go, this one provides a wonderful way to get people talking and interacting right from the word go. The scoring mechanism seems a little counterintuitive to some players, to begin with, but a few rounds and they tend to “get it” quite quickly. There’s a limited number of cards, and if you regularly play with the same people then there’s a tendency for the stories told of these to become somewhat stale, but it’s still a wonderfully light-hearted and fun casual/social game.