Gameplay ArcHWay — Auction Mechanism in Furnace
Hi folks!
Today we’re taking a look at our new release called Furnace and talking about one of its core mechanics — auction.
In Furnace, you can gain more from losing an auction than winning it! Let’s see how it works!
Overview
Furnace is played over 4 rounds consisting of 2 phases each: Auction and Production.
During each auction, the players take turns placing one of their remaining discs on a chosen card of the current market until they have no discs left.
Each player has a set of 4 discs with the values 1–4, “4” being the highest bid and “1” being the lowest bid
The number of cards in the market equals the number of players + 4
Placement Rules
The rules are simple:
- No discs of the same color on one card
- No discs of the same value on one card
During the Auction, the players aim not only at getting the cards but also at being compensated for not getting them.
Card Anatomy
Basic side — the highest bid receives the card with this side up
Upgraded side — the second effect becomes available as soon as the card is upgraded for 1 Coal and 1 Upgrade token by its owner
Compensation effect — if there is more than 1 bid on the card, each lower bid will receive 2 Coal multiplied by the number on the disc
Basic effect — the owner of the card will be able to sell 1 Iron for 2 Coins up to 2 times during each Production Phase
Additional effect — not active yet
Basic effect — stays the same when the card gets upgraded
Additional effect — now active, the owner of the card will receive 3 Coal during each Production Phase
What’s Important
At the end of each Auction,
- The highest bid receives the card: the upper effect is available right away, the lower one unlocks when the card gets upgraded by its owner.
- All other bids get compensated and the value of the disc multiplies the compensation effect at the top of the card.
The black “1” and the yellow “2” will be compensated by gaining 1 and 2 Iron respectively
The white “3” gains the card and will be able to 1) gain 1 Iron during the Production Phase and 2) sell an Oil for 4 coins up to two times if the card gets upgraded
The yellow “1” will be able to process 1 of their Iron into 1 Oil at the end of the auction. The black “2” gains the card for now, but if outbid by the white “4” later, they will be able to process up to 2 Iron into Oil
Whoever gains the card will not be compensated for it, but it will allow processing 1 Iron into 1 Upgrade token during the Production Phase. If the card gets upgraded, the owner will also be able to sell their Iron for 2 Coins up to 4 times per Production Phase
It is also important that the cards in the market are resolved in order from left to right. The resources gained from an earlier card can be processed with another compensation effect, but not the other way around.
See the example below. There is one round of bids left until the end of the current Auction Phase: the white “4”, the yellow “3”, and the black “3” are yet to be placed:
The white “4” or any “3” discs can’t be placed here, so the white player will gain the card and no compensation
The yellow “2” will gain 2 Iron
The black “1” will gain 1 Iron
This card will be discarded if nobody places a disc here
If the white player doesn’t place their “4” here, the black “2” will gain the card and no compensation. If overbid, they will be able to process up to 2 Iron into Oil
The yellow “1” will be able to process 1 Iron into 1 Oil if they wish
If no additional discs are placed here, the white “2” wins the card
The black “4” gains the card. The yellow player may hop in with their “3” to be compensated with processing up to 3 Iron into Oil
If not outbid, the white “1” gets the card. If outbid, they will receive 2 Coal
The card will go to the yellow player. A nice chance to grab increased compensation!
Possible Tactics and Strategy
It’s up to you whether you want to:
- bid big to secure the cards you want, but at the same time let other players benefit from compensation, or
- go with your “2” or “3” first to see how everything goes, or
- play small to build yourself a resource base out of a compensation chain
Your style is your own as long as your industrial empire is effective enough.
2-Player Auction
Rolling a die for the dummy player and placing the lowest possible disc on the card adds another layer of tactical planning.
Industrialists
If played with Industrialists, some of their abilities change the auction rules for their owners in a significant way.
Remember the basic placement rules? Forget about them if you have Varvara Morozova by your side.
Need even more flexibility? With Nikolay Vtorov, you have another “2” disc you can use during the auction!
What’s Next
Next time, we’re going to take a look at the Production Phase and its nuances along with delving deeper into the game’s artwork, so stay with us!
If you want to explore Furnace on your own, the rules are available now!
