Furnace (EN)

Build an industrial business where an unsuccessful bid can still be part of a successful plan. Furnace combines competitive auctions with an expanding production system, challenging you to acquire useful companies and turn their resources into profit over four tightly paced rounds of play.

Each auction uses numbered discs, so you must think about both the company you want and the value you are prepared to commit. The highest bid takes the card, while other bidders receive compensation linked to their disc. Sometimes the resources offered for losing are exactly what your factories need.

After the auction, your companies get to work. Production and conversion abilities let you turn basic materials into more valuable outputs, and upgrades improve what individual cards can accomplish. Finding an effective order for these operations is essential: the output of one company can help fuel the next part of your business.

With only a few rounds to establish your operation, new purchases need to justify their place quickly. Furnace suits players who enjoy auctions with meaningful alternatives, compact economic games and the satisfaction of making several abilities work together. Reading your opponents' needs can be just as useful as understanding your own production opportunities.

• Players: 2–4
• Age Range: 12+
• Typical game: 30–60 minutes
• Difficulty rating: 🧠🧠½ (2.5/5)