Electric Empires

A Game of Power and Intrigue in the Gilded Age

The war of the currents is raging. Thomas Edison’s direct current is safe, cheap and simple, but weak. Nikola Tesla’s alternating current is powerful, but complicated and occasionally deadly. Which technology will power New York City and then the world?

As the leader of a fledgling electric company you must hire staff, build generators and power lines, win bids, complete projects…and sabotage the competition. Build your Electric Empire and power the gilded age.

Electric Empires is an engine-building, worker placement game set in the gilded age of New York City. A unique shared reputation mechanism balances semi-cooperative strategy with cut-throat competition. Asymmetric gameplay means different power currents require different strategies and tactics providing great replayability.

Electric Empires is played over the course of 10 years (rounds) each consisting of four quarters (turns). Each turn a player may take two actions: initiating a bid on a project, hiring or assigning workers, building generators, seeking financing or playing action cards.

Each year (round) progress must be made on active projects, debt must be retired or interest paid and maintenance must be performed on in-play power generators.

Completing projects is the main way to gain victory points. Each project represents providing power to a historic location in glided age New York City. Project contracts are acquired through bidding against competing players in terms of how much money you want to complete the project, how long it will take you and the current reputation of your electrical current AC or DC.

In addition to the workers necessary to complete a project you must build generators to supply sufficient power. These generators must be either located adjacent to the project on the gameboard or connected by powerlines which you can also build. Power can be leased either from one of two public utilities or from a competing player using the same current. Projects can be lost due to a lack of progress or malfunctions. Players can sabotage competitors' projects and potentially take them over and gain the associated victory points.

Careful planning of project bidding and generator placement is necessary to build an engine that will produce enough revenue to fund your commitments and enough energy to power projects once they are complete. If power to a completed project is disrupted, victory points from that project are not counted until power is restored.

Each year (round) a new "Annual Forecast" card is drawn which sets unique conditions for all players for the duration of the year (round).

Players may choose either Thomas Edison's preferred current, Direct Current (CD) or Nikola Tesla's Alternating Current (AC). Each has its own advantages and disadvantages leading to asymmetrical gameplay. Both currents (AC and DC) also have an associated reputation or public perception shared by all players using that current. A good reputation makes winning bids and getting financing easier. A negative reputation makes succeeding more difficult.

At the end of year (round) ten, the player with the most victory points is declared the winner.

-description from designer