Orconomics (Second Edition) Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
  • Game Board
• Game Overview
• Set-Up
• Turn Sequence
  • Start of a Turn
  • Stage 1. Profits & Losses
  • Stage 2. Auction
  • Stage 3. Development
  • End of a Turn
• Let's Start!
  • Start of a Turn
  • Embargo
  • Loans
• Stage 1. Profits & Losses
• Stage 2. Auction
• Stage 3. Development
• End of a Turn
• Actions Allowed at Any Point in a Turn
  • Removing a Company or Startup
  • Completing Quests
• Startups
  • Creating a Startup
  • Promoting a Startup
• Industry Cards
  • Tourism (2 and 12)
  • Livestock (3)
  • Communication (4)
  • Innovations (5)
  • Food Processing (6)
  • Transportation (7)
  • Totemology (8)
  • Banking (9)
  • Smuggling (10)
  • Weaponcrafting (11)
• Quest Cards
  • Quests of Dare
  • Quests of Rage
  • Quests of Greed

Components

• 50 Company tokens in 5 colors (10 per player). Each token has an "Orc" side (face up when placed as a Company) and a "Bones" side (used to mark a Loan).
• 40 Industry cards. Used to play Industry Abilities, create or promote Startups, and during Auctions instead of Gold Skulls.
• 16 Quest cards.
• 5 Player Reference cards.
• 1 Game Board, composed of 10 Industry sectors and a central section.
• 50 Silver Skulls. Skulls are the base currency.
• 30 Gold Skulls. 1 Gold Skull is equal to 4 Silver Skulls.
• 1 Activity token. Indicates the Industry where all the fun is going on.
• 1 Crisis token. Overrides the normal Income Value for the affected Industry with a "-2".
• 1 Oracle token. Indicates the active player (the Oracle).
• 2 Forecast dice.

Game Board

Before you start, arrange all Industry sectors around the central section. The board key is:

• A. Skull Bank.
• B. Industry Number. The dice roll value that activates the Industry (stars indicate the likelihood of activation).
• C. Activity token.
• D. Industry Type.
• E. Company Area of an Industry.
• F. Company. A player's Company token placed in the Company Area.
• G. Company with Loan. Marked by flipping the Company token.
• H. Startup Bases. Spaces where Startups are placed or moved to.
• I. Startups. Company tokens on their way to become an actual Company.
• J. Income Value. Indicates the Profit/Loss for each Company in that Industry.
• K. Crisis token. Overrides the Income Value of the affected Industry with a "-2".

Game Overview

Orconomics is a game for 2 to 5 players, competing against each other to establish Companies in different Industries.

Companies are the main source of Victory Points (VPs). They also generate Profits/Losses and help players to use Industry Abilities.

Players are awarded 1 VP per Company owned and 1 VP per Quest completed.

The game ends as soon as the first player gains 11 VPs (in a 4-5 player game) or 12 VPs (in a 2-3 player game), at any time during a turn. That player is declared the winner.

Keep in mind that you have only 10 Company tokens, so you can get a maximum of 10 VPs for Companies, and you must get the rest of the required VPs by completing Quests.

Set-Up

1. Put the game board together by placing the central section in the center of the table and arranging the Industry sectors around it in a random order.

2. Each player chooses a color and takes all of the 10 Company tokens of that color.

3. Put all of the Skulls in the central section to create the Bank.

4. All players roll the Forecast dice. The one with the highest total gets the Oracle token and the Forecast dice (if there's a tie, the tied players roll again until there isn't one).

   Later, the Oracle token and the dice will be passed along clockwise.

5. The Oracle takes 5 Gold Skulls from the Bank as starting capital. The next player clockwise takes 5 Gold and 1 Silver, the next one takes 5 Gold and 2 Silver, and so on.

6. Shuffle the Quest card deck and place it face down next to the game board. Draw and reveal 3 Quest cards and lay them out next to the deck.

7. Shuffle the Industry card deck (see Industry Cards, page 10), deal 3 cards to each player, and place the deck face down next to the game board.

8. Roll the Forecast dice and place the Crisis token in the Industry matching the total rolled on the dice, on top of the Profit/Loss figure.

9. Starting with the Oracle, and proceeding clockwise, each player places one of their Company tokens ("Orc" face up) onto the Company Area of any Industry of their choice. Proceeding in the same order, each player then places a second Company token.

   The total number of Company tokens placed in each Industry cannot be higher than the number of players.

At any time during the game, players are free to exchange their Skulls at the Bank at the rate of 1 Gold = 4 Silver.

Turn Sequence

Start of a Turn

1. The Oracle pays interest on their Loans.
2. The Oracle rolls the Forecast dice to determine the Active Industry.
3. Embargo (only if the dice total indicates the Industry that already has the Activity token), see below.

Stage 1. Profits & Losses

1. Startups are promoted.
2. Companies generate Profits/Losses.

Stage 2. Auction

1. If the Active Industry is not full, an Auction is held to create one new Company there.

Stage 3. Development

1. The Oracle plays Industry cards for their Industry Abilities and/or to create or promote Startups.

End of a Turn

1. The Oracle draws new Industry cards.
2. The Oracle hands over the Forecast dice and Oracle token to the player to their left.

Let's Start!

The Oracle starts the turn, announces each stage played in a turn, and ensures that all players observe the required sequence of actions.

Start of a Turn

The Oracle pays interest of 1 Silver Skull on each of their Loans (if any) to the Bank.

If unable or unwilling to pay the interest due, the Oracle must lose one Company. The Oracle player removes one of their Company tokens from the board and takes it back. Only one Company is removed regardless of the amount of unpaid interest, and the Company removed need not necessarily be one with a Loan.

If the Oracle does not pay interest properly, and another player points this out before the End of Turn Stage, the Oracle must pay the missing interest amount to that player instead of to the Bank, or give a Company to that player, if the Oracle is unable or unwilling to pay. In the latter case, the Company token is replaced with a token of the new owner, keeping it on the same side ("Orc" or "Bones").

Then, the Oracle rolls the Forecast dice, announces the dice total, and moves the Activity token to the Industry with the corresponding number. The Industry with the Activity token is the Active Industry for this turn.

Embargo

If the dice total indicates the same Industry that already has the Activity token, complete the following steps:

1. Move the Crisis token clockwise to the next Industry sector.
2. Deal everyone 1 Industry card, starting with the Oracle.
3. Go directly to the Development Stage (skip Stage 1 and Stage 2).

Loans

Any time a Company generates its Profit/Loss (not only during Stage 1), its owner is allowed to take out a Loan against that Company, if that Company is free from Loans. To take out a Loan, the player flips that Company token ("Bones" side up) and gets 1 Gold Skull from the Bank, to pay Losses due, or the player can just keep the Gold!

For each Loan a player has, they must pay interest of 1 Silver Skull to the Bank when they start their turn as the Oracle. Loans are normally endless: Orcs never pay off their Loans!

Stage 1. Profits & Losses

Promote the Startups on both borders of the Active Industry. The Startups closer to the Company Area must move first, then proceed with those on the inner Bases. Each Startup advances one step toward the Company Area (see Startups).

Then, each Company in the current Active Industry and in each of the two adjacent Industries generates a Profit or Loss for its owner. The Profit (or Loss), in Silver Skulls, is indicated by the Income Value (numbered Skull symbol) in the Industry sector.

The Crisis token overrides the Income Value for the affected Industry with a "-2".

Each player announces the total of their Profits/Losses and takes the Skulls from (or pays the Skulls to) the Bank.

If a player is unable or unwilling to pay for their Losses, they must lose one Company. The player removes one of their Company tokens from the board and takes it back. Only one Company is removed regardless of the amount of unpaid Losses, and the Company removed need not necessarily be one of those generating Losses. If the removed Company had a Loan, this Loan is discharged without paying it off.

Stage 2. Auction

This stage is only performed in the Active Industry.

If the number of Companies (Startups are not counted as Companies) in the Active Industry is equal to or exceeds the number of players, that Industry is full. New Companies can be created there only when promoting Startups. Skip the Auction in that Industry, and move on directly to the Development Stage.

Otherwise, start an Auction to create 1 new Company in the Active Industry.

Starting with the Oracle and proceeding clockwise, each player either calls out a bid or passes. A new bid must be any whole number of Gold Skulls greater than the previous one called in this Auction (the first called bid must be not less than 1 Gold Skull). Players who decide to pass cannot make a new bid later in this Auction.

The Auction continues until no player is willing to raise the bid, then the highest bidding player wins the Auction. That player is required to:

• pay the called bid to the Bank;
• place one of their Company tokens into the Company Area of the Active Industry.

If they do not have an available token, they must take back one used token (either a Company or Startup) and use it for the new Company. If the removed Company had a Loan, this Loan is discharged without paying it off.

To pay any part of the bid, the winner of the Auction can discard Industry cards of the Active Industry from their hand, at the rate of 1 card per Gold Skull.

During the Auction, players must not bid more than they can afford to pay. However, they are allowed to bid more than their number of Gold Skulls in hand, if they can pay the difference with their Active Industry cards.

Stage 3. Development

This stage can be performed in any Industry, but only by the Oracle.

The Oracle is free to play any or all of their Industry cards, choosing one of the following options for each played card:

• Use an Industry Ability.
• Create/Promote a Startup.

To use an Industry Ability, the Oracle simply plays a matching card, if they have a Company in that Industry. If the Oracle does not have a Company there, they must additionally discard another Industry card (from either the same or a different Industry).

To create or promote a Startup, the Oracle must play 1 card of the Industry where they want to create or promote the Startup. See Startups for details.

Cards that have been played go to the discard pile, next to the deck, face up. As soon as the Industry card deck is empty, shuffle the discard pile and use it as the new draw deck.

End of a Turn

At the end of the turn, the Oracle draws 1 new Industry card for free and may buy 1, and only 1, additional Industry card by paying 1 Gold Skull to the Bank.

If the Oracle has more than 5 cards in their hand at the end of the turn, they are required to discard the card (or cards) in excess.

Finally, the Forecast dice and the Oracle token are handed over to the following player clockwise, who becomes the new Oracle. The next turn begins.

Actions Allowed at Any Point in a Turn

Removing a Company or Startup

Since players have only a limited number of Company tokens available, they may sometimes need to remove a Company or Startup in order to create a new one. Players can take back their Company or Startup tokens from the board only when they need to create a new Company or Startup and they don't have unused tokens. Players can also make their bids during an Auction without having a spare token in hand; however, they will be required to remove another token and place their new Company if they win.

When removing a Company with a Loan, a player is not required to pay that Loan back to the Bank, or to pay any further interest afterwards.

Completing Quests

As soon as a player completes (and claims) the challenge of a Quest, they take that Quest card and gain 1 Victory Point.

When a completed Quest card has been claimed, another one is drawn and revealed to take its place.

In case a Quest turns out to have been completed at the moment it is revealed, or in case 2 or more players claim to have completed the Quest at the same moment, that Quest card is discarded (removed from the game), and a new one is revealed.

Startups

While all players may participate in the Auction to create a Company, the Oracle can also launch new Startups during the Development Stage.

Startups do not count for Victory Points, do not generate Profits/Losses, and do not qualify for Loans until they are converted into Companies (promoted down to the Company Area).

Creating a Startup

To CREATE a Startup, the Oracle plays one of their Industry cards, chooses either border of that Industry, and places 1 of their Company tokens on the first (that is, closest to the center) free Base of that border. A Startup may not be created on a border without any free Bases.

If the next Base(s) are occupied, then the Startup jumps over other Startups, down to the next free Base. The Startup can even jump right into the Company Area, if there are no free Bases below it.

Example: The red player plays 2 Totemology Industry cards to create 2 Startups on the border between Totemology and Tourism. The blue player already has a Startup on the second Base. The first red Startup is placed on the top Base on the chosen border, and the second one goes directly on the third Base, because it is now the first free Base on that border.

Promoting a Startup

To PROMOTE a Startup, the Oracle plays an Industry card and advances any one of their Startups on either border of that Industry 1 Base down, or into the Company Area of either of the two adjacent Industries, if it was on the third Base already.

Example: The red player plays 1 Tourism Industry card to promote one of her Startups on the border of that Industry. The chosen Startup jumps over the other Startups (including her own) and becomes a Company in either Industry adjacent to its border (either Tourism or Totemology).

As soon as a Startup advances into the Company Area, it becomes a proper Company.

Startups can enter even full Industries (that is, Industries where the number of Companies is equal to or greater than the number of players).

If multiple Startups owned by different players qualify to become Companies at the same moment, Company placement is chosen starting with the Oracle (if the Oracle is involved) and proceeding clockwise.

Startups also advance during Stage 1 of each turn. Each time a new Industry is activated (the Activity token is placed into it), all Startups on both borders of the Active Industry move 1 Base down, starting with the Startups on the Bases closest to the Company Area. Startups do not advance during the Embargo sequence, as Stage 1 is skipped.

Industry Cards

Industry cards can be played to use Industry Abilities, played to create or promote Startups, or discarded to be used as Gold during Auctions. Remember that the cards in your hand are limited to 5 at the end of your turn.

Industry cards are listed below by their Industry number (the dice total that activates the Industry) and name. The Industry Ability text is shown as printed on the card; the italic line is the printed clarification.

Tourism (2 and 12)

Discharge all your Loans in any one Industry for free.

Flip the Company tokens back to their "Orc" side.

Livestock (3)

Take out a Loan against another player's Company, which must be in the Active Industry or in an adjacent one.

Flip the other player's Company token of your choice to the "Bones" side, and take 1 Gold Skull from the Bank for yourself.

Communication (4)

Choose any 3 contiguous Industries. All your Companies in those Industries generate Profits/Losses.

You can also take out Loans against Companies generating Profits/Losses.

Innovations (5)

Promote all of your Startups.

This movement follows the normal rules for promoting Startups. You must first advance the Startups closer to the Company Area, then the ones on the inner Bases.

Food Processing (6)

At the end of your turn, draw 2 additional Industry cards.

You can't use these cards in the same turn, and remember that you must respect the limit of 5 cards in your hand at the end of the turn.

Transportation (7)

Move any Company (yours or not) to any Industry that is not full. The Company then immediately generates the Profit/Loss of the new Industry.

The owner can also take out a Loan against the Company generating the Profit/Loss.

Totemology (8)

Move the Crisis token to any Industry. All opponents' Companies in that Industry generate Losses, and opponents must pay their Losses to you, OR they can choose to give you 1 of their Companies instead.

The affected opponents can also take out Loans against Companies generating Losses in order to pay. If they are unable or unwilling to pay for their Losses, they must give you 1 of their Companies (in any sector, not necessarily in the one affected): replace their token with yours, keeping it on the same side.

Banking (9)

Choose a player. That player must pay you the interest for all of their Loans, OR they can choose to give you one of their Companies instead.

If the affected opponent is unable or unwilling to pay the interest, they must give you 1 of their Companies (with or without a Loan): replace their token with yours, keeping it on the same side.

Smuggling (10)

Pay 3 Gold Skulls and take any face up Quest Card, gaining 1 VP.

Another Quest is immediately revealed to replace the card you take.

Weaponcrafting (11)

Choose a player richer than you. That player must pay you 1 Gold Skull, OR they can choose to give you one of their Companies instead.

"Richer" is based on the total value of Skulls owned (4 Silver Skulls = 1 Gold Skull), not the number of tokens. If the affected opponent gives you a Company, replace their token with yours, keeping it on the same side.

Quest Cards

A player can complete and claim the challenge of a Quest to take that card and gain 1 VP.

Quests of Dare

• Own Companies in every Dare-type Industry.
• Have 2+ Startups on the third Base.
• Raise an Auction bid by 3+ Gold Skulls over the previous bid.
• Own Companies in 5+ contiguous Industries.
• Own 3+ Companies in Industries with a negative Income Value (or in a Crisis).
• Place your last available Company token.
• Have 6+ Loans against Companies.
• Have no cards and less than 1 Gold Skull.

Quests of Rage

• Own Companies in every Rage-type Industry.
• Jump over Startup(s) to create a Company.
• Gain a Company in a full Industry.
• Make 2+ jumps with Startups in 1 turn.

Quests of Greed

• Own Companies in every Greed-type Industry.
• Own 3+ Companies in the same Industry.
• Have 3 Startups on the same border.
• Buy a Company with an Auction bid of 6+ Gold Skulls.