Orconomics Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Game Goal
• Turn Structure
• Setup
• Start of Turn
• Winter
• Phase 1. Profit
• Phase 2. Auction
• Phase 3. Startups
  • Fate of Startups
  • New Startups
• End of Turn
• Actions at Any Moment of a Turn
• Loans
• Using Cards
• Selling Cards
• Influence Cards
• Industries
• Crisis
• Quick Reference

Components

• 50 company markers in different colours (10 markers for each player)
• 31 trophies (the more trophies you have, the closer you are to winning)
• 50 silver skulls (the word "skull" without qualification means a silver skull)
• 30 gold skulls (one gold skull equals seven silver skulls)
• 1 Crippled Orc token (given to the player with the fewest trophies)
• 2 erasable markers (for recording company prices on the game board)
• 1 game board made of 10 industry sectors and a central part (at the start of the game, assemble all the industries around the centre)
• 2 Providence dice (values from 1 to 6)
• 1 Crisis token (marks the industry where it is currently better not to go)
• 1 Oracle token (held by the player who is taking the turn)
• 1 Activity token (indicates the industry where the most interesting things are happening)
• 48 influence cards (12 different cards, four copies of each)
• 5 reference cards

The board shows:

• The bank of skulls and trophies
• The number of each industry and its activation probability (the stars)
• The Activity token
• Free companies: not owned by anyone; they can be bought at the Auction
• Player companies: marked with players' markers
• Player companies on which a loan has been taken: markers placed face down
• Startups: player markers placed on the industry illustration
• The income of each company in the industry
• The ability that the companies of the industry grant
• The Crisis token, which blocks the ability and replaces the income with -1
• The industry price record field

Game Goal

The game ends immediately as soon as someone gets the winning number of trophies. The number depends on the number of players:

• 2 players: 9
• 3 players: 8
• 4 players: 8
• 5 players: 7

When you play for the first time, you may agree to play to a larger number of trophies (but no more than 10). Keep in mind that this can significantly increase the length of the game.

Turn Structure

Start of turn

• Roll the dice
• Move the Activity token

Winter (same industry / doubles)

• Loan interest
• Movement of the Crisis
• Everyone draws one influence card

Phase 1. Profit

Phase 2. Auction

Phase 3. Startups

• Fate of existing startups
• Creation of new startups

End of turn

• Buying cards
• Passing the Oracle token

Setup

1. Assemble the game board. Lay the central part of the board on the table and attach the industry sectors to it in random order. If you are playing for the first time, it is advised to lay out the sectors in numerical order.

2. Each player chooses a colour and takes all 10 markers of that colour.

3. Pour all the skulls and trophies in a heap in the middle of the board — this is the bank. Remember: orcs always grab their loot themselves, so interfering with this is dangerous!

4. Each player takes from the bank 2 gold skulls and 7 silver skulls as starting capital. Players may exchange skulls in the bank at any time: 1 gold skull = 7 silver skulls.

5. Shuffle all the influence cards, deal 3 cards face down to each player, and place the remaining cards in one face-down deck beside the board (see "Influence Cards", page 8). Players may look at their own cards right away, to think over their tactics and choose starting companies.

6. Roll both Providence dice, add the results together and find the industry with the resulting number. Place the Crisis token in it so that it covers the income and ability symbols of the industry. The Crisis blocks the industry's ability and replaces the value of its income with -1.

7. Each player rolls one die. The player who rolls the higher number becomes the Oracle (the first player) and takes the Oracle token. This player will start the initial placement and will take the first turn. The right to move and the Oracle token pass clockwise.

8. Make the initial placement of 2 companies each on the board, occupying free companies in any industries with your markers. Starting with the Oracle, all players in clockwise order place one of their company markers (with the Orc side face up), then in reverse order each places a second company.

9. After the placement is complete, players receive trophies in accordance with the main rule.

The main rule (trophies)

Here and throughout the game: as soon as one of the players has fewer trophies than everyone else, he receives the Crippled Orc token. If several players have equally few trophies, nobody receives the token.

Possession of the Crippled Orc token allows the player to receive an additional income in every Profit phase.

The number of trophies, skulls and cards held by each player is open information. Keep them so that the others can see how many you have.

Players get trophies for presence and for leadership in industries.

A player gets 1 trophy as soon as:

• he opens his first company in an industry;
• he achieves leadership in an industry — his companies in the industry become more numerous than those of any rival (ties do not count).

A player loses 1 trophy as soon as:

• he loses his last company in an industry;
• he loses leadership in an industry.

In other words, a player's number of trophies reflects his successes on the board and always equals the sum of:

a) the number of industries where his companies are present, and b) the number of industries where he has more companies than any rival.

A single company in an industry where there are no competitors also gives leadership. So when a player opens the first and only company in an industry, he receives two trophies at once: one for presence in the industry and one for leadership in it.

Do not forget to recount trophies every time a new company appears on the board or a player takes his company off the board.

Start of Turn

The Oracle rolls both Providence dice, announces the sum of the values rolled and moves the Activity token to the industry with the corresponding number.

If the dice show identical values (doubles), or the Activity token stayed in the same industry (because the sum rolled is the same as last time), the Oracle announces the Winter phase. Otherwise, he immediately announces the Profit phase.

Winter

If this phase occurs:

• all players, starting with the Oracle and clockwise, who have loans pay the bank interest on all their loans (for how interest is calculated, see "Loans", page 7);
• the Oracle moves the Crisis token to the next industry clockwise (for more on the Crisis, see "Crisis", page 10);
• each player takes one influence card from the deck into hand.

After the Winter phase is complete, the Profit phase is carried out.

Phase 1. Profit

Each company in the active industry and in the adjacent industries brings its owner the income or loss (from the bank) indicated for its industry, and allows him to use the industry's golden ability (unlike silver abilities, which are always active).

Players go through the Profit phase in turn, starting with the Oracle and clockwise. Each player first receives the income (and/or pays the losses) for all of his companies in these industries, and only then may use the golden abilities of his companies in these industries.

If a player does not want or cannot pay the loss of a company, he loses that company and takes its marker from the board.

Do not forget to recount trophies when the number of companies on the board changes.

When all players have gone through the Profit phase, the player with the fewest trophies receives the Crippled Orc token and takes 3 skulls from the bank — a subsidy for the Crippled Orc. If several players have equally few trophies, the Crippled Orc token belongs to nobody, and nobody receives the subsidy.

Phase 2. Auction

If there are no free companies in the active industry, raise the industry price by 3 skulls and proceed immediately to the next phase — Startups.

If there are free companies in the active industry, one of them is put up for auction, with a starting price equal to the industry price shown to the left of the industry's name. If the industry price field is still empty (as happens before the first auction in an industry), the industry price is considered equal to the number of the industry (for industry 2/12 "Tourism" — 12 skulls).

Industry price record field: the auction for a free company starts at this price.

All players, starting with the Oracle and clockwise, name their bids in skulls or pass.

The first bid must be no lower than the industry price. In turn, a player may either outbid the previous bid (name a larger number of skulls) or pass. Those who pass no longer take part in the current auction. As soon as all participants except one have passed, the auction is won by that player.

Before his first bid, each player except the Oracle must pay 1 skull to the bank for the right to take part in the auction. The Oracle does not pay this fee. If a player made a bid and forgot to pay the fee, he pays 2 skulls to the bank and immediately after this may change his decision and pass.

Players must not name bids they cannot pay. If a player cannot pay his bid, he gives all his skulls to the bank and discards all his cards, keeping his companies on the board. The winner of the auction is the player who made the previous bid.

Having won the auction, the player:

• pays his bid to the bank;
• places one of his markers in a free cell of the active industry;
• records in the industry price field the sum for which he bought the company.

If all players pass at the auction without making a single bid, the industry price falls by half (rounded up).

Do not forget to recount trophies when the number of companies changes.

Phase 3. Startups

In the auction, players buy free companies, while Startups are new companies that players create. Startups are placed not in the company zone but on the industry illustration, in the startup zone.

A startup yields no income, grants no abilities, does not affect Trophies, cannot be taken as a loan base, and cannot be sold. A player may only discard his own startup, returning his marker to himself — at any moment, in any industry.

When a startup becomes a successful company, its marker moves to the company zone of that industry (even if there are no free cells there).

Fate of Startups

If startups already exist in the active industry and in the adjacent industries, one of them may become a full company.

To turn a startup into a company, the owner only needs to discard 1 influence card of any kind. However, only one startup may become a company in a single turn.

If there are several startups of different players in the active and adjacent industries, these players bid among themselves for the right to turn their startup into a company. Bids in this bidding are made in influence cards. The minimum bid is one card.

Players name bids in turn, starting with the Oracle and clockwise (only those players who have startups in these three industries). The next player may either outbid the previous bid or pass. One may not name a bid that the player cannot pay. Those who pass no longer take part in the current bidding. If after a bid all the other players have passed, the bidding ends with the victory of the player who named the last bid.

Having won the bidding, the player:

• discards from hand the number of cards he named;
• chooses one of his startups in the active or an adjacent industry;
• moves the startup's marker to the company zone of the same industry — taking the place of a free company, if the industry has free companies, or placing the marker next to the other company markers, if there are no free companies in the industry.

Do not forget to recount trophies when the number of companies changes.

New Startups

Each player, starting with the Oracle and clockwise, may create one (1) startup in the active industry or in the adjacent industries by paying 3 skulls to the bank and placing his marker in the startup zone (on the industry illustration) in any of the three industries.

End of Turn

Each player, starting with the Oracle and clockwise, may take into hand one (1) influence card from the deck, paying 7 skulls to the bank for it.

Then the Oracle token passes to the next player clockwise, and the next turn begins.

Actions at Any Moment of a Turn

Removing companies and startups

A player may take his company or startup marker off the board at any moment. This includes bidding at an auction without having free markers in hand; but if he wins such an auction, he must free a marker to occupy the new company.

When removing a company marker from the board, do not forget to recount Trophies.

Discarding companies and startups

Players are limited by the number of markers for their companies. Therefore, players sometimes need to discard a less essential startup or company in order to create a new one. When discarding a mortgaged company, the player does not return the loan sum to the bank and does not pay interest (even in the Winter phase).

Loans

At any moment, players may take loans against their companies, but only in the active and adjacent industries. To do this, the player mortgages a company — turns its marker over (face down) — and receives 7 skulls from the bank. A mortgaged company remains a full company: it yields income, gives access to the industry's ability, and is counted for trophies. However, one may not take a second loan against an already mortgaged company.

At each Winter phase, every player pays interest on all of his loans. For each mortgaged company, the player must pay as many skulls as there are markers of all players (companies and startups) in its industry. The markers of mortgaged companies also count.

Example: in the Transport industry, a player has two mortgaged companies and one startup, and his rival has one company and two startups. The total number of markers in the industry is six. At Winter, the player must pay 12 skulls in loan interest in Transport — 6 skulls for each of his mortgaged companies.

If a player cannot or does not want to pay interest on a mortgaged company, he loses that company and takes its marker from the board into his hand.

A player may repay any of his loans in any industry at any time by returning 7 skulls to the bank and paying the interest on the loan. After this, the mortgaged company's marker is turned face up again.

Using Cards

Players may play influence cards on any turn, but only when the conditions printed on the card are met (for example, in a certain phase or when a certain event occurs).

To play a card, the player lays it face up on the table, reads its text aloud, names the player against whom the card is played (if the card has a targeted effect), and carries out the card's effect. A played card goes to the discard pile.

Discarded cards lie face up in one pile beside the deck, so players always see the top card of the discard pile. If the influence card deck runs out, shuffle the discard pile and use it as a new deck.

Some cards show a difficulty of use — a value from 2 to 6. When playing such a card, the player must roll one die, and if the value rolled is less than the difficulty, the card goes to the discard pile without effect. After an unsuccessful roll, the player may improve the result by discarding one or more cards from hand: each adds 1 to the value on the die.

If several players want to play influence cards at the same time, they play them in turn, starting with the Oracle and clockwise.

Nothing may interrupt the resolution of an already opened card — for example, taking a loan or playing other cards — except the cards "Security Service" and "Consultants", which are played out of turn at the appropriate moment.

Selling Cards

At any moment, a player may sell two identical cards: he discards them and receives 2 gold skulls from the bank.

Important: taking loans in the active and adjacent industries, and selling pairs of identical cards, can be done by players at any moment. That is, a player may name bids at auction that exceed the number of skulls he has on hand, counting on being able to pay if he wins the auction.

Influence Cards

• Security Service — Immediately after playing any card: cancel the card played (before the difficulty check die is rolled).
• Exploitation — Profit phase: your companies in the active and adjacent industries again yield income and allow you to use golden abilities. In industries with negative income, the sums you must pay are also doubled.
• Industrial Espionage — Any time: for free, create a startup in any industry. You may also create a startup at the beginning of the Startups phase — before the Fate of Startups is resolved.
• Veto — Auction or Fate of Startups: choose a player. He drops out of the current auction for a company, or out of the bidding for the right to make a company from a startup. His last bid is cancelled, as if it had never been named. But all bids named by other players remain in force.
• Tax Audit — End of turn phase: take a random card from the hand of the chosen player.
• Informant — Any time: take into hand the top card of the discard pile (except "Informant").
• Payment Deferral — Winter phase: in this phase you do not pay interest on all your loans.
• Lobby — Any time: move the Crisis token to any industry.
• Switched Documents — Auction phase: the winner of the auction pays his bid to you. If several players in a row have played such cards, the bid is paid to the one who played it last.
• Easy Deal — Any time: sell any of your companies for its industry price. Take any of your company markers from the board and receive that industry's value from the bank. The industry price falls by half (rounded up). When selling a mortgaged company, immediately after the sale return the loan sum — 7 skulls — to the bank, without paying interest (even in the Winter phase).

Industries

Companies opened in different industries give their owners different income and different abilities. Abilities come in two kinds: silver and golden. Silver abilities act constantly; golden abilities are used only after income has been received (or a loss paid) in that industry.

2/12. Tourism — An industry with negative income: the player pays 3 skulls for each of his companies in this industry (losing the companies for which he cannot or does not want to pay). Then he may take 1 influence card from the deck for each of his companies in this industry.

3. Cattle Breeding — Each company of the player in this industry reduces for him by 1 skull the price of buying an influence card at the end of the turn.

4. Communications — For each of his companies in this industry, the player receives 1 skull from the bank each time someone in the game takes a loan.

5. Innovations — Each company of the player reduces for him by 1 skull the price of creating startups. If the player has 3 or more companies in the industry, he creates startups for free.

6. Food Industry — An industry with negative income: the player pays 2 skulls for each of his companies in this industry (losing the companies for which he cannot or does not want to pay). Then he may move each of his companies from this industry onto the place of any free company in any other industry. (After the move, the companies do not yield income and golden abilities again in this same phase.)

7. Transport — Each company of the player in this industry, after it yields income, allows him to discard 1 card and receive 8 skulls from the bank.

8. Totemism — Each company of the player in this industry, after it yields income, allows him to move the Crisis token to an adjacent industry. This may affect the receipt of income and the use of abilities by other players already in the current phase.

9. Banking — Each company of the player in this industry allows him not to pay interest in the Winter phase on one mortgaged company of his choice.

10. Smuggling — Each company of the player in this industry reduces for him by 1 the difficulty of using influence cards.

11. Arms Manufacturing — An industry with negative income: the player pays 1 skull for each of his companies in this industry (losing the companies for which he cannot or does not want to pay). For each of his companies in this industry, the player receives an Influence Card after each conversion of his startup into a company (in any industry).

Crisis

The Crisis token is placed in an industry, covering its income and ability icons. The industry's ability is blocked, and its income value is replaced with -1.

The Crisis token moves:

• in the Winter phase, after the loan interest has been paid (clockwise);
• by the "Totemism" industry ability (to one of the adjacent industries);
• by the "Lobby" influence card (to any industry).

Quick Reference

The reference card at the end of the rulebook summarises the turn:

• Start of turn: roll the dice; activate the industry.
• Winter (same industry / doubles): loan interest; movement of the Crisis; everyone draws one card.
• Phase 1. Profit: income and golden abilities; Crippled Orc subsidy.
• Phase 2. Auction: auction for free companies.
• Phase 3. Startups: fate of existing startups; creation of new startups.
• End of turn: buying cards; passing the Oracle token.
• Playable in any phase: taking a loan; selling a pair of identical cards; discarding a company or startup.