The Estates FAQ
46 questions players ask · Updated Nov 12, 2026 · Full rulebook
Setup and Gameplay
- Can you discard a floor cube or rooftop you win at auction instead of placing it?
- Can you auction the Cancel cube when no building permit is on the board?
- Is there a zero-value Rooftop in The Estates?
- Can a player bid more money than they hold in an auction?
- Who starts the bidding in an auction, and what happens if every other player passes?
- Can you bid with Illegal Earnings?
- Does a player who holds all the money stall the game?
- Is the value of an auctioned Rooftop revealed before bidding?
- Does stowing Illegal Earnings end your turn?
- How much Illegal Earnings can you stow in one turn?
- Can players look at the Floor cube values inside buildings, including under stacks?
- Is the amount of money a player holds hidden, and must they reveal it?
- Can a player end up with no Company Certificate?
- Which pieces are invalid to put up for auction?
- Can you be forced to auction a Building Permit when no Floor cube can be placed?
- Can you choose floor cubes from the ends of the three rows, and do cubes become available after one is taken?
Placing Pieces
- Can you auction a floor cube that has no legal place to go on the board?
- Can you auction a rooftop that has no legal place to go on the board?
- Can you win a building permit, the Mayor or the Cancel cube and throw it away without using it?
- Does the Cancel cube reverse a permit's original effect, or can the player choose the direction?
- When two Building Permits are in the same row, which one does the Cancel cube remove?
- Can the Cancel cube remove a building permit if that would leave a built lot outside the row?
- Must a Building Permit be used for its full value, or can you use only part of it?
- Must a floor cube placed on another be lower than the cube beneath it, and by how much?
- Can a building permit be placed in a row before any building has started?
- Where does a Building Permit go, and can its barrier move onto a lot where a building has started?
- When a second Building Permit lands in a row that already has one, where does the first permit go?
- Can a building permit shorten a row below the number of lots already developed in it?
- What is the maximum length of a row, and can all three Building Permits go on one row?
- Does the Mayor double the score of buildings in its row?
- Who gets a Company Certificate, and can it change owners later?
- Do Building Permits show which way they moved when several share one row, or must players track it?
End of the Game
- Can a building permit reduce a row to zero length, and does that empty row count as complete?
- If only one row is complete at game end, does that row still score positive points?
- Do buildings in an incomplete row score negative points even without a Rooftop?
- Does the game end when the Rooftops run out, even if Floor cubes remain?
- Does the game end when the Floor cubes run out, even if Rooftops are still left?
- What does 'it is impossible to complete any more buildings' mean in practice?
- Does the game end as soon as no more rows can be completed?
- Does filling every available lot end the game when only unplaceable Floor cubes remain?
- Do you keep your Checks and embezzled money when a multi-round game starts the next round?
- Does leftover cash in hand score at the end of the game?
- Can you score negative building points and then add your personal Checks to reach a positive total?
- What makes a row complete?
- When does The Estates end?
- Can all three rows score negative?