The great and field wars loved and in some ways coveted by the bravest orcs no longer exist, the world around them is changing and in order not to remain with axes in hand, our dangerous "heroes" decide to leave aside the path of war to embrace the art of entrepreneurship. With this compelling premise, Orconomics introduces himself to the players, trying to dispel the myth of the orcs, which sees them simply as warriors eager only for blood, to project them into the world of economics.
Orc Start-ups and Economies of Scale
Orconomics is a game for 2-5 players, who will compete to gain market leadership and become the new business tycoons. From now on for the orcs of Ares Games wars will no longer be their greatest danger, but they will have to deal with the risk of the "CRISIS". Currently the stock is on the Kickstarter platform seeking funding; this new edition will allow you with just $ 49 to get 50 miniatures of buildings and tokens that will not be included in any retail version. Orconomics was designed by Fyodor Korzhenkov and Timofey Bokarev and published by Ares Games, with illustrations by Anton Kvasovarov and Anastasia Mazeina. The setup of the game board with the cards to be assigned is really simple, quick to set up and perfect for quick games (the duration is estimated around 60 minutes).
The Orconomics game board is made up of 11 pieces numbered from 1 to 12, to be assembled quickly; the instructions recommend for the first game to assemble them in numerical order, while once you gain confidence you can aim to assemble it randomly (much more valid option). Within the title, players will be able to use different types of cards:
- The Industry cards that players will use to obtain advantages over their competitors
- Sector cards are used to position or promote startups and to exercise their sector skills. Using them wisely is the key to victory.
- Mission cards can be earned by completing the requirements listed on them. They count to 1 victory point each.
Tokens represent companies and startups. The activity token shows which industry sector is currently active while the crisis token ignores the income or losses of a sector, but directly applies a malus. The gold and silver skulls serve as in-game currency, each gold token equals 4 silver tokens.
gameplay
Once the game board has been prepared and the colors of your companies have been chosen (there are only 10 company tokens, a dynamic not to be underestimated), the players launched with this Orconomics will have to decide (randomly or arbitrarily) who will be the first player; once you are ready, the first player will collect 5 gold skulls, the player to his right 5 gold and one silver skull, the one still to his right 5 gold and 2 silver and so on for each player.
Shuffle the deck of mission cards and draw the first three cards, each time a player manages to meet the requirements of one of these missions he will receive a victory point, the game ends when one of the players manages to score 11 VPs (Victory Points). Once you have seen the first missions, shuffle the deck of industry cards and deal three of these cards to each player. At this point we are ready, the first player will have to throw the two D6s to determine in which sector the token of the crisis will be placed. After this event, each player, always starting with the first and so on in a clockwise direction, will be able to place a company token in the sector in which he prefers so for another time. It should always be borne in mind that within each sector there can be a maximum of company tokens equal to the number of players +1. The setup is over and we are ready to go to war .. ah no to compete with us.
Each game turn in Orconomics is divided into 3 Phases: At the start of each participant's turn, the active player will be defined as the Oracle, he will first have to pay any interest on loans for each indebted company. Fortunately for the orcs, the stakes are of a single silver skull. But if the game is not worth the candle, these companies can be removed from the board, divesting and seeking fortune in other sectors. Once you have dealt with the banks, the Oracle will finally be able to roll the two dice of the predictions and place the token of the activity on the sector with the number corresponding to the sum of the results of the dice. If the expected result is the same as the currently active sector, the poorest player will win a gold token, the crisis token is moved to the next industry sector clockwise, and the dice are rolled again.
Once the new industrial sector has been decided, we enter the 1 phase: Players receive the income or expenses of their companies in the active sector and the two next to it. At this stage, players can decide to go into debt and receive a loan of gold in exchange. Loans never expire and as we mentioned at the beginning they always require a silver skull of interest. 2 phase: If in this sector there is still the possibility of creating a company, the players come across a fierce auction. Starting with the Oracle, they start the auction with a base of one gold token, which can only be overcome with gold tokens, whoever bids more will have the opportunity to place a company token. Industry cards that correspond to the active industry sector can also be used to pay the cost with a change of a card a golden skull.
3 phase: From this moment on, the Oracle will be able to play the industry cards it owns. The cards are divided into sectors just like the board and produce special effects. Not only can each card be played to create a start-up in the industrial sector shown within it or to promote the development of an existing one, but if you have a card in your hand corresponding to a sector where you own a company, you can decide to play it. activating its special effect (otherwise you'll need two identical ones).
When you play a startup with a sector card, you can place one of your company tokens along one of the sector edges on the card. Each board has three slots marked with red marks. When the game allows, this token drops to the bottom, at least until the three clicks are finished, at which time the token can become a company within one of the neighboring industries of your choice. The dynamics of start-ups are really nice, also because sometimes some cards or some dynamics will make your industrial proposal fail. Once the three phases are complete, the Oracle's turn comes to an end and as a last resort he can decide to buy two industry cards, at the cost of a golden skull. If a player has more than 5 industry cards in hand at the end of his turn, he must discard until he always has a maximum of 5. Finally, the two prediction dice and the oracle token are passed to the next player and the process begins again.
Simple but effective
The title Orconomics it is really simple to learn but it is not at all obvious to master. It must certainly be said that the regulation from now to the end of the Kickstarter will undergo some small changes, but on the other hand already at present it is really fun to place in the middle of the table with your playmates. In our first tests (we had to read the rules several times to fully understand it) once a game was over, we wanted to start another one right away.
This is mainly because the title in each turn keeps each player active, who must be attentive not only to their own moves, but also to those of the opponent, since there is the possibility of cheating, but if someone notices it you will run into a penance. doubled. It takes a good dose of strategy to get the victory points, many missions we have found particularly difficult to achieve and that is why we are convinced that Orconomics really is a game worthy of attention. If you think you are faced with something already seen, we can guarantee you that this is not the case. The strategies that can be brought to the table are many and each game can be faced in a different way, in addition to the fact that the randomness of the dice and the “crisis” token always offer fun situations to face.
As in real life, companies and entrepreneurs must be flexible and agile, understanding where to invest and even better to divest; timing is the key to the title. We honestly can't wait to play it in its full and definitive version, and that's why we recommend that you support the project. If you are still unsure, we leave you a link from which you can download a version of the regulation.
