Building and Stores

Brick & Mortar rules and reference.

Store layout

A Store’s upper-right corner shows purchase price and utilities; its lower-left corner shows final points. Capacity is per item type, across all that type’s shelves combined. New crates go on the top shelf unless an effect says otherwise. Capacity and shelf colors specify what a Store can hold.

Before January

Outside a first game, deal each player 4 regular Store Cards. Draft one at a time, passing the rest clockwise, until everyone has 3; discard the last remaining cards face down. Starting Stores are separate and never join this draft.

For a first game, use the preset hands instead.

Buy a store

From February onward, each player may purchase at most one Store in the month. On your opportunity, buy a card from your hand at its printed cost, start an auction for a public Store, or pass. Hand cards are not replaced.

Only the four cards in the public row can be auctioned; the face-up card on top of the deck is a preview. Open bidding at least at the printed cost. In turn order, eligible players must raise the current offer or leave this auction. Someone who already bought a Store or passed their own purchasing opportunity is ineligible. Dropping out of someone else’s auction does not forfeit your later opportunity.

The winner pays their bid to the bank and takes the Store, taking debt if necessary. If the auction starter loses, they retain their purchasing opportunity and may start another auction or buy from hand. Shift the public row, add the preview card and reveal a new preview.

Open and close

After buying or passing, you may close any number of your Stores. Remove closed Stores from the game and return their crates to the general supply. Slide remaining Stores left to eliminate gaps. You may then open the newly purchased Store in the leftmost empty slot. It starts empty unless an ability supplies it.

Buying does not oblige you to open the new Store: you can remove it from the game instead. You may close Stores even when you passed on buying. If opening or closing causes point gains or affects someone else’s buying decision, resolve the relevant decisions in turn order.

Refresh public stores

After everyone manages their building, discard the oldest public Store and bring the preview into the row. Reveal a new preview. If nobody bought a public Store this month, discard and replace all four public cards instead, then reveal a new preview.

Fulfillment Centers

These provide private demand, not storage. They have no stocking capacity and do not hold crates between phases. Their owner can deliver matching crates from other Stores during Sale. They do not remove competition in the shared demand market. If valid private demand is available, you cannot discard a committed crate as surplus instead of selling it there.