FAQ
62 answered questions14 official
Rules questions from the BoardGameGeek forum. Answers marked Official were confirmed by Zenwood Games or the designers.
Common mistakes
- Counting Favor for every player: only the Asset Value leader and the Influence leader compare Favor, and only when they are different players. Ruling · Rule
- Taking a normal action and a +1 Action on the same turn; a +1 token is a turn of its own. Ruling · Rule
- Moving up a sector track because you paid that sector to build; only cards, bonuses, Export and Loans (Finance) move you. Ruling · Rule
- Counting Power and Transport distance from the metro of the region you build in; it is always the metro where the pawn is. Ruling · Rule
- Rotating the Tycoon when nobody bids for an Industry; the Tycoon stays the same. Ruling · Rule
- Topping only your own earlier Industry bid; every bid must beat the current highest bid by at least 5 Cr. Ruling · Rule
- Giving the losing Policy bidders their Promoters back; they go into each player’s own Strategy Pool. Ruling · Rule
- Valuing 4th-place shares at 20 Cr; the board’s 10 Cr is correct. Ruling · Rule
- Letting the AIPL build its most valuable unbuilt Industry; it builds the oldest one, nearest its Player card. Ruling · Rule
Showing 62 of 62
When can a +1 action token be used, and can it be combined with a regular action in the same turn? Official
A: The designer says a +1 action can be taken on your turn during the actions phase, but you still take only one action per turn — you cannot spend a colored action token and then immediately a +1 token in the same turn. You may spend the +1 token before using your colored tokens, and you need not wait until your colored tokens are spent. Players with no actions left simply pass while others continue taking extra actions in turn order. Source: BGG thread Source: BGG thread
Can the Tycoon player take four actions in a round (two normal, one Tycoon, one +1)? Official
A: Yes. The designer confirms there is no limit to the number of such actions, one at a time on your turn, as long as you have the tokens. Source: BGG thread
In the industry auction, must a returning bidder exceed the current highest bid or only their own previous bid? Official
A: You must become the highest bidder overall. With bids of 50/70/80, Player A must beat 80 Cr. Confirmed by the designer. Source: BGG thread Source: BGG thread Source: BGG thread
Is bidding capped at 150 Crores (the top of the printed track)?
A: No. 150 Cr is just the highest value printed on the board; you may bid more and should track higher bids some other way. Source: BGG thread
Can you bid money you don't have by taking emergency loans? Official
A: The designer says you can take multiple emergency loans at any time to add cash, taking promissory notes accordingly. However, in a later answer he states you must not bid more than you have, and that you cannot take further loans once at the 10 promissory note limit — if you can't pay you reveal your bank and declare it. (These two answers sit in slight tension; the loan limit answer is the more restrictive one.) Source: BGG thread Source: BGG thread
Is a player's money total secret?
A: Yes, until post-endgame calculations. Source: BGG thread
If nobody bids for an industry in a round, who becomes the Tycoon?
A: The Tycoon player does not change; the previous Tycoon continues. Source: BGG thread
Are promoters collected from cards when winning an industry, as with policies? Official
A: A player noted the rulebook states this only for policy cards; the designer acknowledged the omission and said it would be updated in a future print run (implying it applies to industry cards too). Source: BGG thread Source: BGG thread
Which metro is used to calculate build distance — the metro of the region you build in, or the one where the pawn is?
A: The white pawn determines the active regional metro for that round, and all distances are measured from it. E.g. if the pawn is North (New Delhi) and you build in Bangalore, you count from New Delhi. You follow the golden road from that metro to the destination city. Source: BGG thread Source: BGG thread
When building in the regional metro itself, is the distance 1 or 2?
A: Count it only once. The metro and the destination city are both included, so the minimum cost is 1. Source: BGG thread Source: BGG thread
Do you move up the sector tracks for sectors you pay when building?
A: No — you only advance tracks when a card or bonus tells you to. The Finance track is the exception, as it advances via the loan action. Source: BGG thread Source: BGG thread
For solo Scenario 3's new cities, how is distance from the regional metro calculated?
A: Treat them the same as the Northern Regional Metro, New Delhi. Source: BGG thread
What is the purpose of advancing on the Finance track, and when are the 20/20/40/40/70/70/100 values gained?
A: Advancing improves your loan action and yields endgame Asset Value; the printed figures are the Asset Value you receive at game end based on your final position. Source: BGG thread Source: BGG thread
What does the crossed-out promissory note symbol at the top of the Finance track mean? Official
A: It is a one-time benefit letting you discard one promissory note for free; the designer confirmed this and noted it is covered in the Appendix. Source: BGG thread Source: BGG thread
Does the Office strategy action cost anything beyond the five promoters?
A: No — no payments to leaders and no distance cost. You gain only the city and region bonuses; there is no industry card, so you miss those bonuses. (Answer from a forum user, not the designer.) Source: BGG thread Source: BGG thread
What exactly does the Office strategy action do? Official
A: Per the designer quoting p.13: discard 5 promoters to place an unused plant of your color in any empty city, gaining the region and city bonus immediately; that plant then acts as a regular plant. You do not need an unbuilt industry card. Source: BGG thread
If you have run out of your colored share tokens, can you still take non-Administration strategy actions?
A: Yes. Cover the space with a generic promoter token. That space does not count as yours for endgame/planning objective purposes. Source: BGG thread Source: BGG thread Source: BGG thread
What is the point of the strategy pool versus promoters in hand?
A: Designer's rationale: the split creates timing tension — pool promoters are not immediately usable, forcing decisions about pushing hard versus regrouping with the muster action, and slowing how fast players recycle promoters. One player (aslaksen) argued it is unnecessary complexity; the designer respectfully disagreed. Source: BGG thread Source: BGG thread
What does the mineral track top row bonus do?
A: You add 6 promoters to your strategy pool and then perform the strategy action (per the Appendix; answered by a forum user). Source: BGG thread
If a player owes both influence and favor but cannot pay both, what happens?
A: They must choose one of the two, not both; then they have to accept the bill. Source: BGG thread
When moving onto an occupied influence space, do you go on top or bottom of the stack?
A: On top — the latest player to arrive wins ties. Source: BGG thread
Are unused promoters worth anything at game end?
A: No, unless a specific Planning Commission card in play awards endgame influence for money or promoters. Source: BGG thread Source: BGG thread
Do players get the politics (top-right) bonus of their starting policy during setup?
A: No — that benefit only triggers when a player takes the Politics action. Source: BGG thread
How do "per level" versus "per industry card" policy bonuses differ?
A: Cards like National Highways Authority and National Grid score per level on the named tracks (add your disc positions). Cards showing an industry card icon (e.g. Nationalisation of Coal Mines, Food Corporation, Foreign Exchange Regulation) score per industry card of either named type. Source: BGG thread Source: BGG thread
When a policy names two sectors with "and", must the levels match?
A: No — just add the values of your disc on each track and gain that much influence. For card-counting policies, each qualifying card scores separately. Source: BGG thread Source: BGG thread
Do wild-sector industry cards count toward policy endgame bonuses for specific industry types?
A: No. Per the Appendix and the designer, industry cards with a wild sector or no printed sector belong to no sector type and do not score those endgame objectives. Source: BGG thread Source: BGG thread Source: BGG thread
What does "highest production level" mean on Planning Commission card B?
A: It means your position/level on the Industry Tracks — find the sector where your disc is highest and use that level. Source: BGG thread
How does the Lowest Production card score its objective?
A: Use your own tracks: among sectors where you have production, find your lowest level and multiply it by 3. Score only that one sector. The Appendix says to ignore sectors where you have no presence. Source: BGG thread
How are Planning Commission ties scored?
A: Add the 1st and 2nd place scores, divide and distribute equally, rounded down. Source: BGG thread
Can you use multiple copies of the same Merit card for one action?
A: Yes. Source: BGG thread
Do Corporate Agenda "large plants" objectives include other players' plants?
A: No — Corporate Agenda objectives are personal and always refer to your own colored plants. Source: BGG thread
Is there a specific trigger for moving from Age I to Age II?
A: No — it simply happens as the deck is depleted, per the setup instructions. Source: BGG thread
If a share is bought at a discount from a policy or merit card, does the issuer receive the full price?
A: No — the issuer receives the lesser (discounted) price. The bank is not involved unless specifically stated. Source: BGG thread
Can you collect dividends owed to you before paying dividends you owe?
A: Yes; the step is simultaneous, and you also gain revenue just before. If you still cannot pay, you must take an emergency loan. If several players are in that situation, all of them must take loans (there is no turn order in this phase). Source: BGG thread
Are negotiated discounts or kickbacks on share sales allowed? Official
A: No — per the rules the price is set. The designer says you may house-rule it if you wish. Source: BGG thread
What information is public and what is hidden?
A: Public: all player-colored components (plants, shares, discs, action tokens) and all purchases (opponent shares, built and unbuilt industries, promissory notes). Hidden behind the screen: money, promoters in hand, favor, and merit cards. Corporate Agenda is always hidden. Source: BGG thread
Is the 4th-place share asset value 10 or 20 Cr? Official
A: The board is correct at 10 Cr per share for 4th place; the rulebook (p.16) has a typo. The designer said the rulebook would be updated with errata. Source: BGG thread
How do National Project costs change by round?
A: National Projects are active in exactly two rounds — round 3 and round 6 — occurring immediately after the Revenue and Dividends phase. Source: BGG thread
Which industry does AIPL build when it has several unbuilt industries? Official
A: Corrected answer from the designer: it builds the oldest unbuilt industry in its Build Row — the one closest to its player card/AIPL deck. New unbuilt industries are added to the left of the row. His earlier answer (highest asset value, ties leftmost) was struck through. Updated in the 2nd printing rulebook. Source: BGG thread Source: BGG thread
For the AIPL build instruction referencing a named region, does it use the pawn or the region letter?
A: Move along the golden road anti-clockwise from the regional metro where the pawn currently is until you reach the first empty city in the named region (e.g. West). The final "when moving clockwise" line in the rulebook is to be ignored. Source: BGG thread Source: BGG thread
In the solo Administration action, does AIPL pick by influence or asset value?
A: The current AIPL card itself states which criterion to use (highest asset or highest influence). Source: BGG thread
What does it mean that the AIPL "blocks" an industry card in the Administration action?
A: It takes the card into its play area with a plant on it, available to be built later. Source: BGG thread
If the highest-value industry card is already blocked by another AI, what does the winning AI take?
A: It ignores that card and picks the next highest available one. Source: BGG thread
What does the AIPL use to "cover" a strategy action space?
A: Its lowest-valued share token. Source: BGG thread
How does AIPL bidding work — can a human ever win a bid?
A: The number on the AIPL card is the increment over the current highest bid. You win if you bid last, if the AI's bid is 0, or if the bid already meets/exceeds the threshold printed on the AIPL card, in which case the AI passes. The designer notes the top two bidders are rewarded, so bidding last is not essential. Source: BGG thread Source: BGG thread Source: BGG thread
Is the "5" on an AIPL level 1 bid card an absolute or incremental bid?
A: Always incremental (+5); AIPL cards never use absolute bids. Source: BGG thread
Will the AIPL repeat the same printed action if it has extra actions?
A: No — the AIPL places its action token on the card, covering that action. If it still has actions beyond what is printed, it repeats the Politics action as many times as it can. Source: BGG thread Source: BGG thread
Does the AI gain influence from shares and benefits from policies?
A: Yes — the AI gains influence just like a human player (rulebook p.19) and gains immediate, passive, and endgame policy benefits. When a policy requires choosing an opponent, it picks the opponent with the most Asset Value, ties broken by higher influence. Source: BGG thread Source: BGG thread
Why remove certain Planning Commission cards and components when using an AI player?
A: Because the AI has infinite resources, cards that would give it an undue advantage are removed to balance the AIPL. For solo/2-player, three Planning Commission cards are removed (p.18): unused promoters in hand, unused promoters in strategy pool, and unused cash in hand. Source: BGG thread Source: BGG thread
In solo play, do both AI opponents share one deck?
A: No — each AI needs its own deck, and the difficulty of each can differ (see the table on p.22). Source: BGG thread
Can an AI be the starting Tycoon player? Official
A: No — a human player must be the first Tycoon; thereafter an AI can become Tycoon by bidding highest. The designer said this was missing from the rulebook and is present in the updated version. Source: BGG thread
How many AIPL cards are used for the "Industry Giant" difficulty? Official
A: Although the rulebook says every difficulty totals 36 cards, the designer confirmed Industry Giant uses 4 + 8 + 14 = 26 cards. Source: BGG thread
Why are so many Level II policy and industry cards included when few reach play? Official
A: The designer explains it keeps the deck manageable while leaving some cards out creates uncertainty and replayability. He calculates that with no Lobby actions taken you'll see about 2 Age II policies; taking all 3 Lobby strategy actions can bring up to 5 into play. Another poster suggests it also future-proofs setup for expansions. Some players still feel it's an excessive number of industry cards; that concern remains unresolved. Source: BGG thread Source: BGG thread Source: BGG thread Source: BGG thread
Is a promoter added to the policy card that wasn't won?
A: Yes — a player reminds that a promoter is added to the non-winning card, generating promoters that can later feed a Lobby strategy action. Source: BGG thread
Does setup include giving each player two action tokens? Official
A: A player reported this as a rulebook omission; the designer agreed it was a good catch and would update it in the next print run. Source: BGG thread Source: BGG thread
Does the Finance sector have industry cards?
A: Yes — insurance, commercial bank, micro financing, cooperatives, and national bank. They may simply be among the cards set aside in a given game. Source: BGG thread
Do all editions include the asset value dials, and what do they track?
A: Dials track Industrial Asset Value only, from Round 1 through end game, and are open for all players to inspect. Only the Kickstarter edition included dials; the designer said an upgrade pack would be released for others. Source: BGG thread Source: BGG thread
Is there an official non-elimination endgame variant?
A: A player describes a variant (played at DTW 2026 and said to be designer-approved) where, if no one leads both asset value and influence, the leaders of each category get 7 favor as an endgame bonus and all players then compete on favor. Its author (mihirshah) links an official thread and reports testing 5 and 10 favor before settling on 7. Another player questions whether 7 favor is too large a boost — unresolved. Source: BGG thread Source: BGG thread Source: BGG thread Source: BGG thread
Is there a variant for leftover Merit cards?
A: Some players consider Merit cards swingy and unbalanced (e.g. the +1 action or repeated 20 Cr draws); the designer defends them as small nudges but offers an optional rule he is still refining: each unused Merit card at game end counts as 10 Cr Asset Value. This is unofficial/unresolved. Source: BGG thread Source: BGG thread Source: BGG thread
Where can I find detailed card clarifications?
A: The designer published an Appendix of Cards, a Component Organization Guide, and rulebook v1.0, available in the BGG Files section. Source: BGG thread Source: BGG thread
[Headlines] Can influence go below zero from Headline cards?
A: No, a player cannot go below 0 influence. Source: BGG thread
[Headlines] Do Headline cards give a politics benefit, and to whom?
A: Any player taking the Politics action also gains the politics benefit shown on the current headline card, in addition to their other politics benefits. Source: BGG thread