Industry / Manufacturing

From the publishers web site:

Expansion to the space exploration game HIGH FRONTIER, adds a fifth player (the UN), and adds an extension to the map that includes Jupiter, Saturn, main belt comets, centaurs, and Trojan asteroids. The expanded rules include slingshots, radiation belts, piracy, combat, solar flares, and space politics and governments. There are also 48 new patent cards, representing reactors, generators, and radiators. The expanded scenarios include alien invasions, the solitaire game, and two short games.

Comment: There are in fact 24 new cards, giving 48 additional patents.

In the near future, nanofacturing techniques will allow incredible new materials to be built atom by atom. But they can only be built in the zero-gravity and high-vacuum conditions in space. Various private and government enterprises race to establish a buckytube mechanosynthesis factory on a suitable carbonaceous asteroid. To do so, they accumulate tanks of water in orbiting fuel depots, to be used as rocket propellant. Also needed are remote-controlled robonauts to do the grunt work.

The key to success is water in LEO (low Earth orbit). At first, water will be expensively upported out of the deep gravity well of Earth. But for a third the fuel and energy, water can be supplied from Luna, the moons of Mars, or other nearby hydrated objects. Extracting resources at the work site is called In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU). Whoever develops ISRU technology able to glean water from space rather than Earth will gain the strategic high ground to make money through exoglobalization.

Now in its second edition. The second edition expansion (aka High Frontier Colonization) is now available for preorders with an expected publication in the summer of 2013. (this expansion is compatible with the 1st and 2nd editions).

In each round a different player is the auctioneer and auctions off, primarily, factories with a unique bidding mechanism. Factories bring points and produce raw materials. Building factories themselves cost money and raw materials. But they are in short supply, so you need to manage your resources well. Linked factories and other improvements bring in extra points at the end of the game.

Revision of Industria.

We’re in 19th century, sea transport is more and more important. Both corporations and naval forces require newer and newer ships. Try to put yourself in the role of their manufacturers. Hire employees, buy accessories, get favour of evaluating committees. Don’t forget to rent a canal and you can heave anchor.

Players take turns, beginning with a randomly selected player and continuing around the table clockwise. On their turn, they will choose one of the available actions from the Action Track. The action will get the player something they need to help build their ships. On the player's next turn, they will move that Action Card ahead of all the others and choose a different action.

If a player completes a ship on their turn (ships consists of little cards depicting bows, sterns, and (preferably several) middle pieces with several options to add equipment or crew), it is taken out for a shakedown cruise in a canal, during which they may score points for speed, crew, equipment, or safety.

As players take their turns, the line of Action Cards will advance around the Action Track. When the lead Action Card reaches the Starting Space again, the countdown marker moves down one space, and play continues.

The game ends when the countdown marker reaches the finish space. (It can also end early if the players run out of Ship Cards.) Bonus points are scored for Government Contracts, and the player with the most points wins.

The game lasts about 30 minutes per player.

Globalization brings the exciting world of big business into your living room. You are the head of a multinational corporation with one goal in mind: to make money. Outbid your competitors to acquire businesses within six different industries and grow your conglomerate. Streamline operating costs, build additional factories, sue your competitors or take one of your subsidiaries public for big returns. Your corporate strategy will impact which companies you buy and how to take your corporation worldwide. The synergy that comes from the right company combinations increases your perceived net worth. The first to reach a billion in net worth wins!





In the age of Corporate Imperialism, only the strong survive.