F#%& Auctions

Today I discuss auction games.

 

Proving that game designers don’t often name things to fool people, an auction mechanic is usually some kind of auction.  Players “Bid” on some item(s), and upon winning the bid gain those item(s).  Those items further the game, and by how much is again, an opinion.

One Pass Auctions

 One pass auctions give the player, one and only one chance to bid, like a silent auction.  Ra is an example of such a game.    You can’t low ball and re-raise later.  I find that these are more tactical.  A lot of times bids are made not to purchase the item, but to make sure an opponent don’t get it too cheaply.  It’s an interesting decision, too high and you might get stuck with the bid.

Multi-Pass Auctions

Multi-pass auctions keep going on and on like an art auction, till there are no more bids.  These are more strategic, you have to calculate how much that item is worth, and how much it helps you for the rest of the game.  Power Grid is the best example I can find of this type of auction.  I really don’t know a lot about that game, but one thing I have figured out is that the early plants aren’t worth much; do not get into ANY kind of bidding war for them.  As the game progresses there probably are some really good fits that will be worth bidding a lot for, I just haven’t figured out which ones yet.

Now for some generalist commentary.  Auctions are a neat straightforward mechanism that is also generally pretty balanced, since once again it is opinion based.  In my opinion, it is really tough to make a game with replay that only centers on auctions; the only one that comes to mind is Ra.  Ra has one genius thing going on with it however.  Your current bid affects your future bid power, you trade bid tokens with the last one that purchased tiles.  Honestly, without that mechanic, Ra would be boring.  Now auctions in conjunction with some other mechanics can really help a game, it adds some player v. player interaction and conflict.