William Garrett 2008-11-18

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

In Power Grid, players construct networks of electrical lines (power grids) to different cities, buy different kinds of power plants to light them, and buy fuel to operate the plants. It's a resource-optimization game with constant competition for location, power plants, and raw materials. Turn order changes every round, giving those who are behind the best opportunity to grow on the next turn.

Power Grid is a fairly complex strategy game. To win you must balance several game elements, think at least a turn or two ahead, take advantage of openings, and shift your strategy based on the turn of the cards and other players' actions. It's never the same game twice.

This complexity is not for everyone. Those who've enjoyed other German games such as Settlers of Catan may find themselves a bit bewildered at Power Grid. Settlers is an excellent game, just simpler. In terms of degrees of complexity, I'd rate Settlers at about 1.5 and Power Grid at 3.5. Anything over 4 I'd consider unplayable strategically. If you play against experienced players you will probably be creamed the first few times at Power Grid. But if you're up for the challenge, you'll find the game addictive and enjoy the struggle to master it.

Power Grid plays well with a crowd. It's rated for 2-6 players, but I think 5 is the optimum number. With 2-3 the game seems limited in terms of interaction and diversity of strategy. With 4 it starts to come alive. With 5 it's vibrant. With 6 it's about as diverse as with 5, but it's slightly slower because there's one more person making decisions every round.

Finally, Power Grid has excellent replayability. There's an element of randomness to the order in which power plants come up for purchase. The game will feel very different depending on whether "good" plants come out early or late. In addition to the element of chance there's also the unpredictability of other players' actions. A starting position that looks great can turn sour by mid-game, and vice versa, depending on how other players move. And just in case that's not enough variety, there are several different boards available as extensions, each with slight modifications to the rules, plus an alternate deck of power plants. My friends and I have been playing this game regularly for a few years, and we're still not tired of it.

Linda Key 2008-11-11

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

i LOVE LOVE LOVE this game. but sadly, no one else seems to care for it in my family. so i guess this game is not for everyone. but same can be said about all strategy games and my family. even though they all love party games and all call themselves board game fanatics. so if you like strategy games such as settlers of catan, puerto rico, etc. etc., DO NOT MISS THIS GAME. but don't get it just because you THINK you are a board game fanatic. you might be over-judging yourself. i won't explain how the game works here, i think that's been fairly explained. what sets this game apart from all others is, well, it's like no others. the strategies are endless and changes when the number of players changes. unlike puerto rico, luck plays a fair part of the game, which is a plus for me. the only part i dread about this game is the setup, which takes about 30-40 minutes unless you got some help. oh, i also wish they'd give you some extras on the small red chips in case you lose one or two.

G. Baca 2008-10-16

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

I love Settlers. Let's get that straight. Settlers is one of those games that I've been able to successfully introduce to many different types of friends, groups of people, and even my students (I'm a teacher in high school). I've met very few people who have not enjoyed the game. But, let's face it: the game is dictated almost solely by chance. You can plan strategies all you want, but if the dice are not coming up in your favor, then it won't matter. Now, take a game like this. There is very little probability built in (the power plants you draw from the deck), and it is important and adds excitement to the game, but the other 2/3 of the game is based on your wise purchase and placement of resources and cities. Of course, this game can still appeal to a wide range of audiences as well, much like Catan does. So, does this mean that there could be some competition for the throne? Well, I suppose it depends on how the game expands, as Catan still has an advantage in complexity due to expansions that I haven't seen yet in Power Grid (although I haven't played all of the new boards and I haven't seen the new card decks). Also, this game is great for students in as much as it teaches them to use a lot of math skills in order to determine opportunity costs, as well as with spending and buying amounts. This game is great, and although it seems complex at first, it's not bad to learn or teach if you just do it one step at a time (ie--don't worry about what rules change for Step 2 until you get to them). Get this game!

Miriam R. Breslauer 2008-10-11

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Power Grid is a fantastic game for those who like Math, Strategy, and Balancing resources. In Mastering this game you will improve your overall Math and Strategy skills.

History Professor 2008-09-02

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

As a fan of German-style board games, I really like ones that allow for complex strategies. At the same time, one does not want to spend all the time memorizing arcane rules. At first, while reading the directions for the game, both my husband and I worried that, indeed, the rules would be too complicated to allow for just a fun game of "Power Grid" to be played. (Actually, we did not even understand the rules the first time we tried to play it.) But don't be discouraged by the directions, which could have been written better. In fact, the rules are not that hard once you play a practice round and the game is both thought-provoking (for strategy players) and fun (i.e. does not get too bogged down in complicated moves). I also think it has a fair amount of educational value, teaching children about the values of diversification, supply and demand, etc.