Power Grid

I enjoy thinking games very much. Tigris and Euphrates, Puerto Rico, Princes of Florence, El Grande, etc. I don't have quite as much opportunity to play these games, as they usually exclude casual gamers and younger players. Better choices for mixed groups are found in Risk, Settlers, Formula De', Carcassone.

Tommorow, I will have a chance to try Kevin's copy of "Power Grid", by Rio Grande. Here's the description from BGG:

The latest cooperative publishing effort from 2F and Rio Grande Games, removes the crayon aspect from network building in the original edition while retaining the fluctuating commodities market like McMulti and an auction round intensity reminiscent of Princes of Florence. The object of the game is to supply the most cities with power when someone's network gains a predetermined size. In this new edition, players mark pre-existing routes between cities for connection, and then vie against other players to purchase the power plants that you use to supply the power. However, as plants are purchased, newer more efficient plants become available so you're effectively allowing others to access to superior equipment merely by purchasing at all. Additionally, players must acquire the raw materials, like coal, oil, garbage, or uranium, to power said plants (except for the highly valuable 'renewable energy' wind/solar plants), making it a constant struggle to upgrade your plants for maximum efficiency while still retaining enough wealth to quickly expand your network to get the cheapest routes.

Will keep you informed - it looks good! Click here for PDF of rules.