Cash Dome: What's your favorite Economic games?

My problem with Acquire:

I never quite felt like I had any idea on how to really make good moves. I'd put tiles to expand hotels I had a lot of stock in. I'd try buying stock in cheap hotels that were likely to be acquired. On my turn it either seemed like there was an obvious move to make, or I was out of cash, so I couldn't make any move. I got my butt kicked regularly, so I'm sure it was a problem with my play, but I didn't really see how to play better or what the people kicking my butt were doing different then I was.

I'm sure I'm completely missing something since the game has stayed popular for so long.

GREED and PLANET STEAM are very good, but both a fucking expensive.

A euro from Essen '10 that I found interesting was 20TH CENTURY. I don't know if it counts as an economical game. Also it concerns itself a bit with the environment so that might be a turn-off for people who try to ignore the issue.

I'm with you Dan, I find Acquire rather dull really.

I do like Shark, which feels more like a roller coaster ride. It is more of a true stock game than Acquire is. Acquire just puts too many limitations on what you can and can not do with stock. And while there are limitations in Shark, they are not nearly as inhibiting as they are in Acquire.

If you want a negotiation economic game try Intrigue. That one is like Diplomacy in a smaller package, meaning players will get angry with each other.

Dan

20th Century looks really promising from what little I have seen of it on BGG.

dan daly wrote:

My problem with Acquire:

I never quite felt like I had any idea on how to really make good moves. I'd put tiles to expand hotels I had a lot of stock in. I'd try buying stock in cheap hotels that were likely to be acquired. On my turn it either seemed like there was an obvious move to make, or I was out of cash, so I couldn't make any move. I got my butt kicked regularly, so I'm sure it was a problem with my play, but I didn't really see how to play better or what the people kicking my butt were doing different then I was.

I'm sure I'm completely missing something since the game has stayed popular for so long.

If you can't get in on a merger early in the game, you're screwed because you need that cash payout to keep acquiring shares. Shark (I've only played the Ravensburger edition) is similar to Acquire but it might work better for you, as it doesn't depend on your having exactly the right tile at the right time to receive cash.

It has been a long time, but I'm not too proud to play Monopoly. I'd rather play it than Puerto Rico or Agricola for sure.

I like Acquire, Chinatown, Power Grid (every now and then), and Dungeon Lords... although I'm not sure if I'd call that an economic game. Your goal is to get enough money to buy enough monsters and traps to crush some adventurers.

I just found Tycoon in a thrift store in mint condition. Looks pretty cool with players flying around building hotels and factories in different cities. It's kind of abstract in that old school euro sort of way, but seems like it could be a pretty interesting economic game. I know that it was re released as El Capitan recently. Anyone have any experience with this one?

Since Barnes suggested Big Boss, you might want to look for the reprint version now known as Alcazar. The original Big Boss commands *insane* dollars.

If you'd like to give something from Winsome a try--and they're pretty hardcore economic games--PM me your mailing address and I'll send you a copy of [the Winsome version] Wabash Cannonball with the 2 expansions. It's just gathering dust here since I landed the glitzy Queen version somewhere along the way. Yea, it's the same Print-n-Play quality that Winsome is [in]famous for, but it will give you a real good taste of that whole realm of economic/train games. I get the impression it's also one of the more accessible Winsome titles.

GREED and PLANET STEAM are very good, but both a fucking expensive.

Which Greed game are you talking about?

BGG has:
Greed (1982)
Greed (1987)
Greed Inc.
Greed Quest
Greedy Kingdoms
Pure Greed
Greedy Gorillas
Greedy Billionaires
Greedy Greedy

Greed Inc, probably.

Acquire!

Monopoly with the Beyond Board walk rules is fun and arguablythe Granddaddy of all economic games.

I think I'm a McMulti, followed closely by Fast Food Franchise and Big Boss.

Alcazar....The best thing I can say for it is that you can add your own stock certificates and play Big Boss. There are also rules for something called Big Boss 2 in the box. I've yet to see a translation.

I'll add one that hasn't been mentioned yet: (Traders of) Genoa . I like that virtually everything in this game can be traded. It's one of these games that I would love to get out again as I haven't played in quite a while.

I'll put in the very few eco games that I like:

Tai Pan: Deals with the Clavell book of the same name. Trading in 1850's China

and

Noble House: Trading and dealmaking in 1960's Hong Kong. Did a review of it on my blog here.

Both are OOP, but I don't think you'd have too much trouble in getting ahold of them if you were interested.

Not a big player of or even aware of many economic games. I have played Acquire (not for a few years now) and that is pretty good and I suppose there have been quite a few clones of similar 'share & takeover' mechanic type games, a lot of them rail games including the 18xx boys as well as stuff like Union Pacific and even Stephenson's Rocket.

Probably my favourite game that has an economic component is the rail game Silverton that has mining and logging as resources to be acquired and then sold on a market system in the game. This market system then adjusts its prices at the end of each turn based on how much resources were sold by the players. It's such a simple but clever system that a spreadsheet aid (to be run on a computer screen beside your table) was created that gives a bit more theme to it (and an old gaming mate of mine has put an online version up as well).
Unfortunately it is a looooong rail game so have only ever got my copy to the table once in 6 years.