The white space isn’t really white, and how could it be amid the polluted skies and even more polluted ambiance within?

This adds a c-c-combo element to the Production phase that just feels great, and every token feels interesting and powerful. While sometimes it is worth it, other times, you’d rather use your three-chip to get another card in your engine. The new Startup cards (the cards that provide opening resources and effects) and Capitalist cards (special powers for each player) are also easy but unique, just as good as the Company cards. The art is great across all the components, echoing the technical illustrations of the era in which it is set. To be honest, the lighter and usually more obvious Production phase, while a potential weakness in the design, is a kindness—a gift to offset the agonizing bids regardless of the variant chosen.But really, these extra cards are just icing on the cake; this is an absolutely excellent expansion for an excellent game. Then, once you’ve got the Manager tokens (and you might end up with several), you’ve got quite a bit more to consider during the Production phase. Variant to the production round can give you more to explore once you’ve seen everything in the game.

Players take turns placing one of their discs on one of these cards, but you cannot place a disc on a card if a disc of the same value or color is already present. I say often and not always because it’s also entirely possible to place that lowly one anticipating a loss, only to then accidentally win the Auction and be stuck with a less-than-desirable bottom effect and no compensation.

The Auction phase is easy to resolve: every player has to place his next bid ten seconds after the previous player.

Let’s say yellow now places their three-value disk onto the same factory, knowing they will not be able to win it. The internal monologue is no less tense, examining every possible crease and fold of the strategic plan. In this expansion, you will find new Company cards and Capitalists, new abilities, Manager tokens, variable Capital discs, a set of components for a fifth player, and new Agents for two-player and single-player games.You’ll use oxygen to program a safe route down, hoarding valuable tokens on the levels where they think there’s something particularly tasty. Shameless plug: for more gaming news and content (including, for example, pictures of Furnace that I am unfortunately not able to upload on RPG. The highest value token will win the card when the bidding is over, but anyone else who has placed their disks will be compensated based on the value of their losing disk.