Power Grid: The Card Game First Impressions

Power Grid: The Card Game turns a great board game into an average card game.

Spoilers for my thoughts I guess?

The players represent CEOs of mighty power companies producing electricity.

Power Grid: The Card Game Game Play

TL: DR This is Power Grid without building the routes of generators around a map.

I mean, that is it to be honest.

Theme

You’re bidding for power plants to fuel, then buying the fuel to fuel the power plants.

If I was being picky… in RL are power plants made THEN put up for sale? Why can’t we all buy the same one?

Setup

Laying cards out in a specific order. I’ve never been a fan of the setup steps for the Power Grid board game, especially the cards… and this is a card game.

Components & Artwork

The cards are cards, all good there.

The art on the resources and generators is fine and functional. The art on the player cards used for turn order is awful.

Ease of Teaching

It is easy to teach. There are a few phases so you can teach the game as a whole, then each phase as you come to it.

Power Grid: The Card Game Summary

So the weird thing about this is that it’s cheaper and smaller than it’s bigger and better bro but nowhere near as good.

In the card game you bid for power plants, then buy fuel to power them and gain cash for doing so.

In the board game you bid for power plants, then buy fuel to power them, then build generators to power around a map and gain cash for doing so.

That one step, as it turns out, is really important. If feels missing from the card game. Yes, I played the board game first so maybe I would feel the other way but I didn’t so I don’t.

The board game costs twice as much RRP and is 4 times bigger so if you’re on a budget and space is an issue, get the card game.

There is literally no other reason to do so.

Jesta ThaRogue