Energy

Electropolis

Mayor of a growing city: plan the energy mix while balancing pollution and public support

2–4Players

50–70 minDuration

~10 minSetup

Medium-lowComplexity

CompetitiveDynamic

A city-building game in which each player is the mayor of a constantly growing city. The goal is to plan the best energy mix to meet ever-increasing demand, balancing the pros and cons of coal, gas, nuclear and green energy.

Every decision has consequences for pollution and public support, two indicators that must be kept in balance. A dynamic turn-order selection mechanism generates strong interaction even though everyone builds on their own board.

Classroom value

Useful as a short demonstration of energy trade-offs: no source is perfect (cost, pollution, waste, reliability).
Allows the introduction of externalities (pollution) and social limits (public support) into economic decision-making.
The non-linear penalty for excess pollution is a good resource for discussing non-linear costs and critical thresholds.
Competitive and abstract: a good fit for illustrating management and decision mechanics.

In the classroom

No. of players2–4

TeamsYes · 2 per team

People per gamemax. 8

Game MasterNo

Sessions1 session (50–70 min)

SpaceOne table + 5x5 boards

MaterialPhysical game

⚡Energy-mix trade-offsExternalities and decision-making under limits

Technical details

DesignChang, Ku i Wang

PublisherHomosapiens Lab

LanguagesSpanish · English

Find out more

Distributortbd-gaming.com

How to playVideo (Heavy Cardboard)

ReviewOpinionated Gamers

BGG entryboardgamegeek.com