Commodity Speculation

Buying and selling paintings can be a very lucrative business. Five different artists have produced a bunch of paintings, and it's the player's task to be both the buyer and the seller, hopefully making a profit in both roles. He does this by putting a painting from his hand up for auction each turn. He gets the money if some other player buys it, but must pay the bank if he buys it for himself. After each round, paintings are valued by the number of paintings of that type that were sold. The broker with the most cash after four rounds is the winner.

Part of the Knizia auction trilogy.

Barges, freight and profits are what it's all about in Manila, a speculative contest for 3-5 players. Goods shipments, intended for transport along sea routes, are in danger of gathering dust in the warehouses or being lost at sea in a storm. While the players speculate about success and failure, the ultimate fate of the ships will be determined by the dice.

There are four shipments that need to get to Manila - jade, ginseng, silk and nutmeg. A round begins with an initial auction to become harbour master. If you win, you'll be allowed to buy a share of one of the shipments, choose which three shipments you'd like to take down river and how likely they are to make it to their destination in the harbour. If they make it to Manila, their share price will increase. The aim of the game is to bet on the outcome of these shipments, with dice ultimately determining their fate. How many of the three boats will make it and which ones? Would you like to provide insurance against possible failed ships or perhaps you think pirates will snatch a chance to take control? Manila is a fun family game that takes minutes to learn and brings the river boats of the Philippines to life!

Tokyo, 1930. The morning wakes up lazy, but you have a lot of work to do. In Tsukiji, each player is a restaurant owner who faces other traders at tough auctions for the best batches of fish and seafood. Understand the logic of prices, manipulate quotes, set traps, sabotage your opponents, and seek the greatest possible profit in this tense fight for the best fish in all of Japan!

Welcome to Bon Appetit, where we serve the most exquisite and rarest dishes in the world! The finest culinary achievements of our time are within your reach! There is one minor indulgence we will have to ask of you — we only take payments in precious gems.

In Bon Appetit! you will compete with your friends to have the greatest meal of the evening. Each turn players use precious gems to bid on various dishes which are presented before them. The winner of each bid will not only collect valuable victory points, but also a delicious skill which can be used during future auctions. However, with the value of gems changing each turn, you must constantly stay on your toes to make sure that it is you who leaves the most satisfied with your meal. When all dishes have been auctioned off, the evening will come to a close. The player with the most valuable dishes is the winner! Bon Appetit!

—description from the publisher

Astoria is a land bustling with productivity and growth! New towns, factories, and railroads are springing up across the land. A few savvy business tycoons (you and your opponents) are determined to make your fortunes on the crest of this wave. These tycoons start out as the producers of the key commodities: wheat to feed the growing towns and factories, wood and iron to build them, coal to fuel the trains and factories, and manufactured goods and luxuries to fill the insatiable demand of the animals of Astoria.

Cornering the market for the most valuable commodities can create small fortunes that can be invested in the new businesses, turning them into huge fortunes. The sky is the limit during this Gilded Age!

In Raccoon Tycoon, players try to produce the most valuable commodities in an ever-changing marketplace. They then use those commodities to build towns, or sell them at the best price to secure great profits that can be used to win auctions for the all-important railroads. The profits may also be used to buy powerful buildings that give the players power-ups or bonuses in production. Owning the best towns and railroads determines victory. There can be only one "top dog" in Astoria. Is it you?