Nucleum

2023 · Science Fiction

Nucleum

Players take the roles of industrialists in a 19th-century alternate history where a newly harnessed element powers an economic boom. They build networks of railways and power lines, import fuel, construct and supply urban buildings, and compete for contracts and milestones to score points. Gameplay is a heavy euro style with continuous turns rather than distinct rounds. Each player develops asymmetric technologies that grant special abilities when unlocked, manages resources and logistics to expand influence, and pursues randomized endgame goals to determine victory.

Players
1–4 best 3
Playing time
60–150 min
Age
14+
Complexity
4.2 / 5
8.5 on Ludoyafrom $54.99EconomicIndustry / ManufacturingHand ManagementContractsAction Retrieval

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On Ludoya's tables

Full stats in Ludoya
434
Plays logged
497
Players
2h 58m
Average play
159
In collections
48
On wishlists
1
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8.5/10

from 62 Ludoya reviews

  • Fun10.0
  • Interaction9.5
  • Replayability9.5
  • Uniqueness8.9
  • Looks9.5
  • Accessibility6.5
  • Владимир Андреевич9.7

    Очередная экономическая стратегия в сетинге нуклеумпанка - красивая, сбалансированная и с интересными решениями по механике. Игроки одной и той же карточкой либо осуществляют действия либо строят дороги. Этот выбор всегда сложный и важный. Есть и конкуренция, и кооперация. ПО в конце по достижениям, но больше всего в течение игры по контрактам-заданиям.

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Rules questions

Answered from the rulebook by Ludoya's rules assistant.

Do I always need a Worker to place a railway tile, and what about red railway spaces?

You must place a Worker on the tile when you place a railway tile and you may not choose the Railway option if you cannot obtain a Worker (you can spend Uranium to gain one in a pinch); placing on red railway spaces additionally costs 2 Thaler (see p.11).

When I Energize a power plant, can I use other players' rails and how much Uranium can I transport?

You may use any completed rail lines (not just your own) to transport coal or Uranium to the selected plant; Uranium can only be transported if the plant has a Nucleum and from your connected Mines, and you can transport 1 Uranium by default plus +1 for each Turbine present (techs can modify this); if you use another player's Turbine you must pay them 1 Thaler per Turbine (see pp.15–16).

How do I calculate electricity when Energizing and which Building can I energize?

Electricity = 1 per transported coal, 2 per transported Uranium, plus any electricity from the Action tile, your Turbines, or Technologies; you then choose exactly one connected unenergized Urban Building whose requirement is ≤ the electricity produced, take its printed benefits and Achievement tokens, and flip it to its energized side (energized VPs score at game end, Praha double) (see pp.16–17 & p.21).

How does coal import pricing and discounts work when I import coal to a power plant?

Each imported coal costs the price shown on the Coal Import Wagon in that import area and the import tiles are flipped/removed so the price progresses up to a maximum of 3 Thaler; discounts from your Special Directive or Turbine effects apply to the total amount spent on coal (not per individual coal) (see p.16).

What happens during Recharge if I must place my Milestone on the “0” space—do I get a penalty?

If you place a Milestone on the “0” Achievement space you get a bailout of 2 Thaler and 1 Worker immediately, but each Milestone marker on that space costs you 3 VP at game end; Recharge also grants income, may trigger King's Day scoring when a Milestone space is emptied, and forces you to discard all Achievement tokens (see pp.17 & 19).

How do Contracts work—which colors can I take and how are they refilled?

With the Contract action you take one Silver or Gold Contract (Purple cannot be taken this way), immediately place it into an empty Contract slot on your player board and receive the listed reward, then refill the offer from the same color draw pile (or from the other color if that pile is empty); drawing the last Contract from the last pile is an endgame trigger (see pp.14 & 22).

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