2020 · Economic

The Cost

Players run competing companies in the global asbestos industry, investing in mines, refineries, railroads and ports while responding to country-specific events and economic effects. Play proceeds over up to four rounds; each turn begins with choosing a country (triggering an event) and drafting three actions to build infrastructure, obtain subsidies, or invest in the company. After actions resolve, players convert cash into country resources at varying rates and run production: mines generate raw asbestos, refineries process it, and transport links move goods. Operations force trade-offs between short-term profit and spending to reduce fatalities; the game can end early if health and safety regulations eliminate available areas. The player with the most money at the end wins.

groupPlayers

2–4 best 4

schedulePlaying time

75 min

cakeAge

12+

psychologyComplexity

3.5 / 5