Rules

Ground Floor
If you are reading these rules for the first time, ignore the text along the right hand side. These rules serve as a summary to help you quickly familiarize yourself with the game.

Show → summary only → detailed version only → both summary and detailed version

The implementation at yucata follows some requests of the game designer:

  • According to the rules Remodeling is only allowed in phase 'Schedule Business'. But it should be allowed whenever a player wishes.
    To give the players the most freedom without delaying the game flow to much, Remodeling is also possible during the phase 'Conduct Business - Construction Company' and just before finishing one's turn.
    Since it is reasonable to remodel any possible room at game end because of the victory points, this step will be done automatically to avoid an extra move. This automatically remodeled rooms are already calculated in the prospective final score.
  • 4 are needed to use the floor 'Construction Admin'.
  • There are 2 copies of the floor 'Telecommunications'.
  • Markers at scheduling spaces of Stock Exchange resolve in the following sequence:
    first 2, 1, then 1, 1, next 1 and finally 1
Ground Floor

→ original rules (pdf)

In Ground Floor one to five players adopt the role of Entrepreneurs responsible for the survival of their young start-up company. As CEO, a player will use their limited time to manage their business. Time is money, so they have to spend it wisely!
Does a player need to hire staff or refine production? What about launching a marketing campaign?
Anything is possible with effective use of time, money, and information. But in order to reach that corner office of your skyscraper, a player has to start with everybody else ... at the Ground Floor!
The goal is to become the CEO of the most prestigious company by accruing the most prestige points through expanding and improving your business.

Game Components
1
game board
5
player boards
20
Economic Forecast cards
8
Specialty tiles
30
Remodeled Room tiles (6 per player)
13
Tenant Improvement tiles
31
Floor Improvement tiles
15
Untrained tokens
16
Supply markers
10
Player markers (2 each in five player colors)
2
Status markers
5
CEO markers (1 each in five player colors)
125
Time markers (25 each in 5 player colors)
91
Money tokens
90
Info tokens
10
player aids (English, German)
2
Rules booklets (English, German)

Automa variant

3
Entrepreneur cards
28
Automa Office cards

Bonus components

2
New Economic Forecast cards
5
Era cards
6
Event cards
Setup

The game board
  • The players place one Status marker on the sixth space marked 5 , 5 of the Job Market.
  • The players place one Supply cube on each of the four spaces of the Warehouse.
  • Separate the Economic Forecast cards into four piles (Depression, Recession, Stable and Boom). Shuffle each pile separately, then randomly discard half of the cards in each pile. The 10 remaining cards are shuffled together and placed face down on the Future Economic Forecast space on the game board. Then, the top card is moved face down to the Current Economic Forecast space.
    IMPORTANT NOTE: The players never start the game with the top card of the Economic Forecast deck being a Depression or Boom. lf this occurs, they continue shuffling until a Recession or Stable card is the top card.
  • The players place the Stage 1 Floor and Tenant Improvement tiles next to the Construction Company area of the game board.
    NOTE: In a 2 or 3 player game, only one copy of each Improvement tile is available to purchase.
  • The players place the remaining Money tokens, Info tokens, Time markers, Remodeled Room tiles, Untrained tokens and Supply cubes within easy reach of all players to create a General Stock.

The game board is double-sided – one side is English, the other is German.

It shows three tracks near the top-left corner, from top to bottom: the Rounds track, the Job Market track, and the Popularity track

Near the top-right corner of the board the players find two spaces to place Economic Forecast cards – in the left box the current card is placed, the right box holds the deck of future cards.

From left to right there are various buildings with spaces where players may put time markers. These buildings are numbered A (Consulting Firm) to I (Construction Company).

  • The players place one Status marker on the first space of the Rounds track.
  • The players place one Status marker on the sixth space marked 5 , 5 of the Job Market.
  • The players stack one Player marker of each player on the No Bonus space of the Marketing Bonus track; the order does not matter.
  • The players place one Supply cube on each of the four spaces of the Warehouse.
  • One player takes one Player marker of each player and stacks them, randomly, on the first space of the Popularity track. The top most Player marker determines the start player for the first Round.
  • The players now separate the Economic Forecast cards into four piles (Depression, Recession, Stable and Boom). They shuffle each pile separately, then randomly discard half of the cards in each pile and put these back into the box (unseen) as they will not be needed in the game. Then, the players shuffle all 10 remaining cards together and place the deck face down on the Future Economic Forecast space on the game board. Then, they move the top card face down to the Current Economic Forecast space.
    IMPORTANT NOTE: The players never start the game with the top card of the Economic Forecast deck being a Depression or Boom. lf this occurs, they continue shuffling until a Recession or Stable card is the top card.
    SUGGESTION FOR THE FIRST GAME: Instead of a random Economic Forecast deck, the players may choose to use a pre-selected deck in order to ensure a less harsh economy. Shuffle each type of card separately. Then, construct the deck in this order (top to bottom), and put the remaining cards back in the box, they will not be needed:
    Stable, Stable, Recession, Recession, Stable, Boom, Recession.
  • The players place the Stage 1 Floor and Tenant Improvement tiles next to the Construction Company area of the game board.
    NOTE: In a 2 or 3 player game, only one copy of each Improvement tile is available to purchase. Return additional copies of each Improvement tile to the box, they will not be needed.
  • The players place the remaining Money tokens, Info tokens, Time markers, Remodeled Room tiles, Untrained tokens and Supply cubes within easy reach of all players to create a General Stock.

For the first games, the players should place bonus components back into the box.

The player boards

Each player takes 7 and 1 . They also take 1 Specialty tile and the advantage awarded by that tile.

They place the CEO together with 4 Time markers on their first space of the Employee track.

Each player has a player board. They are double-sided, too – one side is English, the other German.

On the left side are the six basic rooms which each player has in his company: Assembly, Training, Storage Closet, Meeting Room, Research & Testing, and Advertising. Each room lists what the players may do in it. To the right of the rooms is the Round Schedule, plus some Notes and reminders.

On the right side is the Employee Track, where the CEO Marker and time markers track the size of your staff.

The Specialty Tile of each company and added Floors are placed in the notch at the center of the board.

Each player chooses a color to represent their business in the game and takes 1 CEO marker, 2 Player markers, and 4 Time markers in their chosen color.

In addition, each player takes 1 player board, 1 player aid, 7 and 1 Supply cube. They also take, at random, 1 Specialty tile and the Remodeled Room tile (or another advantage) awarded by their Specialty tile.

They place the Specialty tile at the top of their player board, the Remodeled Room (if any) tile over the corresponding Ground Floor room, the Supply marker in their Storage Closet and the CEO together with 4 Time markers on their first space of the Employee track.

Game Play

Ground Floor is played over seven rounds.

Each round consists of five phases:

  1. RECEIVE INCOME
  2. HIRE EMPLOYEES
  3. SCHEDULE BUSINESS
  4. CONDUCT BUSINESS
  5. REORGANIZE

In each phase, turn order is determined by the position of the companies on the Popularity track. If more than one player is on the same space, the Player Marker on top goes first.

Ground Floor is played over seven rounds, divided in three stages 1 , 2 , 3 . Each round consists of five phases. Per phase, players will conduct several player turns.

These five phases form a round:

  1. RECEIVE INCOME
  2. HIRE EMPLOYEES
  3. SCHEDULE BUSINESS
  4. CONDUCT BUSINESS
  5. REORGANIZE

In each phase, turn order is determined by the position of the companies on the Popularity track. The most popular player/company, whose Player marker is furthest to the right on the track, goes first etc. If more than one player is on the same space, the Player Marker on top goes first.

Ground Floor ends after the Conduct Business phase of the seventh round has been completed.

Phase 1: Receive income

Players receive Money according to the location of their CEO marker on their Employee track. Some Improvements provide additional or during this phase.

If a player has five employees, he must pay -3 during this phase. If the player cannot afford to do so, he has to fire an employee, discarding 3 and moving the CEO marker down one space on the Employee track.

Phase 2: Hire employees

Players may hire an employee at the current Job Market price. They move their CEO marker up on the Employee track and place an Untrained token on the space next to the CEO.

They move the Job Market Status marker to the right after each employee is hired.

Once all players have had the opportunity to hire, the most popular player may hire again and so forth. This continues until all players have finished hiring employees.

Players have the opportunity during this phase to hire new employees. In popularity order, each player may hire an employee at the current Job Market price. They move the Job Market Status marker to the right after each employee is hired (max. , 7 ).

Once all players have had the opportunity to hire, the most popular player may hire again and so forth. This continues until all players have finished hiring employees.

For each new employee that a player hires, they immediately move their CEO marker up on the Employee track to reflect the new size of their staff and place an Untrained token on the new employee's space next to the CEO.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The Time markers of an untrained employee are not available for use. The player gains these Time markers at start of the next round after the employee is trained.

Phase 3: Schedule business

The CEO is a business' first employee, and provides 4 . Each additional trained employee provides 3 .

Players take turns in Popularity order.

On a player´s turn they choose any one task and assign the number of Time markers indicated by that task. For tasks with multiple spaces for Time markers, the player must place their Time markers in the first available space in numerical order if spaces are marked. If spaces are not marked with numbers, the player may place anywhere.

Locations are resolved during Conduct Business. See City Business for details of the buildings.

See Ground Floor Rooms, Tenant Improvements, and Floor Improvements for details of their tasks.

Tasks on the Player board resolve immediately. In addition those tasks can be used over and over again during the same Schedule Business phase.

Players spend this phase scheduling their Time markers and investing in tasks. Players only have a finite amount of time to spend developing their business.

The CEO is a business' first employee, and provides 4 . Each additional trained employee provides 3 .

During the Schedule Business phase, in Popularity order, players take turns assigning Time markers to tasks on their Player board or on the Game board. Time markers may not be assigned to Player boards belonging to other players.

On a player´s turn they choose any one task and assign the number of Time markers from their Employee track indicated by that task. For tasks with multiple spaces for Time markers, the player must place their Time markers in the first available space in numerical order if spaces are marked.

If spaces are not marked with numbers, the player may place anywhere.

Later, during Conduct Business, all locations are resolved top to bottom. See City Business for details of the tasks at these buildings.

See Ground Floor Rooms, Tenant Improvements, and Floor Improvements for details of their tasks.

Play then continues with the next most popular player etc., until each player has assigned all of the Time markers on their Employee track. Since each player may have a different number of employees, the same player may end up taking several turns in a row once their opponents have spent all of their time.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

  • Tasks on the Player board resolve immediately, therefore any benefit gained from these tasks may be used in upcoming turns during the current Schedule Business phase.
  • In contrast to the tasks on the Game board, the Ground Floor Rooms on a Player Board are unlimited. This means that they can be used over and over again during the same Schedule Business phase, placing the indicated number of Time markers each time.
  • All tasks on the Game board will be resolved during the Conduct Business phase.

Office remodel

Players may remodel their Ground Floor rooms on the Player Board at any time. Remodeling does not require any Time markers and is done in addition to their turn.

At any time during the Schedule Business phase, a player may remodel their Ground Floor rooms on the Player Board. Remodeling does not require any Time markers and is done in addition to their turn. The cost to remodel each Ground Floor room is 3 , 3 . After paying this cost, the player takes the desired Remodeled Room tile from the General Stock and places it on top of the corresponding Ground Floor room on their Player board. The benefit of a Remodeled room is available immediately, and has no effect on Time markers already assigned to that room.

Phase 4: Conduct business

During this phase, each area on the Game board is resolved in order:

  1. Consulting Firm
  2. Advertising Agency
  3. Marketing Bonus
  4. Warehouse
  5. Factory
  6. Stock Exchange
  7. Economic Forecast
  8. Retail Outlets
  9. Construction Company

See City Business for details of the tasks at these buildings.

Phase 5: Reorganize
  • According to popularity order player may fire employees.
  • Players replenish their Time markers according to their Employee track.
  • Player markers on the Marketing Bonus track are moved to the No Bonus space.
  • One Supply marker is added to the most expensive empty space at the Warehouse. If all of the spaces at the Warehouse are full, no markers are added.
  • All Player markers on the Popularity track are moved one space to the left in reverse popularity order.
  • The Status marker at the Job Market is moved to the left according to the Unemployed line on the current Economic Forecast card.
  • The top card of the Future Economic Forecast deck is faced down to the Current Economic Forecast space.

The following steps are resolved in order during each Reorganize phase:

  1. All players move any Time markers from their Player board to the General Stock. Time markers on the Game board remain there, if not otherwise mentioned in City Business.
  2. Each player in Popularity order may downsize, moving their CEO marker down one space for each employee fired. When firing an employee, the player loses Time markers and discards the matching 3 for that fired employee.
  3. All players replenish their Time markers according to their Employee track, even if some of their Time markers remain on the Game board.
    Remember, the CEO provides 4 , and each additional employee provides an additional 3 .
  4. Move all the Player markers on the Marketing Bonus track to the No Bonus space.
  5. Add one Supply marker to the most expensive empty space at the Warehouse. If all of the spaces at the Warehouse are full, no markers are added.
  6. All Player markers on the Popularity track are moved one space to the left, one by one, in reverse popularity order. Therefore any Player markers stacked in the same space will move together, keeping the order of the stack intact. Any Player marker in the leftmost space does not move.
  7. Update the Job Market by moving the Status marker to the left according to the Unemployed line on the current Economic Forecast card (min. 2 , 2 ).
  8. Move the top card of the Future Economic Forecast deck face down to the Current Economic Forecast space.
  9. Move the Round Status marker one space to the right.
  10. At the end of the second round, add the 2 Improvement tiles to those remaining at the Construction Company. At the end of the fifth round, add the 3 tiles as well.

A new round is ready to begin.

Game End

The game ends after the Conduct Business phase of the seventh round has been completed.

At that point, all players add up the Prestige Points for all Remodeled Rooms, Tenant Improvements, Floors, and Achievement Floors. They also count an additional 1 for each full set of 3 , 3 .

The winner is the player with the most prestigious business, as measured by Prestige Points. In case of a tie, the most popular tied player (according to the Popularity track) wins.

Variant: Suggestion for the first game

pre-selected deck of Economic Forecast cards
Instead of a random Economic Forecast deck, the players may choose to use a pre-selected deck in order to ensure a less harsh economy. Shuffle each type of card separately. Then, construct the deck in this order (top to bottom), and put the remaining cards back in the box, they will not be needed:
Stable, Stable, Recession, Recession, Stable, Boom, Recession.

City Business

A Consulting Firm

Schedule business

Players schedule business at the Consulting Firm for the opportunity to gain 10 by placing 1 in the top most available space in the left column and paying the indicated amount of for that space.

Conduct business

All players with Time markers in the right column receive 10 if and only if the corresponding space in the left column is occupied. Players with Time markers in the right column without the corresponding space in the left column occupied have had their meetings cancelled and do not receive any info. Move all Time markers from the right column to the General Stock, then slide all Time markers from the left column to the right column.

B Advertising Agency

Schedule business

Players schedule business at the Advertising Agency to boost their business' Popularity. It costs 1 , 1 , to place 1 in any available space.

Conduct business

This area resolves from top to bottom. The player with a Time marker in the top space will decide first which type of Marketing they wish to do. The player with the Time marker in the bottom space will get the advantage of choosing last.

The types of Marketing available are: Networking, Social Media, and Broadcast. Only one type may be chosen for each Time marker placed in the Advertising Agency.

  • If Networking is chosen, then the player moves their 1 from the Advertising Agency to the Networking space. In addition they place 1 from the General Stock into the Networking space at no additional cost.
  • If Social Media is chosen, then the player moves their 1 from the Advertising Agency to the Social Media space at an additional cost of 1 , 1 .
  • If Broadcast is chosen, then the player moves their 1 from the Advertising Agency to the Broadcast space at an additional cost of 2 , 2 .

After players have decided where to place their Time markers, each marketing type is resolved one at a time as follows. Resolve Networking for all players first, then Social Media, then Broadcast.

For each marketing type, in popularity order, advance each player's Popularity marker once for every:

  • 3 in Networking
  • 2 in Social Media
  • 1 in Broadcast

Advance the player's Popularity marker one additional space if that player had the single most Time markers in that marketing type. If multiple players are tied for the most Time markers, none of them receive this additional Popularity boost.

IMPORTANT NOTE: For each Marketing type, after all Time markers are accounted for and the Popularity track adjusted accordingly, move all Time markers that contributed to advancing in Popularity (including all Time markers of the player with the single most) to the general stock. Any excess Time markers remain at the Advertising Agency and may contribute to Marketing in future rounds.

C Marketing Bonus

Schedule business

The Marketing Bonus area is not available to players during the Schedule Business phase.

Conduct business

In Popularity order, each player, except the least popular, chooses a Marketing bonus. Bonuses are awarded immediately, and each bonus may be chosen by only one player.

Marketing bonuses:

  • Remodel 1 Room (for 1 , 1 )
  • Supply: Gain 1
  • Money: Gain 2
  • Information: Gain 2
  • Temp: Gain 1 for the next round

IMPORTANT: In a 2-player game Marketing Bonuses are not used. Neither player will receive a marketing Bonus, no matter how popular they are.

D Warehouse

Schedule business

Players schedule business at the Warehouse in order to acquire new supplies. These supplies vary in cost. Players choose to spend or (never both) to place on any available space.

Conduct business

Players collect the next to their Time markers.

When a player acquires a new , they must have a place to store it on their Ground Floor. If no storage space in their Storage Closet is available, then the must be discarded back to the General Stock.

E Factory

Schedule business

Players schedule business at the Factory to create products to sell at the Retail Outlets. Players pay 2 , 2 , and 1 to place 1 in the first available space in numerical order.

Conduct business

In numerical order, players move their Time markers representing products from the Factory to Retail Outlets. At this time they have the opportunity to set the price for the product they are selling. There are four different price brackets, separated by a white line.

Later, the customers will purchase the products within the least expensive price bracket before buying products within a more expensive price bracket.

Player icons and dictate how many spaces are available at the Retail Outlets for the number of players in the game. For instance, in a 3-player game, players may place Time markers up to and including the spaces marked with the on it, but not on spaces marked with the .

On each space, only one player can place a Time marker. If Retail Outlets become completely full while resolving the Factory, further Time markers may be placed in the Liquidation space, where they immediately sell for 3 .

F Stock Exchange

Schedule business

Players schedule business at the Stock Exchange to get . Players pay and/or to place 1 on any of the four spaces.

Conduct business

All Time markers placed during Schedule Business move up into the Stock Exchange track one space at a time. This movement is not related to the Economic Forecast. Therefore the Time marker in the first space moves up, then the Time marker in the space below etc., follow the arrows from box to box. Each time a new Time marker enters the track, it pushes all Time markers directly above them one space up. Then, all Time markers on the Stock Exchange track, including the ones that just entered, move up according to the current Economic Forecast:

  • DEPRESSION: 0 spaces
  • RECESSION: 1 spaces
  • STABLE: 2 spaces
  • BOOM: 3 spaces

Finally, in Popularity order, each player with at least one Time marker on the Stock Exchange track decides whether to keep or remove any number of their Time Markers. Any Time marker that is kept on the track will stay there for the next round. Any Time marker that is removed will gain the player a multiple amount of according to the current Economic Forecast. Gaps are possible on the track due to this removal.

  • DEPRESSION: 0
  • RECESSION: 1
  • STABLE: 2
  • BOOM: 3

Each time a Time marker is pushed above the top most space, the player has to Buy Out this Time marker and gets twice the amount of money according to the current Economic Forecast.

G Economic Forecast

Schedule business

This area is not available to players during the Schedule Business Phase.

Conduct business

Once the Stock Exchange is completely resolved, reveal the Economic Forecast card in the current space.

H Retail Outlets

Schedule business

Retail Outlets are not available to players during the Schedule Business phase.

Conduct business

According to the Economic Forecast card, a number of consumers will buy products at the Retail Outlets based on the number of players in the game. Each consumer is attracted to the best deal, and will therefore buy from the businesses in the lowest price bracket. Within the lowest bracket, each consumer will purchase from the most popular business in that bracket. For each product sold, the player receives as printed on the space, removes the matching Time marker from the Retail Outlet, and places it back into the General Stock.

This continues until all consumers have bought one product each or all products have been sold, whichever comes first. Any remaining Time markers at the Retail Outlets (representing products that did not sell) drop down to any lower price bracket (including Liquidation), from the lowest price bracket up, in Popularity order within a bracket. Players may choose which price within the new bracket to place their Time marker on. Any Time marker dropping into the Liquidation space immediately sells for 3 .

I Construction Company

Schedule business

Players schedule business at the Construction Company in order to expand their business with a new Improvement. Players pay 4 and 4 to place 1 in the first available space in numerical order.

Player icons , and dictate how many spaces are available for the number of players in the game. For instance, in a 4-player game, players may place Time markers up to and including the spaces marked with the on it, but not on the space marked with .

Conduct business

In numerical order, each player has the option of buying an available Improvement. Starting with space 1, a Tenant Improvement can be bought for 1 , 1 , or a Floor Improvement can be bought for 2 , 2 plus 2 , 2 per existing Floor on a Player´s Player board. Players pay the cost for their chosen Improvement, add it to their Player board, and move their Time marker to the General Stock. Floors are placed on top of their building (move the Specialty tile up to make space), and Tenant Improvements replace a Ground Floor room or may be placed on an Empty Floor tile.

See Tenant Improvements and Floor Improvements for details of their tasks.

NOTE: Players start with the Ground Floor and the Specialty tile; they are not purchased. Additionally, the Specialty tile is not considered to be a floor!

In the first stage of the game, only Stage Improvements are available. Beginning in the third round, the Stage Improvements become available, and beginning with the sixth round, the Stage Improvements become available as well.

Players may purchase one Improvement per Time marker in the Construction Company, and may never build an Improvement already on their Player board. If a player cannot afford to or chooses not to buy an Improvement, they simply move their Time marker to the General Stock.

Ground Floor Rooms

Each player can use these these six rooms on their Player boards. During the game, each Player can remodel any of their rooms to get access to upgraded benefits.

Each remodeled Ground Floor Room is worth 2 at the end of the game.

Each player can use these these six rooms on their Player boards. During the game, each Player can remodel any of their rooms to get access to upgraded benefits.

When one or more Time Markers are required, all required Time markers must be placed at once. Once the Time marker requirement has been met, all Ground Floor Rooms provide their respective benefit immediately. These rooms have unlimited use.

Each remodeled Ground Floor Room is worth 2 at the end of the game.

Advertising

Standard: Place 1 on Advertising to place 1 from the General Stock into the Networking box at the Advertising Agency.
Remodeled: Place 1 on Advertising to place 1 from the General Stock into the Networking box at the Advertising Agency OR place 2 on Advertising to place 1 from the General Stock into the Social Media box at the Advertising Agency.

Training

Standard: Place 2 on Training to remove 1 token from your Employee track.The Time markers for this trained employee are available for use at the start of the next round.
Remodeled: Place 1 on Training to remove 1 token from your Employee track.The Time markers for this trained employee are available for use at the start of the next round.

Meeting

Standard: Place 1 on the Meeting Room to gain 1 .
Remodeled: Place 1 on the Meeting Room to gain 1 , OR place 2 on the Meeting Room to gain 3 .

Research & Testing

Standard: Place 1 on Research & Testing and spend 1 from your Storage Closet to gain 3 .
Remodeled: Place 1 on Research & Testing and spend 1 from your Storage Closet to either gain 4 , or gain 2 and 2 .

Assembly

Standard: Place 3 on Assembly to acquire 1 . A newly acquired must have a place in the Storage Closet to be stored or it is discarded.
Remodeled: Place 2 on Assembly to acquire 1 . A newly acquired must have a place in the Storage Closet to be stored or it is discarded.

Storage

Standard: Store 1 indefinitely with no time cost.
Remodeled: Store up to 2 indefinitely with no time cost. When remodeling the Storage Closet, the remodeled Storage Closet comes into play with 1 new on it.
Tenant Improvements

There are two of each regular Tenant Improvement tile, and only one Tenant Improvement Achievement tile.
IMPORTANT NOTE: In a 2 or 3 player game, only one copy of each Tenant Improvement tile is available for purchase.

New Tenant Improvement are either placed on an “Empty Floor” Improvement space or on top of another room. Overbuilt rooms become inaccessible; their ability cannot be used nor can they be remodeled. However, its Prestige Points will still count at the end of the game.

There are two of each regular Tenant Improvement tile, and only one Tenant Improvement Achievement tile.
IMPORTANT NOTE: In a 2 or 3 player game, only one copy of each Tenant Improvement tile is available for purchase.

When players expand their business with a new Tenant Improvement, they can either place it on an “Empty Floor” Improvement space or on top of another room. This other room (either a previous Tenant Improvement or a Ground Floor room) becomes inaccessible to the Player; its ability cannot be used nor can it be remodeled. However, its Prestige Points will still count at the end of the game.

Each regular Tenant Improvement tile is worth 3 at the end of the game. Respectively, the Tenant Improvement Achievement tile is worth 1 , but grants additional bonus Prestige Points.

Stage 1

Human Resources

During the Hire Employees phase of each round, Human Resources allows the owner to hire at a discount of 3 , 3 , to a minimum cost of 0 , 0 .

Internship Programm

During the Receive Income phase of each round, the owner of Internship Program receives 1 additional . This 1 does not count as an employee and therefore does not affect the Employee Track or the player's Money income. This 1 functions exactly the same as any other in the game.

Network Admin

During the Receive Income phase of each round, the owner of Network Admin receives an additional .

Stufe 2

NicheMarket

During the Conduct Business phase of each round, the owner of Niche Market is not required to drop the price of any of their products that do not sell at the Retail Outlets. This ability is optional and may be applied to one or more of the owner´s products.

Premium Produkt

The owner of Premium Product receives an additional 2 for each product sold at the Retail Outlets. This includes any Liquidated products.

Public Relations

During the Reorganize phase at the end of each round, the owner of Public Relations does not move their Player marker down on the Popularity track.

Stage 3

Tenant Improvement Achievement

At the end of the game, the owner of Tenant Improvement Achievement scores an additional 1 for each Tenant Improvement they have purchased, including Tenant Improvement Achievement.
Floor Improvements

There are two of each regular Floor Improvement tile, only one of each Achievement Floor tile.
IMPORTANT NOTE: In a 2 or 3 player game, only one copy of each Floor Improvement tile is available for purchase.

New Floors are placed just below the Specialty Tile.

Most Achievement Floor tiles grant additional bonus Prestige Points.

There are two of each regular Floor Improvement tile, only one of each Achievement Floor tile.
IMPORTANT NOTE: In a 2 or 3 player game, only one copy of each Floor Improvement tile is available for purchase.

When players expand their business with a new Floor, they place it above their Ground Floor, below their Specialty Tile. Each subsequent Floor will be placed above the last one etc.

Each Floor Improvement tile is worth between 2 and 8 at the end of the game, as written on the different tiles. Most Achievement Floor tiles also grant additional bonus Prestige Points.

Stage 1

Empty Floor

The Empty Floor comes with one free Tenant Improvement of the owner´s choice. The Tenant Improvement must be from the Stages currently available for purchase next to the Construction Company area of the game board. The Tenant Improvement is placed on one of the two spaces on the Empty Floor tile. The second space may be filled with another Tenant Improvement purchased at a later time.

Stage 2

Assembly Line

Place 1 on Assembly Line to acquire 1 . A newly acquired must have a place to be stored in the Storage Closet or it is discarded. Assembly Line may be used a maximum of two times each round.

Conference Room

Place 2 on Conference Room to gain 5 . Conference Room may be used a maximum of two times each round.

Construction Admin

Place 4 on Construction Admin to place 1 from the General Stock in the next available space at the Construction Company. Construction Admin may be used a maximum of three times each round.

In-House Factory

Place 2 on In-House Factory and spend 1 from your Storage Closet to place 1 from the General Stock in the next available space at the Factory. In-House Factory may be used a maximum of two times each round.

Investor

During the Receive Income phase of each round, the owner of Investor receives an additional 3 .

I.T. Department

During the Receive Income phase of each round, the owner of I.T. Department receives an additional 4 .

Marketing Department

Place 2 on Marketing Department to place 1 from the General Stock into the Broadcast box at the Advertising Agency. Marketing Department may be used a maximum of three times each round.

Online Store

Place 3 on Online Store and spend 1 from your Storage Closet to gain 6 . Online Store may be used a maximum of two times each round.

Research Lab

Place 1 on Research Lab and spend 1 from your Storage Closet to gain and 3 . Research Lab may be used a maximum of three times each round.

Telecommunications

Place 1 on Telecommunications to gain 3 . Telecommunications may be used a maximum of three 3 times each round.

Stage 3

Corner Office Achievement

Corner Office Achievement is worth .

Corporate Merger Achievement

Corporate Merger Achievement is worth .

Executive Achievement

At the end of the game, the owner of Executive Achievement scores additional 2 for each “Achievement” Floor Improvement they have purchased, including Executive Achievement.

Improvement Achievement

At the end of the game, the owner of Improvement Achievement scores additional 1 for each Remodeled Room on their Ground Floor. Tenant Improvements do not count toward this bonus.

Marketing Achievement

At the end of the game, the owner of Marketing Achievement scores additional 2 for each Popularity level they have attained. The Popularity track has three levels, divided by vertical black lines.

Office Renovation

Place 2 on Office Renovation to remodel 1 Ground Floor room. Place the Remodeled Room tile over the Ground Floor room on the Player board. Office Renovation may be used a maximum of 3 times each round.

Production Achievement

At the end of the game, the owner of Production Achievement scores additional 3 for each Supply in their Storage Closet.

Retention Achievement

At the end of the game, the owner of Retention Achievement scores additional 1 for each employee in their staff, according to the CEO marker on the Employee track. It does not matter if the employees have been trained.

Skyline Achievement

At the end of the game, the owner of Skyline Achievement scores additional 1 for each Floor Improvement they have purchased, including Skyline Achievement.
Specialty tiles

The players start the game with one of these Specialty tiles, giving them different advantages.

The Specialty tiles always are on top of the players’ buildings, representing the type of company controlled by the players. These Specialties are not considered to be floors and do not affect the costs for new Floor Improvements.

E-Commerce

The owner of this specialty starts each round with 1 additional . However, this player does not start the game with any Ground Floor rooms remodeled.

Emerging technology

The owner of this specialty starts the game with the remodeled Research & Testing Room tile and places that tile on their Player board.

Industrial

The owner of this specialty starts the game with the remodeled Assembly Room tile and places that tile on their Player board.

Inheritance

The owner of this specialty starts the game with an additional 3 and 1 , for a total of 3 and 8 . However, this player does not start the game with any Ground Floor rooms remodeled.

Non-Profit

The owner of this specialty starts the game with the remodeled Training Room tile and places that tile on their Player board.

Publishing

The owner of this specialty starts the game with the remodeled Advertising Room tile and places that tile on their Player board.

Retail

The owner of this specialty starts the game with the remodeled Storage Closet Room tile and places that tile on their Player board. Remember: A remodeled Storage Closet comes with a free , which means this player starts the game with 2 .

Web Based

The owner of this specialty starts the game with the remodeled Meeting Room tile and places that tile on their Player board.
Economic Forecast cards

2 copies of each cards are included.

Automa Rules
Rules for Automa are available in the → detailed verion of the rules.

Ground Floor may also be played by 1 to 3 players by adding 1 or 2 Automas, competitive Entrepreneurs who are played by the game itself.

All of the base game set up and game rules apply, with the following modifications.

Automa Setup

  1. Set up the game for the number of players playing, including any Automas. For example, if there is 1 human and 1 Automa, then set the game up for 2 players
  2. Choose an Entrepreneur to represent each Automa. These Automas have different difficulty levels: Pei is easy, Gropius medium, and Hadid is hard to beat. By default, each Automa places its CEO on the first space on the Employee track and places four Time markers next to that CEO.
    Hadid also gets one of the Internship Program Tenant Improvements. When playing with 2 or 3 players, use the extra copy in the box, so the other Internship Program is available in the General Stock. This means that Hadid’s CEO plays with 5 Time markers for the entire game.
  3. The players create each default Automa deck as follows:
    1x CONSULTING FIRM, 1x ADVERTISING AGENCY, 1x WAREHOUSE, 1x FACTORY, 1x STOCK EXCHANGE, 1x CONSTRUCTION COMPANY
    Hadid starts with an extra Factory in her deck.
    Pei starts with one Automa Office card in his deck.
    Gropius does not start with any additional cards in his deck. Place the remaining cards sorted by type into the General Stock.
  4. An Automa receives the E-Commerce Specialty, other Automas receive one Specialty randomly.
  5. An Automa always starts as the first player. Randomize the player order for remaining humans and other Automas.

Automa Conventions

An Automa always follows the base game rules, with the following modifications:

During the whole game:

  • An Automa never keeps or gains any , or . It has an unlimited pool of each of those.
  • An Automa starts each round with a thoroughly shuffled deck.
  • An Automa never activates any abilities of its floors or Tenant Improvements during the game.
  • At the start of Stage 3 , add an extra Construction Company card into each Automa deck.
  • When an Automa remodels or gains a Tenant Improvement, it does not matter where it goes, because Automas do not activate abilities anyway.
  • If an Automa deck is ever exhausted during a turn, reshuffle its cards and continue the round.

Receive Income:

  • An Automa never receives income.

Hire Employees:

  • Pei never hires employees.
  • Hadid never hires employees.
  • Gropius hires if the Job Market is at 2 , 2 . If Gropius hires, shuffle an extra Factory card into his Automa deck. Afterwards, Gropius never hires again.

Schedule Business:

  • When an Automa takes its turn, turn over the topmost card of its deck and by default place 1 on the best available space of the building specified on the revealed Automa card.
  • F) When placing at the Stock Exchange, an Automa places 1 on a space in this priority: 1 , then 1 1 , then 1 2 , and finally 1 .
  • When an Automa’s turn is over, discard all revealed Automa cards into a discard pile. Note, each Automa will have their own individual deck and discard pile.

Conduct Business:

  • B) When resolving the Advertising Agency, turn over the next Automa card and reference the bottom left corner to see what type of marketing is done.
  • C) If a Marketing Bonus is awarded, an Automa takes bonuses in this priority: Remodel, Temp, Supply, Money, Info.
  • E) When resolving the Factory, if all products are guaranteed to sell, then the Automa will place its 1 on the Retail Outlet at the highest price available. Otherwise, for each Automa Time marker turn over the next Automa card and reference the bottom right corner to see what bracket to place in.
  • F) When resolving the Stock Exchange, an Automa only sells during Boom, Stable, or at a Buy Out. It stays in otherwise.
  • I) When resolving the Construction Company, an Automa always buys a random Floor from the current stage during Boom and Stable. Otherwise it will buy a random Tenant Improvement from the current stage in all other economies. If an Automa goes to the Construction Company more than once in the same round, then in all subsequent visits it will buy a random Tenant Improvement from the current stage (during Stage 1 and 2).
  • I) When resolving the Construction Company during Stage 3, an Automa will always buy a random Achievement Floor from Stage 3 with each and every Time marker.
  • Each time an Automa buys a Floor or Tenant Improvement, shuffle an extra Automa Office card into its deck.
  • If an Automa reveals an Automa Office card on its turn, simply put 1 anywhere on its player board. It does not matter where it goes, because Automas do not activate abilities anyway.

End Of The Game

An automa scores Prestige Points like any other player. When scoring their Achievement Floors, score them as if they are maxed out, i. e. in case of
'Executive Achievement': 6 'Skyline Achievement' 7 .

Automa cards

There are 2 copies of each of these cards if not mentioned otherwise.

There are 4 copies of of this card.

Bonus components: Era cards

Before the game begins, the players shuffle the Era cards and choose one at random. The chosen Era will direct the construction of the Economic Forecast deck for the game.

Bonus components: New Economic Forecast cards

The players may add these cards as desired

Great Depression

During the construction of the Economic Forecast deck, before shuffling each type of card, replace one Depression card with Great Depression.This means Great Depression might not be in the final deck. During a Great Depression there will be no customers, therefore no products will sell at the Retail Outlets. In addition, unemployment is at its highest, so during Reorganize the Status marker at the Job Market is moved all the way to the left (to the 2 2 space).

Windfall

During the construction of the Economic Forecast deck, before shuffling each type of card, replace one Boom card with Windfall.This means Windfall might not be in the final deck. During a Windfall, customers will be plentiful, therefore all products will sell at the Retail Outlets. In addition, unemployment is at its lowest, so during Reorganize the Status marker at the Job Market is moved all the way to the right (to the 7 7 space).

Bonus components: Event cards

Each Event card alters the rules for one of the Game board areas.

Before the game begins, the players shuffle the Event deck and choose one Event card at random. The chosen Event will indicate which board area is affected for the game. Place the card on the board above the affected area as a reminder and reference.

Hints for handling
Components at the player information:
  1. : shows the prospective final score. When clicked a Popup including a summary of the points will open up.
  2. : when clicked you will get a detailed view of all remodeled rooms, tenants and floor.
  3. : You may check that box if you want to skip the phase 'Hire Employees'.
  4. : You may check that box if you want to skip 'Fire Employees' during phase 'Reorganisation'.
  5. The last (somewhat lighter line) shows the income for the next round. For lack of a next round nothing is shown here during the last round and when the game has ended.
  6. +: shows the cost for building the next floor.
  7. this preview shows some key figures of the player board: position of CEO, number of untrained tokens, overbuilt Ground Floor rooms (red cross), remodeled rooms (green cross) and number of floors built (number in the top center of the image). When clicked the respective player board will be displayed in the big view.
The 'building menu' is located in the top left corner. When clicked a detailed overview of remodeled rooms and the current supply of tenants and floor will open up. The number in the top center of tenants and floor indicate how many copies are yet available.
If the player order changes due to a change in popularity, the sequence of the player information in the display will adjust accordingly.
From round 2 on a small image of an Economic Forecast card will show up just below the 'G' of the building for Future Economic Forecast. Clicking on that image will show the Economic Forecast cards of the past rounds.
When playing with Automas clicking on in an Automa's player information shows the Automa cards of that Automa. For cards in the drawing deck only the type of card is displayed. All other cards show their complete information.

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