Overview

Automobile is an economic strategy game by Martin Wallace for 3-5 players set in the early U.S. automobile industry, from the 1893 Duryea through the early 20th century. Players purchase factories to produce low-, medium-, and high-valued vehicles, hire salesmen, and leverage the abilities of historical figures to sell cars and earn money. The player with the most money at the end wins.

Components

• 1 Full-color game board
• 140 Automobile tiles
• 40 Salesman tiles
• 48 Factory tiles
• 16 Demand tiles
• 6 Character tiles (Ford, Kettering, Sloan, Howard, Durant, Chrysler)
• 40 Wood innovation cubes
• 50 Wood loss cubes
• 9 Wood special markers
• 10 Wood player tokens
• Paper money
• Rules booklet

Setup

1. Place the game board in the center of the table.
2. Sort automobile tiles, salesman tiles, and factory tiles into their respective supplies.
3. Arrange the demand tiles and character tiles near the board.
4. Each player receives a starting amount of money.
5. Place player tokens on the starting positions.
6. Prepare the innovation cubes and loss cubes in their supplies.

Turn Structure

The game is played over 4 rounds. Each round follows a strictly regimented sequence of 9 steps:

1. Determine Demand: Reveal demand tiles to set the public demand level for low, medium, and high-end cars.
2. Select Characters: Each player secretly selects one of 6 historical characters who provide special abilities for the round. Characters include Henry Ford, Charles Kettering, Alfred P. Sloan, Howard, Durant, and Chrysler.
3. Take Actions (3 per player): Players take turns performing 3 actions from the available options.
4. Produce Cars: Factories produce automobile tiles based on their capacity.
5. Sell Cars: Automobiles are sold through salesmen and public demand. Higher-class vehicles earn more money.
6. Resolve Losses: Unsold cars and obsolete factories generate loss cubes.
7. Discard Characters: Return character tiles.
8. Advance the Timeline: Move to the next era.
9. Clean Up: Reset for the next round.

Actions

Each player has 3 actions per round. Available actions include:

• Build a Factory: Purchase a factory tile to produce a specific type of automobile (low, medium, or high-end). Factories become outdated as technology advances.
• Hire Salesmen: Place salesman tiles to help sell produced cars.
• Research & Development: Gain innovation cubes that improve factory efficiency or unlock new technologies.
• Produce Cars: Activate factories to create automobile tiles.
• Close a Factory: Shut down an outdated factory to avoid accumulating loss cubes.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

The game ends after 4 rounds. The player with the most money wins. Money is earned primarily through selling automobiles. Unsold cars and obsolete factories generate losses (loss cubes). Each loss cube at game end costs the player money. Efficient management of production, sales, and technology advancement is key to victory.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Character Abilities: Each historical figure provides a unique advantage. For example, Henry Ford may reduce production costs, while Alfred Sloan may improve sales efficiency.
• Obsolescence: As the game progresses, older factory types become outdated. Players holding obsolete factories accumulate loss cubes unless they close them.
• Demand Fluctuation: Public demand for each car tier changes each round, making it risky to overproduce in any category.
• Loss Cubes: Accumulated loss cubes directly reduce final score. Players must balance production with demand to minimize losses.
• Salesmen: Each salesman can only sell a limited number of cars. Positioning salesmen effectively is crucial to moving inventory.

Player Reference

Car Type	Value	Factory Cost	Demand
Low-end	Low	Cheapest	Highest volume
Medium	Medium	Moderate	Moderate volume
High-end	High	Expensive	Lowest volume

Round Structure: Demand -> Characters -> 3 Actions -> Produce -> Sell -> Losses -> Cleanup

Win condition: Most money after 4 rounds