In Furnace, a quick and engaging engine-building game, players compete for cards through bidding, either adding them to their tableau by winning bids or gaining compensation in the form of resources or conversions. In the subsequent production phase, players activate the cards in their tableau to acquire more resources, convert them, or trade them for coins. The game lasts four rounds, and the player with the most coins at the end wins.

The game seems simple but has depth, especially in the bidding phase. Players use discs with values 1 to 4 to bid on cards, with the rule that identical values or colors can’t be on the same card. The highest bid on each card wins the card, and losing players get resources or an action listed on top of the card. Interestingly, there are times when winning a bid isn’t your best move because the compensation holds more value for you. For these reasons, this phase involves strategically placing discs and closely monitoring opponents.

Another interesting aspect is the asymmetric player powers. During setup, every player gets a capitalist card. These cards give special abilities, like an extra disc for bidding or not having to follow certain disc placement rules.

The game lasts for four rounds, but the last one is almost as long as the first three combined because, by the fourth round, each player has many cards and tries to maximize their points before the game ends. Even if some might think there isn’t enough time to build a big engine in this game, it ends just right. If it went on longer, it could become overwhelming.

It’s worth noting that Furnace features beautiful card artwork and high-quality components. While the box could be smaller, its fairly functional insert makes the size less of a concern. Additionally, company cards use simple iconography to clearly convey their functions, with a clever design choice being the grayed-out section at the bottom, displaying added benefits when the card is upgraded.

In summary, Furnace stands out as an excellent, fast-paced engine builder, offering depth and engaging decision-making. For enthusiasts of quick economic games, Furnace proves an excellent choice.

Furnace: Interbellum Expansion

Interbellum, a recent expansion, improves Furnace in multiple ways:

New Auction Disks

Adding Variable Auction Disks brings more unpredictability to the bidding phase. Each player gets an extra disk each round, with its value determined by coal payments during bidding.

Manager Tokens

Depending on the number of players, a certain number of manager tokens are available for bidding with the same bidding rules as the company cards. These tokens give different powers, and players can put them on company cards to get those powers. They can also be moved around from one card to another at the start of each round.

New Cards

Interbellum adds more capitalist, startup, and company cards, providing more variety. Some company cards introduce new effects such as immediate bonuses and ongoing powers.

Solo and Two-Player Games

This expansion adds AI agents for a better experience at lower player counts. In two-player games, one agent is used, while solo games are played against two agents. We haven’t tested these agents and have only played three and four-player games.

As you can see, this expansion makes the game more interesting by adding variety and depth. The manager tokens are a great way to make the company cards more dynamic, and the new powers on company cards give you more things to think about.

One drawback is that some manager tokens have unclear text without any clarifications in the rulebook. However, Arcane Wonders has released a PDF file for clarification. They plan to address this issue in the next reprint.

If you already think Furnace is a perfect game and don’t want to make it more complicated, this expansion might not be for you. But if you like Furnace and don’t mind a bit more complexity, Interbellum definitely elevates the game.

Disclosure: We received a review copy of this game. Also, there may be an affiliate link in the links included at the end of this article.