Odd Shop (2023)

Overview

Welcome to Odd Shop, the auction house for all your oddities! Spend store credits to win the odd objects. But be aware, not all objects are authentic. Hire the inhouse experts to get more information on the objects before you make your bid.

Every round, five objects will be auctioned off. All objects are visible for all the players to see. The auction will start with the object furthest on the left, continuing to the object on the right. For each object, a round of bidding will occur.

All objects have two values in gold. One value for an authentic object and one value for a replica. You will only find out if the objects are authentic or not after you’ve bought the item. But before the bidding starts, you can hire the help of an expert to check if the object(s) is authentic or a replica. Bidding will happen simultaneously in the first round. After the first round, the player with the most credits left, will become the profiteer. When there is a profiteer, bidding will occur in clockwise order, with the profiteer bidding last. Bids will be placed face down, but players can see how many cards are used in the bid.

The objects are divided into four categories: potions, familiars, gear and magic items. When you win more objects of the same category, you gain bonus points (depending on the duration of the game). Gear objects belong to sets of two or three. When you’ve collected a complete set, the total value of that set will be doubled. Therefore, it is encouraged to try and win as many of the same category objects as you can, but your opponents will of course know that you want certain objects. That’s why it is allowed to trade with the other players. You can trade objects, or you can buy objects from other players by paying credits. This means that you will play the rest of the game with less credits to spend and your opponent with more than everyone else. But getting to complete a collection can win you the game!

You may notice that the objects are not named. You may use your expertise to identify the objects and give them names. And how on earth could some be replicas?!

Have fun in the world of Odd Shop!

—description from the publisher