Raccoon Tycoon

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Players	Playtime	Rating	Complexity
2 - 5	90 minutes	7.23489	2.1702

Thoughts

Note 2025-08-02-Saturday

Time: 19:20 PM

We tried to nerf the auction house such that only auctions started by others would pay out. This prevented people from taking that action at all
Maybe it can be refined to: "If you host an auction, but lose the bid, you make $5"
The more simple, no cheesing thing to do here could also just be "Any round where an auction occurs gives you $5, which still easily beats the $15 paid
BGG seems to think so too

I'm referring to the auction house building, which pays the owner of the building $5 each time anyone does an auction. I'd like to keep the auction mechanic the same, but nerf the building itself. Any ideas?

To nerf the Auction House building in Raccoon Tycoon while keeping the auction mechanic unchanged, you can consider the following adjustments:

Reduce the Payout: Lower the payout from $5 to a smaller amount, such as $3 or $2, each time an auction occurs. This reduces the building's profitability without altering the auction dynamics.
Limit the Number of Payouts: Introduce a cap on the number of times the Auction House can pay out per round or game. For example, it could only pay out for the first three auctions each round.
Introduce a Maintenance Cost: Require the owner to pay a maintenance fee each round to keep the Auction House operational. This could offset the income generated from the building.
Auction House Activation: Make the Auction House only active during the owner's turn. This means it only pays out when an auction is initiated during the owner's turn, reducing its overall effectiveness.
Shared Payout: Instead of the owner receiving the full $5, split the payout among all players, with the owner receiving a slightly larger share. This reduces the owner's advantage while still providing some benefit.
Conditional Payout: Make the payout conditional on certain criteria, such as the owner having a specific number of resources or properties. This adds a strategic element to maintaining the building.

By implementing one or more of these changes, you can balance the Auction House building's impact on the game without altering the core auction mechanic.