Power Grid Openings: The First Three Rounds

Power Grid has no fixed opening. The starting market is a random 8 plants from 03 to 15, and the play area changes every game. But the first three rounds follow patterns, and the players who handle them well treat them the same way: buy a seat, not just a plant, start where the map is quiet, and keep enough money to fuel what they own.

Round 1 is a seating auction

In round 1, everyone must buy a plant. Once the auction ends, the rulebook resets player order by plant number, since nobody has cities yet. The highest plant goes first.

That reset matters right away. Fuel and building run in reverse order, so in round 1:

• The smallest plant buys fuel first, at the lowest prices, and picks its start city first.
• The largest plant buys fuel last and builds last, after the cheap fuel and the best spots are gone.

A bigger plant is a better plant. It is also a worse seat for the first fuel purchase and first build. Weigh both before you bid.

When the discount plant pays

At the start of each auction phase, the smallest current plant gets the discount token and can open at 1 Elektro. In round 1, that is often the cheapest way into the game.

The trade is simple. You save money and get the best seat for fuel and cities this round. In return you own the smallest plant, which you will want to replace soon. Since you can own only 3 plants, every plant you buy early is one you may later scrap.

If you take it cheap, spend the savings well: fuel for that plant and a good start city.

What makes a good first plant

Look at three things on each card:

1. Cities per fuel marker. A plant that powers 2 cities on 2 markers is doing more work than one that powers 1 on 2.
2. Which fuel it burns. If two players already own oil plants, your oil will cost more every round. A fuel nobody else wants stays cheap.
3. The number. A higher number wins turn order ties and means a higher minimum bid.

An eco plant burns no fuel at all. It never pays the fuel bill, which makes it attractive whenever one appears at a fair price.

Peek at the draw pile

The draw pile’s backs are visible on purpose. A plug back on top means a small plant, from 03 to 15, comes into the market next. A socket back means a larger one. If you are about to pass on a plant hoping for something better, check the back first.

Picking your start city

Your first house can go in any empty city in the play area. A few habits help:

• Find open space. In Step 1, each city holds one company. Rivals next door mean longer, pricier routes for you all game.
• Look at the connection costs around you. A cluster of cheap links lets you add cities for little more than the 10 each city costs in Step 1.
• Plan for seven. Step 2 begins when someone reaches 7 cities (6 with 6 players). Before then, nobody can share a city with you. Start where you can claim about that many before others arrive.
• Avoid the dead end. A corner city with one expensive way out can trap you.

You can also wait. The rulebook lets you place your first house in round 2 instead, to adjust your place in turn order. Skipping the build keeps you at zero cities and pays 10 Elektro in bureaucracy.

Budgeting your 50 Elektro

You start with 50. In round 1, it has to cover a plant, fuel to run it, and probably a first city. Before the auction, work backward:

• A first city costs 10, plus any route.
• Fuel for a small plant costs a few Elektro at early prices.
• Whatever is left is your top bid.

A bidding war you win by 8 Elektro can cost you your first city. That is the opening version of being one Elektro short.

Rounds 2 and 3

After round 1, player order follows cities, with plant numbers breaking ties. Most players have one city, so the biggest plant often leads again.

Use these rounds to grow evenly:

• Add cities you can power. Building past your capacity earns nothing extra.
• Buy a second plant when it adds real capacity, not just because you can.
• Keep watching which fuels each player burns. That list tells you where the price fights will be.

A good opening, roughly

There is no perfect target, and player count changes everything. As a rough check after round 3:

• Two plants, with capacity close to your city count.
• A start area with room to grow before Step 2.
• Enough cash that next round’s fuel is not a worry.

If you lead the cities track after round 3 and have no cash, the opening got away from you. Level 2 shows how to steer the midgame.