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Parts Unknown box art
Rich game profile

Parts Unknown

Players are retail store owners who supply body parts to the local mad scientists. Viktor, a mad scientist, goes around window shopping. Whenever he stops to look at a particular type of parts, a demand for that type of part is created; all the parts at the cheapest price get sol...

Players

4-10

Time

?-?

Age

10+

Weight

1.9

Rating

6.02

Should this hit the table?

Quick read before the metadata.

Moderate level of direct and strategic confrontation, high interaction frequency, and low emphasis on cooperation.

Teach 2.4

Teaching signal

Replay 3.8

High replayability

Interaction 3.7

Highly interactive

Scaling 4.2

Scales well

Strategy 4.5

Deep strategy

Control 2.3

Luck-sensitive

Table feel

Moderate level of direct and strategic confrontation, high interaction frequency, and low emphasis on cooperation.

Replay value

Parts Unknown has a high variability gameboard, with multiple paths to victory and variable setups. The presence of expansions adds new content and gameplay elements, enhancing the replay value. The game offers deep strategic possibilities and room for improvement over time. The player interaction score is average. It scales well with different numbers of players without compromising its appeal or balance. While it may take some time to learn, the game offers a good balance between easiness and depth. Overall, Parts Unknown has a strong replayability score of 7.6.

Luck profile

Parts Unknown has a moderate influence of luck. The game outcome is not solely determined by random elements, but they still have a notable impact. Players have some ability to mitigate the effects of randomness through strategic decisions, but luck still plays a significant role. Overall, the game has a balanced mix of luck and strategy.

Overview

What ABG knows about this game

Players are retail store owners who supply body parts to the local mad scientists. Viktor, a mad scientist, goes around window shopping. Whenever he stops to look at a particular type of parts, a demand for that type of part is created; all the parts at the cheapest price get sold. If there is still a demand, all the parts at the next cheapest price get sold. This continues until demand is met. If parts sold exceed demand, a surplus is created, which may put an extra townsfolk back into the population. If the demand is not met, a shortage is created which will be filled by removing a townsfolk. Each turn, players get a part from their gravediggers, and can pay for more parts. Players can buy store shelves, and stock those shelves with parts, setting them to a specific, fixed price. If parts don't sell. the may be shuffled off to the "parts unknown" pile, which will automatically sell at certain times at a highly discounted rate. There could be, at times, a monster on the loose which scares off shoppers, getting them to buy parts only at the cheapest price, ignoring other available parts. Also, villagers might riot, which causes parts from the gravediggers to be more expensive. Player with the most money at the end of the game wins. Versions 1998 Cardstock version (Out of Print) Awards Origins Award Nominee: Best Sci Fi/Fantasy Board Game

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Commerce mapping

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Credits

People and publishers

Designers

1
James Ernest

Artists

1
Michael O'Connor

Publishers

2
Cheapass Games Truant Spiele

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