- BGG rating
- 7.7
Furnace: Interbellum
- 1–5 players
- 30–60 min
- Complexity 2.8/5
- 2022
- BGG rank
- BGG #413
- BGG rating
- 7.4
Furnace
2020
Rules assistance for Furnace
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 30–60 min
- 12+
- Complexity 2.3/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Furnace
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Furnace is a board game released in 2020 for 2–4 players, 30–60 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Ivan Lashin and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Auction / Bidding, and Income.
Expansions
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About the game
Furnace is an engine-building Eurogame in which players take on the roles of 19th-century capitalists building their industrial corporations and aspiring to make as much money as they can by purchasing companies, extracting resources, and processing them in the best combinations possible. Each player starts the game with a random start-up card, the resources depicted at the top of that card, and four colored discs valued 1-4. The game is played over four rounds, and each round consists of two phases: Auction and Production. During the auction, 6-8 company cards are laid out with their basic sides face up. Players take turns placing one of their discs on one of these cards, but you cannot place a disc on a card if a disc of the same value or color is already present. Thus, you'll place discs on four cards. Once all the discs are placed, the cards are resolved from left to right. Whoever placed the highest-valued disc will claim this card, but first anyone with a lower-valued disc on this card will gain compensation, either the resources depicted multiplied by the value of their disc or a processing ability (exchange X for Y) up to as many times as the value of their disc. Once all the cards have been claimed or discarded, players enter the production phase, using their cards in the order of their choice. Each company card has one action — either production or processing — on its basic side and two actions on its upgraded side. During the production phase, you can use each of your cards once to gain resources, process those resources into other resources or money, and upgrade your cards. At the end of four rounds, whoever has the most money wins. Furnace also includes capitalist cards that contain unique effects, and if you want, you can choose to deal one out to each player at the start of the game. For an additional challenge, you can require players to create a "production chain", with each newly acquired company card being placed somewhere in that chain and locked in position for the remainder of the game.
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Hobby World
- Maldito Games
- DV Games
- Board Game Rookie
- CMON Global Limited
- Vagabund
- MeepleBR
- JELLY JELLY GAMES
- Jumping Turtle Games
- Kobold Spieleverlag
- Arcane Wonders
- La Boîte de Jeu
- Midnight Jungle
- Meeple King
- Jing Studio
Questions and answers
Furnace supports 2–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Furnace is 30–60 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Furnace for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Furnace has a complexity rating of 2.3 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Furnace belongs to these categories: Card Game, Economic, and Industry / Manufacturing. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Auction / Bidding, and Income. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Furnace are: Ivan Lashin. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Furnace as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.