Widget Ridge is a steampunk-themed deckbuilding game, traditionally for 2 players (solo mode and extra players supported). The game follows traditional deckbuilding mechanics of starting with a terrible deck of cards, and improving it with purchases and deck-thinning abilities. Players take turns generating Gold and making Spark, purchasing new inventions from the Marketplace of Ideas, and combining these in their Workshop to make larger, crazier machines. Players can invent things like a Clockwork-Powered Butter Gun with a Parachute, a Coal-Powered Mechanical Bison with a Grappling Hook, or a Solar-Powered Battle Corset with an Antenna. The game has over 1000 combinations in the initial release. The basic win condition is to gather 100 Spark, but the game also includes Goal cards that can alter the rules and win condition for additional replay value. Players can choose to concentrate on the game itself, or engage the rich story environment. The game is designed for 2+ players, but will have solo rules in the box. —description from the publisher
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UNKNOWN — The rulebook excerpt provided does not include detailed setup instructions. General deck-building setup likely involves each player receiving a starter deck, shuffling, and drawing an opening hand, with invention cards laid out in the Marketplace of Ideas.
On your turn: (1) Play cards from your hand to generate Gold and/or Spark. (2) Optionally combine inventions in your Workshop to build machines and generate additional Spark. (3) Optionally spend Gold to purchase new invention cards from the Marketplace of Ideas. (4) End your turn, cycling played and purchased cards back into your deck as appropriate.
The player with the most accumulated Spark at the end of the game wins. Scoring sources: Spark generated by playing invention cards, Spark generated by combining inventions in the Workshop to form larger machines
Source: Rulebook
The most useful rules for getting a first game right.
Gold is the primary in-game currency used by players to purchase new invention cards from the Marketplace of Ideas. Players generate Gold on their turn using cards in their hand.
Spark is the victory point resource in Widget Ridge. Players generate Spark using cards and combinations in their Workshop. The player who has accumulated the most Spark at the end of the game wins.
The Marketplace of Ideas is the central card row or display from which players may purchase new invention cards. Purchasing is done by spending the required amount of Gold on a player's turn. Purchased cards are added to the player's deck.
Each player has a Workshop where they play and combine invention cards. By assembling compatible inventions together, players can create larger, more complex machines that generate greater amounts of Spark or Gold than individual cards alone.
On a player's turn, they play cards from their hand to generate Gold and/or Spark, optionally purchase one or more invention cards from the Marketplace of Ideas using the Gold they generated, and then end their turn. Purchased and used cards are typically cycled back into the deck.
The game ends when a specific end-game trigger is reached. The player who has gathered the most Spark is declared the winner.
Because Spark is the sole victory condition, prioritizing invention cards that combine well in the Workshop to produce Spark is more valuable than simply maximizing Gold generation. Use Gold as a means to acquire high-Spark synergy cards.
Early in the game, building a strong Gold engine allows you to purchase powerful inventions from the Marketplace more quickly. Mid-to-late game, shift focus to Workshop combinations that maximize Spark output per turn.
Based on standard deck-building conventions reflected in the rulebook description, Gold is typically a temporary resource generated and spent within the same turn. Any unspent Gold is lost at the end of your turn. Spark, however, is a persistent victory point resource accumulated across the game.
Yes. The rulebook explicitly states that combining inventions in the Workshop allows players to make 'larger, crazier machines,' implying that combinations yield greater Spark output than the individual cards would produce separately.
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