Worker Placement is an easy-to-learn strategy board game of earning cash and gaining reputation. In the game, you assume the role of a temporary employment agency CEO who is trying to build his or her start-up business into a thriving operation. The path to success seems simple enough: hire unemployed temp workers, help them to upgrade their skills, and find them the best short-term jobs so your company can get paid its cut. Competition with other temp agencies is fierce, though, so establishing a solid reputation as a reliable and dependable agency can bump your workers towards the front of the employment line.

Worker Placement plays in about 45 minutes and is suitable for 2-5 players, ages 10+. With a variety of engaging play mechanics – including card drafting, hand management, bidding, set collecting, and of course worker placement – playful illustrations with accompanying flavor text, and simple rules that take only minutes to learn, running a successful temp agency business has never been this much fun!

Gameplay Round Summary:

Action 1: Determine Player Order

Player Order card + Thumbs Track position = position on the Player Order Track.

Action 2: Reveal New Jobs

Deal one Job card for each player (minimum four cards) face up on the game board edge at the Job Centre building.

Action 3: Draft Business Cards

Deal three Business cards to each player, who selects one card to add to his or her hand, passes one to the player on the left, and places the final card face down on the Peer Networking Group building.

Action 4: Auction Discarded Business Cards

Place face up three randomly select Business cards from those at the Peer Networking Group building and discard the others. Starting with the first player and continuing along the Player Order Track, each player may pass or bid. Players with the top three bids select, in order, one of the Business cards up for auction and add it to their hands, reducing their positions on the Cash Track equal to their bids. Discard unselected cards.

Action 5: Place Workers

Clockwise, beginning with the first player, players take turns placing all meeples on the game board buildings to gain benefits. Cash cost = number of meeples at the building. If a Job is filled, the player gains the Cash and Thumbs on the Job card.

Action 6: Reset

Players reclaim placed meeples. Advance the Hourglass token one space on the Time Track. Players must discard down to five Business cards if holding more than five in their hands.

Astro Jam