Power Of The Day -- Auctioneer

AUCTIONEER                      Phase 1
 (Washington University group; rev. Rob Burns) 

Auctions cards for Lucre

You have the power to auction. Before each challenge in which you are
an offensive player, take the top card of the deck, place it face up
in front of you, and auction it
for Lucre. All bids must be at least two Lucre, and you cannot prevent
any of the other players from participating; however, you cannot bid. 
The high bidder pays you and takes the card for his hand. If no one
bids, you may take the card for your own hand or discard it.

History: A resource crunch on their home worlds led to fierce
competition among Auctioneers for the remaining materials. Those
Auctioneers who controlled the dwindling supplies enriched themselves
from the desperate struggles of their fellows. Contact with other
races alleviated the shortages, but the Auctioneers remain quick to
exploit the need of others to enrich themselves.

Use Only In Games With Lucre

FLARE 

Interphase
Wild: Between challenges, you may auction a base on any planet where
you have one. You may not prevent any player from participating in the
auction. High bidder, at least 2 Lucre, pays you in Lucre, then puts
one of his tokens from any planet onto the base.

Phase 1
Super: When you auction, take the top card of the deck and put it in
your hand. Then select any card from your hand and auction it. If no
one bids on the card, you may keep it or discard it.

PULSAR

Phase 1
Con: You get first dibs on the auctioned card.  You can pay Auctioneer
4 Lucre and take the card.  Otherwise, it goes for auction as normal.

Phase 1
Pro: If a players buys the card, take the next card from the Challenge
Deck.  You may keep it or discard it.

Eon/Avalon:

Power

Minimum bid 1 Lucre

Flare 

Wild: Minimum bid 1 Lucre

Pulsar

No changes

Experience Rating: Advanced

Commentary: This is a resource power created by the Washington
University playing group circa 1990, specifically Ken Kox.  The Pulsar
is my creation.  Everything else, including the history, is theirs
adapted to Mayfair Lucre rules.  Because they created the power and
flare for Eon rules, they decided to have the wild flare be  "use once
and discard".  I did not see that as necessary.  If a player wants to
give away a base every challenge that's his business.

Rob Burns, using Eon Lucre rules, wanted the minimum bid to be 2
Lucre.  I disagree that is necessary for Eon rules.  He and Cedric
Chin were concentrating on the cards Auctioneer gets that are not bid
on.  For example, other players may not want to bid 2 Lucre for
"middle" cards like Attack 10 or Victory Boon, thus Auctioneer would
get some decent cards.  I see Auctioneer's power as getting the Lucre,
and one Eon Lucre is valueable.  Yes, someone else buying a Cosmic Zap
or Attack 40 can sting a little, but because those cards are
valueable, starting the bid at 1 Eon Lucre might generate competition
among the other players to get those powerful cards.  Auctioneer rolls
in the dough.  For Mayfair Lucre rules, 2 Lucre is the place to start
since 1 Lucre is practically worthless and other Lucre powers are
based on 2 Lucre.

Gerald Katz