About Auction House

Sealed-bid auction game with hidden item valuations. Players bid on items whose true value is partially hidden. Each round 3 of 5 attributes shown, each player has private info about 1 hidden attribute.

4-6 players (best with 5) · 25–40 min · Niche / Weird

How a round plays out

1. 1

   Item revealed

   An Item is revealed with 3 of 5 attributes shown.

2. 2

   Private intel

   Each player has private info about 1 hidden attribute.

3. 3

   Sealed bids

   Each player writes a sealed bid.

4. 4

   Award

   Highest bid wins, pays bid. Item joins their portfolio.

Roles

Bidder(all)

Each has private info on 1 hidden attribute per item. Submits sealed bids.

How to win

Highest portfolio

Highest portfolio value at end (true item value × ownership).

Tips for new players

Bid range, not point

Plan your bid AS A RANGE based on what you don't know.

Bait with high opens

A high opening bid signals confidence — and can scare informed players off.

Track portfolios

Players sitting on a fortune will outbid you on the last item.

What makes it interesting

The "winner's curse" game (you only win when everyone else thought it was worth less, suggesting you overpaid). But the private info mechanic means sometimes you're right to pay more. Every bid is signal AND deception.

Bid your private info's worth = you might overpay. Bid lower = you might lose to a less-informed bidder who got lucky.