Modern Art

This is the CMON English edition of the original auction game, for 3–5 over four rounds. Give each player 100 money units behind a screen. Deal 10/9/8 cards each for 3/4/5 players in round one; the youngest player starts with the hammer.

The auctioneer plays a painting from hand and uses its auction symbol. Another buyer pays the auctioneer; an auctioneer buying their own offering pays the bank. Place purchases in front of the buyer’s screen. Normally the next auctioneer is the player to the left. Never bid beyond your cash.

In an open auction everyone, including the auctioneer, may raise freely; the highest bid wins. In a one-offer auction, proceed clockwise from the auctioneer’s left, bidding higher or passing once each, with the auctioneer last. With no bids, the auctioneer gets the painting free.

In a hidden auction everyone bids secretly and reveals together. Highest wins. Under these CMON rules, the auctioneer wins if tied for highest; otherwise the tied bidder nearest clockwise from the auctioneer wins. If everyone bids zero, the auctioneer gets it free.

For fixed price, the auctioneer announces an affordable price. Starting on their left, players clockwise may accept; the first accepting player buys. If nobody does, the auctioneer must pay the bank that price and buy it.

A double auction needs a second painting by the same artist with a non-double symbol; auction both using that second type. If the original auctioneer declines to add one, others may do so clockwise. Whoever adds it becomes auctioneer, receives all payment and passes play to their left. If nobody adds one, the original painting goes to its auctioneer free.

Playing any artist’s fifth painting ends the round immediately; it is not auctioned or owned. If it is the second card of a double auction, neither sells. If the double card itself is fifth, add no second card. Unsold round-ending paintings still count towards artist rankings.

Rank artists by paintings played that round, breaking equal counts in favour of the artist further left on this CMON board. Award 30/20/10 value tiles to the top three; others have zero current value. Rank only artists actually represented if fewer than three appear.

Sell every painting bought that round to the bank and discard it. A current top-three artist pays the sum of all their current and earlier value tiles per painting. An artist outside the current top three pays zero despite earlier tiles. Purchased paintings never carry between rounds.

Keep leftover hand cards. Before rounds two and three deal 6/4/3 each for 3/4/5 players; deal none for round four. Start the next round to the left of whoever played the previous round’s last painting. Most cash after four rounds wins; this manual specifies no further final-cash tiebreak.