Parts Unknown

About this board game

Parts Unknown is a 4–10 player board game about retail store owners supplying body parts to local mad scientists, with games lasting about 90 minutes. Players compete to finish with the most money while managing stock, prices, and unpredictable changes in demand.

Each turn, players receive a part from their gravediggers and may pay for additional parts. They can also buy store shelves and stock them with parts at a specific, fixed price. When Viktor, a mad scientist, stops to window-shop for a particular type of part, demand is created. Parts are then sold starting with the cheapest available price, continuing to higher prices until that demand is met.

Market outcomes affect the town as well as the players. If sales exceed demand, a surplus may return an extra townsfolk to the population. If demand is not met, a shortage removes a townsfolk. Unsold inventory can be moved to the “parts unknown” pile, where it automatically sells at certain times for a highly discounted rate.

• Fixed-price retail: Set shelf prices and compete to sell when demand appears.
• Changing conditions: A monster may scare shoppers into buying only at the cheapest price.
• Town unrest: A riot can make parts from the gravediggers more expensive.
• Economic victory: The player with the most money at the end wins.

Released in 1999, Parts Unknown also has a 1998 cardstock edition listed as out of print. It was an Origins Award nominee for Best Sci Fi/Fantasy Board Game.