Magnat is played with dice, but luck isn't everything. The players who win most often manage their money well, aim for the right countries and know how to trade. Here are our tips, based on the game's real rules.
You start with 1,500 € and collect 200 € every time you pass Go (default settings). On your first lap, almost everything is free: this is the time to buy. A city that earns nothing today can become a bargaining chip tomorrow, when an opponent needs it to complete a country.
Everything comes down to full countries. When you own every city of a country, their base rent doubles (rule on by default) and you can build houses, then a hotel.
An airport costs 200 €. Its rent is 25 €, then 50, 100 and 200 € when you own 1, 2, 3 or 4. Two airports already earn decent money without ever needing buildings. The utilities (electricity and water) cost 150 € and charge 4 times the dice, or 10 times if you own both. They help, but they won't win a game on their own.
Build as soon as you own a full country and have enough money. The third house is often the best deal: in Madrid, rent goes from 220 € with two houses to 600 € with three. By default, building is even: houses in the same country go up together, one at a time. So plan the budget for the whole country (three houses on Spain means 9 houses at 100 €, so 900 €).
Careful: you can't build if a city in the country is mortgaged. And a house sold back to the bank only returns half its price.
In Magnat, you can offer a trade at any time, even during someone else's turn: cities, money, or both. It is often the only way to complete a country.
Mortgaging a city gives you half its price right away, but it no longer earns rent. To lift the mortgage, you pay back that half plus 10%. Mortgage single cities first, the ones that are not part of a full country, and keep your built-up countries intact.
If you owe more than you have, the game waits for you to find the money: sell houses, mortgage, trade. Otherwise it's bankruptcy, and by default your assets go to the player you owed.
To get out of Jail, roll a double, pay 50 € or use a "Get out of jail" card. After three turns without a double, you pay 50 € and leave. Three doubles in a row send you straight there.
Before the game, check the host's settings. With Auctions, a city nobody buys goes to the highest bidder: you can sometimes get it cheaper. With the Vacation jackpot, taxes pile up and whoever stops on Vacation takes it all. Starting money and the Go bonus also change the pace.
Play against bots: Easy to learn, Normal to improve, Hard for a real challenge. The Hard bot estimates what each square is worth to each player and turns down trades that help you more than it.