Nucleum · Board game rules
How can I get Coal without paying?
Quick answer
You cannot get coal without paying; importing coal always costs Thaler based on the Coal Import Wagon tiles. [p.15-16 — Energize]
Details
Coal is imported from one of two coal production areas (Ruhr in the west or Silesia in the northeast) into connected cities via long-distance rails. Each coal imported requires payment to the general supply based on the current Coal Import Wagon tile in that production area. [p.15-16 — Energize]
The cost starts at 1 Thaler per coal (when the tile shows "-1 Thaler"), then increases to 2 Thaler (when flipped to "-2 Thaler"), and finally to 3 Thaler (when the tile is removed and the printed cost is revealed). [p.16 — Energize]
However, you can reduce the total cost of importing coal through discounts: your Special Directive tile's discount, your Turbine effects (particularly Experiment A's Turbines, which reduce coal import costs), or certain Technology abilities. These discounts apply to your total coal spending, not per individual coal. [p.16 — Energize]
Watch out: You cannot import coal at all unless your selected power plant is connected to a coal production area via completed rail lines and a long-distance rail—so location matters as much as cost.