The Auction
A medium-confrontation non-elimination game for 5-7 players on WhatsApp. Inspired by Pit, trading card games, stock market.
“Why does she want my Gold so badly? What does she know that I don't?”
The Concept
Players hold resource cards and trade with each other to fulfill daily contracts. Trades happen freely — lying about what you hold is allowed. One player (The Insider) secretly sees tomorrow's contract 12 hours early.
How It Works
Everything happens on WhatsApp — the group chat is your game room, and private DMs with the host are where you make your secret moves. Each step has a multi-hour window so no one needs to be online at the same time.
- 1Each player starts with 3 random resource cards
- 2Each morning, a contract is revealed (combinations that pay out)
- 3Trade freely all day — in group chat or private DMs
- 4Lying about your hand is allowed. Breaking confirmed trades is not.
- 5The Insider sees tomorrow's contract tonight — they trade for what's valuable next
- 6End of game: richest player wins, then vote on who The Insider was
Highlights
- ✓Pure negotiation and bluffing — no trivia or puzzles
- ✓5 unique contracts with escalating stakes
- ✓Lying is a core mechanic — not a violation
- ✓Fully bot-compatible (all numeric/structured)
At a Glance
- Inspired by
- Pit, trading card games, stock market
- Best for
- Analytical players, negotiators, people who enjoy deal-making and bluffing
- Players
- 5-7
- Duration
- 3-7 days
Who is The Auction for?
The Auction is perfect for analytical players, negotiators, people who enjoy deal-making and bluffing. If you enjoy pit, trading card games, stock market but want something you can play on your own schedule — this is your game.
It runs entirely on WhatsApp over 3-7 days— you choose the length. No app downloads, no video calls, no scheduling. Works whether your group is across the world or in the same city. Bring your own friends, family, or colleagues — or join solo and we'll match you with a group.
Want to play The Auction?
Message us and we'll tell you when the next session starts. No commitment — just a quick chat.
We reply within minutes. ~15 min/day to play.
Ask us about The Auction →