The English auction mechanic in board games is a type of auction where players take turns increasing their bids until only one player remains. The player with the highest bid wins the item being auctioned and must pay the final bid price. The English auction is often used in games where players bid on resources, items, or actions.

In an English auction, players must weigh their desire to win the item against their ability to pay the final bid price. The English auction mechanic adds an element of strategy, risk, and uncertainty to the game as players must make informed decisions about how much to bid and when to stop bidding. The English auction mechanic is also known as an ascending bid auction.

Dutch auction and English auction are two different types of auction mechanics used in board games. The main difference between the two is the way the auction is conducted and the strategy involved.

In a Dutch auction, the price for an item starts high and decreases until a player accepts the price and takes the item. This creates a situation where players must make a decision based on their own needs and the needs of other players, as the price for the item will decrease until someone takes it.

In an English auction, players take turns increasing their bids until only one player remains. The player with the highest bid wins the item and must pay the final bid price. In an English auction, players must weigh their desire to win the item against their ability to pay the final bid price. This creates a situation where players must make informed decisions about how much to bid and when to stop bidding.

In summary, the Dutch auction mechanic focuses on the price of the item, while the English auction mechanic focuses on the bids of the players. Both mechanics create a unique bidding experience and add an element of strategy and risk to the game.

Here are 10 popular board games with the English auction mechanic and a brief description of each:

1. The Princes of Florence – In this game, players bid on various buildings, artworks, and professions to create the most prestigious court in Renaissance Italy.
2. Power Grid – In Power Grid, players bid on power plants and resources to build a network of power grids across different regions of the world.
3. Keyflower – Keyflower is a worker placement game where players bid on tiles that represent various resources and buildings to build their villages.
4. For Sale – For Sale is a quick and simple game where players bid on properties and then sell them to earn profit.
5. Cyclades – In this game, players bid on various Greek mythological creatures and warriors to recruit their armies and conquer islands.
6. Ra – In Ra, players bid on various tiles that represent different aspects of Egyptian civilization, such as culture, religion, and the Nile, to gain points and advance through different eras.
7. Medici – Medici is a game of bidding on different goods and earning points for sets of goods, with players trying to build the best collection.
8. Steam – In Steam, players bid on track tiles to build railroad networks and transport goods to different cities.
9. Amun-Re – Amun-Re is a game of bidding on various provinces and building pyramids to gain points, set in ancient Egypt.
10. Modern Art – Modern Art is a game of buying and selling paintings, with players bidding on different types of art to try and sell them for the highest profit.

A specific example of the English auction mechanic can be found in the game Power Grid. In Power Grid, players are electric companies bidding on power plants and resources to supply their growing cities with electricity. The game uses the English auction mechanic, where players take turns increasing their bids on power plants and resources until only one player remains. The player with the highest bid wins the item and must pay the final bid price.

The English auction mechanic in Power Grid creates an exciting bidding experience as players try to outbid each other and secure the resources they need to grow their companies. The mechanism adds an element of strategy and risk to the game as players must make informed decisions about how much to bid and when to stop bidding.