The Bronx, early '90s. Jimmy just got expelled, the rent is due, and his mom is counting on him.

Nobody's hiring a kid with no diploma. But everybody on the block has something to sell and something they'd pay for, and Jimmy figures he can be the guy in the middle. Buy low, sell high, and don't ask where it came from.

Fence is a trading sim about working the Bronx one deal at a time. You start with pocket change and a couple of contacts. How far you get depends on who you sell to, who you side with, and how much attention you draw.

BUY IT, WORK IT, FLIP IT

Everyone in the neighborhood wants something different, and nobody tells you what it's worth. Learn who buys what, look over what you're holding before you pay for it, and talk the price until the numbers work. Stolen goods sell cheap while they're still hot, so clean them up on the workbench before they go back out.

• Appraise goods so you know what you're really holding

• Haggle with locals who each have their own tastes, and up to 80 lines of dialogue

• Clean up hot goods on the workbench so they sell for more

• Hunt down full sets of 90s collectibles

PICK A SIDE (OR DON'T)

Two crews run this part of the Bronx: the Bloods and the Irish Mafia. Do jobs for them and they start trusting you with better merchandise and paying more for it. Get close to one and the other will notice. You can try to keep both happy, if you think you can pull it off.

• Run missions for the Bloods, the Irish Mafia, or both

• Your rep with each crew decides what you can trade and what it pays

• Rival crews remember who you worked for

KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN

Somebody always sees something. Every hot deal adds to your heat, and once there's enough of it the patrols start showing up where you do business. Keep your goods clean and don't get greedy, or one day it's the cops at the door instead of a customer.

• Heat rises with every dirty deal

• Clean goods keep the attention off you

• Patrols, busts and police raids if you push your luck

FROM POCKET CHANGE TO A PAWN SHOP

Every deal teaches Jimmy something. Get sharper at reading goods and people, and work your way up to a shop with your name over the door.

• Level up Jimmy's appraisal, bartering and workbench skills

• Build up to running your own pawn shop

The free demo is out now. Wishlist Fence to hear when Early Access opens.