Support staged group bid funding

docs/CURRENT_STATUS.md

@@ -46,10 +46,21 @@ one ordinary Basic shipment; an outside Guild receives the payment and unspent
 pledges return to their donors. The staged table has private pledge and share
 controls. The related eight-file batch passes 48 cases, with real Nexus and
 shipment actions following a staged starting position. Guild-member groups,
-group bidding and special transports remain
+special transports remain
 unsupported; group play is still not exposed in the lobby.
 [Scope](OPTIONAL_ALLIANCE_VICTORY.md#group-ordinary-shipment-funding--28-october-2026).
 
+**Staged group bid funding — 28 October. Prototyped / Partial.** Basic
+classic ordinary auctions can reserve, settle or release the declared shares
+of multiple allied donors. An outbid or Karama purchase releases those locks;
+normal Emperor income and end-of-phase refunds remain. Controls and legal bot
+payment choices use the committed funding. Special auctions and other group
+benefits remain separate, and no lobby exposes the group option.
+The nine-file related batch passes 80 cases, including a later real
+Truthtrance question; that test transfers its physical card from the deck in
+a staged setup.
+[Scope](OPTIONAL_ALLIANCE_VICTORY.md#group-ordinary-bid-funding--28-october-2026).
+
 **Basic allied No-Field transit — 28 October. Prototyped / Partial.** Richese
 may offer its ally an immediately revealed shipment into a Richese-occupied
 territory. The recipient may depart or accept the existing provisional loss
@@ -144,8 +155,8 @@ The staged Nexus negotiation is connected; group funding, faction benefits
 and other engine paths still need integration before the option can be offered.
 Connected staged Nexus and shipment controls model unanimous consent, explicit
 donor allocations and edge-bound pledge authorizations. The engine issues and
-revokes those authorizations and refunds shipment escrow; group-funded bidding,
-special transport and Guild-allied rates still require integration.
+revokes those authorizations and refunds escrow; special auctions, transport
+and Guild-allied rates still require integration.
 The separate printed unlimited-size / three-stronghold variant remains missing;
 the current group model deliberately caps membership at three. The combined
 earlier batch passed 189 cases; the shipment batch passed 58 cases. The latest

docs/OPTIONAL_ALLIANCE_VICTORY.md

@@ -1,5 +1,24 @@
 # Optional three-stronghold alliance victory
 
+## Group ordinary-bid funding — 28 October 2026
+
+**Staged Basic prototype, not a selectable game mode.** A group member can
+allocate separately pledged spice from multiple allies to an ordinary bid.
+Each selected share remains committed while that bid leads and becomes
+withdrawable after an outbid. The winner pays the original donor split once;
+using a Karama instead releases the shares without spending them. The
+ordinary Emperor income and phase-end refunds remain in force. The donor sees
+the amount committed to the current bid, and the bidder sees the combined
+committed payment. Group controls and minimal legal bot decisions are connected
+in staged games.
+
+The [publisher FAQ, p. 2](https://www.gf9games.com/dune/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Dune-FAQ-Nov-2020.pdf)
+describes allied contributions and the Emperor ally's payment returning to
+Emperor. Recipient-specific escrow and explicit per-donor allocation are
+provisional online procedures. This scope is Basic classic-faction ordinary
+auctions; optional modules, competing Truthtrance commitments, special
+auctions and complete group play remain separate. No lobby exposes group play.
+
 ## Group ordinary-shipment funding — 28 October 2026
 
 **Staged Basic prototype, not a selectable game mode.** Group allies can set
@@ -15,7 +34,7 @@ outgoing and incoming pledges; bots may continue using their own spice.
 
 This first path is limited to Basic classic-faction staged groups without a
 Guild member, optional modules, Karama shipment pricing or special transport.
-Guild-allied rates, other shipment types, group-funded bidding, and the
+Guild-allied rates, other shipment types, special auctions, and the
 remaining faction benefits and interactions are not connected. No lobby can
 start a group game yet. The recipient-specific pledge and allocation procedure
 is a provisional online convention rather than a printed worked example.

docs/RULE_DECISIONS.md

@@ -1,5 +1,11 @@
 # Rule decision index
 
+## Group ordinary-bid funding — 28 October 2026
+
+The unexposed Basic group prototype keeps donor-specific pledges locked while
+their bid leads, then settles or releases those exact shares. The allocation
+and escrow procedure is provisional. [Scope](OPTIONAL_ALLIANCE_VICTORY.md#group-ordinary-bid-funding--28-october-2026).
+
 ## Group shipment funding — 28 October 2026
 
 The unexposed Basic group prototype uses recipient-specific escrow and