Who goes first?
From the publisher’s rulebook

Who goes first in 20th Century?

Czech Games Edition English rulebook (October 2010)

Illustrated 20th Century title page from the official English rulebook

The player who is most fastidious about sorting garbage starts the first round.

Rule details

For later rounds, the starting player is the one who got the worst catastrophe in the previous round.

The starter selects the first land tile for auction and makes the opening bid; bidding then proceeds clockwise.

Source & edition

Image: © Czech Games Edition and credited game artist · Rio Grande Games, publisher-distributor of Czech Games Edition English rules

If your rules call for a random choice, use the player picker.

If there’s a tie

The rulebook doesn’t say. If you need a tie-break, pick a player at random.

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