Wednesday, June 20, 2012

#33: Big City (Mark's 100 - 2012)

Big City

Mark's Ranking
  • 2012: 33rd
  • 2010: 23rd
  • 2005: 22nd
  • appeared on all three lists
  • rank: 543
  • rating: 6.93
Print Status
  • very, very OOP
Why It's On The List
  • There have been a lot of attempts to make city-building games - but I think Big City still reigns supreme. Primarily, that's because of two things: lightning fast gameplay and unbelievably awesome plastic components.
Tips & Tricks:
    • You MUST play aggressively to win - manipulation of the streetcar line is particularly important. (We have, by the way, always used the "can only play off the ends of the streetcar line" variant - seems to make more sense thematically.)
    • The game allows you to see what neighborhood "deeds" your opponents are collecting - use that information to your benefit!
    • While the Shopping Center is a big point bump, the effort to "set the table" in order to build it can cost a number of unfruitful turns.
    Extras
    • Sadly, it looks like Valley Games will not be reprinting Big City - it's been SIX years since they announced their plans and there's some rumbling that they're trying to sell the reprint rights to someone else. 
    • While components are provided for up to five players, I think the sweet spot for the game is 2-3 players. Four & five "work" just fine - but they are pretty chaotic. Two or three offers a nice level of control.
    •  Here's a pretty extensive post I wrote about Big City for my blog aka pastor guy (and which originally appeared on my Game Central Station website).
    • Here's what I wrote about Big City for The One Hundred.

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