Cities: Skylines – The Board Game (2019) Board Game

Cities: Skylines – The Board Game is based on the popular city-building video game of the same name, developed by Colossal Order and published by Paradox Interactive. The board game adaptation was released in 2019 by KOSMOS and designed by Rustan Håkansson. With a focus on cooperative gameplay and city management, it brings the digital experience to the tabletop format.

Game Components of Cities: Skylines – The Board Game

City boards: Four facedown city boards that players expand as the game progresses.

Construction cards: Cards used to build zones and services within the city.

Unique Building cards: Free to build, these cards have special game effects but take up significant space.

Role cards: Each player has a city role that grants a small bonus or ability.

Policy cards: Cost money but yield a one-time benefit.

News cards (Headlines): Event cards that penalize players.

Money and happiness trackers: Used to monitor the city’s financial and happiness status.

Worker track: Tracks the financial cost of maintaining the city.

How To Setup Cities: Skylines – The Board Game

To set up the game, players start by placing the four city boards face down. Each player is dealt a set of faceup cards based on the player count. The first player takes their turn, and the game begins with players managing their city’s budget and resources. The game includes optional scenarios that introduce gameplay mechanics one at a time to ease the learning process.

Gameplay Mechanics and Game Objective

Objective: The goal is to gain the highest score possible for the communal city by managing resources, building zones, and maintaining happiness.

Player Actions:
– Play a construction card.
– Exchange a card by paying two money.
– End the milestone, which involves calculating happiness, paying costs, and expanding the city.

Milestones: Players end the milestone when they have a building in every district. This involves calculating happiness, paying costs for worker tracks, and buying new land parcels.

Resource Management: Players must manage power, water, trash, and employment to maintain happiness.

Modular Board: The game allows custom city configurations using different board tiles.

Player Experience

Players work cooperatively to build and manage their city, making strategic decisions about when and where to place buildings and services. The game feels like an optimization exercise, where players need to work out the best time to play the best card to maximize happiness and resource efficiency. However, the game can be prone to “quarterbacking” and is heavily influenced by random card draws, which can either enhance or hinder the gameplay experience.

Pros

Unique Feel: Captures the essence of city-building without the complexity of the video game.

Cooperative: Encourages teamwork and strategic planning.

Gradual Learning: Scenarios introduce gameplay concepts gradually.

Family-Friendly: Suitable for playing with kids due to its cooperative nature.

Cons

Randomness: The random card draws can significantly affect gameplay.

Lack of Variety: Outside of unique buildings, other buildings lack variety.

Overly Long Playtime: The game can last longer than expected.

Limited Individuality: Cooperative gameplay and predetermined tile placement reduce individual player impact.

Personal Thoughts on Cities: Skylines – The Board Game

**Cities: Skylines – The Board Game** is ideal for fans of city-building games and cooperative gameplay. While it makes a good family game due to its cooperative nature, it may frustrate experienced gamers due to the lack of player agency and the randomness of card draws. The game’s ability to capture the vibe of city management without the minutiae is a significant advantage, but the lengthy playtime and potential for “quarterbacking” should be considered before diving in.

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