Chinatown (1999) Board Game
Chinatown is a board game released in 1999 by designer Karsten Hartwig and published by alea. It is a city-building and economic game that focuses on negotiation and set collection mechanics. The game is designed for 3-5 players aged 12 and up, with a runtime of around 60 minutes. The game has received critical acclaim for its strategic depth and replayability.
## Game Components of Chinatown
– **Building lots**: Represented by numbered squares on the board, arranged in blocks to form Chinatown.
– **Shop tiles**: Various types of businesses (e.g., Restaurant, Laundry, Tropical Fish) with a number indicating maximum business size.
– **Ownership markers**: Plastic tokens to mark lot ownership.
– **Money**: Card-based, with no distinction between denominations other than the number and president on the front.
– **Year/round marker**: A plastic marker to track the rounds.
– **Deck of cards**: For dealing building lots and shop tiles.
## How To Setup Chinatown
To set up Chinatown, players start by shuffling the deck of building cards and dealing a number of cards to each player based on the round and player count. Each player also receives a set of shop tiles. The game is divided into six rounds, represented by the years 1965 to 1970. Players begin with $50,000, and the start player is determined by a card. The board displays the building lots, and each player must choose which lots and shop tiles to keep and which to discard or trade.
## Gameplay Mechanics and Game Objective
– **Game Objective**: The goal is to acquire the most money by the end of the sixth round.
– **Dealing and Drawing**: Players receive building lots and shop tiles at the start of each round.
– **Trade Phase**: Players negotiate and trade building lots, shop tiles, and money among themselves. This phase is open-ended and can involve complex, multi-player deals.
– **Placing Shop Tiles**: Players place their shop tiles on their owned building lots, with the aim of creating contiguous businesses to maximize income.
– **Income Phase**: Players earn money based on the size and completion of their businesses.
## Player Experience
Chinatown is a game that thrives on negotiation and social interaction. The simplicity of its mechanics belies the complexity and intensity of the trading phase, where players must calculate financial returns and navigate the ever-changing landscape of deals. The game encourages strategic thinking and decisive action, making each deal feel impactful and potentially game-changing. The dynamic nature of the game ensures that no two games are alike, and the absence of special powers or asymmetrical tiles keeps the focus squarely on player negotiation.
### Pros
– **Pure Negotiation Game**: Chinatown strips away extraneous mechanics, focusing solely on trading and negotiation.
– **Simple to Learn**: The game is easy to set up and learn, despite its deep strategic potential.
– **Dynamic Gameplay**: Each game is unique due to the constant flow of new deals and trading opportunities.
– **Empowering Experience**: Players feel empowered by making decisive deals, even if they are risky.
### Cons
– **Theme Sensitivity**: The game’s theme, involving Chinese immigrants in 1960s New York, includes stereotypes that may cause discomfort.
– **Visual Accessibility**: The game state is complex and can be difficult for visually impaired players to manage.
– **Intense Negotiation**: The game can be draining and intense, with no room for players to drop out without affecting the game significantly.
## Personal Thoughts on Chinatown
Chinatown is ideal for players who enjoy negotiation and trading as core game mechanics. It is not for those seeking complex resource management or engine-building. The game’s theme, while potentially problematic, can be overlooked if one focuses purely on the gameplay. For those who thrive in environments of dynamic trading and strategic deal-making, Chinatown offers a uniquely engaging and challenging experience.
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