London (Second Edition) (2017) Board Game

London (Second Edition) is a card game published by Osprey Games in in 2017. It is a revised version of the original London game, designed by Martin Wallace. The game is set in the 19th century during the Industrial Revolution, where players take on the roles of influential architects and city planners, competing to build the most prosperous and prestigious city in London.

Game Components of London

Development board

101 City cards

20 oversized Borough cards

4 score markers

48 coin tokens

32 poverty tokens

12 loan tokens

How To Setup London

To set up the game, each player receives a starting hand of City cards. The development board is placed in the center, and the Borough cards are laid out for purchase. Players also receive initial coin tokens and score markers. The poverty and loan tokens are set aside to be used as the game progresses.

Gameplay Mechanics and Game Objective

Deck-building: Players build their deck by adding City and Borough cards.

Tableau-building: Cards are played into a tableau in front of each player.

Resource Management: Players manage money (coins) to play cards and activate their tableau.

Poverty Mechanism: Running the city incurs poverty tokens, which must be minimized.

Loan System: Players can take loans to finance their actions but must pay them back to avoid losing points.

Discard Mechanism: Discarded cards enter a holding area where they can be picked up by other players.

Objective: The goal is to accumulate the most victory points by activating cards, managing poverty, and making strategic financial decisions.

Player Experience

Players experience a game of strategic planning and resource management. The game is characterized by its unique cadence, where players build their tableau but must periodically activate it to reap rewards, which also incurs poverty. This balance between building, activating, and managing poverty creates a tightrope of decisions that players must navigate. The game is generally praised for its elegant simplicity and the depth of its strategic choices.

Pros

Engaging and Beautiful Art: The game features attractive, watercolor-style illustrations of London’s streets and buildings.

Strategic Depth: Players enjoy the tense and strategic choices, particularly in managing poverty and timing activations.

High Replayability: The game offers a lot of replay value due to the dynamic nature of the card draw and the discard mechanism.

Simple to Learn: Despite its strategic complexity, the game is not very difficult to learn.

Cons

Limited Player Interaction: The game is relatively introverted, with minimal direct interaction between players.

Font Size Issue: The text on the cards is often too small and difficult to read.

Simple Cards: Some players find the cards themselves to be somewhat flat in terms of excitement, lacking extravagant combos or synergies.

Personal Thoughts on London

**London (Second Edition)** is ideal for fans of Martin Wallace and those who enjoy strategic card games with a strong thematic element. It suits players who appreciate engine-building and tableau-building mechanics but are looking for a game that adds unique twists, such as the poverty and discard mechanisms. While it may not be the best fit for those seeking high player interaction, it is perfect for those who enjoy solo or low-interaction strategic gameplay. If you’re a fan of games that require careful planning and resource management, **London** is definitely worth checking out.

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