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Game Info
Year
1999
Players
2-4
Age
13+
Playtime
60 min
Collection
Mechanic profile
Not enough video data yet
Vibe profile
Not enough video data yet
Description
This game, with its really wonderful plastic bits, is about building a city. Players acquire cards in eight different 'neighborhoods' and then use them to lay out buildings either one, two, or three spaces large. The points they receive for a given building is a base score plus bonuses for the buildings surrounding it. What makes this game really unique is the city hall. Some player must play it (scoring no points for himself) in order for anyone to start placing any structure beyond the simple residences and business.
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 4
This page: 4
Sentiment:
pos 4 ·
mix 0 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–4 of 4
Video JOgl6gemk-s
Board Game Buzz Discussion at 12:51 sentiment: positive
video_pk 66427 · mention_pk 161769
Click to watch at 12:51 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Accessible family-friendly route-building
- Interesting end scoring via icons
Cons
- Details uncertain due to missing publisher/designer data
Thematic elements
- Array
- Pacific Coast Highway road trip
- Light, scenic route drafting
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- card drafting — Play out cards to construct a scenic route and reveal icons for potential rewards.
- Card placement / route drafting — Play out cards to construct a scenic route and reveal icons for potential rewards.
- End-anchored scoring via icons — Icons on cards determine rewards you can potentially collect.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I'm so sad about it, but unfortunately I will not be at PAX unplugged this year.
- Aren't we in a great hobby and great? We're in the golden age of gaming, right?
- I love just getting excited over new board games. It makes my heart happy.
- We're in the golden age of gaming, right? Where we have so many great games that are coming out all the time.
- I need this game. I need it to complete my Formage collection.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video c5R23AHGi3g
The Dice Tower Top List at 6:38 sentiment: positive
video_pk 38494 · mention_pk 115891
Click to watch at 6:38 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Pioneering plastic-era aesthetic with plasteel buildings
- Striking visual presentation at release
Cons
- Replaced by newer designs (Foundations of Rome/Metropolis)
Thematic elements
- real estate auction with aesthetic pyramids and metro initiative
- urban development and property bidding
- economic strategy
Comparison games
- Foundations of Rome
- Foundations of Metropolis
- Chinatown
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Auction / Bidding — players bid on properties to develop and score points
- auction/bid — players bid on properties to develop and score points
- tile placement — placing buildings on a board to form scoring networks
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Not a single one of these games ends up on my list today.
- 21 years ago when I made this list, I was 28; now I'm 49 and tastes change.
- This game here, this I've not played that much anymore, but I still like it.
- I would love to see a more modern remade version of this one a lot.
- I really like the theme of this game.
- This is a worker placement game where you place workers face down so people know where you're placing your workers but they don't know the value of them.
- Look at that PLA. You have to realize when this game came out, there was almost no plastic in games.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video WTPiiNXE42Q
The Dice Tower Review at 0:32 sentiment: positive
video_pk 33452 · mention_pk 161984
Click to watch at 0:32 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Pocket-sized and easy to teach
- Interesting flipping/memory dynamic
- Chaotic and quick to play
Cons
- Limited strategic depth
- Not a game to play repeatedly in one sitting
Thematic elements
- spatial patterning with explosive penalties
- abstract, tabletop strategy with cups, bombs, and connectivity
- mechanics-first abstraction
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — Placement of cups marks control at ends of formed lines; bombs flip to affect cups in a direction.
- area control via cups — Placement of cups marks control at ends of formed lines; bombs flip to affect cups in a direction.
- bomb flipping — Bomb tiles flip and may flip other cups or affect play state; different bombs have different effects.
- memory — Tracking which bombs have been flipped and which cups were affected earlier.
- memory/hidden information — Tracking which bombs have been flipped and which cups were affected earlier.
- Throwing/Bouncing/Flipping — Bomb tiles flip and may flip other cups or affect play state; different bombs have different effects.
- tile/board connection — Players place a tile to extend rows/columns but must respect a maximum five count.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This is a very, very simple deduction game.
- This is an amusing game. I like the theme of it.
- The theme here is actually pretty strong.
- It's an assault on the eyes.
- I thought this was just okay.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video Ct8zy9DVmMI
Good Time Society Discussion at 27:25 sentiment: positive
video_pk 8746 · mention_pk 129882
Click to watch at 27:25 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- engaging engine-building and tableau interactions
- varied routes and strategic depth
Cons
- tableau setup can demand a sizeable table
- overlapping road layouts may challenge visibility
Thematic elements
- road-building and landscape planning
- Pacific coast highway landscape portrayed through a stylized tableau
- engine-building, tableau-driven
Comparison games
- Cascadia
- Splendor
- Power Grid
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- engine building — ongoing resources accrue each turn, driving future actions
- engine_building — ongoing resources accrue each turn, driving future actions
- scoring_by_miles — milage icons translate into end-game points
- tableau building — players assemble a personal highway tableau to score
- tableau_building — players assemble a personal highway tableau to score
- tile placement — builds highways via tile cards with icon matching
- tile_placement — builds highways via tile cards with icon matching
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Bomb Busters. So, this is the game of the year.
- engine building and tableau building your own little town.
- Castle Razors. Hand them to someone. Wow.
- Castle Panic for grown-ups.
- I love the engine-building aspect. It’s like the Matrix in some days.
- We’re nerds.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–4 of 4