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Description
You've been tasked by the city council to put together a plan to transform a whole neighborhood in the city. You have the opportunity to build new housing, office buildings, parks, and leisure areas near the waterfront. It is in your hands to make the city a better place.
Cities is a city-building game in which you draft the best projects and arrange them in your own playing area. With action and resource draft mechanisms, it will give you the opportunity to visit the cities of Sydney, Venice, New York, Barcelona, Rio de Janeiro, Lisbon, Mexico City, and Buenos Aires. Can you design the most magnificent neighborhood?
The game is played over eight rounds (or four rounds in a two-player game). Each round, players use their workers to collect 1 scoring card, 1 city tile, 1-2 feature tiles, and 2-4 building pieces. City tiles are made up of park spaces, water spaces, and building spaces. Building pieces are placed on building spaces of the same color to form buildings, which can be 1-4 stories high. Whenever a player fulfills an achievement, they place one of their discs on the achievement board. At the end of the game, players add up the points they have gained from all of their scoring cards and achievements.
—description from the publisher
Year Published
2024
Featured Videos
Transcript Analysis
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 7
This page: 7
Sentiment:
pos 6 ·
mix 0 ·
neu 1 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–7 of 7
Video lZLJrhFpT6o
Let's Table It game_review at 0:02 sentiment: positive
video_pk 61852 · mention_pk 154496
Click to watch at 0:02 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Adorable art and cute Oddities
- Wide range of card abilities
- Season mechanic adds strategic depth and replayability
- Good replayability with many unique cards
- Light, charming, and family-friendly chaos
Cons
- Some luck involved in drawing cards that may or may not be playable due to season
- Take-that elements can create negative experiences for some players
Thematic elements
- Collection-building of charming creatures with take-that interactions and season-based strategy
- Whimsical world where collectors assemble Oddities across Seasonal cycles.
- Whimsical, light, family-friendly flavor with charming art and card flavor text
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Collection and rarity — Common Oddities count toward your collection; Rare Oddities grant special abilities.
- Deck building — Season cards form a deck; players must match the current season to maximize usefulness and guide actions.
- Draw and play sequence — On a turn, a player draws a card, then may draw a second card or play a common or rare Oddity to their collection.
- Luck and draw variability — Shuffles and card draws introduce luck, affecting what cards you can play.
- Misfit target actions — Misfits can be played on opponents to apply negative effects to their collections.
- Quirks as one-time actions — Quirks are single-use actions that provide temporary advantages.
- Season deck-building — Season cards form a deck; players must match the current season to maximize usefulness and guide actions.
- Season-based restrictions — Season cards restrict which cards can be played, adding strategic depth.
- Take-that and stealing — Many cards allow stealing or hindering opponents, depending on the action played.
- win condition — The first player to accumulate six Oddities in their collection wins the round/game.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- the characters on the cards and Oddities are absolutely adorable
- There is a wide range of abilities on the cards I think you could play several rounds and not see the same special actions which is great for replayability
- If you love Charming art and light strategy with a bit of playful chaos Oddities might be your next family favorite
- our family really enjoyed Oddities
- how cute the art was
- season restriction adds a little extra to make the game a little more strategic
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 9oukA3_e49M
Board Game Garden top_10_list at 10:20 sentiment: positive
video_pk 34572 · mention_pk 102978
Click to watch at 10:20 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Tight timing of actions
- Strong thematic integration with city-building
- High decision density for a lighter heavy game
Cons
- Missing solo mode in the published version
Thematic elements
- City construction with public objectives
- Urban development on a compact grid
- Strategic tile drafting and worker-placement interplay
Comparison games
- New York (thematic example)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Public objectives tied to city — Public objectives influence scoring and strategy.
- tile drafting — Draft tiles that affect your city layout and scoring.
- worker placement — Place a worker to take multiple, distinct resources/actions.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Explorers of Neoria is my number 10. It is a wonderful, very unique game where basically you are taking out or drawing these different little chunky bits from a bag.
- I really love that decision of do I want to just take one from the board that I know exactly what the color is or do I take out too randomly from the bag and hope for another color that maybe I would prefer.
- River of Gold... there are three simple actions that you can do. You can sail, you can build, or you can deliver.
- This is a fantastic game. I will say that I think I'm pretty good at this game.
- Nova Roma has such a cool action selection worker placement mechanism.
- Minos Dawn of the Bronze Age... the dice drafting worker placement shines in this game.
- Wondrous Creatures is fantastic.
- Skyrise. There is fantastic player interaction.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video RBVMk9eQQ8M
OPG Voices general_discussion at 27:20 sentiment: positive
video_pk 12541 · mention_pk 36577
Click to watch at 27:20 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Engaging city-building theme
- Accessible engine with tableau-building flavor
Cons
- Some players feel thematic integration could be clearer
Thematic elements
- City growth through project drafting
- Urban city-building and planning
- Strategic, thematic
Comparison games
- Dominion
- Carcassonne
- In the Mood for Cities
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- drafting — Players draft projects to place in their city.
- tableau-building — Cards and placed projects form a tableau maximizing points.
- tile/board placement — Projects are placed to shape a growing city.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- board games a lot of ways have helped me find friends and build confidence in Social aspects
- we sold out about half our inventory yesterday
- the Mandalorians got it right
- the show must go on
- semi-cooperative
- I cannot win
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video zYnwAvHRL2U
Board GameGeeek top_5_list at 57:29 sentiment: positive
video_pk 12491 · mention_pk 36432
Click to watch at 57:29 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- great visual presence and table presence
- accessible and family-friendly
Cons
- potentially light for heavier gamers
Thematic elements
- urban development, planning and competition
- Global city-building with real-world destinations
- lighter, accessible
Comparison games
- Architects of the West Kingdom
- Possibly other city-builders
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- city-building / project drafting — draft projects and build neighborhoods up to four stories
- multi-criteria scoring — points based on height, color variety, and color sets
- project drafting and building — draft and construct neighborhoods; build up to four stories
- seasoned, multi-criteria scoring — points based on height, color variety, and completed objectives
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Rebel Princess is fantastic.
- The premise is it's kind of like a slight social deduction setting.
- it's a tableau building game
- the end-game via last tile is clever
- the cutest little game
- Dune Imperium is my number one
- hidden roles add tension and intrigue
- the eight rounds
- tiles and shared space create intense competition
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video ylIkgwCX3pQ
The Broken Meeple general_discussion at 27:32 sentiment: neutral
video_pk 12417 · mention_pk 146314
Click to watch at 27:32 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
neutral
Pros
- Simple design from reputable designer Phil Walker-Harding
- Accessible tile-laying mechanic
- Works with various objectives
Cons
- Devir has mixed track record with forgettable games
- Game still in progress when transcript cuts off
Thematic elements
- Constructing cities with various buildings, parks, and lakes
- City building and urban planning
- Tile-laying city construction
Comparison games
- White Castle
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Compound Scoring — Complete objectives and match requirements for victory points
- Objective scoring — Complete objectives and match requirements for victory points
- tile placement — Players place tiles representing land, buildings, parks, and lakes
- Turn order priority — Early placement grants first pick of available options
- Turn selection system — Players place meeples in rows of objective cards, land tiles, decor tiles, and buildings
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- You're listening to the Broken Meeple show, a podcast that speaks passionately about board games for the benefit of those who play them
- This is probably one of the most interesting and possibly one of my favorite trick-taking games I've played now
- My eyes lit up you know and it's kind of like the first time I saw that typewriter mechanic for civilization of New Dawn
- People crying that this is like a nearly Flawless game are seriously downplaying the luck problem in this
- This is the Pinnacle of Bland
- There is no excitement in this game, this game just doesn't generate an emotional response
- It generates a lot of fun banter, a lot of cool thinking
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 6d8yGEzfVRU
Board Game Buys general_discussion at 2:58 sentiment: positive
video_pk 5827 · mention_pk 147149
Click to watch at 2:58 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Straightforward city-building feel
- Family-friendly yet offers depth
- Strong design pedigree
Cons
- May lack depth for seasoned gamers
- Replay variety depends on scenario selection
Thematic elements
- urban planning
- City-building on a 3x3 grid with terrain types
- straightforward Euro with scenario variability
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Compound Scoring — score via personal, public, and scenario objectives
- Deck building — 3x3 city grid with terrain features
- objective cards and public objectives — score via personal, public, and scenario objectives
- tile/board construction — 3x3 city grid with terrain features
- worker placement — assign one worker per row to collect features
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- this is the newest board and dice game at least one of the newest
- a very straightforward Euro definitely on the lighter end of the medium
- I'm glad I did
- these are the kind of Euros I tend to really get along with
- the old ones are normally the best ones
- this is a stripped back Euro
- no bloat to the rules or anything like that
- it's so easy to table
- two to four players 40 minutes just sounds like it's taking all those boxes for me
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video dLxF_O3VpOE
The Board Game Family top_5_list at 36:30 sentiment: positive
video_pk 2613 · mention_pk 7725
Click to watch at 36:30 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- elegant tile-placement
- varied city themes (e.g., Sydney, Venice, New York)
- expansion potential (Cities USA)
Cons
- randomness of draws can impact pacing
- may benefit from expansions for replay variety
Thematic elements
- tile-placement and city development
- globally themed city-building
- family-friendly, accessible
Comparison games
- Castle Combo
- Endeavor Deep Sea
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- achievements and secret objectives — top cards grant endgame bonuses and personal goals
- secret objectives / endgame bonuses — hidden goals influence scoring strategy
- tile placement — build a city by placing tiles with varied effects
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's the cutest little game with these cute oversized Rocap bars
- Green Team always wins
- Endeavor Deep Sea... due to problematic slavery mechanic
- Windmill Valley is beautiful to look at
- I love cities
- Arcs is hot
- Cities USA coming soon
- Telestrations was hilarious
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–7 of 7