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Game Info
Year
2012
Players
2-4
Age
8+
Playtime
45 min
Collection
Your Tier
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Description
City of Gears is a unique steampunk game of exploration, area control, worker placement, and engine building. From your incredible Factory, you must race to claim ownership over the magnificent ruins of an abandoned clockwork metropolis. Each game plays in under an hour, and because only nine of the city tiles (from dozens available) are randomly chosen and placed each game, no two games ever play the same.
Each turn, you roll a number of production dice and activate City Tiles, then you move your automaton workers and perform a variety of actions (such as drawing and placing gears to reactivate areas of the city, sabotaging opponents, and activating unique steam powers) as determined by your resources. Along the way, you will develop your Factory with special powers which set it apart and provide you with powerful bonuses.
As the city is revealed and its abilities are discovered, players must concoct plans to accrue prestige and hinder opponents so that once Opening Day arrives, they will emerge victorious! Do you have what it takes to set the City of Gears in motion?
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 13
This page: 13
Sentiment:
pos 6 ·
mix 2 ·
neu 2 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–13 of 13
Video qn6mc0jHpGQ
Rolling Dice & Taking Names Other at 10:20 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 93590 · mention_pk 253455
Click to watch at 10:20 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- interesting
- I won so I know there's something wrong with it
- nice little light fast euro-ish type game
Cons
- I'm not supposed to win a game my first place
Thematic elements
Comparison games
- Sheriff of Nottingham
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- euro-ish — nice little light fast euro-ish type game
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- this game blows
- I have just ruined relations between the US and the UK
- The sign ups weren't very clear so I don't know if I'm in
- We'll get over it we'll be fine
- I just want to do a lot of open gaming
- it's got a degree of complexity but it's not really very difficult to learn
- I really liked kanban I really like the demo it took us an hour and like we came in first thing in the morning and we did it which is when our brains were the best and it was fabulous and then we tried to play our own copy a few hours later and we just wanted to melt
- this is like a deduction game kind of like like a nuns on the run or lettuce and white chapel
- pure net deck pure that i had no clue what i was doing and i came in third it was hilarious
- I won so I know there's something wrong with it I'm not supposed to win a game my first place
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video hEJCzB7umAw
Rolling Dice & Taking Names Discussion at 10:42 sentiment: positive
video_pk 93575 · mention_pk 253405
Click to watch at 10:42 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Really fun and exciting game
- Highly replayable due to random tile setup and options
- Interactive gameplay with shared tile usage
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- An entrepreneur helping to finish a Grand City of Gears.
- Fantasy steampunk world
Comparison games
- Sheriff of Nottingham
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Shared Ownership/Interaction — Tiles are not directly owned; other players can use them, but disruptive elements can move workers.
- Tile Laying/Exploration — Nine tiles are randomly laid out, making each game different as players explore them.
- Worker Placement — Players use workers to explore the city.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- if you've ever seen pictures of J con as the ventar gets R open you know how much of a mad house it is well this is a smaller con so I'm going to show you what it looks like and how see how Gen Con compares to Origins
- It's a good deal they brought 100 copies we got kind of a running bet going around here on how soon they'll sell out because we think it's going to be pretty quick
- I was big on dead of winter last year I think it's a great CAU game with a potential of a Traer aspect to it
- it's a lot of fun one of the so the hunters are are going around the map and using their line of sight to try to find the spy and then they get shots at him and depending on how far the away they are how how effective those shots are and uh in the in the five player game one of those Huns is a traiter so you might think that okay well we got this street covered he's looking there but one of these guys could be the spine so he could have crossed there and so it it totally it's a you know it's a mind game and starts to get in the Hunter's head nobody trusts anybody
- Unique Mechanics are there's a insider trading element so everyone gets a secret piece of information and they're trying to deduce what the other pieces of information that players have but the main mechanic is the big and that's what people love you place cards face up and face down and then bid on them using your secret information it's a blast
- it is a really really good 5 to 10 minute game it's amazing um it will teach you to subliminally think like two three four turns ahead and it's very simple you pick it up there's five cards in the game there's 16 total but you Shuffle up and you only use five they tell you how you can move your pieces and the object is either capture your opponent's king or be able to get your king into your opponent's starting space it's really really quick easy to learn really really fun play and you can play a lot of games in a short amount of time
- This is a really fun and exciting game it's set in this fantasy steampunk world where you are an entrepreneur trying to help finish off this Grand City of gears and every game there's going to be nine tiles that are randomly laid out you're going to have to use your workers to explore the city and discover what's out there so every game it's going to be different
- Mage Wars right now big game little bit of a complex game it's designed for specific type of gamer a lot of people look at it and maybe go well that might be a little too much I maybe don't want to jump into it Academy is actually going to be designed for that new player it's going to take existing players and give them a more portable faster way to play but it's also going to be a lower barrier to entry for newer players
- what I feel like I won but but you didn't who did win we'll get to that we'll get to that we'll get let's not ruin it let's not ruin it let's keep going
- even in last place it also makes it a little bit easier to play because you just go as forward as fast as you can well I ended up catching back up with everybody and then we made a game out of it I thought I was out of it but I was still right back in it so I think the Mechanics Work really well
- the nice thing of letting Marty win yes was really nice orchestrated that okay that had to come out
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 7bGagL3Zrwg
Discussion at 8:28 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 79299 · mention_pk 192697
Click to watch at 8:28 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Compelling puzzle-piecey gear components.
Cons
- Seems to be generally unexciting or not highly rated by others.
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- die-cut pieces — Features gear pieces that slot into gear cut boards.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- 5 Things i Love About Board games.
- It's the reason why i don't play games like Dominion as much as i might, because i just don't like the card shuffling.
- i like that kind of thing! i recently played a game called Caravan which has, as part of the game, thief tokens, and you can use those tokens to steal goods from other people's camels, and two of the players - it was a four player game - two of the players got really mad that i was use - i DARED to use these thief tokens that are part of the game because thieving is not nice!
- pay attentio, board game publishers - when i turn a box over and i see die-cut bits that fit together, i think "i need to get that game!"
- i find that board games - playing board games - is one pastime that exercises my brain in a delightful way that feels really good.
- The #1 Thing That i Love About Board Games... is when they light up my brain like a Christmas tree!
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video KMWP_PT_9No
Meeple University Playthrough
video_pk 70300 · mention_pk 167226
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
none
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Our passion here used to explain boy game rules clearly on YouTube
- We do a lot of how to play of a few flock and play through just like this one
- normally when you're playing you'll close your victory points facedown but we're just going to keep them open so you can see us gain them and see us make change
- I can move the juggernaut one space and stomp on your robot if it's there
- I really want to do is activate this tile because it grants me two victory points for every green money tile that I have robots on
- I gain four victory points
- remove the juggernaut across any players gear link if any opposing robots present in the destination choose one to destroy
- I get one point of each of those linking bonuses there so another two points
- it is good to keep getting keep get gear links out onto the board for control
- you can choose up to two of your developments or developments belonging to other players and use the effects this then as if they were your own
- the owner of which targeted who gained one victory points
- I might get back through that
- I gained two for each of the details including this one you just got one two three four happens to be around he close to me tell your robot occupies including this one
- so technically I gained two plus today for one activate so that's four points
- I'll actually do this one just pull straight points for now
- I'm gonna try this because I'm trying to move there and then get me two points in the reveal more tiles you never know what's in it
- my plan is to go all the way there and then stomp parent but I can't and I might actually get stumped as well
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 1UFZ-mN0tvA
Meeple University Rules Teach
video_pk 70301 · mention_pk 167227
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
none
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Our passion here is to explain board game rules clearly on YouTube.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video mtNDULur-2g
Meeple University Unboxing
video_pk 70304 · mention_pk 167230
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
none
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
No quotes stored for this video.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 1UFZ-mN0tvA
Meeple University Rules Teach at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 70301 · mention_pk 246303
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Wide range of options and variable setups aid re-playability.
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- competing companies attempting to gain control and prestige
- steampunk clockwork city
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — Players compete to control city tiles by having the most robots and gear links present on them at the end of the game to gain victory points.
- Dice Rolling — Players roll three dice at the start of each round to determine available resources (zaps, cogs, and steam).
- Engine Building — Players collect development gears and resources to improve their ability to take actions and gain bonuses each round, escalating their capabilities throughout the game.
- Resource Management — Players gather resources (zaps, cogs, steam) and use them to perform actions, with a limit on how many resources can be stored between rounds.
- Set Collection — Players collect development gears throughout the game, which provide bonuses and contribute to their engine.
- Tile Placement — City tiles are revealed throughout the game, and players can place gear links and robots on them.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Our passion here is to explain board game rules clearly on YouTube.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video KMWP_PT_9No
Meeple University Playthrough at 0:42 sentiment: neutral
video_pk 70300 · mention_pk 246302
Click to watch at 0:42 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
neutral
Pros
- Can gain victory points through various actions and tile activations.
- Movement tokens allow for strategic positioning of robots.
- The juggernaut mini expansion adds an interesting dynamic with its stomp ability.
Cons
- Actions can be weak if players only have one die.
- The juggernaut can stomp on opponent's robots if they are on the destination tile.
- There is a risk of being stomped by the juggernaut.
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- action selection — Players activate tiles to gain bonuses or points, and then perform actions.
- Area Control — The host mentions wanting to get gear links out onto the board for control.
- Dice Rolling — Dice are rolled to produce resources like steam and cogs.
- Mini Expansion — The juggernaut mini expansion is mentioned and its abilities are discussed.
- Resource Management — Players produce resources by rolling dice and can use developments to convert resources.
- tile activation — Activating tiles grants victory points, resources, or special abilities.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Our passion here used to explain boy game rules clearly on YouTube
- We do a lot of how to play of a few flock and play through just like this one
- normally when you're playing you'll close your victory points facedown but we're just going to keep them open so you can see us gain them and see us make change
- I can move the juggernaut one space and stomp on your robot if it's there
- I really want to do is activate this tile because it grants me two victory points for every green money tile that I have robots on
- I gain four victory points
- remove the juggernaut across any players gear link if any opposing robots present in the destination choose one to destroy
- I get one point of each of those linking bonuses there so another two points
- it is good to keep getting keep get gear links out onto the board for control
- you can choose up to two of your developments or developments belonging to other players and use the effects this then as if they were your own
- the owner of which targeted who gained one victory points
- I might get back through that
- I gained two for each of the details including this one you just got one two three four happens to be around he close to me tell your robot occupies including this one
- so technically I gained two plus today for one activate so that's four points
- I'll actually do this one just pull straight points for now
- I'm gonna try this because I'm trying to move there and then get me two points in the reveal more tiles you never know what's in it
- my plan is to go all the way there and then stomp parent but I can't and I might actually get stumped as well
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video Y84-mVYu60M
Meeple University Rules Teach at 0:36 sentiment: neutral
video_pk 64935 · mention_pk 158538
Click to watch at 0:36 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
neutral
Pros
- Game comes with a lot of flexibility in its setup.
- Game end is triggered by revealing the ninth city tile, with a countdown to the end of the game.
- Victory points can be gained from city tiles, development gears with endgame effects, and area control.
Cons
- Building new robots gets more expensive as the game goes on.
- Players are limited in the resources they can store to prevent building up huge supplies.
Thematic elements
- entrepreneurs attempting to expand their influence
- city
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Action Point Allowance — Players perform a set of four steps each turn: produce resources, activate city tiles, perform actions, and spoil overages.
- Area Control — Players gain victory points based on area control on city tiles at the end of the game, determined by robots and gear links.
- Dice Rolling — Players roll resource dice at the start of their turn to determine available resources.
- Resource Management — Players produce resources by rolling dice and collecting tokens, which are then spent to perform actions.
- Set Collection — Players draw gears from a bag and can place them into development slots or onto gear links.
- Take That — Players can overcharge to destroy opponents' robots or gear links using zap tokens.
- Tile Placement — City tiles are dealt face down and revealed during gameplay. Gear links are placed into holes on the map.
- Worker Placement — Players move robots onto city tiles to activate them and potentially gain linking bonuses.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- In city of gears players play the role of entrepreneurs attempting to expand their influence in the city of gears.
- The game will end shortly after all nine of these see details have been revealed and the player with the most points wins.
- On each player's turn he or she carries out all four of the steps shown on the reference on his or her player board before play passes to the next player.
- Players complete the four steps in the order that they're listed on the reference board produce resources then activate city tiles then perform actions and then spoil overages.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 9VGG4tz7CWA
Game Night Picks - Pair Of Dice Paradise Review at 0:28 sentiment: positive
video_pk 40130 · mention_pk 121309
Click to watch at 0:28 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Impressive table presence that draws players in
- High customization with many tile configurations and a large gear bag
- Strong middle-ground between gateway and euro game in depth
- Replayability via many tile configurations and layouts
- Engaging strategic depth once you realize you control areas via your gears
Cons
- Fiddly 3x3 tile grid can be awkward to flip and reposition during setup
- Some icons lack detailed descriptions in the rulebook; may require external references
- Initial intimidation from the striking table presence for new players
Thematic elements
- Industrial power, gears, and control of a shifting city
- Abandoned clockwork metropolis in a steampunk-inspired world
- Analytical, experiential, and lightly humorous
Comparison games
- Forbidden Island
- Downforce
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — Players place gears to influence and claim sectors of the city as the board unfolds.
- area control / area influence — Players place gears to influence and claim sectors of the city as the board unfolds.
- Dice-driven actions / resource activation — Production dice are rolled to activate actions on tiles and power worker actions.
- Resource Management — Gear resources power actions and unlock advantages or “superpowers” for players.
- Resource management and upgrades — Gear resources power actions and unlock advantages or “superpowers” for players.
- Robot workers / automation — Automated workers are moved to perform tasks, interact with tiles, and enable capabilities.
- Sabotage and conflict — Gears and actions can hinder opponents, creating choice-based contention.
- Tile Placement — A modular set of city tiles is used; players draft, place, and flip tiles to shape the city.
- Tile placement and city tile drafting — A modular set of city tiles is used; players draft, place, and flip tiles to shape the city.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- table presence of this game surprised me
- the table presence actually intimidated quite a few people
- city of gears totally lives up to my expectations for it
- it's not a big thing, it's a euro game, it's not a really high-stakes Ameri game
- I might call it a little more than a typical gateway game
- two great designers who go together like chocolate and peanut butter
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video cIn6HGbwyLk
Game Night Picks - Pair Of Dice Paradise Discussion at 1:40 sentiment: positive
video_pk 30568 · mention_pk 90004
Click to watch at 1:40 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Excitement around a fresh prototype
- Sense of momentum as it ships to Kickstarter backers
Cons
- Retail release timing unclear
- Detailed gameplay mechanics not provided in the transcript
Thematic elements
- Industrial revolution and mechanized society
- A futuristic steampunk city with gears and industry, showcased as a prototype at a convention
- Prototype reveal and convention discussion
Comparison games
- King of Tokyo
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- prototype-based reveal — The transcript notes a prototype being shown and discussed, but does not detail core mechanics
- Simultaneous Reveal — The transcript notes a prototype being shown and discussed, but does not detail core mechanics
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- skip the elevators if you can get a room that's on a lower floor as low as possible in the hotel throughout the entire convention you can probably get by with using the stairs
- you never know who you're going to meet and the friendships you're going to make
- this is one I've been waiting for for months
- I grabbed off the shelf
- I'm teaching them the game
- the video description below contains a link to the who's playing what now episode
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video Ok7xvOBEed0
Actualol Top List at 11:03 sentiment: positive
video_pk 10558 · mention_pk 31060
Click to watch at 11:03 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- distinct gameplay feel unlike other euros
- high production and interactivity
Cons
- hard to understand without playing
- requires some learning curve
Thematic elements
- architecture and automation with gear-based visuals
- steampunk city in conflict/reconstruction
- thematic, mechanical
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area control / worker placement hybrid — putting out robots and connecting regions via plastic cogs
- tile/board interaction — actions chain back to linking tiles and regions
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's one of those games that can be played by anyone
- it's basically Taboo but trap words
- one of the best-looking covers of a ball game I've ever seen
- a dynasty of games that feels different to anything else
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video BM4FTFpZBzc
Actualol Discussion at 18:56 sentiment: positive
video_pk 1285 · mention_pk 3761
Click to watch at 18:56 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- interesting interaction in a strategy game
- compact for a strategy title
Cons
- unknown depth for non-fans of the theme
Thematic elements
- influence and interaction with mechanisms that affect other players
- Strategic city-building with Victorian steampunk vibes
- strategic and competitive
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- tableau-building / worker placement like — Influence and interaction determine payoff; others can affect your space.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- this is from I games in Ukraine and this is from one of the designers of mysterium
- we had a lot of laughter with this one
- surprising amount of skill to hitting that Tower
- this is a reversed dungeon cruel
- I had loads of fun with it last night
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–13 of 13