/pic1062739.jpg)
Martin Wallace and Treefrog Games present Ankh-Morpork, set in the largest city-state in Terry Pratchett's Discworld. Lord Vetinari has disappeared and different factions are trying to take control of the city. Each player has a secret personality with specific victory conditions, which means that you're not sure exactly what the other players need to do in order to win.
The action takes place on a map of Ankh-Morpork, with players trying to place minions and buildings through card play. Each of the 132 cards is unique, and "the cards bring the game to life as they include most of the famous characters that have appeared in the various books. The rules are relatively simple: Play a card and do what it says. Most cards have more than one action on them, and you can choose to do some or all of these actions. Some cards also allow you to play a second card, so you can chain actions" (Wallace).
A team of artists have recreated the city and its residents for the cards, game board and box, with Bernard Pearson coordinating that team. Ankh-Morpork has been sublicensed to Mayfair Games for the North American market and Kosmos for the German market.
- High replayability due to multiple win conditions
- Engaging theme based on a beloved book series
- Strong interaction and table presence
- Complex for newcomers
- Availability and price may vary due to age of print
- city-building with area control and variable win conditions
- Discworld city of Ankh-Morpork
- hidden objectives with player-specific victory conditions and card-driven events
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area majority — Players compete to control areas on the map to win battles and gain rewards.
- area_majority — Players compete to control areas on the map to win battles and gain rewards.
- building_and_income — Players erect buildings to gain income and board advantages.
- Events — Event cards introduce unpredictable shifts impacting the board.
- hidden victory points — Each player has a unique, secret victory condition influencing play.
- hidden_objectives — Each player has a unique, secret victory condition influencing play.
- random_events — Event cards introduce unpredictable shifts impacting the board.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- The Idols is a game set in 1950s America with strong dystopian vibes.
- One player is a supercomputer bent on maximizing corporate productivity and the other is a lowly employee.
- This game is hilarious.
- We laughed around the table at so many cards, sometimes even sharing names before we played them.
- Discworld Ank Morpork, what a name.