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Hamburg

Game ID: GID0151623
Collection Status
Description

Hamburg is a card game in which each card has five different uses, and players must cleverly choose the best use for each one, all while avoiding disasters and racing for different objectives.

In the game, players act as mayors of the city of Hamburg in the late 19th century. The game is played over eight rounds. At the beginning of the round, six colored dice are rolled, with players receiving a threat marker in the color of any die that rolls a 5 or 6. The black die is a "wild" threat, with players drawing a threat token with one of the other threat types hidden on the back. If a player ever has three of one type of threat, they receive a penalty.

Next, players have the opportunity to pay a number of coins (equal to the pips on all dice
showing a 1 or 2) to advance on the mayor's track. The black die also activates the clergy in St.
Michael's Church, which serves as a round counter and awards points for certain building types at the end of the game.

On their turn, players play five cards from any of five stacks of cards, one for each of the five colors in the game. These cards are in thirteen categories, each representing a different location around Hamburg, with seventeen individual cards within each category. Each card in a player's hand may be used for a number of purposes, including building the city wall, activating boats (if a 3 or 4 is rolled), starting a building plot, and constructing a building (card) on the plot, with this building granting a new ability or endgame scoring condition.

Players receive points for various accomplishments during the game. In addition, they may receive bonus points by being the only player to have achieved one of five conditions for that round. Whoever scores the most points after eight rounds wins.

Hamburg is a reimplementation of Bruges, including The City on the Zwin and Pets expansions and some new content, with some moderate rules enhancements.

Year Published
2022
Transcript Analysis
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 5
This page: 5
Sentiment: pos 3 · mix 2 · neu 0 · neg 0
Mentions per page
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Showing 1–5 of 5
Video krvN3GmzMrw Chairman of the Board top_14_list at 16:51 sentiment: positive
video_pk 10691 · mention_pk 31567
Video thumbnail
Click to watch at 16:51
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
  • dynamic, highly interactive engine-building system
  • well-balanced design that feels fresh
Cons
  • depends on card draw; luck can factor in
Thematic elements
  • card-driven engine-building with modular card use
  • port city; re-interpretation of Bruges
  • dynamic, card-driven, toxin-free carnage
Comparison games
  • Bruges
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • Card-driven engine building — color-coded cards fuel actions, money, and build/defense
  • multi-use card system — cards do multiple things: fight threats, acquire money, build, etc.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • There is a lot going on here, way more than I can summarize in a short clip like this
  • this took us over five hours to play with a teach, and that's unforgivable
  • an older Martin Wallace game, paint-by-numbers and ultra generic
  • it's not my favorite of the racing genre
  • five minutes to play and it's just a different Unique Style game
  • the core system is brilliant and it keeps you engaged throughout
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video RcFHaU-hz0Q Tabletop Turtle general_discussion at 6:23 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 10095 · mention_pk 29738
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Click to watch at 6:23
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
  • multiple scoring paths and track options
  • variety in building strategies
Cons
  • perceived lack of theme and engagement for some players
  • very punishing at times and can feel off-putting
Thematic elements
Comparison games
  • Stefan Feld titles
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • risk/ push-your-luck dice mechanics — round-by-round dice rolls influence outcomes and can punish players
  • worker/punishment tracks — multiple tracks where advancing can punish you (production, sickness, etc.)
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • it's couch time so it's candid time don't buy Hamburger it's just Hamburg
  • we have three different opinions
  • these aren't real reviews we played once we played it's not enough
  • subscribe and comment below what games we should try out next month
  • get out of the house please
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video dd8KTlibFys Board Gameco general_discussion at 5:39 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 8495 · mention_pk 25027
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Click to watch at 5:39
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
  • More deck control than Bruges
  • Good modules to explore
Cons
  • Some players prefer less control
  • Less variety in deck composition
Thematic elements
  • City building
  • Hamburg city
  • Abstract city development
Comparison games
  • Bruges
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • Card Play — Play cards to develop city
  • Deck building with control — More control over decks than Bruges
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • I love Huton. Oh my gosh.
  • Oh my gosh, I am in love with that game.
  • It knocks out of the water.
  • One of the better games I've played in a long time.
  • The components are so much better. It makes a better game.
  • It's a fun little like watch the world fall apart and burn and see who can survive that process the longest.
  • One of my favorite party games, if not my favorite party game.
  • It's a lot going on. Very thinky. But very rewarding, too, at the same time.
  • When trick taking gets to a point where I feel like I'm just trying to math out every probability and it starts to feel like homework, I start to like it less.
  • I cannot wait to play it again.
  • My ideal would be combining the best parts of Bruges and Hamburg into one game, but I can't do that.
  • It's just easy, straightforward, satisfying.
  • There's not quarterbacking, there's assisting, because it's so much happening at once and so much daisy chaining that the quarterbacking is almost impossible.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video ZacScz9pnBE Chairman of the Board top_10_list at 14:07 sentiment: positive
video_pk 6740 · mention_pk 20019
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Click to watch at 14:07
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
  • highly card-driven with broad scoring routes
  • color-coded card interactions feel intuitive once learned
Cons
  • complex rule set can deter new players
Thematic elements
  • presence, building foundations, and worker integration
  • medieval-to-early-modern city-building
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • Card-driven engine-building — cards grant powers and actions across a colored, modular board
  • foundation-building and worker deployment — cards enable character actions and building foundations for scoring
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • there's this real tradeoff of how much do I want to invest in building my engine which cards do I want to hold back to actually reap the benefits from that engine
  • the tempo of the game is dictated by the players
  • you can use the cards as money, to unlock more actions, or to push your engine—it's all about balancing short-term gains with long-term setup
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video Oa1DT58hxgg Board Gameco general_discussion at 17:06 sentiment: positive
video_pk 3303 · mention_pk 9783
Video thumbnail
Click to watch at 17:06
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
  • Solid weight-light city-building experience
Cons
  • Leaving in favor of a preferred alternative
Thematic elements
  • city-themed tile/area-control
Comparison games
  • Bruge
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • tile drafting/area control — City-building mechanics with spatial placement and routing through the city.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • Kuruka is absolutely fantastic.
  • Barcelona is being added. I really enjoyed it and want more plays.
  • Leaders is replacing Pillars of Fate. Pillars of Fate is my favorite from the Fate series, but Leaders offers a different two-player experience.
  • Recall is subject to more plays. The review still hasn't gone up.
  • Galactic Cruise is great, but I feel a little guided by what the game asks you to do.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
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