For San Francisco, the first half of the 20th century is an era of dynamic growth and new opportunities. It's also a chance for you — junior urban planner — to take part in a contest for the most amazing reconstruction plan of the city. Sit down with your sketchbook and create a project that will make you stand out from the competition. Design a beautiful city in this game by Reiner Knizia, world-famous board game designer.
In the board game San Francisco, you become an urban planner whose goal is to create the greatest redevelopment plan of the famous city in California. Design districts in each of the five types, racing against all the other planners. Choose the right moment to take on new projects — but be careful, if you take on too many projects it'll be harder to gain more. Earn more prestige by cleverly designing a system of cable car connections. Lay foundations and carefully design the nearby landscape, allowing you to build new skyscrapers. Create a new vision of San Francisco that will gain the most rewards, and win through fame and recognition.
- urban planning theme
- engaging spatial decisions
- map complexity varies by edition
- city-building and infrastructure
- urban planning in San Francisco
- Ticket to Ride
- Carcassonne
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- set collection / route-building — Assembling routes and infrastructure yields points.
- tile placement — Players place buildings on a city map to optimize layout and scoring.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Halloween's fun so now you're good with dressing up.
- the wind is the enemy.
- Quality over quantity.
- we will be at BGG Con in Dallas.
- I love playing at The Family Table right here at home.
- Recto Verso and it's kind of, you know, Co-op playing games putting blocks together.
- we're excited about San Francisco and the Poland map expansion.
References (from this video)
- engaging city-building theme
- cohesive integration of transit elements
- visually appealing components
- potential repetitiveness over long sessions
- city-building and transit
- San Francisco, CA, USA
- urban development
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- route/area scoring — optimize layout to maximize points across districts
- tile placement — place building tiles and trolley elements to score
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- we are raiding our last 16 games yes from 2022
- we slept on that one too
- it's a gateway game
- I love the little wagons
- I love the Terracotta soldiers