/pic4071903.jpg)
Collection Status
Your Rating
Description
The City Council recently approved the zoning map for a new urban development — The Estates — featuring high-end infrastructure and a modern atmosphere for its citizens. Soon after, the banks awarded millions of dollars in loans to six real estate investment firms to help develop this new area. The zoning map for The Estates calls for two rows of four buildings each, located between the River and Main Street. The meadows on the other side of the River are to remain a recreational area for the City.
But, with hopes of larger profits, investors and building tycoons entirely ignore the City Council's demands and begin developing three rows of buildings instead. The Mayor catches wind of the potential for profit and begins planning a new mansion in The Estates, which would double the value of one of the building rows! With some sketchy building permits, investors begin developing buildings on the other side of the River, beyond the designated building zone. However, the City Council takes rigorous steps to put an end to the racketeering with an ultimatum: As soon as the first two rows are completed, the buildings in the uncompleted row will be torn down, resulting in a huge loss for all who invested there. At the end of the day, the investor with the highest-valued buildings will come out on top.
The players take on the role of investors seeking to make the most money by developing buildings in The Estates. Players will bid for the various building pieces and place them in The Estates to their benefit. All buildings in completed rows score positive points, while all buildings in incomplete rows score negative points. It is possible to have zero completed rows of buildings.
A game of The Estates lasts around 40 minutes and can be played in several rounds to experience a shifting economy.
Year Published
2018
Featured Videos
Transcript Analysis
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 7
This page: 7
Sentiment:
pos 4 ·
mix 1 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–7 of 7
Video T-kBBwCrMK4
top_10_list at 6:08
video_pk 62894 · mention_pk 155736
Click to watch at 6:08 · YouTube ↗
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's the meanest game in my top 10, no question
- there's just always something exciting to do on your turn
- it's an absolute hit
- it's the best social deduction experience I've ever had
- the shortest playing time
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video T-kBBwCrMK4
top_10_list at 20:56
video_pk 62894 · mention_pk 155760
Click to watch at 20:56 · YouTube ↗
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's the meanest game in my top 10, no question
- there's just always something exciting to do on your turn
- it's an absolute hit
- it's the best social deduction experience I've ever had
- the shortest playing time
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video KPdR86Zwmoc
AYCB analysis at 1:03 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 62492 · mention_pk 155112
Click to watch at 1:03 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Deep, high-tension gameplay that can lead to memorable, laugh-filled sessions.
- Rich interaction where opponents impact each other through auctions and ownership changes.
- Strong potential for nostalgia and long-term meta-strategy development.
- Challenging but rewarding for experienced players.
Cons
- Very punishing for newcomers; early penalties can demoralize players who fall behind quickly.
- Can be anxiety-inducing or distressing in groups sensitive to confrontational play.
- Two-player variant is weak; significant potential for analysis paralysis due to dense options.
- Mean-spirited interaction may alienate some players or reduce inclusivity.
Thematic elements
- Array
- Real estate development; urban skylines
- Personal analytical
Comparison games
- Modern Art
- Bus
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area/Development scoring with negative scoring — Completed buildings score positively based on accumulated numbers; one development row scores negatively; overall scoring depends on floor cubes and roofs.
- Auction / Bidding — Players bid to acquire items (including floor cubes and building-related resources); top bid wins ownership of the item or pays cash to the highest bidder who then fulfills placement on the board.
- auction/bidding — Players bid to acquire items (including floor cubes and building-related resources); top bid wins ownership of the item or pays cash to the highest bidder who then fulfills placement on the board.
- Compound Scoring — Completed buildings score positively based on accumulated numbers; one development row scores negatively; overall scoring depends on floor cubes and roofs.
- tile placement — Floor cubes are placed on development rows to establish buildings; ownership and scoring depend on cube color and placement order.
- Tile/Building placement — Floor cubes are placed on development rows to establish buildings; ownership and scoring depend on cube color and placement order.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- The Estates is a great game.
- The estates in all of its mean glory might be the exact type of game that your group is looking for.
- It's the board game version of being at the grocery store and being in line and seeing that the one beside you has less people in it.
- But Skyrise is the better experience. It leaves me happier when the gaming is done.
- I will just always choose Skyrise over the estates.
- it's hard to promote a game where the meaner you are often the more you'll succeed.
- It's exciting, leaves you with things to discover on the next play, and has enough tactical decision-making to have you rethinking decisions you made and looking forward to putting some of those discoveries into practice next time.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video eQTk0cTErcw
All You Can Board general_discussion at 7:01 sentiment: positive
video_pk 62456 · mention_pk 154984
Click to watch at 7:01 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Very thematic social interaction and sabotage potential
- Tense bids that can ruin plans for friends
Cons
- May be too mean-spirited for some players
- Negative scoring can be discouraging
Thematic elements
- cutthroat bidding to shape neighborhoods
- City-building in a competitive auction house
Comparison games
- Modern Art
- Big Shot
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- auction with negative scoring — Players bid on pieces to extend neighborhoods; not all paths are positive points.
- Compound Scoring — Certain conditions must be met early to score; otherwise scoring is stymied.
- developer certificate and strategic scoring — Certain conditions must be met early to score; otherwise scoring is stymied.
- tile placement — Neighborhood layouts determine scoring; some rows score negatively while others score positively.
- tile placement and scoring trickery — Neighborhood layouts determine scoring; some rows score negatively while others score positively.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Auction and bidding is honestly one of my favorite board game mechanics
- This is such a fun game and can be really cutthroat.
- Modern Art is pure economic knife fighting.
- Keyflower is clever, crunchy, full of tough choices, and is just one of the greatest games ever made.
- it's just such an amazing game.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video Q5ysNRPZ13s
Unknown Channel game_review at 0:20 sentiment: positive
video_pk 62203 · mention_pk 154717
Click to watch at 0:20 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Tense and heavily strategic auction and building mechanics
- Auction mechanic feels authentic and engaging
- Deep, satisfying building decisions with meaningful choices
- Amazing overall experience with strong tension and payoff
- Excellent components and artwork that reinforce the theme
- Draw bags and tactile components are high quality
- Compact footprint yet high impact on gameplay
- Feels like a heavy euro with a light to medium setup, offering a good balance of depth and accessibility
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- Auction-driven competition to construct and control buildings
- Urban real estate development in a compact city setting
- Strategic, tactile euro game focus with direct player interaction
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Auction — Players bid to acquire building pieces and permits, creating pressure and strategic choices about timing and price.
- Auction / Bidding — Players bid to acquire building pieces and permits, creating pressure and strategic choices about timing and price.
- Building placement — Floors are placed from bottom to top; the highest-numbered floors must appear toward the bottom to establish a stack, influencing scoring as the structure grows.
- Certificates — First cube of a color placed yields a certificate for that company, creating incentives to diversify or focus on particular colors.
- Compound Scoring — Only two of the three rows score during the final phase until endgame, adding a layer of strategic risk about which rows to prioritize.
- contracts — First cube of a color placed yields a certificate for that company, creating incentives to diversify or focus on particular colors.
- Play on opponents' pieces — Players can place on top of opponents' foundations to score on their construction, enabling strategic blocking and counterplay.
- Row depth modification — Building permits allow players to increase or decrease the depth of a row, shaping future scoring potential and tactical options.
- Row-based endgame scoring — Two of the three rows must be completed with roofs to trigger final scoring, creating a race to finish but with consequences for unfinished rows.
- Selective scoring — Only two of the three rows score during the final phase until endgame, adding a layer of strategic risk about which rows to prioritize.
- Top-score for completed buildings — Points go to the player who is on top when a row is completed, rewarding control and timing over others' progress.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This was such a cool game
- The Estates has a tense and strategic auction and building mechanic
- The drawing bags were high quality and allowed a comfortable hand size
- Artwork is beautiful and the footprint is small but punches above its weight
- Two-row scoring and endgame pressure create a satisfying race to finish
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video FVN2EjCrgu8
Going Analog interview at 11:48 sentiment: positive
video_pk 7457 · mention_pk 22082
Click to watch at 11:48 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- noted as a cool, mean euro with an aggressive bidding system
Cons
- presented as a picture-round answer with uncertain recall
Thematic elements
- cutthroat bidding with top-hat imagery
- mean-spirited real-estate bidding
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- bidding / auction / grid scoring — players bid for properties and manage scoring through strategic placement
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- they do a lot of their own game design the game arts the marketing and blah blah blah
- it's constricting i hate it it's like super constricting, i feel like someone's choking your game
- we dress up for the first episode and he's like shoe you ought to dress up as well but i hate it
- you can find us on redravengames.com and on Twitter
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video ofLuLFgZ0xs
Unknown Channel top_10_list at 10:52 sentiment: positive
video_pk 2435 · mention_pk 7114
Click to watch at 10:52 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- magnificent design, great tension
- high interaction and strategic pacing
Cons
- can ruin friendships; heavy interaction may deter casual players
Thematic elements
- building rows and scoring
- Corporate auctions and development
- cutthroat but strategic
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- auction bidding — auctioning control of companies and rows
- blockades and rail extensions — extend rows to block opponents or hinder progress
- endgame scoring and railroad extensions — score based on completed rows; extensions can tank or boost points
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's a race game it makes it super interactive
- it's really quite mean
- this game is mean but it's only mean at two players
- it's so highly interactive
- this is easily one of my favorite auction games ever
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–7 of 7