Objective
Cities Skylines – The Board Game is a cooperative game where players work together to build a city and achieve certain milestones. The goal is to fulfill as many milestones as possible while maintaining the well-being of the inhabitants and not exceeding the shared budget.
Components
- Game board with hexagonal building spaces
- Building tiles of different types (Residential, Commercial, Industrial, etc.)
- Event cards representing random events
- Construction cards that allow players to perform various building actions
- Satisfaction board showing the current level of satisfaction in the city
- Budget board reflecting the city's financial situation
- Player figures and markers
Setup
- Place the game board in the center of the table.
- Stack the building tiles by type and place them beside the board.
- Shuffle the event and construction cards separately and place them as face-down decks.
- Place the satisfaction board and budget board visibly near the game board.
- Each player starts with a certain number of construction cards in hand.
- Players collectively set start parameters (difficulty, starting budget, etc.) according to instructions.
Gameplay
Round Overview
- Each player performs the following steps during their turn:
- Play a construction card: Play a construction card from their hand and place the corresponding building on the board.
- Pay costs: Deduct the construction costs of the building from the budget.
- Place building: Place the building at an allowed spot on the game board.
- Apply effects: Implement the effects of the constructed building on the satisfaction board.
- Draw event card (optional): Some cards allow or force the drawing of an event card, whose effects must then be executed.
- Draw new construction cards: Draw new construction cards to refill their hand up to the hand limit.
Types of Buildings
- Residential Buildings (blue): Generally increase satisfaction but require adequate infrastructure.
- Commercial Buildings (yellow): Increase income but may reduce satisfaction if too many are built in one area.
- Industrial Buildings (gray): Boost employment and budget but can increase environmental pollution.
- Services (various colors): Improve satisfaction or other statistics, often expensive to maintain.
Strategic Tips
- Resource Management: Manage the budget efficiently and prioritize essential expenditures.
- Balance: Maintain a balanced ratio of residential, commercial, and industrial areas.
- Monitor Satisfaction: Without enough satisfaction, the city will fail in the long term.
- Event Risk: Be prepared for unexpected events and maintain a budget reserve.
End of the Game
The game concludes when no further building actions are possible or when the budget is depleted. Success is measured by the number of milestones achieved and the satisfaction of the inhabitants.
Have fun building your own city in Cities Skylines – The Board Game!
