My City

My City (2020) is a world-building game where players compete to create the highest-scoring city by placing Tetris-shaped buildings on their map. However, it's a Legacy game which means the board and rules change as you play through 24 rounds over a number of sittings. This means you not only have to work to win the current game but then make decisions like permanently placing stickers on the board to change how it plays next time around.

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As you play through the 24 episodes, you open envelopes which contain new rules, stickers and pieces that change how things play out. However, the basics stay largely the same. You start by finding your map, 24 corresponding building pieces and cards and laying them out in front of you. You turn over a Building card and then simultaneously add the corresponding tile to their map to build a growing city.

You're aiming to get the highest score which (at first) is determined by subtracting uncovered spaces from any positive points that you score. However, as you open envelopes to discover new rules and adjustments, the scoring and tactics evolve and space on the map becomes more of a premium. For example, you are awarded stickers that you can place on your board to adjust how the board plays. Or rules can be added, like buildings scoring not only on land coverage but also with matching colours or orientation.

The great thing about My City is that because the basic elements of the game are simple to learn and the rules develop over time, as a player it feels like you are part of an epic story. What starts as a simple tile placement game becomes an epic battle for supremacy over the life of a whole civilisation.

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Our examiner, Rob Prior, first checked My City 24 months ago. It was re-examined by Jo Robertson and updated 5 weeks ago.