Machi Koro
 Machi Koro (U.S. Edition) | |
| Designers | Masao Suganuma |
|---|---|
| Illustrators | Noboru Hotta |
| Publishers | Grounding Inc. |
| Publication | 2012 |
| Genres | Card Game Dice Game Board Game |
| Languages | Czech, Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Turkish |
| Players | 2–4 2–5 with expansions |
| Setup time | 5 minutes |
| Playing time | 30m |
| Chance | Medium (dice rolling) |
| Skills | Strategy, Resource Management |
Machi Koro (Japanese: 街コロ "Dice Town") is a tabletop city-building game designed by Masao Suganuma, illustrated by Noboru Hotta, and published in 2012 by the Japanese games company Grounding Inc. Players roll dice to earn coins, with which they develop their city, aiming to win the game by being the first player to complete a number of in-game landmarks. Machi Koro has been published in eleven languages, with the U.S version being published by IDW Games and Pandasaurus Games.
Machi Koro received multiple awards upon its release, and has received two major expansions. A standalone game based off the same mechanics, Machi Koro Bright Lights, Big City, was released in 2016.
Gameplay
Players assume the role of mayor of Machi Koro and build a city, attempting to become the player to complete four major landmarks.[1] A city-building card game, players roll one or more dice, earning money when buildings are activated when the dice roll matches the card.[2] Each player's turn consists of three phases: Firstly, the dice roll. Secondly, collecting income. And lastly, construction, which includes other income-producing buildings and landmark cards.[3]
There are five types of cards:
- Landmarks: Each player starts with four (the Harbor Expansion adds two more) unconstructed landmarks that are developed over the course of the game. The first player to construct all of their landmarks wins.[2]
- Primary Industry (Blue): These cards represent farms, mines, ranches, and similar industries. They earn the player money whenever someone rolls the card's corresponding number, regardless of whose turn it is. These cards have activation numbers from 1–12.[2]
- Secondary Industry (Green): These cards represent shops, services, and other businesses. They earn the player money whenever she or he rolls the card's activation number during the player's turn. These cards have activation numbers from 1–12.[2]
- Restaurants (Red): These cards represent restaurants. They earn the player money when another player rolls the activation number during the other player's turn. These cards have activation numbers from 1–12.[2]
- Major Establishments (Purple): These cards represent other businesses and increase the strategic element of the game. They earn the player money from other players whenever the player rolls the card's activation number during his or her turn. These cards have activation numbers from 6–12.[2]
Expansions
Two expansions have been released for Machi Koro. The Harbor Expansion (街コロプラス), released in 2012, expanded the base number of landmarks from four to six and allow the game to be played by up to five players. New rules were included to improve gameplay by changing how establishments and industries are made available for use/development. Additional industries and establishments related primarily to fishing and shipping were also added.[3] Millionaire's Row (街コロシャープ), was released in English in 2015[4], added additional luxury-oriented establishments and high-tech industries, as well as a 'renovation' mechanic, which temporarily closes establishments.[5]
In 2015, a Deluxe Edition was released in the U.S. combining the base game and both expansions.[6] In 2016, the standalone Machi Koro Bright Lights, Big City was released, featuring a combination of cards from the base game and both expansions.[7]
Reception
Machi Koro was nominated for and received a number of awards on release. It won the 2015 Geekie Award[8] for Best Tabletop Game, and was a Spiel des Jahres[9] and As d'Or - Jeu de l'Année[10] nominee that year; it was a Le Lys Grand Public[11] finalist in 2014.
References
- ^ Duffy, Owen. "Machi Koro board game review: quick, light and full of charm". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f "Machi Koro Rulebook" (PDF). IDW Games. Grounding Inc. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
- ^ a b Dean, Paul; Lees, Matt; Smith, Quintin. "REVIEW: MACHI KORO'S HARBOR EXPANSION". Shut up & Sit Down. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
- ^ "Machi Koro: Millionaire's Row Expansion". Dice Tower News. 12 March 2015. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
- ^ Derrick, Jennifer. "Review: Machi Koro: Millionaire's Row". iSlaytheDragon. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
- ^ Martin, W. Eric. "New Game Round-up: Pandasaurus and IDW Present Godfathers, Clones, Zombies, Thieves & More Machi Koro". BoardGameGeek. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
- ^ Jarvis, Matt (5 May 2017). "Machi Koro: Bright Lights, Big City review". Tabletop Gaming. Warners Group Publications. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
- ^ "The Geekie Awards: Machi Koro". Nedopak Productions. Retrieved 2016-11-21.
- ^ "Machi Koro" [Machi Koro] (in German). Spiel des Jahres. Retrieved 2016-11-21.
- ^ "Minivilles" [Machi Koro] (in French). Festival International des Jeux. Retrieved 2016-11-21.
- ^ "Finalistes Grand Public 2014" [Lys Grand Public Finalists 2014] (in French). Le Trois Lys. 2014-09-24. Retrieved 2016-11-21.