Game Night – Infinite City

First, a reminder. I have a game giveaway going on, one copy of Rowboat. Enter here.

Infinite City

• Designers Brent Keith
• Manufacturer: Alderac Entertainment Group
• Artist: Charles Urbach
• Players: 2 – 6
• Time: 45 minutes
• Ages: 10 and up

We played this game twice last weekend. One of our friends brought it up to the cabin with him, but since he’s from out of town I’m not sure when the next I’ll get to play it is and I wanted to write my thoughts while it was fresh in my mind.

Here’s the blurb. Sometimes, the whole theme of the game is easy to tell from the part and rules, sometimes it isn’t. I think this is one of those half and half times.

The architects of the future have drawn inspiration from every age. The cities of the future grow as quickly as the population demands and stretch endless miles. Control of the Infinite City means power and wealth but the city is growing so fast it is hard to maintain control. “As you build the city, control of the city changes.” Strategic planning will not only give you the largest sections of the city but also control of the key buildings in the city. Will you place a mayoral palace next to the police station claiming both as your own or will you use a freeway to move another player’s tile far away from his control base? Will you choose to protect your barracks or leave it at risk on the outskirts of your control? Infinite City is a tile placing game where you build the city and try to capture the largest territories while holding on to the most powerful buildings. Infinite City contains 120 tiles featuring the art of Charles Urbach. Will you be able to rule the Infinite City?

I love the Art Deco feel of the tiles, although they don’t really scream “future” to me.

The game is fairly simple, you lay tiles, place your tokens and follow the tile’s’ directions. Easy enough. But the strategy come in at where do you place the tiles, do you want to go out first, when do you play the different buildings, each of which provides a specific benefit. And just when you think you’re in control of the city, you realize you’re not.

We played with five adults, so I can’t tell you how well it functions as a family game, but I do think that Amber (10) would pick it up quickly. Since long term strategy doesn’t tend to work, people are always screwing with your stuff, she might actually do really well. She doesn’t tend to plan too far ahead anyway.

I know there are folks out there – David – who don’t like games where other people move your stuff around, which happens a fair amount in this one, but remember it’s just part of the game.

I liked it. We played it twice in a row, it’s a quick one to learn, but due to the random elements, it plays out differently every time. It’s a light game, fun but not too involved.