Neoville
2-4 players | Ages 10+ | 30-45 minutes
Publisher: Blue Orange, 2021
Art: Ingenious Studios
Neoville is looking for architects to build a city that is a combination of human habitation and the natural world. Are you up to the challenge? Position tiles strategically to build skyscrapers and utilities in your 4x4 city. Skyscrapers will be worth harmony points at the end of the game based on their value and district size. Utilities will be worth harmony points when their position in the city fits their own requirements. However, skyscrapers or utilities that do not meet their requirements will count as negative points! Who will design the most harmonious city with nature?
I had just finished designing Monolyth, and really enjoyed the prophecy mechanism in that game, where the players had to predict how the structure they were building would turn out. I wondered if this idea could be used to spice up a simple tile-laying game that I was working on. As the players build a city with 16 tiles, they need to commit to how big different regions in their city will end up being. Do you commit early to having a huge region and scoring lots of points for it, or do you make lower calls and play it safe with smaller regions? This became the central point of tension in the game as you plan and lay out your city grid. Blue Orange came up with the fantastic theme of building a city that is in harmony with its environment, and they also gave the game a really cool ‘solarpunk’ aesthetic.
Links
➚ Neoville at Blue Orange
➚ Neoville at BoardGameGeek