This month’s Game of the Month is Quadropolis, a strategic city-building board game that combines thoughtful planning, resource management, and tactical decision-making. Published by Days of Wonder (of Ticket to Ride fame), Quadropolis is an absolute gem of a game which I have enjoyed with both newer and more seasoned players.
Quadropolis challenges players to become master urban planners as they construct their own metropolises. Metropoli? I’m not sure of that word… With simple rules to support engaging gameplay, this title strikes a really nice, appropriate balance between accessibility for newcomers and strategic depth for those seeking a satisfying challenge.
The heart of Quadropolis lies in its tile-drafting and city-building mechanics. Players take turns selecting tiles from a central grid to add to their city grid, strategically placing buildings and ensuring optimal placement of each building. Each building type has unique scoring criteria, requiring different patterns of placement, adding layers of depth and strategy to the gameplay. When you decide where to put a building, this matters. Not only are you making a positive decision as to the placement of this building, but you are also eliminating a tile from future use.
The game introduces an innovative mechanism, where players use numbered tokens to determine which row or column of the grid they can select tiles from. This then corresponds to the row or column in which the tiles must be played on your personal board, This adds an extra layer of decision-making to the game and also promotes a sense of competition, as players vie for the most valuable tiles to enhance their respective cities.
Scoring is a dynamic affair, keeping players on their toes until the very end. The game rewards foresight and adaptability, making each decision crucial to your ultimate success.
Quadropolis is a visual treat, as one would expect from a Days of Wonder game. The game’s vibrant and colorful artwork brings the cityscape to life, creating a visually appealing and engaging experience. The high-quality components, including chunky tiles and player boards, are just very pretty.
While Quadropolis is a tile-laying game, the element of player interaction is not lost, which is really important to me. Competing for the best tiles and strategically blocking opponents adds a layer of competition that I think is needed.
With its variety of building tiles set in a random configuration, Quadropolis boasts impressive replay value. Certainly, I’ve played it a lot and it’s not gotten old. The ever-changing central tile grid ensures that no two games are alike and there are several viable paths to victory. The game remains fresh and engaging, making it a fantastic addition to any game night.
Quadropolis stands as a great tile-laying game and as a great example of the quality that Days of Wonder can put out both mechanically and aesthetically. It’s accessible but doesn’t lack opportunities for thought and strategy. There’s a real depth of challenge, here. It’s just a fantastic game which is very worthy of being out last Game of the Month for 2023.
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