In Sprawlopolis, 1-4 players work together to build a new city from the ground up. Using only 18 cards and a variable scoring system, the game is never the same twice. Each turn, players will play 1 card from their hand to the growing city, trying to score as many points as possible. Players will have to communicate and plan without revealing their own cards in order to most efficiently develop large areas in each of the 4 zone types. Watch out though, the city hates paying for road maintenance so each road will cost you points in the end. When all cards have been placed, the game ends and players see if they have met dynamically generated minimum score for their game. Can you meet the demands of the officials, work with your fellow planners and build the ultimate urban wonder? It’s time to find out!
Staff Recommendation
"Sprawlopolis is a fantastic wallet-sized game by Button Shy Games that almost literally every Labyrinth staffer carries on them at all times, including me! I have it with me whenever I am studying for school or for research projects, and it is the perfect brain break. In the game you have 18 double-sided cards, and, at random, you draw three cards, turning them on their scoring side, which will tell you what the scoring conditions are and how many points you need to beat the game. The rest of the cards form your hand and draw pile. You lay down cards attempting to set up your sprawl to score as many points as possible based on the randomly drawn scoring conditions. Each game is unique, and the solo mode is 100% awesome—definitely one of my favorites. The wallet that the game is stored in is also very pretty, which is a plus. Also, there are expansions that each add some unique new flavor to the game.
Who is this game for? Really, anyone who enjoys a good cooperative game that can be played quickly either on the go or before/after dinner. It is a great warm-up game as well! Also, it is perfect as an addition to any solitaire/solo game collection.
Who is this not for? The game is pretty smart, but it is limited by its tininess in terms of crunchy mechanics. If you’re interested in a crunchy game, then maybe this will come across as too light, but honestly it is meant more so as a solitaire to multi-cooperative game that can be played several times in a row. The game is just solid, so I have a difficult time thinking of a reason not to have it in your collection."
