Machi Koro

Machi Koro (Japanese: 街コロ, Hepburn: machi koro, literally 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
Machi Koro (U.S. Edition)
Designer(s)Masao Suganuma
Illustrator(s)Noboru Hotta
Publisher(s)Grounding Inc.
Publication date2012
Genre(s)Card game
Dice game
City-building game
Language(s)Chinese, Czech, Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Turkish
Players2–4
2–5 with expansions
Setup time5 minutes
Playing time30m
Random chanceMedium (dice rolling)
Skill(s) requiredStrategy, Resource Management

Machi Koro received multiple awards upon its release, and has received two major expansions. A standalone game based on the same mechanics, Machi Koro Bright Lights, Big City, was released in 2016, and a legacy variant was released in 2019.

Gameplay

Players assume the role of mayor of the city Machi Koro and build it, attempting to become the first player to complete four major landmarks.[1] On their turn, players roll one or two dice, earning coins when buildings are activated (when the dice roll matches the card's activation number and it is on an appropriate turn for the card color).[2] Each player's turn consists of three phases: dice roll, collecting income (from cards which are activated) and construction, which includes other income-producing buildings and landmark cards.[3]

There are five types of cards, each with their own color and characteristics:

  • Landmarks: Each player starts with four (the Harbor Expansion adds two more) unfinished 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 anyone rolls the card's activation number.[2]
  • Secondary Industry (Green): These cards represent shops, services, and other businesses. They earn the player money whenever they roll the card's activation number.[2][note 1]
  • Restaurants (Red): These cards represent restaurants and similar establishments. They earn the player money from any other player who rolls the card's activation number. [2]
  • Major Establishments (Purple): These cards represent major businesses and increase the strategic element of the game. They earn the player money from other players (or activate another effect) whenever they roll the card's activation number.[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] In 2019, Pandasaurus Games released a legacy variant, Machi Koro Legacy, which changes the game rules and future gameplay each time it is played.[8]

Reception

Machi Koro was nominated for and received a number of awards on release. It won the 2015 Geekie Award[9] for Best Tabletop Game, and was a Spiel des Jahres[10] and As d'Or - Jeu de l'Année[11] nominee that year; it was a Le Lys Grand Public[12] finalist in 2014.

Notes
  1. Some of these are not necessarily equivalent to the secondary sector in real life, but rather the tertiary sector, such as the Convenience Store, and do not require primary industries. However, some of these, such as the Cheese Factory, require certain Primary Industries to earn money.
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References
  1. Duffy, Owen. "Machi Koro board game review: quick, light and full of charm". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
  2. "Machi Koro Rulebook" (PDF). IDW Games. Grounding Inc. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  3. Dean, Paul; Lees, Matt; Smith, Quintin. "REVIEW: MACHI KORO'S HARBOR EXPANSION". Shut up & Sit Down. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  4. "Machi Koro: Millionaire's Row Expansion". Dice Tower News. 12 March 2015. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  5. Derrick, Jennifer. "Review: Machi Koro: Millionaire's Row". iSlaytheDragon. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
  6. Martin, W. Eric. "New Game Round-up: Pandasaurus and IDW Present Godfathers, Clones, Zombies, Thieves & More Machi Koro". BoardGameGeek. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
  7. Jarvis, Matt (5 May 2017). "Machi Koro: Bright Lights, Big City review". Tabletop Gaming. Warners Group Publications. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
  8. "Machi Koro Legacy Review – A Campaign Of Dice". Just Push Start. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  9. "The Geekie Awards: Machi Koro". Nedopak Productions. Retrieved 2016-11-21.
  10. "Machi Koro" [Machi Koro] (in German). Spiel des Jahres. Retrieved 2016-11-21.
  11. "Minivilles" [Machi Koro] (in French). Festival International des Jeux. Retrieved 2016-11-21.
  12. "Finalistes Grand Public 2014" [Lys Grand Public Finalists 2014] (in French). Le Trois Lys. 2014-09-24. Retrieved 2016-11-21.
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