Urban Sprawl is a master stroke of game design. It’s at the top of my underrated gems list, and one I’ve been singing the praises of to whoever would listen for years now (making new fans in the process). The challenge has always been the play time, particularly for a first play. Because if you are just learning a game with the level of interaction in Urban Sprawl, 3-4 hours can be a lot to ask. So I made a variant called “We Built this City” that can be played in under 3 hours (the one catch being that it is three player only). 

I didn’t make this variant to improve the game, that would be a fool’s errand, as it does so many things right. Mechanically it combines tile laying with a card market, to create an action economy that is both open and tight at the same time. Layered on top of this is the dual economy of Wealth and Prestige. You have to gather Wealth to be able to lay your tiles, but in the endgame the Prestige gains you victory. This ties closely to the spatial puzzle of the tile laying, where to earn that prestige, location, location, location. Within that are the events which get in your way in the most inopportune times. Speaking of getting in the way, it has to be said the other players at the table are sure to do their share of this as well, with or without asymmetric player powers.

I haven’t said much about the theming yet, because the mechanics stand on their own. Getting those to all work together as a game system is a herculean task in themselves, however, what really makes Urban Sprawl such a master stroke, is the way they all connect directly to the theme of urban development over a period of decades. This was the gold standard for me as I worked through the design of Cross Bronx Expressway, creating a feedback loop between player and theme, so that each action reinforces the narrative immersion with the theme.

The movement of the card market reflects the ever changing opportunities for a town to change itself, with the choice of what actually gets built fully in the control of the players. These decisions, even when made purely to optimize points, fit within the socio-economic situation depicted by the game state, like when placing a building for cheap to raise the prestige and inherent value of the whole block. It feels really good when you’ve got the most valuable building on the map, except when it’s time for the city to collect luxury taxes. Just knowing that a player with the right permits (or role) and wealth to spend could take it away in a turn, keeps the tension high.

You can download the variant to read more about the design. Important to note here though is that one of the most important things that I wanted to be sure the variant kept, is the rich realism of the narrative that emerges from play. It’s all very much still there.

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