METROPOLIS

A charming game which cultivates quality of life in a pleasant environment.

Ravensburger Game No 01 534 4

Game of intelligence for two to five players by Sid Sackson

Translation by Fred Haines

Contents:

1 gameboard, 80 site cards, 25 buildings (8 houses, 3 stores, 4 apartment buildings, 3 factories, 2 office buildings, 2 hospitals, 1 department store), 140 counters of 5 different colors (36 white, 36 green, 26 blue, 21 yellow, and 21 pink), 6 evaluation tables (3 for each language).

Have you ever dreamed of building a city according to your own plans and living there?

A house situated near a park with a little shop next door, the department store and the factory in the exact places you want to find them!

This game is played without money but requires sensible planning and cooperation. It requires making the best of the random distribution of the first construction sites. Do you know where to build the hospitals, the schools, and the factories which provide the jobs? The final evaluation will depend on the site chosen for the construction and the buildings located in the area.

If you only think of your own personal advantage, you will necessarily be drawn into conflict. Considering the whole picture pays off in the game of Metropolis - for you as well as for the quality of life and the comfort of the environment in the newly created city.

Goal of the Game

The construction sites for the building of the new city are distributed at random among the players throughout the game. Abutting location confers a right to obtain contiguous parcels which in turn permits more imposing construction projects. Before long the first buildings go up. They can gain or lose in value depending on the buildings put up on either side. The winner is the one whose buildings reach the highest value by the end of play.

Preparation

Lay out the evaluation tables in such a way that they can be consulted by all the players. Put the buildings beside the board as a reserve to be drawn upon by all participants. Carefully shuffle the eighty construction site cards and distribute the cards and counters as follows:

Two players: Twelve cards each, the white counters for one, the green counters for the other.

Three players: Eight cards each, the white counters for the first, the green counters for the second, and the blue counters for the third.

Four players: Six cards each and counters of each one's choice.

Five players: Five cards each and a series of counters, all of the counters being distributed in this case.

Each player puts a counter of his color down on the lots which have been assigned to him by the cards he was dealt. Doing this gives rise to a starting position which is random and changes from game to game. The cards which were dealt play no further role in the game and are put aside.

The remaining cards are stacked face down beside the playing board. Then draw four cards from the stack and lay them face up beside the board in view of all the players. The first offer of construction sites is made thus.

The players agree among themselves which of them will begin the game.

Careful study of the starting position, the evaluation table, and the plans of the buildings is advised.

The Buildings

The following illustration shows the shapes of sites suitable for the construction of the different buildings:

[illustration showing shapes of house, store, apartment buildings, factory, school, office building, hospitals, and department store]

One of the two hospitals and two of the four apartment buildings are mirror images of each other and cannot be erected on the same sites.

Evaluation Table

The evaluation table is the guide to planning and tactics throughout the game. It consists of a list of different buildings.

Each building has a base value which depends on both its size and the difficulty of placing the construction in question. The base value changes in accordance with the favorability of the site and with the environment.

Ø The site increases the value of some buildings. This is account for in the designation of the building, as in 'house with view of the park.'

Ø View of the park is an advantage conferred upon lots 15 to 29, 25, 40, 45, 70 and 60 to 64. An apartment situated on parcels 25, 20, and 21 is considered, by virtue of its location, an 'apartment with view of the park.'

Ø Along the river is an advantage of lots 45 to 49, 55 to 59, 70 to 74, and 80 to 84 but not of parcel 64, even though the river runs by it.

Ø Downtown describes the sites 40 to 49 and 50 to 59.

Ø The environment, which is the overall picture presented by the other built-up lots in the same district, raises or lowers the base value of an individual building.

Ø A district is comprised of ten lots numbered in the same decade, the parcels 40 to 49, for example.

Ø No means that the mentioned buildings may not be built in the same district, for instance, building a school or a hospital in the same district as a factory, or vice versa, depending on which building is laid down first, is prohibited.

Rules of the Game

Play proceeds clockwise. The player whose turn it is chooses one of the four face-up lot cards, that is, one of the four proposed parcels or sites. The choice is by two criteria, whether the site is exempt from all restrictions (see 'rights') and whether it permits the realization of interesting construction projects.

The new proprietor (who is not always the player with the turn!) takes possession of the site card and marks his parcel with one of his counters. A new card is drawn from the stack and turned face up for the next player in such a way that every player always has a choice of four different lots.

Free Choice Up to the Fifth Site

Players may take over any site offered as long as the district in question has less than five sites occupied.

Right of Abutment from the Sixth Site On

Possession of a site beside another one confers the right to obtain the latter. When several players are so entitled, the parcel goes to the player with the turn.

The illustration shows a series of sites which already belong to four players, A, B, C, and D. This example explains the rules which apply to the right of abutment.

The abutting sites are those which are beside each other, lots 11 and 12, for example, but not sites which touch at the corners, such as lots 11 and 15.

Sites without neighbors can be taken by any player whose turn it is. In the example, only parcel 15 is not contiguous to any other.

The sites which abut another may not be taken by anyone but the adjoining site. Only player B, for example, is authorized to take parcel 10.

Sites with several adjoining neighbors can be taken by any one of them whose turn it is. Thus lot 16 could be taken by B or C, 18 by C or D, and 12 by A, C, or D. The fact that a player owns the majority of neighboring sites has no bearing on his rights.

Surrendering a Site

The player with the turn may also take a site over which he has no personal right. He must in that case surrender it to one of the authorized players, whom he may freely choose. Let us suppose that it is player A's turn and that site 12 is on offer; he may pass it on to players B, C, or D. The site card is then transferred to the chosen player, who marks his parcel with a counter of his own color.

A player may be from time to time compelled to surrender a lot to another player in the case where none of the four face-up cards permits him to chose a site for himself. But it is equally common to offer a site to another partner as an exchange.

Construction

A player may begin construction at any time if it is his turn. After selecting the site, he may construct the desired building under the following conditions:

Ø The type of construction desired must still be available - 'first come first served!'

Ø The player must own the necessary sites (or if necessary share them with a partner).

Ø The type of construction chosen must be authorized for the district (it is, for example, forbidden to build a school beside a factory - see the evaluation table).

The player picks up his counters from the sites where he wants to build. He chooses the desired building from the general reserve and puts it on his sites. To mark it as his property, he puts one of his counters on the building.

A player may test to see whether the site is suitable for the building, but once it is laid down, it may no longer be moved during the game.

Negotiation

The players may negotiate among themselves at any time during the game (even if it is not their turn), to exchange parcels, for instance, or to agree to the construction of buildings which will gain in value by virtue of their juxtaposition, or to affect the chances of another partner. Players may also decide to join their sites in order to join in the construction of one large building and share its value (in accordance with the sites each furnishes). This is not however permitted unless the construction occupies four or six parcels.

End of the Game

When all the sites have been distributed to the players and some buildings are still available, each player may take another turn to see if it is possible to construct one of the available buildings on his sites.

The game may also end early if no further building can be constructed:

Ø because no more buildings are available, or

Ø because the buildings which are available are not suitable for the available sites.

The present value of each building is determined by reference to the evaluation table and it is credited to the owner (or the owners, if they own properties in common which they have agreed to share).

The winner is the player who amasses the most points.