Saturday, March 02, 2024

#99: Cape May (Mark's Top 100 2024)


Cape May
BoardGameGeek
  • rank: 2,972
  • rating: 7.2
  • published: 2021
  • designer: Eric Mosso
Print Status
  • in print
Why It's On The List
  • Yes, the adorable miniature Victorian homes are the first thing that caught my eye - but they are in service to a well-designed & built game system of city-building that moves at a nice clip and doesn't overstay its welcome. 
Tips & Tricks:
  • I'm always a bit nervous about event cards in a game system - they can be overly powerful and skew the game in ways that make it decidedly "not fun" for one or more players. The balance here is just right with the Newspaper (aka "event deck") - enough to keep the game situation fluid, but never overpowering player choices.
  • My first couple of games, I pretty much ignored bird-watching (a random set collection mechanic in the game)... but with more plays under my belt, I'm beginning to experiment with using the collection process in tandem with setting up my next turn. It's not a lot of points, but sometimes you just need a bit of an edge to get the win.
  • The same was true of converting shops to businesses, which generates an extra "power" card that can be the tiny boost you need to push for the win.
Extras
  • I need to write up a more official review of this delightful game.

No comments: