London (Second Edition)

About this board game

London (Second Edition) is a strategic city-building board game for 2–4 players, with a playing time of approximately 90 minutes. Set in the decades following the Great Fire, it challenges players to rebuild London while shaping their own vision for the city.

Players develop the city by playing cards, then use a distinctive mechanism to run it. During this phase, all the actions on their cards are taken simultaneously, creating important decisions about when to expand and how to manage the growing demands of urban development.

Building requirements, bank loans, and poverty all influence the rebuilding effort. Players must find a workable balance between creating progress and handling the costs of their plans, while keeping an eye on how much poverty they generate compared with their opponents.

• For 2–4 players
• Approximately 90 minutes of play
• Develop the city by playing cards
• Run the city by taking card actions simultaneously
• Manage building requirements, bank loans, and relative poverty

Loans provide an important part of the challenge: every player must repay all of their loans before the game ends. At the same time, poverty is judged comparatively, so the focus is not simply on avoiding it, but on creating less of it than the other players.

With its combination of card-driven development and simultaneous city management, London rewards careful planning and timing. This 2017 second edition offers a compelling choice for players who enjoy strategic decisions centered on rebuilding, financial pressure, and the consequences of urban growth.