Card City

About this board game

Card City is a city-building card game for 1–4 players that plays in about 30 minutes, with each player serving as a newly sworn-in mayor.

Your task is to develop the residential, commercial, industrial, and cultural districts of your city while meeting the demands of its residents. The game includes six types of cards: Residences, Commercials, Industries, Leisure, Parking, and City Hall.

Card City unfolds over ten rounds. Every round uses five sequential phases:

1. Players receive two new buildings through an “I cut, you choose” mechanism involving hidden cards.
2. Players construct those buildings in their cities according to zoning laws.
3. When the environment is favorable, residential and commercial districts attract new citizens and cities evolve.
4. Players earn money from their cities through their commercial districts.
5. The first-player position changes.

The placement and development of your districts shape your final score. A district containing one Residence card scores 1 victory point, while a district of two scores 1+2 points, a district of three scores 1+2+3, and so on. This gives larger residential districts increasing scoring value.

Money also contributes to your result: every five money left at the end of the game is worth 1 victory point. However, an unfinished city earns negative points, so completing your urban plan is essential.

Part of Alban Viard’s Small City trilogy, Card City combines hidden-card selection, zoning, city evolution, commercial income, and district scoring in a compact urban development game.