City Council

About this board game

City Council is a 60-minute board game for 2–5 players, in which each player becomes a council member helping to build a newly founded city.

At first, the government selects the members of the city council. Your shared challenge is to help the city rise and flourish before government control returns. If the council fails to keep the city project on track, all players lose.

To develop the city, council members must work together to maintain a low level of pollution, fight crime, create jobs, and sustain an adequate city budget. These responsibilities give the game a strong shared objective, even as each player pursues a personal political cause.

• Maintain a low level of pollution
• Fight crime
• Create jobs
• Sustain an adequate city budget

As the city grows, different political interest groups begin seeking influence. They approach the council with requests for small favors, asking players to act on their behalf. In return, these groups offer support and provide victory points for the player’s personal cause.

The council’s success is therefore both cooperative and competitive. Everyone must help create a viable city, while individual decisions can build political support and improve a player’s standing. If the city succeeds and flourishes, the most popular council member receives the position of Mayor.

In City Council, managing the city’s needs is only part of the challenge. Players must also navigate the demands of the political groups that rule the streets, balance the city’s future against personal ambition, and strive to become the city’s first Mayor.