City of the Great Machine

About this board game

City of the Great Machine is a strategy game for 1–4 players, with games lasting around 90 minutes, set in a grim universe of technocratic Victorian steampunk. Players take part in a conflict between an artificial intelligence network and an alliance of Heroes fighting to start a revolution.

One side controls the Great Machine, either through a player or an automated system. From a City built on mobile platforms in the sky, it commands perfected Servants and mechanical Guards while pursuing a grandiose Master Plan to perfect humanity. Completing that plan leads to the enslavement of the human race, giving the Heroes a crucial reason to resist.

The Heroes work together to encourage discontent, enlist the support of famous citizens, and inflame riots throughout the City. They must also prevent the Great Machine from completing its Master Plan. The Heroes win by starting three Riots, while the Great Machine seeks its own distinct victory condition.

• Asymmetric play: The Great Machine and the Heroes have different objectives, abilities, and approaches to the conflict.
• Hidden movement: Each round, the Heroes secretly choose which Districts they will visit.
• Modular City: Districts create flexible layouts and may be repositioned during the game.
• Resource management: Heroes spend Trust, while the Great Machine pays with Bonds to perform actions, move, and complete other tasks.

Secrecy is central to the struggle. The Heroes need to conceal their plans from the Great Machine, although they may discuss their intentions only in the presence of the Great Machine. This creates a distinctive tension between coordination and concealment.

City of the Great Machine supports a one-versus-many format for 2–4 players, as well as cooperative or solo play for 1–3 players. Its shifting board, hidden choices, and opposing victory goals make every attempt to control the City a contest of planning, pressure, and resistance.