Making Manhattan

About this board game

Making Manhattan is a city-planning board game for 1–2 players, with games lasting about 20 minutes. In this strategic drafting game, you are given the opportunity to redesign one of New York City’s most notable boroughs.

Players take turns drafting cards and adding them to a tableau that represents their plan for Manhattan. Each tableau includes distinct areas of the borough, creating a structured space in which to develop your vision for the city.

• Downtown
• Midtown
• Uptown
• Central Park

Once the plans are complete, the finished tableaus are evaluated in several ways. Points are awarded according to the position of each drafted card, the personal scoring conditions assigned at the start of the game, and how effectively traffic has been managed through the borough.

These scoring considerations turn every card placement into part of a larger city-planning challenge. You must shape your layout while keeping the different requirements of your plan in mind, aiming to create an ideal arrangement rather than simply filling available spaces.

With its focused 20-minute play time and support for one or two players, Making Manhattan offers a concise opportunity to share your vision for New York City. When scoring is complete, the player with the most points becomes New York’s top city planner and wins the game.