London (Second Edition)

Rating based on 1 play of 3 players. Was a surprisingly fun game. We didn't really know what we were doing and still really enjoyed it. Seems like a lot of game to explore.

London is a game I encountered pretty early on in my introduction to the hobby. I fell hard for the beautiful artwork and the updated production of the Osprey Games version. Plus, tableau builders are one of my favorite categories of game, and I love how unique the tableau building in London is compared to other games I've tried.

The key characteristic of London is a tableau that breathes: in and out, there's a nice rhythm and pace to the game, because you must build up an effective city from scratch each time you run it. I love how this burns my brain and makes me think carefully about every option I take.

The first-blush comparison for London is [thing=28143][/thing] or [thing=296912][/thing] -- though London is longer than both, I enjoy the engine-building far more. I think trimming a little bit off the game length with the variant could make this compare favorably to Race. When I think of London as a tableau builder, I then compare it to [thing=145203][/thing] and [thing=137269][/thing]: I think London beats out both of these. The tableau element even reminds me of [thing=179172][/thing] or [thing=266192][/thing]. Those games are different enough that I don't feel the need to purge any of the others, but at the very least London is good enough that I'd think hard about playing it before any of the above-listed games.

In addition to the game length, and the dry as dirt setting (Seriously, unless you watch [url=https://www.youtube.com/user/geofftech2]British[/url] [url=https://www.youtube.com/c/JagoHazzard]Youtubers[/url] soliloquize about the London Underground, this theme will not excite you), my final beef with the game is that I really want it to be a slightly smaller production.

All in all, London is a fantastic game, and I'm going to push just a little bit harder to get it played in the future, despite the slight negatives.

Apparently this game is not for everyone. But it’s definitely for me. The poverty penalty at the end can be overwhelming, but you can plan for that. The game lasts a bit long for what can feel like an unfair avalanche of poverty at the end. I can see why some people would be turned off. But I enjoy the turns, basically a series of mini engine builds that can feel very satisfying when your strategy comes together. The act of playing is enjoyable enough that the end doesn’t bother me if it doesn’t go my way.

London is a fun balancing act between managing income, gaining prestige and reducing poverty. Initial plays seemed a bit dry and not much more than a number crunching exercise, but further plays have shown me how tightly balanced and nuanced the strategy is. There is not much engine building and comboing as you would expect from a card game, but I see this as more of an economics game with some hand management. Fairly punishing and a bit mean, especially if you don’t manage your poverty correctly, but it’s just at the right level for me.

A beautiful package. Fantastic art and components, quick to set up, easy to teach and play with great iconography and some great meaty decisions. I love the changing state of the development board, the concept of running your city and the combos of cards you can create, and also the special powers the borough cards give you. My only negative is it can outstay its welcome a little bit. I wish there were rules to remove some cards from the game with less players, though I understand this could hamper some strategies if you're very familiar with the game and the cards you're waiting for don't come out. However, I found it new for £10 and for that it's an absolute steal. Easily the best value board game I've bought!

A fun tableau building game which feels very hindering because of all the poverty and debt it requires you to manage. The fact that most cards are single use really limits the engine building in a way that doesn't allow for much momentum (although you can have some big turns). Still a solid game which i need to play more to get more comfortable with.

I love this game. London is all about managing poverty and taking calculated risks. Do you risk more poverty to take more actions? Can you offset it with the actions you're going to take or is it going to doom you? I've only played London at 4, but I think it might get even more interesting at smaller counts where you might be allowed to have more poverty because you only have one competitor. That could allow for some different strategies. I've also played the 1st edition, which I also enjoyed, but I think this second edition is more streamlined, fine-tuned, and perfectly balanced. Plus, the artwork is gorgeous. My only criticism is the tiny font, but it becomes less of an issue as you play more as it's fairly easy to memorize all the cards.