Machi Koro and a Friendly Competition

Imagine with me for a second. Maybe you've just finished a game of Monopoly and things are tense in the house. Perhaps your partner drew a rather artistic interpretation of a turnip in Pictionary and left the pair of you toasted by your rivals. Or you got real unlucky with the dice rolls this time in Risk, despite clearly being the best player at the table. Hey - it happens.

It's times like these where you want a game like trusty old 'Machi Koro'. A game that won't lead you astray, which won't brew bad blood, whose delightful town building is a treat for all involved, winners and losers.

In Machi Koro you are a group of competing small Japanese town investors, choosing what you will develop to make your town the most bustling and lively.

In between the players there is a shop, neat little stacks of cards that represent buildings and works. These give you money in different ways, synergise with each-other and allow you to interact with the other townsmen. These piles are, however, short, with each card only having so many copies before they are all gone, leaving the group competing for the ones that they deem best for their chosen strategy.

Also - there's no board! Machi Koro is technically a card game, which makes it playable anywhere you have a little bit of room on a table. I have spent time playing this bad boy in cafes, in bars and at a little table at the cinema while waiting for a movie. Probably a really good movie, I have excellent taste in cinema.

Every turn you will begin by rolling dice and, much like in that other game everyone is always talking about 'Catan', gathering resources corresponding with the number. Then you use those resources (money) to buy more resource makers (money makers) until eventually you win the game by buying out all of your town's four set buildings.

It is such a simple little game in such a perfectly sized square box. The art in this game is minimalist but beautiful, relying on great colours and pop art rather than hyper-detailed buildings and scenery. It allows you to easily manage and discern your sets and tell exactly how the other players are going.

You can play with your kids or your mates and it's a spot easier than Catan, taking its rolling system and removing any fat. It's a great gateway boardgame if you're looking to move past Monopoly but are a little intimidated by all these giant boxes with Orcs on them. And if you're like me and want to unwind after a four hour game of Oath, then this is a perfect companion game for many. It's zen, hip, hoppin' and probably boppin' too.

Run, don't walk to Mind Games. Get yourself Machi Koro. Build a town. It's fun.