Between Two Cities
In Between Two Cities, you are a world-renowned city planner who has been asked to redesign two different cities. Projects of such significance require the expertise of more than one person, so for each assignment you are paired with a partner with whom to discuss and execute your grandiose plans. Each turn features a simultaneous discussion with your two partners to decide which of your tiles to place into the cities you’re building with each of them and where in those cities to place the tiles. At the end of the game, there is only one winner, as each player compares the lowest scoring of their two cities.
Between Two Cities is a tile-drafting game in which each tile is part of a city. You work with the player on your left to build one city center while simultaneously working with the player on your right to build a second city center. On each turn you select two tiles from your hand, reveal them, then work with your partners to place one of your selected tiles in each of your two cities.
At the end of the game, each city is scored for its architectural grandiosity. Your final score is the lower of the scores of the two cities you helped design, and the player with the highest final score wins the game. To win, you have to share your attention and your devotion equally Between Two Cities.
The base game is intended for 3-7 players. Variants for two-player and solo play are included.
User Reviews (2)
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I love this game and can not wait to introduce it to others.
In this drafting game you will place two tiles rather than one on each turn because you will use one to build with the player on your right and the other to play with the player on your left. You must keep a balance while trying to build the best TWO cities not just the best city.
The value of the sets grow exponentially and placement becomes much harder in later rounds because certain tiles may not be able to be placed next to another or they have more points if placed in groups. In addition duplex tiles are used in round 2.
There are 3 rounds to fill a 4 x 4 grid with 16 tiles for each city.
Round 1 seven single tiles place 2 each turn for 3 turns discard 7th tile
Round 2 three duplex tiles place 2 discard 3rd tile
Round 3 Same as round 1
TILES:
Shops 16 Buildings + 8 Duplex
Factories 16 Buildings + 8 Duplex
Taverns 20 Buildings + 8 Duplex (7 of each type ( 4 types))
Offices 20 Buildings + 8 Duplex
Parks 16 Buildings + 8 Duplex
Houses 20 Buildings + 8 Duplex
See rule book pages 4-5 for an explanation of each.
This game is a semi-cooperative. You have two separate cooperatives going at a time but your goal is to make them both the highest scoring. The winner is the person that has the most points after using the lowest score of the cities they have with the partner on the right and on the left.
It is tile laying, it is drafting with some cooperative features.
I got it on Kickstarter and I was proud to help bring it to market. It has come to the table during our weekly meetup gaming group several times. The feedback I received from the other players is that they also enjoyed the game.
I highly recommend it. One of the best parts is that it can be played with 3-7 players. There is also a two player version and a solo version.
Give it a try I am sure you will enjoy it.
Between Two Cities has, over the last few months, quickly become one of my favourite lightish games. I have played it with all player counts from 3 to 7 and it takes about the same amount of time (20 to 30 minutes) every time, and only takes a few minutes to explain.
The basic idea of the game is that you are collaborating with your neighbouring players to construct cities: one is shared with the player to your left and one to the right. Game play consists of a series of tile drafts, where you choose two tiles (representing buildings and city locations) from a selection in your hand and pass any left over. The two tiles you choose get distributed to the two cities you are working on, with the agreement of the partner you are working with.
At the end of the game, everyone should be sitting between two 4-by-4 grids of tiles, and each city scores points according to assorted criteria depending on what types of buildings are there, and how they are arranged. Your personal score is the lower of the scores for the cities you worked on.
The dynamic of the game is fascinating. Whenever I have played it there has been a minute or two of relative quiet while draft picks are made, and then when everyone is done, the chosen tiles are revealed and the table explodes into conversation as everyone discusses optimum placement with their partners. It is also worth noting that even if some players don’t quite “get it” to start with, they are sitting next to two players who have a genuine interest in seeing them do well, so this can work fantastically as a gateway to bring in more casual players.
Given the lightness and speed of play, this is never going to be a “main event” game, but it’s not really meant to be. One warning, though: I haven’t ever seen this happen but I have talked to someone who played Between Two Cities in a group of players who wanted to strategise and optimise on every turn, leading to over an hour of play and very little fun. This seems like an edge case (as I said, every game I have played has been under 30 minutes), but you may still need to set expectations if you are playing with deeper strategy gamers.
The obvious comparison here is with 7 Wonders, which is another drafting game which scales really well up to 7 players. 7 Wonders has more moving parts and has more depth to it, plus a bunch of expansions, if you feel you need them. Between Two Cities is a touch lighter, certainly easier to explain, and is quicker to set up and pack away, plus it has the collaborative build element which is something really special.
Oh, and the components are all top quality: the artwork is well executed, the tiles are of satisfyingly thick cardstock, and the city tokens are nice little lumps of wood.
Overall I have to give a strong recommendation for Between Two Cities. I liked it to start with, and it is growing on me even more. I can see this coming out on a regular basis for many years to come.