If you played Rebuilding Seattle and quietly hoped Quinn Brander would do this trick a few more times, your wish is showing up in shops this month. WizKids has Rebuilding Chicago due for retail in May, a standalone game that picks up the same puzzly tile-laying brain teaser and drops it into Chicago after the Great Fire of 1871.
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Find events near youThe basics are recognisable. You're a city planner trying to grow your district turn by turn, choosing each round to either put up a new building, expand into a fresh suburb, fire off an event or raise a landmark, then pulling profit from your neighbourhood's commerce. Buildings come from a shared market and have shapes you have to slot into your grid, so it's part polyomino puzzle, part economic engine. The right combination of buildings can be upgraded into landmarks, and city-wide events let players score points or pass laws that bend the rules in their favour.
Brander's first game leaned hard on the satisfying click of fitting tiles together, with reviewers calling it thinky and a bit dry, depending on how you feel about that sort of thing. Chicago looks to be doing the same, with 1-5 player counts, a 60-120 minute play time and a dedicated solo deck if you want to puzzle it out alone.
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Set up your group for freeA solo mode is genuinely useful here. The original Seattle had a fanbase that played it almost exclusively against the bots, and bringing the deck in officially saves you the BGG forum hunt for unofficial rules. Worth a look if your group enjoys Cascadia or Cities of Splendor and wants something with a bit more chew.
Sources: WizKids | BoardGameGeek | Opinionated Gamers Review
