Barcelona has been a city of particular appeal for many centuries now. Back in the 19th century, the city was one of the most densely populated in Europe, and as such, it posed everyday challenges to its inhabitants, health and police authorities, all of whom were struggling to keep things organized – from crime to deadlie diseases.
Build the Modern-Day Look of the City of Barcelona
This is when the father of urban development, Ildefons Cerdà, who coined the term “urbanism,” decided that the walls that enclosed the city didn’t really contribute much and decided to tear them down, presenting his plan for the “Eixample,” or the expansion.
Players in the namesake game, “Barcelona” are sent back in the centuries to take over the process of urbanization, which will give it much of its modern look. The game is designed by Dani Garcia and illustrated by Aleksander Zawada.
Garcia has already worked on other beautiful games such as Arborea, and he will be taking on the ambitious task of designing a captivating experience for players to enjoy. Back to the nitty-gritty, though, Barcelona is a game where you will try to construct enough buildings to accommodate the crammed citizens who are getting irate.
Players will also build the infrastructure that ties the buildings together – streets, tram lines, public services, and more. It’s the age of Modernisme, the architectural style that will define much of the next century’s building style. Completing work on the city will take time, with the game ranging between 60-90 minutes.
Barcelona is fit for 1-4 players ages 14+. There are variable rounds, and each will have scoring phases. Players can choose to build or prepare for the next round, as they strategize how to ensure that they score the most points and in fact, contribute the most to the completion of the new city. Unsurprisingly, the winner is the player to scores the biggest points count. The game is published by Board&Dice.