Card City

Card City Rulebook

Table of Contents

34 green Residential cards
24 blue Commercial cards
12 red Leisure cards
4 purple City Hall cards
20 yellow Industrial cards
16 black Parking cards
48 Coins (16 in each of the denominations 1, 5, and 25)
1 first mayor pawn

Setup

Create a face-down stack that contains the following cards per player: 6 Residential, 4 Industrial, 4 Parking, 3 Commercial, and 3 Leisure. Shuffle that stack and place it in the center of the table. This is the pool.

Example: In a 3-player game, make the stack out of 18 Residential cards, 12 Industrial cards, 12 Parking cards, 9 Commercial cards, and 9 Leisure cards. The pool contains 60 cards.

Sort the remaining cards by color (Residential, Commercial, and Industrial); these constitute the reserve.

Start of a Game

Each player takes:

3 red Coins of value 1
1 City Hall card, which is laid in front of him

City Hall will be the first District in your city. The money is placed on the table and always remains visible to other players. The player who was most recently in town is the first player, and takes the first mayor pawn.

Sequence of Play

The game lasts 10 rounds, and each round comprises 5 phases:

Acquisition of new buildings
Construction of buildings
Development of the city
Income
End of the turn

Phase 1 / Acquisition of New Buildings

In this phase, each player will gain 2 buildings.

The first player draws twice as many cards as the number of players (e.g. 6 cards in a 3 player game). He does not show the cards to the other players.

Important: In the first turn, draw new cards to replace any Leisure cards drawn, then shuffle the Leisure cards back into the pool.

Then he makes two groups:

The first group consists of two face-up cards.
The second group consists of the remaining cards, half face-up, half face-down.
He asks the next player without cards (in clockwise order) which group he wants:
- If the player selects the first group of two face-up cards, she keeps them; then the first player divides the remaining cards into two groups, just like he did before.
- If the player selects the half-face-up group of cards, she divides them into two groups like the first player did. The first player keeps the group with two face-up cards for himself.
The process is repeated until each player has kept exactly 2 cards.

Example: In a 3-player game, the first player draws 6 cards (R, I, L, P, C, and C). He makes the visible first group with R and C and hides the cards L and I among the remaining cards (P, C, L, and I). He offers these 2 groups to the second player. The second player chooses the first group (R and C). The first player uses the second group to make two new groups: one with P and I visible and another with the Leisure kept hidden. He offers these 2 groups to the third player, who selects the face-up group (P and I), which leaves the half-hidden group (C and L) for the first player. Had the second player chosen the P / C / hidden L / hidden I group, then the first player would have kept the first group (R and C); then the second player would have made 2 groups out of P, C, L, and I, which he would have offered to the third player.

Note: Players are allowed to count the cards in the pool at any time.

Phase 2 / Construction of New Buildings

In this phase, each player constructs the new buildings in his city.

Simultaneously, players add the two cards they just obtained during the previous phase to their city in whichever order they want. Because they are good citizens, they should respect the laws below...

City Limits

A city is a 5x5 square of up to 25 cards. In each City, there is only one City Hall, which will not necessarily end up in the center of the square, once the city grows to its boundaries.

A city contains Buildings. Each building is represented by a card with one symbol. There are three different types of Buildings:

Development Buildings: Commercial and Residential
Cultural Buildings: City Hall and Leisure
Other Buildings: Industrial and Parking

Definition of a District

A District is a group of one or more orthogonally adjacent cards of the same color.

Example (diagram): A 3-card Residential District (1), a 2-card Residential District (2), a 1-card Residential District (3).

Size Limitation

The number of Industrial cards present in the City will limit your expansion as follows: Without any Industrial cards, you can only have 5 non-Industrial cards in your City; with one Industrial card, you can have a maximum of 10 non-Industrial cards. Each additional Industrial card increases the limit by 5 cards. If your City is already at its limit, you can't add any more cards to the City, except an Industrial card.

0 Industrial cards = 5 non-Industrial cards (which includes City Hall)
1 Industrial card = 10 non-Industrial cards (which includes City Hall)
2 Industrial cards = 15 non-Industrial cards (which includes City Hall)
...

Zoning Laws

If you can build the card in your City, then you must.
You must add cards orthogonally adjacent to previous cards (in the first turn, there are 4 possibilities for the first card, because it must be adjacent to City Hall). Each card in your City affects the 4 spaces that are directly orthogonally adjacent.
In the Construction Phase, you are not allowed to build a Development card (Residential or Commercial) orthogonally adjacent to another Development card of the same color.
For the Buildings which are not Development cards (Industrial, Parking, and Leisure), you may build adjacent to cards of the same color.
Residential and Industrial cannot be adjacent; however, Industrial may be adjacent to any other card.
If you have taken a Leisure card, then you must pay 5 Coins to build it, if you can.
You are not allowed to move cards placed in previous turns.
If construction is not possible (for financial reasons, or due to size limitations because of the number of Industrial cards, or because of Zoning Laws), then the card is discarded to the reserve.

Example: In this city limited to 10 non-Industrial cards (due to having 1 Industrial card), the player may add (numbered spaces in diagram around I, M, L, R, C, R):

An Industrial card in any of the numbered spaces, except for 6, 7, and 8, which are orthogonally adjacent to Residential cards.
A Commercial card in any of the numbered spaces, except for 4 and 5, since you are not allowed to build two adjacent Commercial cards.
A Residential card in any of the numbered spaces, except for 2, 3, and 4, which are adjacent to an Industrial card, and 6, 7, and 8, since you are not allowed to build two adjacent Residential cards.
A Leisure card (for 5 Coins) or a Parking card in any of the numbered spaces.

Phase 3 / Development of the City

Thanks to a favorable environment, Residential and Commercial Districts attract new citizens to the cities, and the cities are going to evolve.

Development Rules in a City

If you can develop your city, you must do it.
Only Residential and Commercial evolve, other Buildings do not evolve.
All players simultaneously develop their Residential and Commercial cards (or you can take turns, if you wish).
If there are several possible developments, you may choose which one you do first.
Developing a Building means adding new free cards from the reserve to the City. If, after a development, new buildings can be developed, then you must do it.
City Hall counts as a Cultural Building.
If the reserve is too low for everyone's development, players develop one card at a time, in reverse turn order, simply skipping anyone who can't develop with what cards are left in the reserve.

Important: Take care to respect the Zoning Laws and the Size Limitation during the development phase.

Residential Development

A District of N Residential cards adjacent to at least N+1 Cultural Buildings can be developed by adding one new Residential card from the reserve, directly adjacent to this District.

Remember: City Hall counts as a Cultural Building, and Residential and Industrial cannot be adjacent!

Example: This city has a Residential District of one card that is adjacent to two Cultural buildings (L and CH). The player takes one Residential card from the reserve, which can be placed in position A or B. He chooses to build in A, thus creating a Residential District of 3 spaces; in order to develop in subsequent turns, the District will have to be adjacent to 4 different Cultural cards. Now his City has seven non-Industrial cards, which is allowed, because he is under the 10-non-Industrial-card limit granted by his 1 Industrial card.

Note: Developing a Residential District is the only way to have several adjacent Residential cards.

Commercial Development

A District of N Commercial cards adjacent to at least N+1 different Residential Districts can be developed by adding one new Commercial card from the reserve, directly adjacent to this District.

Example: The Commercial District cannot be developed because although it is orthogonally adjacent to 2 Residential cards, these 2 cards belong to the same 3-card Residential District. In the second diagram, the Commercial District can be developed into one of the X spaces, since it is adjacent to 2 different Residential Districts.

Note: Developing a Commercial District is the only way to have several adjacent Commercial cards.

Phase 4 / Income

In this phase, players earn income from their City. Money allows the player to build new Leisure buildings, or to buy new Industrial buildings, in order to make their City grow larger again and again... Each player gets their income. The Coins are taken from the reserve.

Salary

During this phase, each player earns 1 Coin from their City Hall as mayor's salary.

Commercial Income

Players earn Coins from their Commercial Districts as follows: Each Commercial District earns Coins as shown on the Commercial cards.

Commercial District of 1 card = 1 Coin
Commercial District of 2 cards = 1 Coin + 2 Coins
Commercial District of 3 cards = 1 Coin + 2 Coins + 3 Coins
...

Example: In this City, there are 3 Districts of Commercial, and the player earns: his salary of 1 Coin; income from his two 1-card Commercial Districts, which are worth 1 Coin each; income from his 2-card Commercial District, which is worth 3 Coins. The total income is 6 Coins.

Phase 5 / End of Turn

Each player may buy an Industrial card, and the first player changes.

Starting with the first player, each player may buy one and only one Industrial card from the reserve. If it is the first Industrial card in his city, then the cost is 5 Coins; if it is the second, then the cost is 10 Coins; and so on... If there are no more Industrial cards in the reserve, then players can not buy them any more.

1st Industrial card = 5 Coins
2nd Industrial card = 10 Coins
3rd Industrial card = 15 Coins
...

Pass the first mayor pawn to the left.

End of the Game

Each player calculates his victory points. At the end of the 10th round, when the pool is empty, players count their victory points: Each Residential District scores victory points depending on its size.

Residential District of 1 card = 1 point
Residential District of 2 cards = 1 point + 2 points
Residential District of 3 cards = 1 point + 2 points + 3 points
...

Each square of the 5x5 territory of the City that is still empty is -1 point. Each 5 Coins at the end of the game is exchanged for 1 point. The player with the highest score wins the game. In a tie, the tied player with more money left wins. If still tied, then the players start another game!

Example: In this city, there are 4 Residential Districts. The two 3-card Districts score 1+2+3 = 6 points, thus 12 points total. The two 1-card Districts score 1 point each. The player still has 36 Coins at the end of the game, which he exchanges for 7 points. The player has 2 empty spaces: -2 points. The score is 12+1+1+7-2 = 19 points and 1 Coin.

Card City: Player Aid

To calculate the income from Commercial Districts, or to calculate the victory points for Residential Districts, check the size of each one, and consult the following table:

Size	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Coins / Points	1	3	6	10	15	21	28	36	45	55

Variants

1. Decentralization

At the end of the game, the scoring is the same, but you also get a 5-point bonus for each District that is surrounded by all the colors that are allowed to be adjacent to it (yes, including purple).

District	Colors to which it must be adjacent	Points
Commercial	All	5
Parking	All	5
Leisure	All	5
Residential	All except yellow	5
Industrial	All except green	5

City Hall counts as 2 colors (red and purple).

The player also gets bonus points depending on where City Hall is built: the player gets 2 points for each orthogonal move it is away from the center of the 5x5 matrix.

The player also scores bonus points according to the number of Industrial Districts:

1 Industrial District = 0 points (Building 1 Industrial District is easy.)
2 Industrial Districts = 1 point + 2 points
3 Industrial Districts = 1 point + 2 points + 3 points
...

Example: The 3-card Residential District is adjacent to all colors; the player scores 5 points. No other District is adjacent to all colors. The player has 3 Industrial Districts; he scores 6 points. City Hall is decentered by one vertical and one horizontal move; the player scores another 4 points.

2. Parking Meters

During the income phase, each Parking District earns Coins according to how many colors surround it: 3 different colors = 1 Coin, 4 different colors = 2 Coins, 5 different colors = 3 Coins. As usual, City Hall counts as 2 colors.

Note: This second variant may be combined with the first variant for a more strategic game.

3. Solo Game

It is possible to play Card City solitaire. Try to score as high as possible. All standard rules apply except:

During the Acquisition of New Buildings phase, draw 3 cards, choose 2 cards, then discard the last card to the bottom of the pool.
Calculate the score as usual. If your score is...

Score	Level
0-9	Homestead
10-14	Hamlet
15-19	Village
20-24	Neighborhood
25-29	Town
30-34	Suburb
35-39	City
40-44	Metropolis
45-49	Capital
50+	Megalopolis