2021 · Economic

Magnate: The First City

Players act as property developers during a citywide building boom, acquiring plots, constructing buildings and marketing developments to attract tenants. Each turn offers actions such as buying land, building, marketing, selling completed properties for capital, and a once-per-round tenant-attraction step that generates rent and can raise property values. Four tenant types—residential, offices, retail and industry—prefer specific neighbouring mixes, so placement and adjacency matter when trying to increase income without overly benefiting rivals. Land values rise throughout the game, and players’ purchases and sales influence a looming market crash that ends the game; timing of buys and sales determines final fortunes.

groupPlayers

1–5 best 4

schedulePlaying time

60–120 min

cakeAge

10+

psychologyComplexity

3.1 / 5