Underwater Cities

2018 · Card Game

Underwater Cities

Players act as leaders designing livable complexes on the seafloor, managing resources, technology and political influence to expand underwater habitats. Play centers on placing colored action cards into matching slots on a shared board to take the slot’s action and the card’s bonus. Actions and bonuses provide raw materials, let players build or upgrade domes, tunnels and production buildings (farms, desalination units, labs), move on the initiative track, activate special cards, and draw additional cards. Cards come in multiple types and personal player boards are double-sided, offering varied development paths and ways to score victory points over the course of the game.

Players
1–4 best 2
Playing time
80–150 min
Age
12+
Complexity
3.6 / 5
7.8 on Ludoyafrom $58.99Science FictionNauticalSolo / Solitaire GameWorker PlacementHand Management

Where to buy it

Shop prices and second-hand copies, checked every day.

Compare all prices in Ludoya

On Ludoya's tables

Full stats in Ludoya
839
Plays logged
644
Players
2h 5m
Average play
212
In collections
65
On wishlists
1
Pre-ordered

7.8/10

from 128 Ludoya reviews

  • Fun10.0
  • Interaction8.0
  • Replayability10.0
  • Uniqueness10.0
  • Looks10.0
  • Accessibility10.0
  • Daniel García Cruz8.0

    Que puedo decir de este juego de Suchy donde tienes que construir una ciudad submarina y que vas combando acciones y cartas?? PUES QUE ES UN JUEGAZO!! Y PUNTO!! eso si, upgradear los componentes que son una castaña.

  • Mestremuten7.0

    Rating: 4/5 Production value: 2/4 Is the game in my collection/Love to have?: 1/1

  • Javo8.0

    Me ha gustado mucho. Si bien es cierto en la primera partida vas un poco perdido y no sabes muy bien que hacer o para donde tirar pero la simbología es muy clara y en una ronda te haces idea de como funciona (gestionar bien ya es cuestión de práctica). Lo único negativo es la duración. A 4 puede alargarse mucho especialmente si hay alguien con AP. También lo vi un poco multisolitario ya que apenas te fijas en las ciudades de los demás. La interacción que hay a la hora de elegir acciones es lo que más me gusta ya que te obliga a canviar tu estrategia si alguien te quita el puesto. Bastante combero.

Read the reviews and rate it

Rules questions

Answered from the rulebook by Ludoya's rules assistant.

Do disconnected cities or buildings produce, need feeding, or count for final scoring?

No — structures and cities that are not connected to your network do not produce, do not consume kelp at Production, and do not count during final scoring (pages 6, 8, 9).

Can I pay biomatter instead of steelplast or kelp when building tunnels, buildings, or cities?

Yes — when building a tunnel, building, or city any part of the cost that requires kelp or steelplast may be paid with biomatter instead (page 6).

When exactly do I have to discard down to 3 cards?

You must discard down to 3 cards at the beginning of your turn and at the beginning of each new era; at the end of your turn you draw 1 card and the official discard decision is made at the start of your next turn (pages 8–9).

If my card matches the action slot, can I resolve the card and the slot in any order, and can triggered effects interrupt that order?

If the card color matches you may choose to resolve the card effect before or after the slot action, but you must fully resolve one set (card effects) and then fully resolve the other (the slot action); any new triggered effects that occur must be resolved immediately when they trigger (pages 5, 7–8).

How do action cards work — when can I use them and how many can I have?

Action cards are claimed cards that provide extra actions usable only when you use an action slot or a card effect that permits using an action card; each action card can be used once per era, and you are limited to four action cards total (your Personal Assistant counts as one) (page 5; see also page 7).

What happens if I don't have enough kelp to feed all my cities at the end of Production?

First spend all kelp; for each remaining unfed city pay 1 biomatter, and if you still have unfed cities you must pay 3 points per city (cities not connected to your network require no food) (page 9).

Opens Ludoya's rules assistant, which reads this game's rulebook.

Score sheets and play helpers

  • ES ✶ Underwater Cities
  • Full Game Kit
Use them at your next game

Game facts (players, playing time, age, credits) from BoardGameGeek.