Squaring Circleville

I had been looking forward to it, mostly because this theme has appealed to me ever since Urban Sprawl. What I found, in the end, was a much simpler and more stripped-back game than one might expect from a modern euro.

At its core sits a spicy rondel: it determines which action I can take each round and therefore forces me to plan not just what I want to do, but when I can actually do it. The structure is lean, without unnecessary layers of rules, yet the rondel’s choices are enough to keep the decisions interesting.

Meanwhile, my capabilities improve gradually, so the game feels as though it builds momentum without piling on complicated procedures. The racing and area control are pronounced, meaning I am constantly watching what everyone else is doing and where I need to get ahead in space or progress. All of this moves along with virtually no downtime.

Compared with more modern euros, Squaring Circleville feels almost bare—and it is extremely abstract as well. Even so, it produces satisfying sessions, and I consider it one of Spielworxx’s good ones. I especially recommend it to genre fans and groups that are tired of overengineered titles.