Review
Urban Sprawl
Urban Sprawl has an AP reputation for a reason, but a table willing to live with its pace can get a satisfyingly full game out of it.
- Published
- 2011
- Designer
- Chad Jensen
- Publisher
- GMT Games
- Players
- 2–4
- Playing time
- 180 min
I know Urban Sprawl has its detractors, and its AP can become rather insistent. At our table, though, two and a half hours produced a thoroughly enjoyable game, even with one player finishing more than thirty-five points ahead. This was not an evening for people in a hurry. It was an evening for settling into the thing.
Its rhythm, as we encountered it, is one of decisions that want time before they become points. That is where the AP comes from: doing something is not enough; you want to know you have not left a better option on the table. If you want quick, effortless turns, it will make you wait.
This was not an evening for people in a hurry.
TheCuttlefish
The tension between us did not come from a dramatic blow, but from the counting and the comparison of choices as the game moved on. You see the gap widen, try not to fall behind, and eventually the points tell the story with very little kindness. Someone will pull away. The question is whether you enjoyed chasing them.
I would not put it in front of a group that wants to be done before the coffee goes cold, but for players who can tolerate some thought and some waiting, Urban Sprawl remains a very enjoyable experience.
I would not put it in front of a group that wants to be done before the coffee goes cold, but for players who can tolerate some thought and some waiting, Urban Sprawl remains a very enjoyable experience.
TheCuttlefish
Source: BoardGameGeek
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