Archive for the 'Nostra City' Category

Nostra City originally grabbed my interest because it’s by the designers of Cold War (CIA v KGB).  The theme was great, the rules sounded good and I enjoyed it when I played it at Spiel (initial review here).  I’ve played it a few times since then and I still really like it for several reasons.  (If you don’t know how the game is played, I suggest reading my initial review before this article.)

WHY I LIKE IT
First of all, each game feels quite different.  The cards that come up for auctions can really alter the shape of the game depending upon their mix.  If there are lots of wiseguys early on, players may be more likely to cheat each other out of income because it will be scarce.  If there’re lots of more racket/turf cards early on, income will be high and players may bid differently and have more options when making the boss more innocent or guilty. Read the rest of this entry »

Cold War : KGB v CIA is a superb two-player game containing tactical play, creative card use, push-your-luck play and opponent motive guessing.  So, when I heard the designers had created a new game (Nostra citY), I was immediately intrigued.

The game focuses on the trial of a mob boss.  The players are his mobsters and, together, they try to fix the trial so the boss is found innocent.  The most respected player by the boss will win the game.  Players collect turf, wiseguys and income with which they bribe the jury, hire more wiseguys, and so on.

Nosrta citY is a superb, semi-co-operative game for anyone wanting some thoughtful tactical play with a hint of double-crossing and paranoia.  The gameplay is quite unusual so I’ll explain three phases of a round so my comments make more sense. Read the rest of this entry »