San Francisco (2000)

About this game

The game is set in San Francisco after the great earthquake, and players are charged with rebuilding the city. The board is a fairly straightforward affair with the matrix randomly populated with building tiles. Players compete in various auctions for the right to place possession rods around the tiles and when a clear plurality is established the tile is scored by that player. There are a number of different auctions: sequential money bidding (akin to High Society), by blind bidding one of the three building types with clashes determined by money bids (akin to Basari), blind influence point bidding with like bids cancelling (akin to Raj/Hols der Geier). After a set number of turns which see a building erected, the player with the highest point total wins.

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Works with 3 to 5.
• Rules load. At 2.6/5 this is a mid-weight game — expect a proper rules explanation before you start.
• Age. The publisher suggests 12 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.