MACHI KORO, FIFTH ANNIVERSARY EDITION
Welcome to the city of Machi Koro. You've just been elected Mayor. Congrats! Unfortunately the citizens have some pretty big demands: jobs, a theme park, a couple of cheese factories and maybe even a radio tower. A tough proposition since the city currently consists of a wheat field, a bakery and a single die.
Armed only with your trusty die and a dream, you must grow Machi Koro into the largest city in the region. You will need to collect income from developments, build public works, and steal from your neighbors' coffers. Just make sure they aren't doing the same to you!
Machi Koro is a fast-paced game for 2-4 players. Each player wants to develop the city on their own terms in order to complete all of the landmarks under construction faster than their rivals. On their turn, each player rolls one or two dice. If the sum of the dice rolled matches the number of a building that a player owns, they get the effect of that building; in some cases opponents will also benefit from your dice (just as you can benefit from theirs). Then, with money in hand a player can build a landmark or a new building, ideally adding to the wealth of their city on future turns. The first player to construct all of their landmarks wins!
Interesting Facts About Machi Koro?
Machi Koro was released in Japan in 2012 and in the United States in 2014. Designed by Masao Suganuma, Machi Koro became an instant hit amongst board gamers.
Machi Koro means “Dice Town” in English. In Machi Koro, you are the mayor of your town and you are trying to grow your town by adding new establishments and landmarks.
There are a few differences between the Machi Koro 5th Anniversary Edition and the original game. The main upgrades include:
- Bigger dice
- Bigger cards
- Reworked rulebook
- Plastic coins instead of cardboard punchouts
- The box has a gold foil finish
Machi Koro is a tableau building game where players roll dice to earn income and spend that income to buy establishment and landmark cards.
- Ages: 10+
- Players: 2-4
- Play Time: 30 Minutes
What’s Inside the Box?
Machi Koro 5th Anniversary Edition includes a wide assortment of components including:
- 8 Starting Establishments – Each player gets two starting establishment cards; the Bakery and Wheat Field. All establishment cards have a number listed at the top, ranging from one to twelve. If you roll that card’s number then you gain the coins listed on the card. This will give players an opportunity to gain income at the beginning of the game.
- 16 Landmarks – Each player gets four landmark cards. The first player to purchase all four of their cards wins the game.
- 72 Establishments – Establishment cards are available for players to purchase. Each one has a number listed on it and if the player rolls that number then they gain the listed benefit.
- 12 Major Establishments – These cards give greater benefits than normal establishment cards. There are three different major establishment cards. Each player can only have one of each of these three cards.
- 76 Coins – This is the currency of the game. You spend coins in order to purchase establishment and landmark cards.
- 2 Oversized Dice – Players will roll one or two dice on their turn in the hopes that they will gain coins.
- 1 Rulebook – Like any other board game this one includes a manual.
Now that you have an idea of what is all included in the Machi Koro board game, let’s put it all together and see how it plays.
How to Play Machi Koro
Machi Koro 5th Anniversary Edition is not a complex game. Each player will receive these items:
- Wheat Field & Bakery Establishment Cards. These are your starting cards, allowing you to earn money if you roll a 1 or a 2-3, respectively.
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4 Landmark Cards: In order to win the game you will need to be the first player to purchase all four of these cards. These include:
- Train Station – Costs four coins and allows the player to roll one or two dice.
- Shopping Mall – Costs ten coins and all establishments with the bread and coffee icons earn an additional one coin.
- Amusement Park – Costs sixteen coins and allows the player to take an additional turn if they roll doubles.
- Radio Tower – Costs twenty-two coins and allows the player to re-roll their dice once per turn.
- 3 Coins. Coins are the currency of the game and are used to build new Establishment Cards and Landmark Cards.
The game is played in three phases:
- Roll Dice: Roll one or two dice, depending on if you have already purchased the Train Station landmark card that allows you to roll two dice.
- Earn Income. All of your establishment cards that have the same value as the rolled dice are activated.
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Construction. This is where you can purchase one establishment card or landmark card. There are four different types of establishment cards including:
- Blue – Blue establishment cards allow you to earn coins whenever anyone rolls the matching number.
- Green – Green establishment cards allow you to earn coins whenever you roll the matching number.
- Purple – Purple indicates that card is a major establishment card and they function the same as green establishment cards.
- Red – Red establishment cards allow you to earn coins whenever your opponent rolls the matching number; taking the coins from their stash.
The game continues until the first player to purchase all 4 of their landmark cards wins the game.