City of Gears

City of Gears is a fantastic game that brings a unique steampunk twist to the classic worker placement and engine building genre. The game's theme is immersive and beautifully realized, with stunning visuals and a compelling narrative. Each game is a race to claim ownership of the magnificent ruins of an abandoned clockwork metropolis, and the randomly chosen city tiles ensure that no two games are ever the same.

The game play is deceptively simple yet strategic, with a focus on resource management and worker placement to activate city tiles and earn prestige. You'll need to carefully manage your steam, gears, and electrical bolts to move your automaton workers across the board, claiming areas and activating special powers. I love the strategic tension involved in deciding whether to activate a tile immediately for its benefits or to save your resources for a more powerful move later.

The game is surprisingly engaging and fast-paced, with most games wrapping up in under an hour. The end-game scenario, where you draw gears from a bag to upgrade your factory and trigger the city's opening day, is a thrilling conclusion to the game. The gear draw bag adds a fantastic element of chance and strategy, forcing you to weigh the benefits of drawing a powerful gear against the risk of ending the game prematurely.

City of Gears is a game that I can't recommend highly enough. The blend of worker placement, area control, and engine building is incredibly satisfying, and the steampunk theme adds a layer of depth and charm. If you're looking for a game that is both strategic and entertaining, City of Gears is a must-play.