My favorite themes in games are very easy to capture: horror, nature, and art. But sometimes games have themes that speak to me in more esoteric ways. It captures profits that you would never expect to be captured on a tabletop even 100 years later. and that is cape may It’s a title from Thunderworks Games that I only recently had a chance to check out. It combines my love of Victorian homes, Philadelphia, and old Americana in such a specific way that I’m afraid I’ll be targeted. Plus, my mom is a lifelong Lighthouse fan, so as soon as she saw the cover, she knew she had to give it a try. So let’s hop in a time machine and go back to the days when people actually went to the beaches of New Jersey and wore long, heavy wool dresses to do it. Cape May.
What’s inside the box?
- 85 plastic miniatures (32 Victorian, 32 Business, 20 Landmark Bases, 1 Lighthouse)
- 80 cottage and shop tokens
- 60 bird tokens
- 60 money tokens
- 161 cards
- 8 Wood Meeple
- 1 double-sided game board
- 1 rule book
The visuals of this game really captivate me and I love everything about this game. It’s neither cartoonish nor old-fashioned, but clearly inspired by seaside postcards of the time, with their bright colors and painterly feel. But the best part is the little plastic mini that recreates the elegance of a Victorian mansion in miniature, and the lighthouse that tracks the rounds and is the very “centerpiece” of the whole game.
How about playing?
The game is themed around the real-world town of Cape May, New Jersey, an old Victorian seaside resort. It was one of the most popular ways for people living in the area, particularly in the industrially stifled city of Philadelphia, to escape and enjoy the fortified sea air. As a real estate developer, players work on building a resort by purchasing land, building houses and stores, and gaining as much fame as possible through the four seasons.
Your turn is determined based on which three actions you take after the event card (whether that’s good or bad depends on the situation). These actions allow you to:
- Movement: Movement on the board is determined by cards, not dice. This makes it easier to plan your move in advance, but it’s important to do so so you don’t miss out on opportunities due to lack of movement. Movement also allows you to land in some special spaces. The bird space adds bird tokens worth of fame, and the lighthouse space lets you build anything anywhere you like for $5. You can also draw activity cards in the pier space.
- Collect the movement card.
- Construction: This is the basic core of the game, building cottages and shops around you. What materials to build your home with and what the building will be adjacent to are both important parts of your decision-making. These assets form the basis of your income.
- Upgrade: Here you can turn your cottage into a beautiful Victorian, turn your Victorian into a landmark, or turn your shop into a business. These can help you increase your income, but they come with an upfront cost depending on your zone. Upgraded businesses give you special bonuses that are valid forever, only for one round, at the end of the game, or once.
- draw an activity card
- Playing Activity Cards: Activity cards are a bit more “random” than standard actions, but they offer more opportunities to build on previous turns. You might be building, upgrading, moving, or even performing that action multiple times. Depending on your card, you may also get a discount on your build.
- Collect Money: Get $3
The game ends after 12 rounds and points are scored. Scoring is determined by the amount of construction and upgrades, where they are placed, etc.
Solo mode is a very fun challenge and also has different difficulty levels. In solo mode, aspects of play don’t change much. But your opponent is Eva, a difficult and ambitious type. She wants to do things more than she wants to build them intellectually. kick ass In real estate. She moves, builds, and upgrades by following instructions on cards and tracks. The harder the difficulty, the more aggressive she becomes. She builds to what’s available and has no location restrictions, so you have to be careful not to snipe the best spots for her. This is a pretty basic solo “brain”, but it’s very simple and also a good challenge.
The verdict?
If you’re the type of person who likes city management games but doesn’t want to get too deep into the weeds of modern city planning; cape may This is a much more relaxing and classy way to alleviate that itch. You still build houses and run businesses…but it’s almost polite in a way. There’s a sense of “oh, I’m so sorry I didn’t figure this space out, old sport” vibe from it, but there aren’t as many opportunities for “gotchas” as in similar games. There are many events, activities, and more that will help you level up compared to Mr. Monopoly and his friends. As a solo game, it’s something you can play on a sunny afternoon, do your best city planning, and enjoy making the most of the little tastes of the past that the board game format offers. It’s really fun and worth checking out if you get the chance.
can grab cape may directly from thunder worksfrom Amazonor at FLGS for an MSRP of $59.95 (but it’s currently on sale for $30).
Image and review copy (via Thunderworks Games)
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