Are you looking for a specific Link City rule? | Setup | Playing the Game | Placing Tiles | Bonuses | End of Game | FAQ | Components |
Objective
The objective of Link City is to work with the other players to build a city worth the most points.
Setup
- Find the six Bonus tiles (they have an illustration on the color tab) and set them in a stack on the table.
- Place the City Hall tile in the middle of the table.
- Set aside the eight Construction Site tiles.
- Take the rest of the tiles and place them inside the box. Shake the box to mix up the tiles.
- One of the players randomly draws four of the tiles from the box. They will place one tile next to each side of the City Hall tile.
- Choose a player to be the mayor for the first round. The mayor takes the City Hall Screen and places it in front of them.
- The mayor randomly draws three Location tiles from the box and hides them behind the screen so only they can see them.
- The mayor also takes one blue, one orange, and one yellow Construction Site tile. They will place them behind the screen.
- The player to the left of the mayor becomes the deputy mayor for the first round.
How to Play Link City
During the game players are trying to complete trees. There is half of a tree on the edge of each tile. When players place two tiles side by side, they create a tree. Each tree scores the players on point at the end of the game.
You will play six rounds in Link City. Each round consists of a number of steps:
- The deputy mayor places the cones.
- Mayor chooses where to place the Location tiles.
- The rest of the players choose where to place the Location tiles.
- The tiles are placed in the city.
Placing the Cones
The deputy mayor takes the blue, orange, and yellow plastic cones. They will decide where to place each cone inside the city. The deputy mayor must place each cone where it touches the side of at least one location. They cannot place a cone at a diagonal from another tile. Where the deputy mayor places the cones are the locations in the city where the players are trying to place tiles this turn.
Mayor Chooses Where to Place Tiles
After the deputy mayor places the cones, the mayor will look at the Location tiles that are behind the screen. For each cone they will choose one Location tile from behind the screen that they would like to place in that location. To note where they would like to place each Location tile, they will place the corresponding colored Construction Site tile next to the Location tile. When choosing where to place the tiles, they will have to consider where they think the other players will want to place them. While the mayor is making their choices, the other players should not say anything that could influence where they would place each tile.
Players Choose Where to Place Tiles
When the mayor is done choosing a location for each Location tile, they will flip over the Construction Site tiles so the other players can’t see what color they assigned to each tile. They will then remove the screen so the other players can see the Location tiles.
The rest of the players (including the deputy mayor) then discuss the three Location tiles. They need to try and figure out where the mayor wants to place each of the tiles. The players will take one blue, orange, and yellow Construction Site tile. They will place one Construction Site tile next to each of the Location tiles. The mayor shouldn’t say anything that could influence the other players decisions.
If the players can’t come to an agreement, the deputy mayor breaks any ties and chooses where the Construction Site tiles will be placed.
Placing Tiles
After the players have placed all of the Construction Site tiles, the mayor flips over the Construction Site tiles that are face down. The players will compare the two Construction Site tiles placed next to each Location tile.
Matched Tiles
If the mayor and the players placed the same Construction Site tile next to a Location tile, the players matched. The mayor takes the corresponding Location tile and places it where the corresponding colored plastic cone was placed in the city.
Unmatched Tiles
Should the two Construction Site tiles not match for a Location tile, the players failed to match. The mayor takes the corresponding Location tile and places it anywhere they want in the city. They must place the tile where it touches at least one other tile at a corner (diagonal), but does not share a side with any tiles.
End of Round
After the mayor places all of the Location tiles in the city, the round ends. The deputy mayor for this round becomes the mayor for the next round. The player to their left becomes the deputy mayor for the next round. The mayor takes the screen and randomly draws three new Location tiles and places them behind the screen. The next round is then played in the same way as the first round.
Bonuses
There are two different bonuses that the players can unlock in Link City.
Should the players correctly match on all three Location tiles, the players have completed a perfect score for the round. By getting a perfect score, the players will unlock the white cone. For the rest of the game, the players will use four Location tiles each round. The players will use the white cone in addition to the blue, orange, and yellow cones.
Each time the players complete a round with a perfect score (all of the tiles are matched), the mayor takes the top Bonus tile from the stack. They can place this special tile anywhere in the city. One side of the Bonus tile has a colored section instead of half of a tree. This side of the tile blocks the row or column that it is played in. No more tiles may be placed in that row/column for the rest of the game.
End of Game
You will play six rounds in Link City. After the sixth round ends, the game ends. Players will then count up how many points they scored during the game. Each completed tree is worth one point. The game recommends you count the trees created in each row first. Then count the trees created in the columns. Compare the number of points scored versus the chart below to see how well you did:
- Less than 30 points – Welcome to Funky City
- 30+ points – Good job, welcome to Groovy City
- 40+ points – You’re well connected, welcome to Wow City!
- 50+ points – You’re absolutely amazing, welcome to Link City!
- 60+ points – Congratulations, but… you cheated 🙂
Link City FAQ
If you have any questions about how to play the game, leave a comment below on this post. I will try to answer any questions asked as best and as quickly as possible.
Components
- 57 Location Tiles
- 6 Bonus Tiles
- City Hall Tile
- 8 Construction Site Tiles
- 4 Construction Cones
- City Hall Screen
- Instructions
Year: 2024 | Publisher: Blue Orange Games | Designer: Émilien Alquier | Artist: Mathieu Clauss, Franz Lejeune
Genres: Cooperative, Party, Tile Placement
Ages: 8+ | Number of Players: 2-6 | Length of Game: 30 minutes
Difficulty: Light | Strategy: Light | Luck: Moderate
For more board and card game rules/how to plays, check out our complete alphabetical list of card and board game rules posts.
We at Geeky Hobbies would like to thank Blue Orange Games for the review copy of Link City used for this review. Other than receiving a free copy of the game to review, we at Geeky Hobbies received no other compensation for this review. Receiving the review copy for free had no impact on the content of this how to play guide.