Button Shy - Casinopolis

Ka-ching! Ka-ching! The sounds of slot machines paying out their lucky winners are everywhere. Build up the central strip with popular themed casinos to turn this town into a proper gambler's haven.

Casinopolis is a standalone entry in the Sprawlopolis line of games, and plays similarly to the original with a few new twists. Place cards in an expanding map to create large groups of casinos, line up jackpot icons along roads, and balance scoring from three unique goals. You’ll need a little luck and a whole lot of skill to maximize your winnings!

Casinopolis has 18 double-sided cards. One side shows the blocks that players use to expand their map, while the other side shows unique scoring conditions. 3 of these are randomly dealt at the start of the game to establish the 1-, 2-, and 3-chip bets for the game. The higher the bet, the more points that goal is worth at the end of the game.

Players take turns adding a single card to the map. Cards must be added in a horizontal alignment. They can be placed next to or overlapping a previously-placed card.

Each card features 4 blocks split among the 3 different casino colors. Adjacent blocks that share a color form larger casinos.

Blocks can include up to 2 roads on them. Each road costs points at the end of the game, though their impact can be lessened by connecting segments across multiple blocks to form a single road. The longest road at the end of play is the Strip, where the most important casinos can be found. Roads may also include 1 or more of the 6 lucky symbols, which can pay off substantially at the end if lined up properly.

Once all 15 cards have been played, the game ends and points are scored. Players gain 1 point per block from the largest casino of each type that is adjacent to the Strip, then lose 1 point for each road.

Each scoring goal is evaluated in order, with each instance of the condition adding 1, 2, or 3 points to the total based on the goal’s placement at setup.

Next, jackpots are scored: for each run of 3 or more matching lucky symbols that are adjacent on a shared road, score 1 point per icon.

Finally, the total is compared to the target number: the sum of the 3 numbers listed on each goal card. Score higher than the target number to win the game!