City of The Great Machine Board Game | 1-4 Players | Ages 14 and up | Steampunk | One-vs-Many | Hidden Movement | Cooperative & Solo | Average Playtime 45-90 min

I thoroughly enjoyed playing "The Great Machine" as it seamlessly integrates its theme and gameplay. It made me feel like an omnipresent entity, watching over the revolutionaries' every move while being unsure of their next steps. Even my three friends who were new to the game were captivated by its storyline, and the tension we felt during each round was palpable.One of the standout features of the game is its high-quality components. The minis are sturdy, and the intricate details add to the game's steampunk aesthetic. I particularly appreciated the clever design of the two dials used to track progress, which adds a unique twist to the game.The Great Machine is an exceptional game that exceeded my expectations in terms of visual appeal and component quality. The rulebooks are well-designed, with a clear and concise explanation of the mechanics, implications, and exceptions. The box insert is also practical and convenient.This is a hidden movement game with a twist - players must kick off three riots to start a revolution by disabling robotic guards, identifying supporters, and raising discontent levels. Meanwhile, the Great Machine is trying to stall the revolution by arresting heroes and their supporters, repairing guards, and issuing directives. The game also features a unique mechanic where players can relocate entire city districts, adding to the excitement and unpredictability of the game.The thematic integration of the game is outstanding, and the mechanics are intuitive, making it an accessible game for players of different skill levels. It's a refreshing change to play a game of direct conflict that isn't centered on war and battles.

I advise looking up some video for gameplay review.The box and plastic inside is of very high quality. Everything came in almost perfect condition. Cardboard tokens are large, thick and extremely durable and the game is beautiful.It is only a shame that the box got damaged on one side but it didn't affect any of the contents inside the box. It is baffling that a 60$ game with 40$ shipping from Amazon gets you a bit of paper as a buffer to fill the package; while on AliExpress a 20$ game with 3$ shipping gets you 3 layers of bubblewrap like they are packing most fragile thing in the world.

First this is the funnest hidden movement/one vs many (can also be co-op or solo) asymmetric games I've played in years. The components are beautiful. The theme, events, and flavor text are so immersive. The game is easy to learn but has so much depth. This is a fairly quick 60 to 90 min filler game that feels like an epic 8 hour struggle.On top of that the developers are wonderful, talented and humble people that clearly care about their fans. My own game accidentally came with two of one district tiles and missing one of another (an honest mistake as the tiles are not punchboard and need to be added to the box during packaging individually). I sent an email to the developers and they responded immediately, apologized and sent me a replacement tile first class at their expense. I couldn't recommend this game more if you like steampunk, asemetric games, or just want to support awesome devs that have a passion for gameage.

This game is absolutely stunning. The art is lovely, the 3d pieces are detailed and nicely done. All of the pieces are sturdy, and high production values are found everywhere. The gameplay is fun, once you get the hang of it. My gaming group - with considerable experience - found the first play-through to be rather confusing. Even just setting up the game for the first time was a bit of a challenge for us. The second play-through was much smoother. We felt that this game can be difficult and complicated to grasp the first time, but in a scenario where even one player had a solid understanding of the mechanics, I think it would be much simpler to pick up.The structure of the game requires one person, playing as The Great Machine, to play against everyone else, who are the Heroes. The way this is done is a little complicated to explain in a review, but it works well in the context of the game. I mention it only because not everyone likes that kind of game structure. For those who do, this game implements it nicely. (There is also a solo play option, which I have not explored.)The game is a bit detailed and sometimes complicated. There are some rules that seem superfluous. As one example, there are two kinds of "money" in the game. The Great Machine player uses "Bonds", and the Hero players use "Trust". None of us could see any real reason for their to be two currencies. Indeed, they are double-sided tokens, Trust on one side, Bond on the other. There may be some good reason both are needed, but if so, it escaped all of us. This is just one example, but overall there is a slight feel of artificial complexity to the game. It feels a bit like the manufacturer just wanted to add more concepts in the game, some of which may add more complexity than gameplay value.But it is fun. It does evoke quite a Steampunk feel, arising from both the art and the gameplay itself. I look forward to playing a few more games, and I suspect that this is one of those games that gets better and better with replay. Certainly, there is enough strategic depth to keep a gaming group interested through repeated play.All in all, I think this game is great value for the money. My only pick there is that they give you some piece bags, but not enough for everything, and there is absolutely no guidance as to how one is to put the pieces into the trays or the bags.I probably wouldn't recommend it for casual gamers, but for the right kind of gaming group, City of the Great Machine could be a beloved addition to your gaming library, with rich gameplay options, lots of replayability, and very high production values.