Barcelona – board game about the city

An exceptional game that requires an exceptional review. And that's exactly why I'm starting today with the conclusion of Barcelona, ​​a game by Dani Garcia, published in 2023 by Board and Dice and in German by Giant Roc.

What is the theme of the Barcelona game?

In the 19th century, Ildefons Cerdá in particular contributed to Barcelona's thriving urban development, and his concepts continue to shape the cityscape to this day. In Barcelona we try to do our part to help the city thrive. Whether this contribution is in the spirit of Cerda or not is up to each individual.

Rarely have I encountered such an intelligent and successful interweaving of theme and mechanics.

Admittedly, some of these links would not have been apparent at first glance without the historical background information in the rulebook. But this is not necessary at all, because it still explains the goal of the game. It feels like only a few minutes pass from the empty city map to the fully built streets, yet the feeling of having created something remains.

Entertaining fun with lots of excitement

Of course, the Barcelona match only lasts a few minutes. For a professional match, Barcelona is still relatively entertaining at around 60-90 minutes. As the number of players increases, the downtime also increases, especially for the truly great thinkers, but at the same time the tension on the game board also increases. Can I continue with my well-thought-out plan until my next move or do I have to replan?

Nice reward system

Due to the many points that will be awarded in the final scoring, the game remains exciting until the end and victory is rarely predictable. The multiple choices during gameplay can quickly become overwhelming, but it also opens up many perspectives for the further course of the game. Additionally, Barcelona permanently rewards almost every action in the game with victory points. What remains is the positive feeling, even if you don't emerge victorious in the end.

Highlight of the gaming year

In the end, I can only advise everyone not to be upset by the abundance of materials and the appearance of an empty game board. The latter in particular not only looks more impressive when built, but it also hides a great professional game and one of my highlights of 2023.