Game Overview

Game Name: NEOM
Publication Year: 2018
Designer: Paul Sottosanti
Artists: Klemens Franz and Christian Opperer
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game

Now there are some serious stacks of building tiles! Not pictured are the many cornerstone tiles… So the variety should be pretty clear. It’s also possible to play with only a portion of the tiles. They’re split into groups designed for 1+, 4+, or 5 players. Fear not, though! All are usable in the solo mode for better building opportunities. To the map!

Choosing Wisely

For each of the 3 eras, the tiles are split into 7 piles. With everything included, each stack contains 5-7 options. It really makes for an interesting sort of challenge.

I might want to focus on residential buildings, but find myself in a situation where none are available in the stack.

The little separation there indicates where the disaster can no longer be mitigated. If it shows up in stacks 1-3, it can be chosen in place of another tile to discard them all.

For such a simple set of rules, the variety continues to amaze me! No play has ever felt too similar yet.

In the Beginning

My little city was off to a somewhat decent start. Perhaps I should accept the very small loss for not having any power, though. I tend to focus on that a little too much.

Likewise, I probably placed the park a little too soon. It would grant me victory points, but nothing else.

This is a game all about learning, which I really enjoy! To notice my mistakes and see where I can improve makes a big difference and adds to the experience.

I was a little exhausted today, though, so I mostly just wanted to play for the sheer enjoyment of building!

Vroom, Vroom!

In general, this city was a major failure. I’ll let you scroll down to the session overview to see just how bad my score was. No sense revealing it now… Just trust me. Ha ha!

However, that’s part of the game’s appeal. Even when I do absolutely horribly, there is something to enjoy.

In this case, I managed to turn this small city into a place that manufactured and sold its own homemade cars!

With my luck, the residents were probably making remote control cars… But there it was. A bad score, and a little story to go along with the city that almost was something.

High Rises of Variety

Take a look at those impressive stacks! I hope this shows the sheer amount of variety that each play offers up. You need to try hard to replicate the exact conditions.

A small downside is how the tile types can be seen when creating the small stacks. It hasn’t been an issue for me!

Tile-laying board games got a bad reputation in my family ages and ages ago. I’ve always loved them, but I sort of wore out their welcome a little too quickly. I love tiles!

So with the car city out of the way, I scrambled up the era tiles and prepared to do better with my building skills.

The Luck of the Draw

Oh, hospital! Right near the end, I had an opening in the neighborhood area that would have granted me plenty of victory points. Alas… The hospital came out too late.

I know that I’m underutilizing the ability to replace certain tiles. Some aren’t worth it, and placement matters in many respects. Must pay attention in the future!

Focusing on neighborhoods still seems to be the most lucrative strategy for me, though I’m still experimenting.

The windmills might not be the best idea. Although free, the tile also provides absolutely no victory points. None!

Picking Out Groceries

Another lackluster performance was easily forgotten as I took a look at the little grocery store near the center.

Now there’s a place to shop! I wondered if the apple on the roof was edible… Could this be a sequel to James and the Giant Peach? There goes my imagination. Ha ha!

It’s these little scenes that really make the game stand out for me, though. Scoring poorly isn’t great, yet there is always something to smile or laugh about in the end.

Although maybe that giant apple causes problems… The hospital was placed there for a reason. A REASON. Ha!

Session Overview

Play Number: 18-20
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Play Details: Played with the 1+, 4+, and 5 Player Tiles
Required Play Space: 16″ x 16″
Setup Time: 5 Minutes
Play Time: 15-20 Minutes per Play
Outcome: 81, 105, and 102 (2 Wins and 1 Loss)

A final attempt landed me just above my victory threshold. But this was nowhere close to my goal of 130+ points! Still, it’s nice to continue to have something to work towards. I’ll be back next time, little city of buildings!

Affordability

Price & Value

10

Functionality

Challenges & Mechanics

10

Originality

Design & Theme

5

Quality

Components & Rules

9