Find out more about a western adventure centered around building with a spoiler-free review of Your Town.

I’ve constantly been surprised by the variety in the themes within my collection of Graphic Novel Adventures. Some have been amazing, while others haven’t quite worked out for me. Your Town presents an interesting mix of classic gamebook exploration with the ability to build and maintain an actual town. Saddle up for an in-depth review!

The Overall Objective and Paths to Victory

Gameplay takes place over the course of a year. Each month is marked off at a specific moment, often after heading out to explore a zone outside of town. The main objective is to survive through the end of the year in order to reach the final scoring. There are several tiers to measure success. So… The more victory points, the better!

The first play is often a shot in the dark since the main sources of points might not be obvious. At the same time, the puzzles and different options are all brand new. There are many ways to earn victory points before the ending.

Although there isn’t a single way to progress, there are a few specific sequences that are learned over time. It might not be possible to visit zone Z without first going to zone W. No spoilers, though! These are just made-up zone letters not in the gamebook. Building up the town can also take many unique paths with the grid and special bonuses.

Relevant Component Information

The 341 panels might sound like a lot, and there are definitely tons of different puzzles and quests to complete! Some can be a little repetitive based on constantly trotting or walking through the desert. Still, there is a lot of variety.

The gamebook is the only main component. However, keep in mind that it’s impossible to play without at least some of the building sheets. In particular, the building area spread across a pair of sheets is imperative. There are also many values to track in relation to the town. From current money, income, population, food, safety, and bullets, it’s a lot!

I would almost recommend finding dice or some other way to track some of the values. The town record can get rather messy when elements must be erased and rewritten many times. For those who love bookkeeping, this could be fun!

The Reusability of a Graphic Novel Adventure

With so many unique paths and side quests to explore, Your Town should have a long life. However, I only made it through once and felt like I was done. The adventure is still incomplete in many ways, but there’s one thing I don’t want to experience again… The bookkeeping. It just felt tedious to mark everything and focus on every little number.

I’m partially disappointed in the gamebook, and partially disappointed in myself. It seems like such a unique concept but falls short in its execution. I’m still surprised about my overall reaction to it! I suppose that even a love of solo RPGs and complex board game tracking can’t make everything work. Bookkeeping is still bookkeeping!

There might come a time when I’ll play again. Perhaps a form-fillable PDF version would actually be quite helpful. For now, I have plenty of other adventures I would rather play. It’s still a shame, since there is a lot more to discover.

My Rating of Your Town

I think the main idea behind the Graphic Novel Adventures is to offer a wide variety of content and mechanics so that each person can have a favorite. Perhaps you absolutely love this one! It just didn’t work out for me. Had it taken a more traditional approach, the adventure might have been more enjoyable. Playing an architect and accountant wasn’t fun.

My other major issue came down to the combat system. Limited ammo definitely made sense, but don’t expect to roll a die… It involves dropping a writing utensil from about 6 inches in the air to try to land on the target. Since the gamebook doesn’t lie flat open, this dexterity challenge was extremely frustrating for me. I suggest using dice!

The concepts present are unique, and I was sad when it didn’t come together for me. A lot of it reminded me of Penciltown. There are bookkeeping and grid building in that case, yet it flows better. At least I have an alternative!

Reusability

Achievement & Enjoyment

5

Variability

Distinctness & Randomness

4

+ Pros (Positives)

• The art style brings the western setting to life with a limited set of colors that looks beautiful.
• Although the world is not completely open, choosing where and when to explore allows for a lot of choices.
• There is a multitude of puzzles and mysteries to solve throughout the adventure, both in and out of town.
• Some humor appears in unexpected but appropriate places to keep the journey somewhat lighthearted.

– Cons (Negatives)

• The binding near the back of the gamebook separated along the glue line almost immediately after playing once.
• To drop a writing utensil as a means of combat is an odd dexterity challenge that takes away from the fun.
• Certain hidden numbers and elements blend into the background almost too well, even for sharp eyes.
• The constant bookkeeping takes away the immersion completely and requires a lot of extra time.
• Some of the content is excessively bloody or mildly offensive, especially in regards to outside townsfolk.
• Events are set in stone and happen at specific points, so it can be easy to plan ahead during future plays.
• The focus drifts from the town to exploration and back again in a way that muddles the main storyline.
• There is a lot of content to discover, but the multitude of fiddly aspects cuts down on reusable.

Continue the Conversation

What are some of your favorite aspects of Your Town? Are there any other examples of board games that combine bookkeeping with adventure elements? I can see how this set of mechanics would appeal to the right audience. Hopefully, there are those who enjoy this one! I’m disappointed I didn’t like it, but there are more adventures out there!