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| Updated 5/27/03 |
| Note: The rules on this
page reflect the most current version available,
and may differ slightly from previously printed rules. |
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| Construct Your Own Skyline |
| Build the city to match your
secret goals, while thwarting the plans of other players.
This fun and easy-to-learn game will have you on top of
the world. |
| What's in the Box |
- Wooden Game Board with 16 "vacant lots"
arranged in a 4 by 4 grid
- 25 Wooden Buidling Blocks (5 each of 5 different
heights)
- 4 Cityscape Dice Holders
- 16 Dice
- Rules
|
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| The Object of Cityscape |
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Build a city where the skyline matches your
preset goals as closely as possible. |
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| Cityscape Overview |
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A "Cityscape" is the skyline view after all 25 building
blocks have been used to construct buildings throughout
the city. Before building the city, you will secretly
create goals for how the skyline should look, from your
point of view, when construction is complete. The view
from your side of the board will differ from the views
the other players see from their sides of the board. Players
determine if they have met their goals based on the skyline
view, or Cityscape, from their own sides of the board. |
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You will place your dice in the Cityscape dice holder
to record your goals. Each die corresponds to one of the
four lines of blocks as seen from your side of the board.
The lines of blocks begin with the blocks closest to you
and extend to the opposite side of the board. You will
determine your goal for each of the four lines of blocks
and place a die into the holder to show your goal. Each
side of the die represents a different goal. The sides
of the dice represent the number of buildings (1-4) you
can see in that line of blocks, or two or more buildings
of equal height (5), or the tallest building on the board
(6). |
| |
| Setting Up |
| 1. |
Decide on the number of rounds to be played. Although
a game can consist of only a single round, Cityscape is
best played with one round per player. Players take turns
starting each round by placing the first piece. |
| 2. |
Place the empty Cityscape game board between the players
so that each player sits alongside one edge. If you have
two players, see the "Two-Player Variation" section. |
| 3. |
Sort the building blocks by height and place them on
the table near the game board. |
| 4. |
Give each player a dice holder and four dice. The holder
is kept in front of each player so that the dice will
be facing that player. Once you have placed your dice
in the holder make sure that the other players cannot
see your dice. |
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| Playing the Game |
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Each round of play consists of three phases— Goal
Setting, Building, and Scoring. |
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|
| 1. |
Goal Setting |
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Secretly decide your goals for the Cityscape. Use the
chart titled The Cityscape Codes to identify the code
values and determine which side of the die will represent
your goal for each line of blocks. Then slide your four
dice into the holder to record your code values. The dice
should be placed so that they correspond to the lines
of blocks, from your point of view. |
| |
For example, the die closest to the left
end of the dice holder, as it faces you, represents the
code for the line of blocks on the left side of the board,
from your point of view. Use one die per line of blocks
to record your Cityscape goals. |
| |
For example, the code 3-5-6-2 means that
you hope to see exactly three buildings in the leftmost
line of blocks, at least two buildings of the same height
in the second line of blocks, the tallest building in
the city in the third line of blocks, and exactly two
buildings in the rightmost line of blocks. |
| |
You can use any one of the six code values for each
line of blocks. Therefore, you can use the same value
for two or more lines of blocks. When everyone has set
their secret codes in their holders, the building of the
city begins. |
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|
| 2. |
Building |
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For the first round the youngest player takes the first
turn. Subsequent rounds will be started by other players
in rotation. |
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A turn consists of selecting any one of the unplayed
wooden building blocks and placing it on any empty lot
or on top of any existing building. |
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| • |
There is no limit on how high a building
can go or how many blocks can be used to build it. |
| • |
Lots can remain vacant. Empty lots
do not count as buildings. |
| • |
You cannot pass—you must build
with one block each time it is your turn. |
|
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Play proceeds clockwise around the table with each player
placing a piece on the board. |
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A round ends when all 25 building blocks have been played. |
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Try to build a Cityscape that matches your individual
goals as closely as possible. At the same time, you can
try to figure out your opponents' goals and place blocks
to hinder their progress. |
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| The Cityscape Codes |
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Use the dice to indicate your goals for
the Cityscape. Choose a specific goal for each line of
blocks with a number from 1 to 6 as follows: |
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Code
Value |
Goal |
 |
When looking at this line of blocks,
you will see exactly one building. |
 |
When looking at this line of blocks,
you will see exactly two buildings. |
 |
When looking at this line of blocks,
you will see exactly three buildings. |
 |
When looking at this line of blocks,
you will see exactly four buildings (the maximum
possible). |
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When looking at this line of blocks,
you will see at least two buildings with the identical
height. |
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This line of blocks will contain the
tallest building in the city. |
|
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Code values 1–4:
In order to get credit for a code value from 1 to 4 in
a particular line of blocks, you must be able to see exactly
the number of buildings you specified for that line of
blocks. |
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Viewing the skyline by looking straight
ahead towards the far end of the board, you will "see"
only some of the buildings. A taller building in front
of a smaller one blocks the shorter building from view.
To be considered visible, a building must be taller than
every building in front of it. |
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For example, if there are buildings on
each of the four blocks and each building is increasingly
taller as you look up the line of blocks, you see all
four buildings. But if the front building is the tallest,
it is the only building you can see because it blocks
your view of all buildings behind it. If the second building
is the tallest, you can see two buildings, the one in
front and that second (tallest) building. The other buildings
are blocked from view. Similarly, if the second building
is the shortest but the third building is the tallest,
you would still see two buildings, the first and third
buildings. |
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If two buildings are exactly the same height,
the building in back is not considered visible, when evaluating
code values 1–4. And, if a lot remains vacant, it is not
counted as a visible building. |
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Code value 5:
When you check a line of blocks for this value only, raise
your point of view slightly so that you can "see" if there
are two buildings of equal height. You satisfy Code 5
if two or more buildings of the same height are visible,
with no taller buildings in front or in between. Vacant
lots do not count as buildings, so two or more vacant
lots in a line of blocks do not satisfy Code 5. |
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Code value 6: In
order to get credit, the line of blocks must contain the
tallest building anywhere in the city. If two or more
buildings in the city are tied for the highest, you satisfy
this code as long as at least one of those buildings is
in this line of blocks. |
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|
| 3. |
Scoring |
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When a round ends, everyone reveals the Cityscape codes
in their dice holders. Earn points for each line of blocks
where you succeed in meeting your goal: |
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Code
Value |
Score |
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10 points if you can "see"
exactly one building in this line of blocks. |
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20 points if you can "see"
exactly two buildings in this line of blocks. |
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30 points if you can "see"
exactly three buildings in this line of blocks. |
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40 points if you can "see"
exactly four buildings in this line of blocks. |
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10 points for each visible building
in this line of blocks which has exactly the same
height as another visible building in this line
of blocks. |
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25 points if the tallest building
in the city is in this line of blocks. |
|
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For code 5: You score
10 points for each visible building that has the same
height as another visible building in that line of blocks.
Because at least two buildings will always be involved,
you will score at least 20 if you are successful. But
you can score more. |
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For example, if three buildings have the
same height, and you can see all of them, you get 10 points
for each for a score of 30 in that line of blocks. If
two pairs have identical heights (for example two buildings
are 3 units high and the other two are 4 units high),
you get 10 points for each building for a total of 40
points. In this case, the shorter pair must be in front
of the taller pair so that all four buildings are visible.
You can also score 40 points if all four buildings have
the same height. |
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For Code 6: You
cannot score more than 25 points in a line of blocks for
the tallest building in the city. If two or more buildings
in the same line of blocks are tied for the tallest buildings
anywhere in the city, your score for that line of blocks
is limited to 25 points. |
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If you don't meet your goal for a particular
line of blocks, you get no points for that line. Partial
scores are not allowed. For example, if you choose Code
3 for a particular line of blocks but you can see only
two buildings there, you score no points for that line
of blocks. |
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To get your total score for a round, add
together your individual scores for each line of blocks. |
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| Winning the Game |
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Keep a running tally of each player's total
score, and update the totals after each round. The winner
is the player with the most points after playing the agreed
upon number of rounds! |