How To Play: London

Overview

If you’ve ever wondered How To Play london without ending up in last place (like I did my first time), you’re in the right spot. This guide has a quick outline of the rules, plus the best tips I’ve picked up after many, many games. Whether you want to avoid drowning in poverty or just want to outsmart your friends, I’ll show you how to snatch victory in London.

What’s in the box

• 1 game board
• 110 city cards
• 9 borough cards
• 48 player discs
• 4 player boards
• 4 reference cards
• 50 coins
• 1 rulebook
• 44 poverty tokens
• 1 first player marker

How To Play London: Rules Summary

Setup

1. First, shuffle the city cards and deal each player a starting hand of 6 cards.
2. Next, give each player 5 pounds and one Borough card to start their city.
3. Place the board in the center, with poverty and money tokens within easy reach.
4. Then, sort the deck by A, B, and C cards. Start the game with only the A cards in play.
5. Choose a banker, preferably the friend with the worst poker face.

Gameplay

1. On your turn, always draw a card first, because a city can’t build itself.
2. Next, choose one action: play a card to your city, run your city, buy land, or draw another card.
3. If you play a card, pay its cost and place it face up in front of you.
4. When you run your city, trigger all your face-up cards from left to right and collect rewards or consequences.
5. Buying land lets you add boroughs, but also adds poverty. It’s the London way.

Winning

1. The game ends once the entire deck runs out and every player takes one final turn.
2. Count each player’s money, subtract poverty penalties, and add up victory points from cards and boroughs.
3. The richest and most developed city wins. So, try not to become the city’s new slumlord.

Special Rules & Conditions

1. Poverty tokens pile up if you get greedy, so watch them closely!
2. If your hand limit is broken, discard down to three cards instantly—no hoarding allowed.
3. If the poverty token pool runs dry, everyone gains extra poverty—because London always finds a way to make things worse.

Now you know the basics for How To Play london. Soon you’ll build a city, mismanage poverty, and blame your friends for poor investments—just like a real Londoner!

Best London Strategies

Mastering Your Cards: Timing Is Everything in London

Start With the Right Hand

Begin by picking cards that give options later. Don’t just grab what looks pretty. Ask yourself: will this help me when the game gets tough?

1. Pick cards that can combo.
2. Avoid junk that clogs your city.

Know When to Play or Hold

Sometimes, patience is better than action. I once played a strong card too early and got stuck with poverty. Learn from my pain.

1. Wait for a good synergy before playing big cards.
2. Hold back when you can’t afford the negative effects.

Keep Your Opponents Guessing

In London, you never want to look predictable. Switch up your strategy, and opponents might discard something great. How To Play london is about staying flexible.

1. Hide your true plans by mixing card types.

Mastering Poverty and Progress in London

Understand the Poverty Mechanic

I learned the hard way that poverty can snowball fast in London. If you ignore it, you’ll end up watching your city crumble. Remember, every move counts.

Smart Poverty Reduction

1. Play cards with the brown border—they knock your poverty down right when you need it most.
2. Pass cards to opponents only when it won’t help them reduce poverty more than you.
3. Always watch your opponents’ poverty tracks and pace yourself accordingly.

Progress, Not Perfection

Sometimes, pushing for progress is tempting. However, if you chase too much growth, you’ll end up buried in poverty cubes. Balancing new builds and clearing stacks at the right time can save your bacon in the final scoring. In my last game, I lost by just two points because I accidentally became the poverty king. Oops!

Risk and Reward

1. Invest in Underground cards if possible—they’re like poverty erasers.
2. Time your city activations after others play high-poverty cards.
3. Keep your city small and tight rather than sprawling and poverty-ridden.

Learning How To Play london is all about finding this balance, so don’t be shy about taking tough decisions!

Mastering the Map: City Layout Secrets for Winning London

Plan Your Boroughs with Purpose

First, always think ahead when adding cards to your city. Each card triggers effects, so plan boroughs carefully.

1. Group cards with poverty-reducing powers near each other.
2. Keep high-scoring cards spaced out to avoid big losses if you must flip them.

Balance Card Types

Then, mix economic, social, and construction cards for a robust city. Relying on just one type makes you easy to beat!

1. Aim for one of each type in every row for balanced growth.
2. Replace weaker cards as you grow, but never dump all at once.

React to Your Rivals

Finally, watch other players’ layouts. Sometimes blocking their access to key boroughs is more useful than building your own. Trust me, the look on my friend Tom’s face when I snatched a crucial borough? Priceless!

Mastering the Streets of London

So that’s my journey through the foggy streets and crowded riversides of London, game night style. I learned the hard way that you can’t ignore poverty forever (my friends still call me “The Slumlord”). But with smart card picks, sneaky timing, and a city plan that lets you nap at night (and not count your miseries), you can outwit your rivals. Now you know How To Play london, so get building, keep your chin up—and maybe keep one eye on your opponents’ growing shantytown. Have fun!

Want to know what we think of London? Read our detailed review of London here