Suburbia 5★ unfortunately adds another aspect to keep attention to with the star track, and it feels like an extra that simply was not needed. While Suburbia has quite a bit to keep track of in terms of population, income, scoring and the like, there is a bit of a flow to how the system and turns work. The game includes boundary tiles if you are integrating both 5★ and the Inc. It felt like 5★ threw a monkey wrench into the harmonious balance that is the core game.

In one play, no income-generating buildings appeared until much later in the rounds, leading to an extremely cash-poor game state. Both the core game and the Inc expansion are very well-balanced, and pulling half of the borough tiles out in favor of the 5★ tiles can lead to some rough game states. tile pools get diluted, leading to a game that was, in our experience, not as enjoyable. This was a quick process that didn’t measurably increase setup time.Ĭonversely, having a mandated setup where half of the tiles are 5★tiles means that the core and Inc. star tiles are added to the stacks during the initial setup, ensuring that enough star tiles show up during your game. The first thought when adding all these tiles to the game was concern with the frequency which star tiles would appear, which was allayed by the new rules that provide guidance on how many regular vs. The star track provides bonuses and determines player order after each round. The rules recommend that, for optimal play experience, to only play 5 players with the 5★ expansion.

The less-flashy aspect that Suburbia 5★ adds to the base game is all the cardboard you will need to play the game with 5 players. At the end of the game, order on the track is used to break ties when determining success in achieving goals. Turn order is then rearranged with the player with the most stars going first in the new round, then continuing down in the order on the star track. After each round of turns, the players with the most stars gain a population, while those with the least lose a population, representing how well the travel and tourism industry is working (or not) in the boroughs. The star track serves two functions in-game. Each player can receive a one-time bonus to both population and income when they pass certain points on the track, and the player order on the star track becomes fixed when all players reach the end based on the order of finish. All the new city and boundary tiles are marked with gold stars, which correspond to the number of spaces a player moves up on the track when those tiles are placed in their borough. The major addition of Suburbia 5★ to the core rules is the Star Track. Setup is made easy with clear indications of how many 5 buildings get added to the tile stacks New goals, challenges and bonuses are also there to be added to the game. Suburbia 5★ adds 50 new building hex tiles to the game and six new ‘boundary’ tiles (like the ones in Suburbia Inc.) These new building tiles represent tourist-friendly attractions to add to your borough. I also promise to stop with the housing and development jokes. Today, our city’s zoning board will survey the second expansion, Suburbia 5★, and see whether this title lives up to its name and is worth the time to apply for a variance to the city’s master plan.

standing as must-haves in any game collection. Our original opinions have held up over the years, with both Suburbia and Suburbia Inc. The first expansion, Suburbia Inc, was a solid addition to an already great game, seamlessly adding new choices to the game without any increase in complexity. It has aged well, remaining among the top city-building titles to this day. Released in 2012, Suburbia garnered critical acclaim both within and outside the board game hobby, by following up its successful release at Essen with a Mensa Select Award.

King of suburbia game