Big City gets a massive 20th anniversary edition with first-ever expansion

Big City is being reprinted for the first time in years, with the announcement of a new edition celebrating the city-building game’s 20th anniversary.

Designed by Container and TransAmerica creator Franz-Benno Delonge in 1999, Big City takes the form of a SimCity-like strategy game, with players using property cards to add buildings to the growing metropolis. The arrangement of buildings is key to obtaining the most points – placing residential zones next to parks instead of industrial areas, for instance.

The original game was notable for its 3D plastic buildings, resulting in the modular board transforming into a diorama by the end of the game.

The upcoming 20th Anniversary Jumbo Edition of Big City follows the similarly super-sized version of Delonge’s Container put out by Mercury Games earlier this year featuring resin ships and containers.

Mercury Games says that the reprint was discussed with Delonge before his death in 2007, and will include “design updates” and other new content created and approved by the designer. One gameplay change is the introduced of a new phase in which players exchange cards, increasing the interaction of the game.

Significantly, the set will include the game’s first expansion, Urban Upgrade, which adds two new neighbourhoods and the ability to expand along the waterfront, plus four new building types. There’s also the additional pieces needed to play with an extra person, bringing the maximum player count to five.

Expansion included, the 20th Anniversary edition comes with more than 60 3D buildings made of solid PVC, which are a third bigger than the original game’s models.

The base set and expansion are being offered separately via the game’s Kickstarter, with the core set coming in at just over £100 (with shipping for the weighty box) alone and the expansion bundle bringing the price tag up to around £117, minus shipping.

Following its decision not to print Container’s Jumbo Edition again as the result of its production costs, Mercury has announced that Big City will only find its way into shops if there’s any copies left over from the crowdfunding campaign – otherwise, this Kickstarter may be your only chance to grab a copy.