# Chinatown ## General Info - **Year Published**: 1999 - **BGG Rating**: 7.4 - **BGG Rank**: #376 - **Players**: 3-5 (Best with: 5) - **Duration**: 60 min - **Weight**: 2.22 / 5 - **Designers**: Karsten Hartwig - **Artists**: Franz Vohwinkel, Mathieu Leyssenne - **Publishers**: alea, Ravensburger AG, (Unknown), Competo / Marektoy, Filosofia Éditions, Heidelberger Spieleverlag - **Categories**: City Building, Economic, Negotiation - **Mechanics**: Enclosure, Income, Investment, Negotiation, Set Collection, Tile Placement ## Verdict If you love a good bargain and the thrill of closing a deal, Chinatown is your playground! It's a negotiation classic that shines through direct interaction.Pure, fun negotiationIntense player interactionEasy to learn, deep strategyEvery game is uniqueConstant tension in tradesHeavily table-dependentFrustrating for negotiation-averse playersInitial card luck impactsHIGHLY RECOMMENDED ## Description In Chinatown, you're a rising tycoon in 1960s New York, tasked with building the most profitable business empire in the city. The game is a masterclass in negotiation, where smooth talk and the ability to strike deals are as crucial as strategy. You start by randomly receiving land plots and different types of businesses (represented by tiles). The trick? For your businesses to truly flourish, you need to connect tiles of the same type within a single city block, and to do that, you'll have to negotiate extensively! Each round, players receive new plots and business tiles, but the distribution is entirely random. This means you'll rarely have everything you need to form a complete business. That's where the fun begins! You'll need to talk, bargain, trade plots, trade businesses, and even make promises to get the right tiles and adjacent land that your opponents possess. There's no fixed market, so the value of each item is determined by your ability to persuade others. A plot that's useless to you might be the treasure another player needs, and vice versa. At the end of each turn, your businesses generate money, but complete and connected businesses pay significantly more. The goal is to accumulate the largest fortune over six rounds, all while managing your investments and trying to anticipate your opponents' moves. It's a game where human interaction is at the heart of the experience, and each game is unique, depending on the personalities at the table. Chinatown is the second title in Alea's acclaimed 'Big Box' series, living up to its reputation for deep and engaging games. ## How to Play Objective of the Game Welcome to the bustling streets of 1930s New York, specifically the vibrant district of Chinatown! In this game, you take on the role of ambitious businessmen aiming to amass the most wealth. You'll establish and expand various businesses like laundries, restaurants, antique shops, and chemists. The bigger and sooner your businesses are completed, the more money they'll rake in. Get ready for some serious negotiation, as buildings, businesses, and cold hard cash will change hands frequently. The player with the most money after six intense turns wins the game! Preparation (Setup) Let's get this Chinatown up and running! Here’s how to set up your game: Place the Game Board prominently in the middle of your table. It depicts Chinatown with 85 building plots, divided into six districts by three streets. Each plot has a unique number. Sort the Money Cards ($1000, $5000, $10000, $20000) and place them beside the board to form the bank. Each player chooses a distinct color and takes all 30 of their matching Player Counters. Each player takes a Player Aid card. This handy card shows how many Building Plot cards and Business Tiles you receive each round, and a chart detailing the revenue for unfinished and finished businesses. Each player receives $5,000 as starting capital from the bank. Shuffle the Building Plot Cards and place them face down beside the board. Thoroughly mix all 90 Business Tiles and place them face down in several stacks beside the board. Shuffle the Business Outlook Cards. Randomly take 3 cards and place them back in the box (these won't be used this game). Place the remaining 6 cards face down beside the board. These cards track the rounds and provide potential additional income. The player chosen to take the first move receives the Start Player Token. The Game Turn Chinatown unfolds over 6 rounds, with each round consisting of 5 exciting phases. Player actions are often simultaneous, but player order becomes crucial from Phase 4. The Start Player Token moves clockwise to the next player each round. PHASE 1: Deal Building Plot Cards It's time to claim some prime real estate! Players are dealt Building Plot Cards based on the number of players and the current round (refer to your Player Aid card). You'll receive a larger number of cards, but only get to keep a smaller number. Look at your hand and decide which plots you want to claim, then discard the rest face down. The discarded cards are shuffled back into the Building Plot Cards deck, which is then set aside for the next round. Players reveal the cards they kept. For each revealed card, place one of your colored markers on the corresponding plot on the board, claiming it as your own. The used Building Plot Cards are removed from the game and returned to the box. PHASE 2: Distribute Business Tiles Now for the actual businesses! Players receive Business Tiles from the face-down stacks. The number of tiles dealt depends on the number of players and the round (again, check your Player Aid card). You get a larger number in the first round and a smaller number in subsequent rounds. There's no limit to how many Business Tiles you can hold. Keep your tiles face-up in front of you. PHASE 3: Trade This is the heart of Chinatown – negotiation! This phase can last anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes, so get ready to haggle! All players can negotiate simultaneously, openly or secretly, without any set order. You can trade buildings (plots you own), business tiles (from your hand or already placed on the board), money, or any combination of these! The terms of the trade are entirely up to the players. Agreements made for immediate completion must be honored. Important: Future promises (e.g., "If I get a restaurant tile someday, I'll give it to you if you give me plot #11 now") do NOT have to be honored. Only immediate transactions are binding! If a building plot changes hands, the previous owner's colored marker is removed and returned to their supply, and the new owner places their marker. Once placed, Business Tiles cannot be moved or removed from the board, but their ownership can change through trade. This phase ends once all negotiations are complete. PHASE 4: Place Business Tiles It's time to open your shops! During this phase, each player can place any number of their Business Tiles onto building plots they own. Choose a plot you own, decide which business tile to place there, and put the tile on the plot, followed by your colored counter. Business Tiles of the same type, placed on adjacent plots (sharing a side, not diagonally, and not separated by a street) by the same player, form a larger business. Each business type has a "maximum size" (3, 4, 5, or 6 tiles). Reaching this maximum size makes a business "Finished," which yields significantly more income than an "Unfinished" business. You can change the configuration of your businesses by adding new adjacent tiles of the same type. However, a Business Tile, once placed, can never be moved or removed. If you place a tile adjacent to an already "Finished" business, it forms a new, separate business. Player order is important here! Players can demand that the start player places their tiles first, followed by others in clockwise order. This allows players to react to each other's placements. PHASE 5: Earn Income Show me the money! Once all players have finished placing their Business Tiles, flip over the top Business Outlook card. This card will either grant Additional Income ($1000 per tile for certain business types listed on the card) or declare "No additional income." If there's additional income, all applicable Business Tiles (whether part of an unfinished or finished business) earn $1000 from the bank. The revealed Business Outlook card is then discarded. Finally, all players receive income from the bank for their finished and unfinished businesses on the board, according to the table on their Player Aid card. Keep your money cards hidden from other players. End of Game and Scoring The game concludes after 6 rounds of play (specifically, at the end of the round where the final Business Outlook card is flipped face-up). The player who has accumulated the most money is declared the winner of Chinatown! Tips for Winning Negotiate, Negotiate, Negotiate! Phase 3 is the core of the game. Don't be afraid to make bold offers, demand high prices, or even give a little to get a lot. Remember that future promises aren't binding, so use that to your advantage in immediate trades! Focus on "Finished" Businesses: While any business earns income, "Finished" businesses (those that reach their maximum size) provide significantly more revenue. Strategically acquire adjacent plots and business tiles of the same type to complete your businesses as quickly as possible. Watch Your Opponents' Placements: In Phase 4, player order matters. Pay attention to what your opponents are building and where. Sometimes, waiting to place your tiles can allow you to react to their moves, potentially blocking them or creating opportunities for yourself. ## FAQ ### Is Chinatown a game for those who enjoy direct confrontation? Absolutely! Negotiation is at the heart of the game, so expect lots of talking, bargaining, and even some friendly 'pressure' to get what you need. If you enjoy interacting and 'haggling,' you'll love it! ### How complex is Chinatown? Is it easy to learn? It's surprisingly easy to learn! The basic rules are simple, but the depth comes from the interaction and negotiation strategies that emerge with experience. Its BGG weight is 2.22, placing it in the light-medium complexity category. ### How many players are ideal for Chinatown? Chinatown truly shines with 4 or 5 players. With 3, negotiation can be a bit more limited, but it still works. The ideal is to have more people to generate more trading opportunities and wild deals. ### How long does a game of Chinatown last? A game typically takes between 60 to 90 minutes, depending on the speed of negotiations at your table. It's a great length for a complete experience without overstaying its welcome. ### Does Chinatown involve a lot of luck? Yes, the initial distribution of plots and businesses is random, which introduces an element of luck. However, how you negotiate and seize opportunities is what truly determines the winner. Luck deals you the cards, but your wit plays them! ### Are the components good? Most recent editions usually come with good quality components, featuring wooden pieces and a functional board. The game's focus isn't on overproduced components, but rather on gameplay and the negotiation experience.