My City

Each player takes one double-sided game board, ensuring the side with an animal symbol is face up. This board will be used for all 24 games of the campaign. Players should write a name for their city in the designated area. Each player collects one scoring token and places it on space 10 of their victory point track. Players also collect their 24 building pieces, which are identified by their animal symbol on the back, and keep them building-side up. The 24 construction cards, one for each building tile, are shuffled and placed face down in the middle of the play area. Finally, players open the Chapter 1 envelope, which contains a rule sheet and an overview table for Episodes 1-3. Do not open any other envelopes until instructed.

My City is a legacy game played over 24 unique episodes. Each episode introduces new rules, objectives, and sometimes new components, permanently altering the game boards and rules. The player with the highest score at the end of each episode wins that episode. The player with the most progress points after all 24 episodes of the campaign is the overall winner. There is also a non-legacy format available for indefinite play after the campaign or to start with.

Each game is played over a series of rounds. To begin a round, the top card of the construction deck is flipped over, revealing a building piece. All players simultaneously find the matching piece from their personal supply. They then place this piece on their game board, following specific placement rules. Buildings can be placed in any orientation but cannot be flipped over. They cannot overlap solid mountain or forest spaces. Trees are worth points at the end of the game, so avoid covering them if possible. Rocks cost points, so cover them if you can. The first building placed in an episode must be adjacent to the river (at least one full side of a square touching the river). Subsequent buildings must be placed adjacent to at least one already-placed building. Players can choose to pass on placing a tile, losing 1 point on their scoring track, or they can choose to end their participation in the episode without losing a point. Players who end their participation do not place any more tiles in that episode.

For Episode 1, points are calculated at the end of the game based on several factors: players lose 1 point immediately if they pass on placing a building. At the end of the game, players gain 1 point for each visible tree and lose 1 point for each visible rock. Additionally, players lose 1 point for each empty light green space on their board. If a player's score drops below zero, they must track negative points. The player with the most points wins the episode. In case of a tie, the player with the fewest empty light green spaces in the top row of their board wins. The winner receives 2 progress points and a double rock sticker, the second-place player receives 1 progress point, and other players receive a single tree sticker.

An episode concludes when either all players have chosen to end their participation, or all 24 construction cards have been drawn. At this point, all players calculate their final scores based on the episode's specific scoring criteria. After scoring, players receive rewards based on their ranking in the episode, which typically include progress points and stickers to be added to their board. All players then clear their building tiles from their boards and reset their scoring token to 10, preparing for the next episode. The campaign progresses to the next episode, unlocking new rules and components from the next numbered envelope.