Welcome To – Board Game Review
Follow Genre: Party game
Players: 1-100
Age: 10+
Duration: +- 25 minutes
Distributor: Jumping Turtle Games

Welcome To – Board Game Review

Site Score
8.0
Good: Artwork, Concept
Bad: Sometimes a bit limited for a 'building' game
User Score
8.3
(3 votes)
Click to vote
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Rating: 8.3/10 (3 votes cast)

It hasn’t been that long since we started reviewing games from Jumping Turtle Games, and their first game was already a great party hit. We loved the theme of Wurst Case Scenario, as well as its mechanics. This time we get to dive into ‘Welcome To’, which sounds very inviting, especially when the box states it can be played with up to a hundred players, but also solo (in case you don’t have any friends you can drag by the hairs to join your game night). We loved the 50s aesthetics on the box, as well as the artwork when we started playing.

Contents

  • Rulebook
  • Score pad
  • 29 building instruction cards
  • 81 building permit cards
  • 4 overviews

The contents of the game are fairly simple and not that plentiful, but the artwork on the cards, the overviews and even the score pad is amazing. You’ll be taken back to something that could easily take place in the 50s when you’re at the head of an amazing building project at that time. The art does not distract from the functionality of the game, and while it’s basically just cards and paper, the contents suffice for what you have to do.

Mechanics

Welcome To is all about building your ideal neighborhood with typical ‘roll-and-write’ mechanics, but this time instead of dice, there will be three draw piles of cards to take into account. It’s your goal to try and clear the three building instruction targets first, but the game also ends if your building permit gets denied three times or when all possible lots have had a house built on them. The game is fairly straightforward, but you’ll need the rulebook to get the hang of the different symbols the game throws at you.

When starting the game you choose three building instruction cards and you divide the building permit cards into three stacks, of which each turn a card is drawn. The then backside of the stacks will show the numbers of the houses you can build, and the drawn cards will show the actions. Keep in mind you must choose the house number and action of the corresponding stacks, so you can’t mix and match.

You’ll have three streets you can build on, and you’ll have to keep in mind that when you pick an empty lot to build on, you must respect the arrangement of the house numbers. This means that if you pick a card with number 14 and you place it at the start of your street, you’re already fucked, as the only higher number in the game is 15. The game goes from 1 to 15, which means you can plan accordingly. You’ll also have to keep track of the extra task you have to do when building your house. It’s possible you can build fences, build a pool, add some greenery around the houses and so on. All of these actions will be important when you start adding up your scores at the end of the game.

Luck or Strategy?

While you can opt for many different strategies, by setting different goals for your building projects, this game has the definitive factor of ‘luck of the draw’. While you can plan one turn ahead, as the front of the cards already show what the symbol on the back will be, you can’t really plan anything after that. Nonetheless, this is what makes the game rather fun, and makes it a bit like a typical ‘roll-and-write’ experience which is one of those party game types that remains fun, even if you tend to end up with shitty options during your turn.

Conclusion

Welcome To is a very fun game to play with a big group of people, but also a very relaxing experience when playing on your own. The aesthetics of the game give you a certain feeling, and the mechanics allow you to play in a matter of minutes. The overall concept works well, and before you know it, you’ll be planning how to build entire neighborhoods. If you’re looking for something you can pick up and play easily, then Welcome To will certainly feel very welcoming.

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Rating: 8.3/10 (3 votes cast)
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Rating: +1 (from 1 vote)
Welcome To - Board Game Review, 8.3 out of 10 based on 3 ratings
Ibuki


Aspiring ninja.

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