Roll meeples to build skyscrapers in next game from Mystic Vale designer

Roll meeples to build impressive skyscrapers in an upcoming board game from the creator of Mystic Vale, John D Clair.

Called Rolling Heights, the game has two to four players taking the role of general contractors operating during the 1920s, an era that’s famous for the construction of skyscrapers. With great ambitions for career-advancement and renown, players will need to take their chances in order to acquire what they need to succeed. Each game of Rolling Heights begins with players drawing the overall goals for that session, with players earning points by constructing buildings that fit the criteria for each goal. Certain goal cards will also feature ways for players to lose points, should their buildings fit the requirements.

Players can then select the blueprints for various building types - such as houses or factories - and place them on the board, with this serving as the foundation for the building itself. Constructing certain buildings in certain neighbourhoods will enable players to gain, or sometimes even lose, points in the game. Players will also have to be conscious of how many resources each building requires and how difficult those resources might be to acquire.

Gaining resources sees players rolling a collection of meeples into a box with the aim of having as many meeples as possible landing on their feet - or standing straight-up - rather than on their backs. Each meeple represents a different type of worker, with the various types providing players with a range of benefits, from gaining resources to more complex rewards. Meeples that are standing straight-up gain the player their full benefit, whilst any meeples that are on their sides only get them a lesser benefit. Any workers laying on their backs will not give players anything, but may be re-rolled at the risk of players losing workers.

As players gain more meeples, they’ll open up opportunities to acquire more resources, as well as other benefits, thereby allowing them to construct more ambitious buildings. When any of the resources run out, the game ends and players compare their point totals and whichever player has the most points is named the winner.

Aside from Rolling Heights and Mystic Vale, Clair has also designed the space-themed board game Space Base - that sees players becoming commodores of their own fleet of spaceships - last year’s Cubitos, a game about participating in the Cube Cup race, and the ecosystem building game Ecos: First Continent.

Alderac Entertainment Group is the company responsible for publishing Rolling Heights, with the studio’s previous releases including the fast-paced card game series Smash Up, the adorable civilisation-building game Tiny Towns and set collection game Point Salad.

A Kickstarter campaign for Rolling Heights is set to launch sometime in the near future, with pledge amounts and estimated delivery dates yet to be announced.