- BGG rating
- 5.9
In the City: Harbor
- 2–5 players
- 30 min
- 2014
- BGG rank
- BGG #24,907
- BGG rating
- 5.8
In the City: Origins
2013
Rules assistance for In the City: Origins
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–5 players
- 45–60 min
- 9+
- Complexity 2.0/5
Rules assistant for In the City: Origins
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
In the City: Origins is a board game released in 2013 for 2–5 players, 45–60 minutes per game, and ages 9 and up. It was designed by Duncan Davis and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers and Open Drafting.
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About the game
The king has died! To save the city from usurpers, you must use guile, stealth, and cunning to outwit your enemies. Shifting alliances, unreliable partners, and devious opponents all complicate your path to the throne. Manipulate aristocrats, generals, and ignoble citizenry as you seize the crown and save your city. In the drafting-style game In the City: Origins for 2-5 players. Each player starts with a leader card (different every game 20 in all in the base set) and each turn they recruit a person from the city square. This gets them victory points, influence to recruit bigger and better people, the ability to manipulate the cards you are recruiting, and the ability to interfere with you opponents. The game is over when 2 out of the 7 columns in the city square are empty. At the end of the game, the victory points are totaled and the winner is the player with the most. The winner of the game becomes the new King of the city. As such, the people you recruit have a certain amount of sway in choosing the new king so those with more sway are worth more victory points. For example, an aristocrat is worth more victory points then a hired digger. Each leader is named after a position of importance or power showing that they would want to take the throne.
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Sherwood Games
Questions and answers
In the City: Origins supports 2–5 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for In the City: Origins is 45–60 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists In the City: Origins for ages 9 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
In the City: Origins has a complexity rating of 2.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
In the City: Origins belongs to these categories: Card Game and Fantasy. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers and Open Drafting. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of In the City: Origins are: Duncan Davis. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists In the City: Origins as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.