Buildings Big Enough to Be Tiny Cities are Fascinating

Summary

The web content discusses an experimental variant of the board game 'Terror in Meeple City' where players can create and defend a large, single structure inspired by real-world mega-buildings and the concept of arcologies.

Abstract

The article delves into the concept of arcologies, massive architectural structures designed to house large populations, which have been popularized by architect Paolo Soleri and featured in science fiction. It draws parallels between these fictional structures and real-life examples such as Begich Towers, Tel Aviv Central Bus Station, Tower of David, and the Kowloon Walled City. The focus then shifts to a gameplay modification in 'Terror in Meeple City' (formerly 'Rampage'), where instead of multiple smaller buildings, all building tiles are used to construct one colossal structure, representing an arcology. This variant introduces a new dynamic where one player defends the arcology against a monster controlled by another player. The experiment reveals that the arcology's size and structure provide unexpected stability and defensive capabilities, although it also highlights potential balance issues and the need for further testing to make the game more engaging.

Opinions

The author finds the concept of arcologies, despite their potential dystopian nature, to be fascinating.
The real-world examples of mega-buildings are seen as imperfect but intriguing embodiments of the arcology concept.
The Kowloon Walled City is particularly favored by the author as an example of an ad hoc feral arcology.
The author is surprised by the effectiveness of the arcology as a defensive structure in the modified 'Terror in Meeple City' game, noting its resistance to typical monster attacks.
There is a recognition that the current state of the arcology variant makes the game too long and potentially unbalanced, leading to a less exciting experience.
The author considers integrating mechanics from the game 'Stronghold' to improve the arcology variant but acknowledges it might be more efficient to play 'Stronghold' itself with added monster elements.

Buildings big enough to house tiny cities are fascinating

“THIS is different.”

Arcology, a portmanteau of “architecture” and “ecology”, is a vision of architectural design principles for very densely populated habitats. The concept has been primarily popularized, and the term itself coined, by architect Paolo Soleri. It also appears in science fiction. — From Wikipedia

There’s something about enormous buildings big enough to encompass 10 city blocks. Science fiction is littered with structures that are somewhere between a domed city and a giant mall/airport/housing block hybrid. Judge Dredd, Necromunda, and Sim City all feature arcologies to one degree or another. They may be cesspools of crime and desperation, but they’re fascinating nonetheless.

The real world has a few examples. Alaska’s Begich Towers are often billed as a city under one roof. The Tel Aviv Central Bus Station was meant to be a city in one building. Venezuela’s Tower of David became the ultimate squatter arcology, with pirated electricity and a parking structure taxi service instead of an elevator. But the monstrosity called the Kowloon Walled City was the pinnacle of the ad hoc feral arcology. It is my favorite example of the concept.

But what does this have to do with Terror in Meeple City?

The other day I toyed around with an asymmetrical variant of TiMC (formerly called Rampage) and used all the building tiles to make one big structure. The intention was that one player would play the building’s defenses while another played the monster.

An arcology might not be pleasant to live in, but as a defensive fortification, it worked better than expected. Even though it was lopsided and a bit unstable, it fared well against monster “move” attacks, as well as breath weapons. Only dropping the monster on the building had much effect, and even that did modest damage. Some meeples were eaten, but we were surprised the whole thing didn’t just crumble under the monster’s attack. The additional horizontal size of the arcology added stability, even when you drop the monster on top of it.

The arco is also able to defend itself. Vehicle tokens are used the same way monsters use them, except that the arco player can take them from anywhere. This represents anti-monster gun batteries. The arco player can also use “breath” attacks, but this hasn’t worked so well against the monster unless it shows it’s wider side to the arco.

This is still an inconclusive experiment, and requires further testing. As it stands, it takes too long for the monster to destroy the arcology, and the arco obviously can’t maneuver around the monster. This makes for a boring game. I considered stealing mechanics from Stronghold, but realized I might as well play Stronghold and add the giant monsters.

Hacks and Variants

Mega-Buildings in ‘Terror in Meeple City’

Buildings big enough to house tiny cities are fascinating