City of the Great Machine is a One-vs-Many strategy game set in the Victorian steampunk universe. It is designed for 2–4 players and takes 45 to 90 minutes to play. The retail price for City of the Great Machine is estimated to be 90 USD.

City of the Great Machine features the conflict between the Great Machine, an artificial intelligence network, and an alliance of Heroes. Both sides of the conflict firmly believe that their course is the right one.

The Great Machine controls the City which is built on mobile platforms in the sky. As the Great Machine, the player commands a force of perfected Servants and mechanical Guards. The Great Machine’s ultimate goal is to suppress social unrest and complete its grandiose Master Plan to perfect mankind.

The other players are Heroes working together against the Great Machine to start a revolution. They encourage discontent in the City, enlist the support of famous citizens, and inflame riots. They also attempt to prevent the Great Machine from completing the Master Plan, as it will lead to the enslavement of the people of the City.

Game features:

• Modular board. Each new game, The City layout is different with infinite possible arrangements. Players can reposition the City Districts during the game.
• Hidden movement. The Heroes move covertly through the City by secretly choosing which District they will go to.
• Resource management. The Heroes gather Trust while the Great Machine uses Bonds. Both sides of the conflict use their resources to pay for a variety of actions, as well as movement and other tasks.
• Unique victory conditions. The Heroes need to successfully start 3 Riots to win, while the Great Machine strives to complete the Master Plan.
• Decision-driven gameplay. Success depends on the ability to outsmart the opposing forces and to strategically plan ahead.
• Secrecy. The Heroes may only speak to each other in the presence of the Great Machine. They will have to find a way to work together while keeping their plans concealed.

Heroes and the Servants of the Great Machine are represented by highly detailed Victorian steampunk miniatures. The game features top-notch art and thoughtful graphic design. The Progress board tracks the completion of the Master plan and the level of Discontent in the City and consists of 4 cardboard layers stacked on top of each other.

City of the Great Machine is published by CrowD Games, an international company and was developed by Moroz Dev Studio. The game author is German Tikhomirov, a distinguished game designer. The game has been in the making for almost 10 years.

The Kickstarter campaign is scheduled for September 29. You can follow this link and click the “Notify me on launch” button to receive a notification to your email address when the campaign goes live!

You might also want to check:

• Video Trailer. Introduces you to the game and shows the basics of the gameplay.
• Atmospheric unboxing. Shows prototype components of the game.
• Thematic website. More about the world of City of the Great Machine.
• TableTopia. Fully playable version with predetermined and custom setups.
• BoardGameGeek. The team behind City of the Great Machine regularly visits forums and would love to provide more information about the game.