Review: It’s a Wonderful World (Blackrock) – English

Brave New World, 1984, A Clockwork Orange and many other books describe grim futures with a facist salvation state as an ideal. A dystopia. A subject that lends itself perfectly to exciting settings. Are you building a utopia, or are you going too far with your idealism and will it become a dystopia? Well, It’s A Wonderful World.

The game has three phases. At the beginning of a round (phase 1) all players receive a set of cards in their hands. They choose one card and the rest is passed on to the other players. This continues until each player has a hand of 7 cards. Keep a close eye on which cards are still in the game to ensure that your plan or strategy is utopian. 

What can you do with the cards in phase 2? Each card contains a structure or project that players can build or lay down. A card can also be discarded to be used as a resource. Raw materials can be used to finish projects or buildings that have been played. In phase 3, raw materials are produced. The empire of the player and the built projects and buildings, will now produce raw materials. The production goes in order of the different raw materials. During the production phase, for example, you may produce enough raw materials to complete a project or structure that will also be produced later in the production process. Do you produce the most of a certain raw material in one round? Then of course you have more power and you will receive a bonus.

Build your society like a well-oiled machine in this card drafting engine builder. It’s a great game. Easy to learn, but challenging to master. You plan well. Which cards do I take? Which cards do I build and which cards do I discard? And in what order? The artwork of the game is beautiful and thematic. The cards are clear and the symbolism is very clear, making it easy for every player to learn the game. Highly recommended for my part. As Louis Armstrong sang: what a wonderful world!