Overview

Manhattan is a Spiel des Jahres-winning (1994) area majority game where players build skyscrapers across 6 city blocks. Each round, players play building cards to place blocks on the board, competing for control of the tallest buildings and the most buildings in each city. Buildings belong to whoever placed the topmost block.

Components

• 1 game board showing 6 city blocks (each a 3x3 grid of building sites)
• Building blocks in 4 player colors (various heights: 1-4 floors)
• Building cards (one deck per player)
• Score track

Setup

1. Place the board centrally.
2. Each player takes all building blocks of their color.
3. Each player takes their deck of building cards, shuffles them, and draws 4 cards.
4. Place score markers on 0.
5. Determine starting player.

Turn Structure

The game lasts 4 rounds. Each round:

1. Each player selects 6 building blocks they will use this round.
2. Players take turns clockwise. On each turn, play 1 building card and place 1 building block.
3. After all 6 turns per player, score the round.
4. Draw 4 new building cards for the next round.

Actions

Playing a Card and Placing a Block

1. Play a building card from your hand. The card shows a 3x3 grid with one highlighted position – this determines which position in the city block you must build on.
2. Choose which of the 6 city blocks to build in.
3. Place one of your selected building blocks on that position.

Building Rules

• You may place on an empty site or on top of an existing building.
• To place on top of an existing building, your new block must make your total floors in that tower equal to or greater than any other single player’s floors in that tower. You then control the building.
• The building belongs to the player whose block is on top.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Score at the end of each of the 4 rounds:

Category	Points
Most buildings in each city (majority)	2 points per city won
Tallest building overall	3 points
Each building you control	1 point

After 4 rounds, the player with the highest total score wins.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Ties for most buildings in a city: no one scores that city.
• Ties for tallest building: the 3 points are split (rounded down) or not awarded (depending on edition).
• You do not need to own a building to build on top of it – just ensure your total floors match or exceed the current leader’s.
• Strategic card management is key: save the right cards for the right city blocks.
• Buildings can grow very tall as multiple players compete for the same tower.

Player Reference

Scoring Category	Points
City majority (per city)	2
Tallest building (overall)	3
Each controlled building	1

Per round: Play 6 cards, place 6 blocks, then score. Game length: 4 rounds.