City of Spies: Estoril 1942

Build a spy ring in wartime Lisbon by fighting for influence over casinos, hotels and beaches.

Designers: Antonio Sousa Lara, Gil d'Orey
Published by: MESAboardgames
Editions by: Stronghold Games, Rebel Sp. z o.o., Heidelberger Spieleverlag, YOKA Games

Estoril is a small town near Lisbon with a casino, a beach and glorious weather, and in 1942 it was a hotbed of diplomacy and spying. In City of Spies: Estoril 1942, you compete to build the most powerful secret organization in town. Six locations such as casinos and hotels are drawn at random for each of the four rounds, and your agents fight for influence there. Whoever leads a location earns a special agent as a reward, and these agents sharpen your toolkit for the next round. You grow your own deck of agents, push your luck, and occasionally knife a rival. Light enough to teach quickly, with enough sneaking around to feel like proper espionage.

Real Estoril locations drive each roundSpecial agents as rewards for influenceDeck-building with push-your-luck

Who it's for

You like espionage settings and area majority with a card engine on top, and you have an hour for a themed duel or small group.

Not for you if…

You dislike cutthroat card play, or you want a long strategy game. It is fairly quick and rivals can ruin your plan.

Vibe's take

Sneaky and fun. You commit agents to locations in secret, then watch the reveal, and sometimes your luck holds and sometimes it does not.