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Square Mile (board game)
Encyclopedia
Square Mile was the land development
board game
released by Milton Bradley
in 1962. It is for 2 - 4 players ages 12 to adult.
developer starting the game with $100,000 and one free tract (decided randomly). Then there is a round where players bid on additional tracts that may be had at very cheap prices; the number of tracts that each player on is determined by how many players are in the game. Then a number of road segments are built: One plus one per player.
The rest of the game, players take turns, each of which consists of the following phases:
Market value of a tract depends on how it is zoned and the state of development. The market value and development costs are shown on a chart that is visible to all players.
The game ends when the last tract of land is bought that is not fully developed. Then players total the amount of cash that they have plus the market value of tracts owned. The player with the greatest total is the winner.
Subdivision (land)
Subdivision is the act of dividing land into pieces that are easier to sell or otherwise develop, usually via a plat. The former single piece as a whole is then known in the United States as a subdivision...
board game
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
released by Milton Bradley
Milton Bradley Company
The Milton Bradley Company is an American game company established by Milton Bradley in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1860. In 1920, it absorbed the game production of McLoughlin Brothers, formerly the largest game manufacturer in the United States, and in 1987, it purchased Selchow and Righter,...
in 1962. It is for 2 - 4 players ages 12 to adult.
Gameplay
The square mile is divided into sixteen tracts, most of which are zoned (at the beginning of the game) for certain types of development. Each player has the role of a real estateReal estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
developer starting the game with $100,000 and one free tract (decided randomly). Then there is a round where players bid on additional tracts that may be had at very cheap prices; the number of tracts that each player on is determined by how many players are in the game. Then a number of road segments are built: One plus one per player.
The rest of the game, players take turns, each of which consists of the following phases:
- Sell: Sell any property, in any stage of development, at market value.
- Develop: Pay the cost to increase the value of any number of tracts that you own, only one type of which may be used per turn:
- Build roads: $10,000 for a road or $15,000 for a road with a bridge.
- Subdivide: A tract must have roads on all four sides before it can be subdivided (for $25,000)
- Construct buildings: If a tract is zoned for a particular type of buildings, that type of buildings must be built there; otherwise, any type of buildings may be built. (But the banker must reserve enough of the available buildings for those tracts that are zoned for them.) The cost of buildings vary depending on type.
- Buy: Buy, at market value, any tracts not fully developed or already owned. Each player may own at most five tracts.
Market value of a tract depends on how it is zoned and the state of development. The market value and development costs are shown on a chart that is visible to all players.
The game ends when the last tract of land is bought that is not fully developed. Then players total the amount of cash that they have plus the market value of tracts owned. The player with the greatest total is the winner.