The Anarchy

Overview

I went into The Anarchy with mixed expectations: it's a Bobby Hill design published by Garphill Games (with Renegade Game Studios and Tesla Games), tagged for 1–4 players and recommended for ages 13+. My single play was with three players at a lively board-game café and lasted about 90 minutes (despite the box suggesting a 75-minute play time). We were a mix of familiarity levels; some of us had watched the tutorial videos beforehand and that made the rules crystal-clear going in. Overall I’d rate the experience a 5/10 — enjoyable in places, frustrating in others, and ultimately middling for my group.
The game sits in the medieval city-building category and blends a curious mix of mechanics: chaining, income, multi-use cards, a paper-and-pencil track element, tech trees/tech tracks, and track movement. It can be played solo, as a scenario/mission/campaign title, but our three-player session was the immediate focus. The game positions itself as a light, thinky-analytical experience, and that checks out: rules are simple, decisions are compact, and downtime is minimal. However, the balance leans toward mostly-luck, which undercuts some of the strategic choices for players seeking a deeper plan-and-execute city-builder.
If you’re the sort of player who enjoys light strategy with some crunch, minimal downtime, clear iconography, and the occasional direct conflict, you’ll find things to like. If you prefer heavy strategic depth and low variance, you’ll likely be disappointed. I’m the sort of player who fits the ideal audience for this game — I appreciated the pacing and theme — but I can already see why others might not.

Pros

• Clear, accessible iconography and crystal-clear rules made learning fast (especially after watching videos).
• Good production value: components feel solid and the artwork is functional and thematic; setup is quick (5–10 minutes).
• Tight pacing with minimal downtime; the game plays thinky-analytical but doesn’t bog players down, and the direct-conflict moments create memorable table talk.

Cons

• Gameplay leans mostly-luck, which reduces the payoff for planning and can be frustrating for players who expect deeper strategy.
• Minor component issues (bendy cards) detract slightly from the otherwise good-quality production.
• At three players our session went about 90 minutes instead of the advertised 75; time variance may occur depending on table flow.