Left to my own devices, I may never have played Chinatown.
Luckily I have a weekly game group in which we have implemented what we call our Host system. It proceeds in a regular order allowing each member of the group in turn to act as Host, basically a Tyrant that selects that evening's venue and what game(s) we shall be playing. This has allowed everybody to get their games to the table while experiencing the varied tastes of the group.
So along comes a host's copy of Chinatown one evening, and the next day I would purchase a copy of my own at my FLGS.
To my eye the the box art was well done but not striking. The board itself I found serviceable if a bit drab. The cards were, uh, cards. Thematically I found it mildly interesting from an American History perspective (the same sweet spot that games like Tammany Hall, Tesla vs Edison, & Academy Games Birth of America series hit) where you play as Chinese immigrants making a go of it in 1960s New York, developing small businesses in Chinatown. But these businesses are also not super compelling, laundromats, antiques shops, take-out joints, photography shops...
An overview of the phases of the game round also does not immediately reveal the magic of the game.
The first 2 phases are merely drawing Building cards (basically numbered cards acting as Deeds to matching property on the board) and then draw Shop cards. Numbers drawn depend on Player Count and what Round this is (there are 6 rounds in every game).
- FIRST ROUND(and 2nd and 3rd Rounds @ 5 players): Draw X and keep Y Building cards, then draw X Shop tiles from the bag.
- SUBSEQUENT ROUNDS: Draw (X-1) and keep (Y-1) Building cards, then draw (Y-1) Shop tiles from the bag.
- this looks like algebra, i hate myself, ignore this bullet point.
- Discarded Building cards go to common discard pile to be reshuffled into draw deck later.
- Once everyone has their Building cards, place your player tokens on the corresponding square on the board to denote ownership.
The Third Phase is TRADING.
In the Fourth Phase you may choose to place PLACE TILES, or not, whatever, I'm not the boss of you, but you're going to need to place tiles to make money, each Shop tile displaying a number showing how many Shop tiles of that kind need to be adjacent in order to complete the business. Once placed, shop tiles cannot be moved, although ownership is fluid*.
Phase 5 - EARN INCOME - is the most important really, because this is where you, uh, earn income. You get money for your completed businesses and also substantially less for your crappy little incomplete ones too.
And whoever has the most money at the end of the 6th round wins.
That is the game on the table and it basically shows how everyone is performing.
But the game above the table, between all the players, takes place in that 3rd Phase -TRADING - and it is absolutely NUTS because this is a game of negotiation, and you got the luck of the draw for both Building cards & Shop tiles, and now everything you need to win is scattered around the table in the possession of the various players, and anything goes.
You can trade tile(s) for tile(s) between players, maybe throw in a cash bonus to sweeten the deal or offer to buy a tile outright. Maybe someone has ownership of a space on the board that you need to acquire to complete one of your businesses (or vice versa) so that's up for grabs. So are owned shop tiles already on the board - *it's as easy as an agreement and then swapping out the player tokens on the board denoting ownership. I've been in 3 and 4 way trade deals (although these usually fall apart before they can be completed) and I remember everyone's jaw-dropping the first time someone completed a trade with someone else proposing FUTURES on potential tiles being drawn. I've even read on BGG of players making loans. It's all up for grabs, and everyone is doing the math, calculating the benefit to themselves vs the benefit to their prospective trading partners over time.
Emotions come into play frequently in my groups, where gratitude is earned or antipathy built between players (hopefully only lasting as long at the game).
All these interactions and calculations are occurring simultaneously and chaotically, with frequently frantic babbling trying to get the best deal possible before you get edged out by a competitor. And you might get what you want but did you overpay, or give up too much? Did you hurt your long-term chances of success while boosting another player's?
When no more agreements can be reaching, the Trading Phase ends and you're all dumped back into the regular game until the next Round's Trading.
It is beautiful. It makes you see the possibility of games. It is a great game.
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