Penny Lane is a worker placement game for 2-5 players in which players compete to build the most prosperous city avenue. You can build residences, shops like the Confectioners, and attractions like the Penny Arcade! You’ll also need to employ citizens to generate income for your lane. Penny Lane also has a tableau-building component, where players can get bonus points or currency by aligning their buildings with different “links.”
Each round consists of an action phase followed by an upkeep phase. In the action phase, a player can either select a Main Street action or pass. The action phase repeats until each player has passed.
To take a Main Street action, a player must choose from the communal Main Street cards, and place the required number of pennies on the open action space. The player then carries out the effect of that card. Possible actions include purchasing a building, placing a worker, rearranging buildings, or claiming the Mayor meeple to become the new 1st player.
Each player places purchase buildings in their lane. If they’re able to connect a penny link, they get an extra penny at the end of each upkeep phase. If they’re able to connect a victory point link, they get an extra victory point at the end of the game.
In the upkeep phase, all players gain 1 penny. Players then resolve all effects in their lane as indicated by the upkeep symbol and their penny links.
The final round is triggered when one player has 10 or more points on their lane, and the player with the most victory points wins!
Brain Waves
Brainwaves is a series of games developed by game designers and neuroscientists in which players challenge their episodic memory, that is, their memory of recent personal events.
In Brainwaves: The Wise Whale, players lay nine cards showing different colorful sea creatures face down after trying to memorize which creatures are on which cards. During a player’s turn, they reveal a new card from the deck. Then, they must reveal a card that matches either the creature or the color on this new card. If they do, they claim this card, and then lay out a new card face down in its place. Whoever collects the most cards wins.
In Brainwaves: The Astute Goose, players must identify a burglar hiding in a crowd. What did the culprit look like? What color were their clothes? And what animal accomplices did they have with them? Suspect cards are assigned a number, from one to six. Players look at these cards, then turn them face down. On a turn, a player rolls the two dice: one showing a number, the other a characteristic of a burglar card. If the player can identify the correct item on the correct burglar card, they claim that card as a reward, and then put a new card in its place. Whoever collects the most cards wins.
In Brainwaves: The Brilliant Boar, each player takes cards showing different animal portraits on their reverse sides into their hand. They can look at the cards briefly when they draw them, but then must face the cards away from them. On a player’s turn, they can either take the top card from the deck into their hand or play one of their cards onto the table, attempting to make as many pairs as possible from the card just played and those already face up on the table. Whoever collects the most cards wins.