Chicago 1875: City of the Big Shoulders

After the great Chicago Fire of 1871, the people of Chicago set out to rebuild their once-great city. Over the next 50 years Chicago experienced an economic golden age, making such great progress that it hosted the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893, followed not long after by a celebration of its Century of Progress at The World's Fair in 1933.

Many of the household brands we've come to know and love today had their start in Chicago during this time period; Oscar Mayer, Quaker Oats, Swift & Co, Armour & Co, Schwinn Bicycles, Cracker Jack, and many others made a home here in this tall, bold slugger.

In City of the Big Shoulders you will take on the role of an investor. You will start new companies, trade in shares, hire employees, equip factories, produce Goods and sell them to be delivered to homes across the Midwest.

You will experience Chicago’s rebirth over five Decades. Each Decade consists of five unique phases: A Stock Phase in which you buy and sell stock; a Building Phase in which you place new action spaces on the board; an Action Phase in which you send out your Partners across the city to make deals on behalf of your companies; an Operating Phase in which your companies buy resources, produce Goods, and ship them out of Chicago; and finally a Cleanup Phase in which the board is set up for the following Decade. At the end of the fifth Decade, the game ends. You then exchange shares that you have purchased over the course of the game for cash, receive rewards for public goals you have accomplished, and tally your money to determine who is Chicago's greatest resident, the winner of the game.